F. Wallace Harrison

Atmospheric CO 2 column measurements with an airborne intensity-modulated continuous wave 1.57 μm fiber laser lidar

The 2007 National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey on Earth Science and Applications from Space recommended Active Sensing of CO(2) Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) as a midterm, Tier II, NASA space mission. ITT Exelis, formerly ITT Corp., and NASA Langley Research Center have been working together since 2004 to develop and demonstrate a prototype laser absorption spectrometer for making high-precision, column CO(2) mixing ratio measurements needed for the ASCENDS mission. This instrument, called the multifunctional fiber laser lidar (MFLL), operates in an intensity-modulated, continuous wave mode in the 1.57 μm CO(2) absorption band. Flight experiments have been conducted with the MFLL on a Lear-25, UC-12, and DC-8 aircraft over a variety of different surfaces and under a wide range of atmospheric conditions. Very high-precision CO(2) column measurements resulting from high signal-to-noise ratio (>1300) column optical depth (OD) measurements for a 10 s (~1 km) averaging interval have been achieved. In situ measurements of atmospheric CO(2) profiles were used to derive the expected CO(2) column values, and when compared to the MFLL measurements over desert and vegetated surfaces, the MFLL measurements were found to agree with the in situ-derived CO(2) columns to within an average of 0.17% or ~0.65 ppmv with a standard deviation of 0.44% or ~1.7 ppmv. Initial results demonstrating ranging capability using a swept modulation technique are also presented.

Atmospheric CO(2) column measurements in cloudy conditions using intensity-modulated continuous-wave lidar at 1.57 micron.

This study evaluates the capability of atmospheric CO2 column measurements under cloudy conditions using an airborne intensity-modulated continuous-wave integrated-path-differential-absorption lidar operating in the 1.57-μm CO2 absorption band. The atmospheric CO2 column amounts from the aircraft to the tops of optically thick cumulus clouds and to the surface in the presence of optically thin clouds are retrieved from lidar data obtained during the summer 2011 and spring 2013 flight campaigns, respectively. For the case of intervening thin cirrus clouds with an average cloud optical depth of about 0.16 over an arid/semi-arid area, the CO2 column measurements from 12.2 km altitude were found to be consistent with the cloud free conditions with a lower precision due to the additional optical attenuation of the thin clouds. The clear sky precision for this flight campaign case was about 0.72% for a 0.1-s integration, which was close to previously reported flight campaign results. For a vegetated area and lidar path lengths of 8 to 12 km, the precision of the measured differential absorption optical depths to the surface was 1.3 - 2.2% for 0.1-s integration. The precision of the CO2 column measurements to thick clouds with reflectance about 1/10 of that of the surface was about a factor of 2 to 3 lower than that to the surface owing to weaker lidar returns from clouds and a smaller CO2 differential absorption optical depth compared to that for the entire column.

Super-resolution technique for CW lidar using Fourier transform reordering and Richardson–Lucy deconvolution

An interpolation method is described for range measurements of high precision altimetry with repeating intensity modulated continuous wave (IM-CW) lidar waveforms using binary phase shift keying (BPSK), where the range profile is determined by means of a cross-correlation between the digital form of the transmitted signal and the digitized return signal collected by the lidar receiver. This method uses reordering of the array elements in the frequency domain to convert a repeating synthetic pulse signal to single highly interpolated pulse. This is then enhanced further using Richardson-Lucy deconvolution to greatly enhance the resolution of the pulse. We show the sampling resolution and pulse width can be enhanced by about two orders of magnitude using the signal processing algorithms presented, thus breaking the fundamental resolution limit for BPSK modulation of a particular bandwidth and bit rate. We demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for determining cloud and tree canopy thicknesses far beyond this fundamental limit in a lidar not designed for this purpose.

High-resolution CW lidar altimetry using repeating intensity-modulated waveforms and Fourier transform reordering

An interpolation method is described for range measurements of high precision and altimetry using repeating intensity-modulated continuous wave (IM-CW) lidar waveforms, where the range is determined by means of a cross-correlation between the digital form of the transmitted signal and the digitized return signal collected by the lidar receiver. This method uses reordering of the array elements in the frequency domain to convert a repeating synthetic pulse signal to single highly interpolated pulse. The computation of this processing is marginally greater than the correlation itself, as it only involves reordering of the correlation in the frequency domain, which makes it possible to implement this in a real time application. It is shown through theoretical arguments and flight-testing that this is a viable method for high-speed interpolated range measurements. Standard deviation is 0.75 m over water with only 350 mw of transmitted power at 2600 m.

Binary phase shift keying on orthogonal carriers for multi-channel CO 2 absorption measurements in the presence of thin clouds

A new modulation technique for Continuous Wave (CW) Lidar is presented based on Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) using orthogonal carriers closely spaced in frequency, modulated by Maximum Length (ML) sequences, which have a theoretical autocorrelation function with no sidelobes. This makes it possible to conduct multi-channel atmospheric differential absorption measurements in the presence of thin clouds without the need for further processing to remove errors caused by sidelobe interference while sharing the same modulation bandwidth. Flight tests were performed and data were collected using both BPSK and linear swept frequency modulation. This research shows there is minimal or no sidelobe interference in the presence of thin clouds for BPSK compared to linear swept frequency with significant sidelobe levels. Comparisons between of CO(2) optical depth Signal to Noise (SNR) between the BPSK and linear swept frequency cases indicate a 21% drop in SNR for BPSK experimentally using the instrument under consideration.

System Architecture For Telerobotic Servicing And Assembly Tasks

An identified goal for initial Space Stations operations is to have a telerobotic system that can perform assembly and maintenance tasks on the station. Servicing and assembly which are candidates for automation include tasks which are potentially hazardous to humans and tasks which are repetitious. This paper will describe the architecture of an integrated telerobotics laboratory which is being used for research on the mechanisms, controls, sensing, and operator interface required to accomplish space telerobotic tasks. The Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory (ISRL) uses a hierarchical structure of functionally distributed computers communicating over both parallel and high-speed serial data paths in conjunction with a modular system simulation program to conduct studies of advanced telerobotic systems. Multiple processes perform motion planning, operator communications, forward and inverse kinematics, control/sensor fusion, and I/O processing while communicating through common memory on a VAX host computer. Additional hardware elements of the simulation include a symbolic processor, a high-speed computer graphics system, manipulators, and a vision processor. Two manipulators can be operated under teleoperator control or can be supervised by the operator while performing a sequence of elementary operations using force, torque, and vision sensing. This paper describes the architecture and capability of the laboratory and discusses recent telerobotic studies related to satellite servicing and space assembly.

Applications of fiber lasers for remote sensing of atmospheric greenhouse gases

In 2004 ITT Exelis developed the Multifunctional Fiber Laser Lidar (MFLL) for measuring atmospheric CO2. This lidar relies on high efficiency telecom laser components and Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFA’s) to implement a unique Continuous Wave (CW) Intensity Modulated (IM) differential absorption lidar measurement. This same approach has also been used to measure atmospheric O2 by replacing the EDFA’s with fiber Raman amplifier technology. The use of all fiber coupled components results in a highly reliable, flexible and robust instrument. The general architecture of the MFLL, its implementation for greenhouse gas measurements, and as a pseudorandom noise encoded altimeter system is reviewed. Results from a 2011 flight campaign on the NASA DC-8 aircraft which included CO2, O2, and PN altimetry using a single receiver for all three measurements are also discussed. In addition, an introduction to a novel variation of this approach that will enable greenhouse gas monitoring from a geostationary orbit is given. This paper provides a general overview of a set of applications for fiber lasers in the area of active remote sensing that have been developed by Exelis over the past several years.

Autonomous aerial observations to extend and complement the Earth Observing System: a science-driven systems-oriented approach

The current Earth observing capability depends primarily on spacecraft missions and ground-based networks to provide the critical on-going observations necessary for improved understanding of the Earth system. Aircraft missions play an important role in process studies but are limited to relatively short-duration flights. Suborbital observations have contributed to global environmental knowledge by providing in-depth, high-resolution observations that space-based and in-situ systems are challenged to provide; however, the limitations of aerial platforms - e.g., limited observing envelope, restrictions associated with crew safety and high cost of operations have restricted the suborbital program to a supporting role. For over a decade, it has been recognized that autonomous aerial observations could potentially be important. Advances in several technologies now enable autonomous aerial observation systems (AAOS) that can provide fundamentally new observational capability for Earth science and applications and thus lead scientists and engineers to rethink how suborbital assets can best contribute to Earth system science. Properly developed and integrated, these technologies will enable new Earth science and operational mission scenarios with long term persistence, higher-spatial and higher-temporal resolution at lower cost than space or ground based approaches. This paper presents the results of a science driven, systems oriented study of broad Earth science measurement needs. These needs identify aerial mission scenarios that complement and extend the current Earth Observing System. These aerial missions are analogous to space missions in their complexity and potential for providing significant data sets for Earth scientists. Mission classes are identified and presented based on science driven measurement needs in atmospheric, ocean and land studies. Also presented is a nominal concept of operations for an AAOS: an innovative set of suborbital assets that complements and augments current and planned space-based observing systems.

Advanced intensity-modulation continuous-wave lidar techniques for ASCENDS CO2 column measurements

Global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements for the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) space mission are critical for improving our understanding of global CO2 sources and sinks. Advanced Intensity- Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar techniques are investigated as a means of facilitating CO2 measurements from space to meet the ASCENDS measurement requirements. In recent numerical, laboratory and flight experiments we have successfully used the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation technique to uniquely discriminate surface lidar returns from intermediate aerosol and cloud contamination. We demonstrate the utility of BPSK to eliminate sidelobes in the range profile as a means of making Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) column CO2 measurements in the presence of optically thin clouds, thereby eliminating the need to correct for sidelobe bias errors caused by the clouds. Furthermore, high accuracy and precision ranging to the surface as well as to the top of intermediate cloud layers, which is a requirement for the inversion of column CO2 number density measurements to column CO2 mixing ratios, has been demonstrated using new hyperfine interpolation techniques that takes advantage of the periodicity of the modulation waveforms. This approach works well for both BPSK and linear swept-frequency modulation techniques. The BPSK technique under investigation has excellent auto-correlation properties while possessing a finite bandwidth. A comparison of BPSK and linear swept-frequency is also discussed in this paper. These results are extended to include Richardson-Lucy deconvolution techniques to extend the resolution of the lidar beyond that implied by limit of the bandwidth of the modulation, where it is shown useful for making tree canopy measurements.

Multidimensional analysis of autonomous aerial observation systems (AAOS) for scientific, civil, and defense applications

Better knowledge of the atmosphere, ocean and land are needed by a wide range of users spanning the scientific, civil and defense communities. Observations to provide this knowledge will require aerial systems with greater operational flexibility and lower life-cycle costs than are currently available. Persistent monitoring of severe storms, sampling and measurements of the Earth’s carbon cycle, wildfire monitoring/management, crop assessments, ozone and polar ice changes, and natural disaster response (communications and surveillance) are but a few applications where autonomous aerial observations can effectively augment existing measurement systems. User driven capabilities include high altitude, long range, long-loiter (days/weeks), smaller deployable sensor-ships for in-situ sampling, and sensors providing data with spectral bandwidth and high temporal and three-dimensional spatial resolution. Starting with user needs and considering all elements and activities required to acquire the needed observations leads to the definition of autonomous aerial observation systems (AAOS) that can significantly complement and extend the current Earth observation capability. In this approach, UAVs are viewed as only one, albeit important, element in a mission system and overall cost and performance for the user are the critical success factors. To better understand and meet the challenges of developing such AAOSs, a systems oriented multi-dimensional analysis has been performed that illuminates the enabling and high payoff investments that best address the needs of scientific, civil, and defense users of Earth observations. The analysis further identifies technology gaps and serves to illustrate how investments in a range of mission subsystems together can enable a new class of Earth observations.