University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2007 The Design and Integration of an Airborne Imager and Flight Campaign to Study the Time Evolution and Vertical Structures of Polar Mesospheric Clouds Jason David Reimuller University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons Recommended Citation Reimuller, Jason David, "The Design and Integration of an Airborne Imager and Flight Campaign to Study the Time Evolution and Vertical Structures of Polar Mesospheric Clouds. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2007. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/318 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Jason David Reimuller entitled "The Design and Integration of an Airborne Imager and Flight Campaign to Study the Time Evolution and Vertical Structures of Polar Mesospheric Clouds." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Aviation Systems. Stephen Corda, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: U. Peter Solies, Richard Ranaudo Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Jason David Reimuller entitled “The Design and Integration of an Airborne Imager and Flight Campaign to Study the Time Evolution and Vertical Structures of Polar Mesospheric Clouds.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Aviation Systems. Stephen Corda ___________________________ Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: U. Peter Solies Richard Ranaudo Accepted for the Council: Linda Painter Interim Dean of Graduate Studies (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) The Design and Integration of an Airborne Imager and Flight Campaign to Study the Time Evolution and Vertical Structures of Polar Mesospheric Clouds A Thesis Presented for the Master of Science Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Jason David Reimuller May 2007 Copyright © 2007 by Jason David Reimuller all rights reserved ii Dedication To my grandfather, B/Gen. Willis Fred Chapman iii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the support of the fine professors of the University of Tennessee Space Institute. I would especially like to recognize the support of Dr. U. Peter Solies, Dr. Stephen Corda, and Dr. Ralph Kimberlin. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the fine professors of the University of Colorado, especially to Dr. Jeffrey Thayer for his continued patient work with an unorthodox candidate. I would also like to thank Dr. David Rusch and Dr. William McClintock of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for the opportunities to be involved with the AIM mission that they have provided to me. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my kinfolk whose continued support is invaluable. In particular, to my parents Patricia Chapman and David Reimuller, to Jason Gatten and Aaron Joslin for helping me to keep focus on the bigger picture, and to Chris Lundeen for always reminding me to keep a healthy play ethic. iv Abstract The Design and Integration of an Airborne Imager and Flight Campaign to Study the Time Evolution and Vertical Structures of Polar Mesospheric Clouds Jason David Reimuller, M.S. Aviation Systems, Physics The University of Tennessee Space Institute, 2007 Supervisor: Stephen Corda The scientific objective of this study is to design an aircraft flight experiment that will provide airborne imaging data, augmenting satellite data, to advance the fundamental understanding of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs). By capturing simultaneous top and bottom views of the PMCs, these airborne images will both provide insight into the time evolution of PMCs, and into the micro-features of these clouds, from which gravity waves and other details of the clouds vertical structures may be obtained. These data may help us better understand the driving mechanisms of these clouds and ultimately those elements of global climatic change, which are believed to cause their expanding presence. The proposed imager will use a similar charged-coupled device and interface as that of the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere’s (AIM’s) Cloud Imager and Particle Size (CIPS) imager and will observe the clouds in both the visible spectra and in a near-ultraviolet spectrum closer to the sensitivity of the CIPS imager. The sensor is to be integrated aboard UTSIs Piper Navajo. Algorithms for satellite intercept trajectories and airborne imager positioning are developed for flight campaigns, scheduled for the 2007 Boreal Summer along a series of airstrips in both Northern Quebec and Alaska. v TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction …………………………………………….………………….…….... 1 1.1 Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) ……………………………………………….. 1 1.2 The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Spacecraft Mission ………...…… 3 1.3 Scientific Objectives ………...…………………………………………………….. 4 2. System Concepts and Design …………………………………………………….. 5 2.1 Requirements ………………………………………………………………………. 5 2.2 Calculating and Projecting the True Anomalies from the Mean Anomalies ……… 6 2.3 GPS Locations of Common Volumes ……………………………………………... 7 2.4 Aircraft Data Inputs ……………………………………………………….……..... 11 2.5 Adjust Targeting Vector for Aircraft Attitude Values …………………………….. 12 2.6 Imaging and Data Collection ……………………………………………………… 14 2.7 After the Overpass ………………………………………………………………… 14 3. Imager Design …………………………………………………………………… 15 3.1 Signal Definition ………………………………………………………………….. 15 3.2 Defining the Noise ………………………………………………………………... 16 3.3 Photon Count per Pixel Relationship Derivation …………………………………. 17 3.4 Wavelength Integrated Solar Irradiance ………………………………………….. 17 3.5 Bandpass for the Filtered Lens …………………………………………………… 18 3.6 CCD Design Choices ……………………………………………………………... 19 3.7 Field of View (FOV) Determination ……………………………………………… 21 3.8 Time Delayed Integration (TDI) ………………………………………………….. 22 3.9 Lens Selection ……………………………………………………………….…….. 24 3.10 System Integration ………………………………………………………….……. 24 4. Instrument Integration onto an Airborne Platform …………………….…..…. 29 4.1 System Components ……………………………………………………………… 29 4.2 Flight Computer Inputs …………………………………………………………... 29 4.3 Flight Computer Algorithm and Outputs ……………………………….…………29 4.4 Electrical Interface Overview …………………………….…………….………… 33 4.5 Mechanical Interface Overview ………………………………….…………….…. 33 vi 5. Flight Testing ……………………………………………………………………... 35 5.1 Aircraft Description ……………………………………………………………......35 5.2 Scope of Tests …………………………………………………………………….. 36 5.3 Drag Force Calculations ………………………………………………………….. 36 5.4 Performance Flight Testing ………………………………………………………. 38 5.5 Stability and Control Flight Testing ……………………………………………… 44 5.6 Control Surface Blanking ………………………………………………………… 47 6. Flight Research Campaign ………………………………………………………. 48 6.1 Defining the Geometry ……………………………………………………………. 48 6.2 Flight Campaign …………………………………………………………………... 51 6.3 Computing Intercept Trajectories …………………………………………………. 53 7. Summary and Conclusions ……………………………………………………… 56 List of References ……………………………………………………………………. 58 APPENDIX A: Airglow Spectra …………………………………………………….. 61 APPENDIX B: NORAD Two Line Element Sets ………………………………...…. 64 APPENDIX C: ECEF to SEZ Conversion ………………………………...………… 66 APPENDIX D: Code …………………………………………………………..….…. 68 Vita …………………………………………………………………………………… 77 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1: Calculating GPS Locations of CIPS Images …………………………....10 Table 3.1: Newport Optics Model 10XM35-360 ……………………………….....20 Table 3.2: TDI Dwell Time and Number of Runs ………………………………... 25 Table 3.3: Lens Parameter Comparison …………………………………………... 25 Table 3.4: Change in FOV due to Market Availability of Lenses ………………... 26 Table 4.1: Flight Computer Inputs ………………………………………………... 31 Table 4.2: Flight Computer Output to the Sensor from the Algorithm - Ranges … 32 Table 4.3: Flight Computer Output to the Sensor from the Algorithm - Units ….... 32 Table 4.4: Flight Computer Input from the Sensor ……………………………….. 32 Table 5.1: Drag Area Components for the Sensor ………………………………... 36 Table 5.2: Drag Forces Obtained through CFD Analysis ………………………… 37 Table 6.1: Airport Data for Observation Campaigns ……………………………... 53 Table 6.2: Optimal Midnight Latitudes as a Function of Campaign Day ………… 54 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Polar Mesospheric Clouds ………………………………………….…… 1 Figure 1.2: Polar Mesospheric Cloud Illumination …………………………….…..... 2 Figure 2.1: Calipso Orbital Data as Provided by NORAD.……………………..….. 10 Figure 2.2: Nominal Imager Coverage for Flight Along-Track AIM Overpass ……. 12 Figure 2.3: Aircraft, Common Volume, and Satellite Geometry and Variables ……. 13 Figure 3.1: The Solar Spectrum ………………………………………………….….