We present simultaneous Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3+Spitzer IRAC variability monitoring for the highly variable young (similar to 20 Myr) planetary-mass object PSO J318.5-22. Our simultaneous HST + Spitzer observations covered approximately two rotation periods with Spitzer and most of a rotation period with the HST. We derive a period of 8.6. +/-. 0.1 hr from the Spitzer light curve. Combining this period with the measuredvsinifor this object, we find an inclination of 56 degrees.2. +/-. 8 degrees.1. We measure peak-to-trough variability amplitudes of 3.4%. +/-. 0.1% for Spitzer Channel 2 and 4.4%-5.8% (typical 68% confidence errors of similar to 0.3%) in the near-IR bands (1.07-1.67 mu m) covered by the WFC3 G141 prism-the mid-IR variability amplitude for PSO J318.5-22 is one of the highest variability amplitudes measured in the mid-IR for any brown dwarf or planetary-mass object. Additionally, we detect phase offsets ranging from 200 degrees to 210 degrees (typical error of similar to 4 degrees) between synthesized near-IR light curves and the Spitzer mid-IR light curve, likely indicating depth-dependent longitudinal atmospheric structure in this atmosphere. The detection of similar variability amplitudes in wide spectral bands relative to absorption features suggests that the driver of the variability may be inhomogeneous clouds (perhaps a patchy haze layer over thick clouds), as opposed to hot spots or compositional inhomogeneities at the top-of-atmosphere level.

Effectiveness of solar radiation pressure in the three-axis attitude control of present day and next generation of large communications satellites is investigated. A simple two-flap configuration is used with optimization of the direction of the applied control moment rather than the magnitude of the weak solar radiation pressure. Simulations were carried out in the presence of varying orbital eccentricity and inclination, solar aspect angle and controller dynamics parameters. Time histories of librational response against orbital position are presented for controlled and uncontrolled conditions. The results suggest the semipassive controller to be quite effective over a wide range of system parameters and it can meet the exacting pointing accuracy demanded by large communications satellites. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mechanical Engineering, Department of / Graduate

The equations of motion for a satellite with a rigid central body and a pair of appendages deforming due to thermal effects of the solar radiation are derived. The dynamics of the system is studied in two stages: (i) librational dynamics of the central body with quasi-steady thermally flexed appendages; (ii) coupled librational/vibrational dynamics of the spacecraft. Response of the system is investigated numerically over a range of system parameters and effect of the thermal deformations assessed. The study indicates that for a circular orbit, the flexible system can become unstable under critical combinations of system parameters and initial conditions although the corresponding rigid system continues to be stable. However, in eccentric orbits, depending on the initial conditions, thermally flexed appendages can stabilize or destabliIize the system. Attempt is also made to obtain an approximate closed-form (analytical) solution of the problem to quickly assess trends and gain better physical appreciation of response characteristics during the preliminary design. Comparisons with numerical results show approximate analysis to be of an acceptable accuracy for the intended objective. The closed-form solution can be used with a measure of confidence thus promising a substantial saving in time, effort, and computational cost. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mechanical Engineering, Department of / Graduate

The determination of atmospheric structure and molecular abundances of planetary atmospheres via spectroscopy involves direct comparisons between models and data. While varying in sophistication, most model spectra comparisons fundamentally assume one-dimensional (1D) model physics. However, knowledge from general circulation models and of solar system planets suggests that planetary atmospheres are inherently three-dimensional in their structure and composition. We explore the potential biases resulting from standard "1D" assumptions within a Bayesian atmospheric retrieval framework. Specifically, we show how the assumption of a single 1D thermal profile can bias our interpretation of the thermal emission spectrum of a hot Jupiter atmosphere that is composed of two thermal profiles. We retrieve spectra of unresolved model planets as observed with a combination of the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3)+Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) as well as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) under varying differences in the two thermal profiles. For WFC3+IRAC, there is a significantly biased estimate of CH4 abundance using a 1D model when the contrast is 80%. For JWST, two thermal profiles are required to adequately interpret the data and estimate the abundances when contrast is greater than 40%. We also apply this preliminary concept to the recent WFC3+IRAC phase curve data of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b. We see similar behavior as present in our simulated data: while the H2O abundance determination is robust, CH4 is artificially well-constrained to incorrect values under the 1D assumption. Our work demonstrates the need to evaluate model assumptions in order to extract meaningful constraints from atmospheric spectra and motivates exploration of optimal observational setups.

No description available.

The improved spatial resolution of the data from the SPOT satellite provides a substantially better basis for monitoring urban land use and growth with remote sensing than Landsat data. The purpose of this study is to delineate the road network in 20-m resolution SPOT-images of urban areas automatically. The roads appear as linear features. However, most edge and line detectors are not effective in detecting roads in these images because of the low signal to noise ratio, low contrast and blur in the imagery. For the automatic recognition of roads, a new line detector based on surface modelling is developed. A line can be approximated by a piecewise straight curve composed of short linear line-elements, called linels, each characterized by a direction, a length and a position. The approach to linel detection is to fit a directional surface that models the ideal local intensity profile of a linel in the least square sense. A Gaussian surface with a direction of invariance forms an adequate basis for modelling the ideal local intensity profile of the roads. The residual of the least squares fit as well as the parameters of the fit surface characterize the linel detected. The reliable performance of this line operator makes the problems of linking linels more manageable. / Master of Science

There is an ever increasing need for low-cost communication systems in the world. One such system, low-earth-orbit satellites, can provide store-and-forward, as opposed to real time, communication for many earth stations. The advantages and disadvantages of such a system is presented. Material covering protocols and communications architectures is elaborated upon for the use of amateur radio communications. Doppler shift and its effect on satellites in low-earth-orbit is examined. Efficiency and throughput of the Amateur X.25 Protocol will be explored. The last chapter entails the analysis of the PACSAT experiment. / Master of Science

Master of Science

The need for absolute radiometric calibration of space-based sensors will continue to increase as new generations of space sensors are developed. A reflectance-based in-flight calibration procedure is used to determine the radiance reaching the entrance pupil of the sensor. This procedure uses ground-based measurements coupled with a radiative transfer code to characterize the effects the atmosphere has on the signal reaching the sensor. The computed radiance is compared to the digital count output of the sensor associated with the image of a test site. This provides an update to the preflight calibration of the system and a check on the on-board internal calibrator. This calibration procedure was used to perform a series of five calibrations of the Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM). For the 12 measurements made in TM bands 1-3, the RMS variation from the mean as a percentage of the mean is (+OR-) 1.9%, and for measurements in the IR, TM bands 4,5, and 7, the value is (+OR-) 3.4%. The RMS variation for all 23 measurements is (+OR-) 2.8%. The absolute calibration techniques were put to another test with a series of three calibration of the SPOT-1 High Resolution Visible, (HRV), sensors. The ratio, HRV-2/HRV-1, of absolute calibration coefficients compared very well with ratios of histogrammed data obtained when the cameras simultaneously imaged the same ground site. Bands PA, B1 and B3 agreed to within 3%, while band B2 showed a 7% difference. The procedure for performing a satellite calibration was then used to demonstrate how a calibrated satellite sensor can be used to quantitatively evaluate surface reflectance over a wide range of surface features. Predicted reflectance factors were compared to values obtained from aircraft-based radiometer data. This procedure was applied on four dates with two different surface conditions per date. A strong correlation, R('2) = .996, was shown between reflectance values determined from satellite imagery and low-flying aircraft data. Of the 32 predicted reflectance values only six had a difference greater than 0.01. A mean difference of .0007 was obtained for the 32 cases. In addition, a procedure had to be developed to obtain uncorrected digital counts from processed satellite imagery.

No description available.