2011 annual report

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Earth Science Technology Office
Executive Summary

As reported in the pages that follow, fiscal year 2011 (FY11) has been another productive year for NASA 

Earth science technology development. 

Activities within the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) continue to center on guidance provided by 

the first-ever Decadal Survey for Earth science – “Earth Science and Applications from Space: National 

Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond” by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National 

Academies – and by the NASA plan for climate-centric observations: “Responding to the Challenge of 

Climate and Environmental Change.” This year saw significant technology achievements and demonstrations in many Earth science disciplines, including Doppler wind lidar. We have highlighted that work in a 

special section titled “Toward 3D-Winds: Technology Investments for Future Global Wind Measurements” 

on pages 7-8.

31 new investments were added to the ESTO portfolio in FY11 through solicitations under the Instrument 

Incubator Program (IIP) and the Advanced Component Technologies (ACT) program. The Advanced 

Information Systems Technology (AIST) program plans to award new projects in FY12, some of which 

may receive additional funding through a partnership with the NASA Applied Sciences Program to build 

end user applications.

ESTO also continues to build upon a strong history of technology development and infusion. In FY11 

exactly 50% of active ESTO technology projects advanced at least one Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 

and many projects have achieved infusion into science measurements, system demonstrations, or 

other applications. Of the over 550 completed projects in the ESTO portfolio, 36% have already been 

infused and an additional 44% have a path identified for future infusion. 

We are proud of the contributions our principal investigators make for the future of Earth science and we 

look forward to another year of continued innovation in FY12.

George J. Komar, Program Director Robert A. Bauer, Deputy Program Director

i

Contents About ESTO •••••••••••••• 1 - 2

2011 Metrics •••••••••••••• 3 - 6

Special Section:

Toward 3D-Winds •••••••••••••• 7 - 8

2011 in Review:

 - Instruments •••••••••••••• 9 - 10

 - Information Systems •••••••••••••• 11 - 12

 - Components •••••••••••••• 13 - 14

Future Challenges •••••••••••••• 15

Additional Resources •••••••••••••• 16

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On the Cover:

1) An optic from the Shared Aperture Diffractive Optical Element (ShADOE) telescope (see page 7) - credit: B. Gentry, NASA GSFC

2) The PolZero time-domain polarization scrambler (see page 14) - credit: R. Illing, Ball Aerospace

3) The Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL) in a WB-57 aircraft pallet (see pages 6-8) - credit: S. Tucker, Ball Aerospace 

4) The M-Cubed CubeSat developed by the University of Michgan (see page 12) - credit: Michigan Exploration Laboratory 

5) The TWiLiTE instrument on the NASA ER2 aircraft (see page 7) - credit: B. Gentry, NASA GSFC

6) The Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (DAWN) on the NASA DC-8 aircraft (see page 8) - credit: M. Kavaya, NASA LaRC

7) False-color image of a laser shot (see page 5) - credit J. Dobler, ITT Geospatial Systems 

8) Fisheye lens image of CO2 and O2 instruments on NASA DC-8 aircraft.(see page 5) - credit: J. Dobler, ITT Geospatial Systems 

9) Line-of-sight wind speed data taken by the OAWL instrument in 2011 (see pages 6-8) - credit: S. Tucker, Ball Aerospace 

10) Model output of permanent ground displacement from the 8/23/11 magnitude 5.8 earthquake near Mineral, VA 

(see page 11) - credit: A. Donnellan, Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
1 2

About ESTO

As the technology function within the 

Earth Science Division of the NASA 

Science Mission Directorate, the Earth 

Science Technology Office (ESTO) performs strategic technology planning 

and manages the development of a 

range of advanced technologies for 

future science measurements and 

operational requirements. ESTO technology investments attempt to address 

the full science measurement process: 

from the instruments and platforms 

needed to make observations to the 

data systems and information products 

that make those observations useful.

ESTO applies a rigorous approach to 

technology development:

• Planning technology investments 

through comprehensive analyses of 

science requirements

• Selecting and funding technologies 

through competitive solicitations and 

partnership opportunities

• Actively managing funded technology 

development projects

• Facilitating infusion of maturing 

technologies into science campaigns 

and missions. 

ESTO employs an open, flexible, 

science-driven strategy that relies on 

competitive, peer-reviewed solicitations 

to produce the best cutting-edge technologies. In some cases, investments 

are leveraged through partnerships to 

mitigate financial risk and to create a 

broader audience for technology 

infusion. 

The results speak for themselves: a 

broad portfolio of over 655 emerging 

technologies (from 105 active projects 

and over 550 completed progects) 

ready to enable and/or enhance future 

science measurements as well as an 

ever-growing number of technology 

infusion successes.

From instruments to 

data access, ESTO’s 

technology portfolio 

enables end-to-end 

measurements

ESTO’s 105 active projects included the combined 

efforts of more than 490 principal investigators (PIs), 

co-investigators (Co-Is), and partners from a variety 

of institutions. The graph at right shows the 

distribution of active projects by institution. 

ESTO Investigators

NASA Centers,

27%

Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory, 28%

Academia, 27%

Industry

15%

Federal Labs,

3%

Student Participation

Images Courtesy Michigan Exploration Laboratory, University of Michigan. 

(See page 12 to learn about their project, the Michigan Multipurpose Minisat)

Student participation in ESTO projects has always been substantial, with nearly 400 students at 

92 institutions involved in ESTO-funded work since 1998. Nearly 50 graduate-level degrees have 

been earned to date by students working on ESTO projects. In 2011 alone, 86 students were 

actively involved with ESTO projects. About half of the students are pursuing doctorates while 

the remainder are working toward masters’ or undergraduate degrees.

Over the past 12 years, ESTO-funded technology 

research and development has been performed in 

nearly every state and the District of Columbia. 
3 4

With more than 550 completed technology investments and a current, 

active portfolio of 105 projects, ESTO is driving innovation, 

enabling future Earth science measurements, and strengthening 

NASA’s reputation for developing and advancing leading-edge 

technologies.

How did ESTO do this year? Here are a few of our successes for fiscal 

year 2011 (FY11), tied to NASA’s performance goals for ESTO:

GOAL: 

Annually advance 25% of currently funded technology projects at least one 

Technology Readiness Level (TRL). 

FY11 RESULT: 

50% of ESTO technology projects which were funded during FY11 advanced one or 

more TRL over the course of the fiscal year, double the annual goal for this metric. 

Additionally, 12% of the FY11 projects advanced more than one TRL. See the 

graph below for yearly comparisons. [Note: because of the variable periodicity of 

solicitations and other factors, multi-year trends are not meaningful.]

 

ESTO’s infusion 

success - drawn from 

over 550 completed 

projects through FY11

Each dot 

represents one of 

the over 655 

projects (active and 

completed) in the 

ESTO portfolio. 

Percentage of 

Active Projects 

that Advanced 

at Least 1 TRL 

during each 

Fiscal Year (FY)

0%

25% Goal

Fiscal Year

FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07

26%

41%

35%

52%

39%

28%

39%

36%

41%

46%

FY08

53%

FY09

GOAL: 

Mature two to three technologies to the point where they can be demonstrated in 

space or in a relevant operational environment.

FY11 RESULT:

At least eight ESTO projects achieved infusion into space missions or airborne

science campaigns in FY11. A few notable examples:

 

- The Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM), an information systems project, 

was utilized by two field campaigns in FY11: the Light Precipitation Evaluation Experiment (LPVEx) and the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers 

(WISPARS) experiment. RTMM is a tool that autonomously integrates data sets, 

weather information, vehicle operation data, and model and forecast outputs 

to help manage field experiments that involve a variety of space, airborne and 

ground assets. During both campaigns, RTMM optimized decision making by 

presenting timely data and visualizations and improving real-time situational 

awareness. (PI: M. Goodman, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center).

- Processing strategies developed by the Multi-Sensor Data Synergy Advisor 

(MDSA) project are being used to improve the quality and usability of selected 

atmospheric data products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. MDSA is 

a series of information systems tools that enable data access and interoperability, provide data provenance, and improve comparisons between 

data sets. (PI: G. Leptoukh, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

- The CO2 Laser Sounder for the ASCENDS Mission participated 

in three airborne science campaigns (in 2009, 2010, and 2011) 

to demonstrate the approach as a precursor to the Active 

Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons 

(ASCENDS) mission as well as serve as a test-bed for advanced 

components. (PI: J. Abshire, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

FY10

37%

2011 Metrics

50%

FY11
5 6

2011 Metrics (continued)

Above: Fisheye lens image of CO2 and O2 

components integrated on the NASA DC-8 aircraft. 

(Image credit: J. Dobler)

Left: Crew and scientists prepare for takeoff inside 

the NASA DC-8 on Sunday August 7, 2011 

(Image credit: E. Schaller) 

GOAL:

Enable a new science measurement or significantly improve the performance of an existing technique.

FY11 RESULT:

As many as 10 ESTO projects satisfied this goal for FY11. Two notable examples:

- During two weeks of ground testing

 at the Colorado Table Mountain Field 

Site and Radio Quiet Zone in July 2011, 

an emerging lidar technology, the 

Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar 

(OAWL), made line-of-sight wind 

measurements alongside NOAA’s miniMOPA coherent detection Doppler lidar, 

an established reference wind lidar. 

OAWL uses a 355 nm laser to measure 

winds from aerosol backscatter with 

precision similar to coherent Doppler 

- The first airborne measurements of atmospheric O2 in the 1.26 micron band were demonstrated 

on board the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the ASCENDS II atmospheric sampling instrument validation 

flights in summer 2011. This groundbreaking demonstration was made possible by a new narrowlinewidth, high-power-high-efficiency fiber amplifier for an O2 lidar instrument. The transmitter 

might eventually be incorporated into the ASCENDS satellite mission. The concept for this mission, 

as recommended by the 2007 NRC Decadal Survey for Earth Science, calls for concurrent, on-board 

measurements of O2 in order to identify pressure and density effects on CO2 mixing ratio 

measurements. (PI: J. Dobler, ITT Geospatial Systems)

Spotlight: The 2011 Technology Forum

The 2011 Earth Science Technology Forum (ESTF2011) was 

held June 21-23 in Pasadena, CA, and drew more than 230 

attendees from universities, industry, NASA centers, and 

other government agencies. This annual event showcases 

the wide array of technology research and development 

related to NASA Earth science endeavors. 

The forum included over 75 presentations within two parallel 

tracks of sessions. Charles Elachi, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), gave the Plenary Address. Luncheon 

talks by Jack Dangermond of Esri and Richard Terrile of JPL 

described the rapidly evolving power of computing capabilities for intelligent web maps and intelligent machines, 

respectively. Full proceedings are available at the ESTO 

website at: esto.nasa.gov/events.html

The OAWL Instrument in the lab (Image credit: S. Tucker)i

wind Lidar. The OAWL system may offer an alternative to the two-laser design currently proposed 

in the NASA 3D-Winds mission concept. (PI: S. Tucker, Ball Aerospace) 

[Learn more about OAWL and future wind measurements on pages 7-8]
Coherent DWL, which is used extensively to study the lower troposphere, bounces a near-infrared (1.5 - 

10 μm) laser off the aerosols in the atmosphere to measure how fast they (and thus the wind) are 

moving. This technique works well where aerosols are plentiful. Another technique, direct detection 

DWL, uses ultraviolet (355 nm) laser light to detect the motion of the constituent molecules in the 

atmosphere. Though coherent DWL is more precise, direct detection can measure winds where coherent 

DWL cannot: regions of ‘clean’ air with few aerosols. One concept for the future NASA 3D-Winds Decadal 

Survey mission proposes, therefore, that one of each instrument type fly together to measure winds 

across a variety of atmospheric conditions.

As illustrated in the timeline below, ESTO investments in coherent and direct detection DWL have been 

paving the way for a 3D-Winds mission for over a decade. And an emerging technology – the Optical 

Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL), which seeks to measure both aerosol and molecular winds with 

a single 355 nm laser – may offer a cost-effective alternative to the two-instrument approach.

7 8

Toward 3D-Winds

Technology Investments for Future Global Wind Measurements

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Instruments Components

The accurate, reliable, long-term weather forecasts of tomorrow will depend largely on improved 

measurements of wind speed and direction within the troposphere, the lowest 5 - 12 miles of the atmosphere. Current in-situ and airborne wind sensors, including balloon-sondes and drop-sondes, work well 

for localized measurements. It would be far too cumbersome and costly, however, to use these kinds of 

instruments globally at anywhere near the needed coverage, particularly over the oceans. Space-borne 

microwave scatterometers, such as the SeaWinds instruments on QuikSCAT and ADEOS II satellites, infer 

wind speed and direction by measuring ocean surface roughness. But this method provides a limited, 

2-dimensional look at winds at or just above the surface of the ocean. To make 3-dimensional, 

spaceborne global wind measurements a reality, a new kind of instrument is required.

Doppler wind lidar (DWL) shows the most promise for 3-dimensional, truly global, tropospheric wind 

measurements from space. DWL systems are not new; they have been used on the ground, on ships, and 

on airplanes for years. 

Optical Autocovariance

355 nm (UV) Laser • Aerosol & Molecular Winds

The Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (DAWN) is an airborne coherent-detection, windprofiling Doppler lidar system using state-of-the-art 2-micron pulsed laser technology. 

In 2008, DAWN participated in a joint ground demonstration with the Tropospheric 

Wind Lidar Technology Experiment instrument (see bottom left). In 2010, DAWN was 

deployed on NASA’s DC-8 aircraft (at left) in support of the NASA Genesis and Rapid 

Intensification Processes (GRIP) flight campaign to study hurricane development.

[PI: M. Kavaya, NASA LaRC]

Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (DAWN)

2 μm Laser Testbed Development

Coherent Detection

2 μm Laser • Aerosol Winds

Lidar Photoreceiver and Sensor Development Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar Airborne Demonstration

Advanced Optical Heterodyne Receiver

Laser Diode Risk Reduction

Integrated Lidar Photoreceiver

Direct Detection

355 nm (UV) Laser • Molecular Winds

Thermal Control and Monitoring for Laser Systems

Shared Aperture Diffractive Optical Elements (ShADOE)

Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment (TWiLiTE)

Fabry-Perot Etalon Receiver

Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL)

OAWL Augmentation & Demo The Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology 

Experiment (TWiLiTE) is an airborne directdetection Doppler lidar instrument that was 

successfully demonstrated on the NASA ER2 

aircraft in 2009 (left). TWiLiTE participated in 

a 2008 ground demonstration with the Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (see top right).

[PI: B. Gentry, NASA Goddard Space Flight 

Center (GSFC)]

Hybrid Doppler Wind Lidar Transceiver for 355 nm and 2 μm Systems

In 2009, the Shared 

Aperture Diffractive 

Optical Elements 

(ShADOE) project 

demonstrated a lab 

breadboard, four-field

-of-view telescope 

(right), which was 

later used by TWiLiTE. 

[PI: B. Gentry, NASA 

GSFC]

Early advances in diodes (left) 

and materials evolved into 

well-engineered, ruggedized, 

packaged transmitters for 

2 μm laser systems. [PI: F. 

Amzajerdian, NASA Langley 

Research Center (LaRC)]

This 2 μm laser 

head, with heritage 

from several ESTO 

tasks, became part 

of the DAWN 

transmitter (right). 

[PI: U. Singh, LaRC]

During two weeks of ground testing in July 2011, the Optical Autocovariance Wind 

Lidar (OAWL) (shown right in the lab) made line-of-sight aerosol wind measurements 

alongside a reference wind lidar from NOAA. OAWL is scheduled for airborne validation tests in early FY12 onboard the NASA WB-57 aircraft, again in conjunction with a 

reference ground system. Two component technology projects were awarded by ESTO 

in 2011 to augment OAWL with molecular wind detection capability and provide further 

demonstrations. [PI: C. Grund / S. Tucker, Ball Aerospace]
• ASCENDS Lidar: Acceleration and Demonstrations of Key Space Lidar Technologies, J. Abshire, NASA 

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

• ASCENDS CarbonHawk Experiment Simulator (ACES), N. Prasad, NASA Langley Research Center

• An 8-40 GHz Wideband Instrument for Snow Measurements (WISM), T. Durham, Harris Corporation

• EcoSAR The first P-band Digital Beamforming Polarimetric Interferometric SAR instrument to measure 

Ecosystem Structure, Biomass and Water, T. Fatoyinbo, NASA GSFC

• Antenna Technologies for 3D Imaging, Wide Swath Radar Supporting ACE, P. Racette, NASA GSFC

• A Deployable 4-Meter 180 to 680 GHz Antenna for the Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder, R. Cofield, 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

• Risk Reduction for the PATH Mission, B. Lambrigtsen, JPL

• Development of an Internally-Calibrated Wide-Band Airborne Microwave Radiometer to Provide HighResolution Wet-Tropospheric Path Delay Measurements for SWOT, S. Reising, Colorado State University

• Aircraft Deployable UV-SWIR Multiangle Spectropolarimetric Imager, D. Diner, JPL

• The Prototype HyspIRI Thermal Infrared Radiometer (PHyTIR) for Earth Science, S. Hook, JPL

• HyperSpectral Imager for Climate Science (HySICS), G. Kopp, University of Colorado Boulder

• Prototype Sensor Development for Geostationary Trace Gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GEO-TASO) 

for the GEO-CAPE Mission, J. Leitch, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation

• Development of an Ocean Radiometer for Carbon Assessment (ORCA) Prototype, C. McClain, NASA GSFC

• Panchromatic Fourier Transform Spectrometer Engineering Model (PanFTS EM) Instrument for the 

Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Mission, S. Sander, JPL

• Multi-Slit Offner Spectrometer, T. Valle, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation

• Atomic Gravity Gradiometer for Earth Gravity Mapping and Monitoring Measurements, N. Yu, JPL

9 10

SPOTLIGHT: Doppler Wind Lidar Deployed to Map Potential Wind Farm Sites

2011 in Review: Instruments

The Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) provides funding for new instrument and observation 

techniques, from concept development through breadboard and flight demonstrations. Instrument 

technology development of this scale outside a flight project consistently leads to smaller, less 

resource intensive, and easier to build flight instruments. Furthermore, developing and validating these 

technologies before mission development improves their acceptance and infusion by mission planners 

and significantly reduces costs and schedule uncertainties.

The IIP included 38 active projects in FY11. 16 of these were added in December 2010 through a 

competitive solicitation that sought instrument technologies to enable and achieve the mission 

concepts outlined in the NRC Decadal Survey as well as innovative instrument approaches that 

support other compelling Earth Science measurements. The new awards, selected from a total of 83 

proposals, are as follows (grouped by remote sensing technology category):

Instruments

Five projects graduated from funding in FY11, all of which advanced at least one Technology Readiness 

Level (TRL) during the course of funding. The FY11 graduates are as follows:

• Airborne Demonstration of an Autonomous Operation Coherent Doppler Lidar that is a Precursor to a 

Space-Based Wind Profiling Instrument, M. Kavaya, NASA Langley Research Center

• CO2 Laser Sounder for ASCENDS Mission - Technology Development and Airborne Demonstration, 

J. Abshire, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

• An Electronically Steerable Flash Lidar, C. Weimer, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation

• Development of Lightweight, 3-D Integrated X-Band Radar Using SiGe Chips and RF MEMS Circuits For Snow 

Accumulation Measurements, I. Papapolymerou, Georgia Institute of Technology

• A Hyperspectral Imager to Meet CLARREO Goals of High Absolute Accuracy and On-Orbit SI Traceability, 

G. Kopp, University of Colorado, LASP

In Virginia, State and Federal regulators have set aside over 140,000 acres off the Virginia coast for 

future offshore wind turbines. The area, which will be divided into blocks for lease by wind energy 

companies, may eventually provide up to 10 percent of the state’s electricity. But the turbines likely 

won’t be built until utility companies can determine which areas contain the strongest, most consistent, 

and, therefore, most valuable winds. George Hagerman, director of offshore wind research for the 

Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium (VCERC), turned to NASA for help.

In September 2011, ESTO investigator Grady Koch installed a 2 μm Coherent Doppler Lidar system – 

known as the Doppler Aerosol Wind (DAWN) lidar (see 

page 8) – at the Fort Story military base on the Virginia 

coast. Developed at the NASA Langley Research Center 

primarily for airborne campaigns, the system uses a 

high-powered laser to measure the speed and direction 

of aerosols carried by the wind. 

The initial data returns show effective wind detection 

as far as 12 km off the coast. By scanning the beam 

up and down, Koch was able to profile winds at various 

altitudes above the ocean surface to correspond to the 

height of a wind turbine. This was a critical achievement 

since wind speeds at the height of turbine blade heights 

vary significantly from those at the surface. 

The data gathered during the month-long deployment 

will be carefully compared to in situ weather stations on 

shore and out at sea. If the measurements are accurate, 

the VCERC hopes to permanently place a similar system 

13 miles offshore at the Chesapeake Light Tower.

Top to bottom: the trailer containing the Doppler lidar 

system positioned on a bluff at Fort Story, VA, overlooking 

the Atlantic Ocean; the lidar inside the trailer; and 

Grady Koch monitoring the data returns.

(All Images Credit: G. Koch)

ACTIVE PASSIVE

OTHER Laser Microwave Radar Optical
Information Systems 

2011 in Review: Information Systems

Advanced information systems play a 

critical role in the collection, handling, 

and management of large amounts of 

Earth science data, in space and on 

the ground. Advanced computing and 

transmission concepts that permit the 

dissemination and management of 

terabytes of data are essential to 

NASA’s vision of a virtually unified observational network. ESTO’s Advanced 

Information Systems Technology (AIST) 

program employs an end-to-end approach to evolve these critical technologies – from the space segment, 

where the information pipeline begins, 

to the end user, where knowledge is 

advanced.

The AIST program held 26 active 

investments in FY11, nearly half of 

which have already advanced at least 

one Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 

to date; two projects have advanced 2 

TRLs. No AIST projects graduated from 

funding in FY11.

A solicitation, now closed, for new 

information systems proposals was released in February 2011. Solicited topic 

categories included advanced data 

processing, data services management, 

sensor web systems, and operations 

management technologies. Awards are 

expected by mid-FY12. 

11

Centered near Mineral, Virginia, the Aug. 23, 2011, magnitude 

5.8 earthquake was felt up and down the eastern seaboard of the 

United States. In addition to shaking, earthquakes also cause 

permanent ground movements that can be measured. In some 

areas where earthquakes are common, such as California, GPS and 

radar systems are in place to make careful measurements of the 

motion of the Earth’s surface. The Aug. 23 earthquake was not 

observed by these techniques, but a computer model funded by 

AIST was used to estimate the permanent displacement. 

The model was generated by the QuakeSim project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a computational framework for modeling 

and understanding earthquake and tectonic processes. QuakeSim 

focuses on deformation of Earth’s crust, which can be measured 

using airborne and spaceborne technologies, and uses models and 

data to better understand earthquake hazard, stress transfer 

between faults, and ground disturbance following earthquakes.

The QuakeSim project estimates the total permanent ground 

movement in Washington, D.C., to have been about 0.02 inches to 

the northwest and downwards. The area near the epicenter at 

Mineral, VA., may have moved up to 2.8 inches northwest and 

upward in a dome 10 miles long by 5 miles wide extending to the 

northeast. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Google; PI: A. Donnellan, JPL)

12

As satellite measurements of Earth become increasingly complex, many future missions will generate 

volumes of data too large to be transmitted to the ground by current methods. The Multi-angle 

Spectropolarimetric Imager (MSPI) instrument, for example (a candidate for the NASA Aerosol - Cloud 

- Ecosystems (ACE) mission under study with funding from the Instrument Incubator Program) could 

potentially produce 95 MB per second from each of its nine cameras. One solution to the downlink 

problem is to conduct the first stage of data processing onboard the satellite. 

An AIST-funded project led by Paula Pingree at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has developed a data 

processing algorithm to do just that. Designed specifically for MSPI, and paired with a commercial 

radiation-hardened Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) from Xilinx, the algorithm could effectively 

reduce downlink requirements by two orders of magnitude. 

SPOTLIGHT: CubeSat to Validate On-Board Processing Algorithm in Space

Top: the M-Cubed CubeSat, complete with deployable measuring 

tape antennae, and the M-Cubed packaged into a P-POD with two 

other CubeSats. (Images Credit: Michigan Exploration Laboratory)

Bottom: the NPP satellite is fitted into the Delta II nose cone. Note 

the P-PODs highlighted in the lower right of the image. 

(Image Credit: M.P. Mackley) 

But how to test it in space? Enter M-Cubed, the Michigan 

Multipurpose Minisat. M-Cubed is a CubeSat: a 10 × 10 × 11 

cm mini-satellite designed to be launched as an auxiliary 

payload of a larger satellite. Built with ESTO funding by 

students at the University of Michigan’s Student Space 

Systems Fabrication Lab, M-Cubed contains the FPGA with 

the MSPI algorithm and a small camera – a stand-in for MSPI 

that will take mid-resolution color images of Earth. 

M-Cubed was successfully launched on October 28, 2011, 

aboard the Delta II rocket that ferried NASA’s NPOESS 

Preparatory Project (NPP) mission into space. In all, the NPP 

mission contained three Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployers 

(P-PODs), each capable of deploying up to three CubeSats. 

During its multi-month flight, M-Cubed will validate the MSPI 

onboard processing system and pave the way for 

future high-data-rate Earth science missions.
ACTIVE PASSIVE

Laser Microwave Radar Optical

Above top, PolZero optics. 

Above bottom, the assembled flight unit.

13 14

2011 in Review: Components

The Advanced Component Technology (ACT) program leads research, development, and testing of 

component- and subsystem-level technologies for future state-of-the-art Earth science instruments and 

instrument systems. The ACT program focuses on projects that reduce risk, cost, size, mass, and 

development time of technologies to enable their eventual infusion into missions.

In FY11, the ACT program portfolio held a total of 31 investments. 15 of these were selected in 

September 2011 through a competitive solicitation that received 96 proposals. The new investments, 

which will be formally awarded in FY12, are (grouped by remote sensing technology category):

Components

SPOTLIGHT: Method to Minimize Polarization Effects is Successfully Demonstrated

Above, one of the 0.5m mirrors shown with 

a spray-silver coating after final polishing 

and ion figuring. (All images courtesy ITT 

Geospatial Systems) 

• High Power Mid-IR Laser Development 2.8 to 3.5 Microns, J. Anderson, Harvard University

• Combined HSRL and Optical Autocovarience Wind Lidar (HOAWL) Demonstration, T. Delker, Ball Aerospace 

& Technologies Corporation

• Advancement of the O2 Subsystem to Demonstrate Retrieval of XCO2 Using Simultaneous Laser Absorption 

Spectrometer Integrated Column Measurements of CO2 and O2, J. Dobler, ITT Industries

• A Compact Remote Sensing Lidar for High Resolution Measurements of Methane, H. Riris, NASA Goddard 

Space Flight Center

• Design and Fabrication of a Breadboard, Fully Conductively Cooled, 2-Micron, Pulsed Laser for the 3-D 

Winds Decadal Survey Mission, U. Singh, NASA Langley Research Center

• A 2-Micron Pulsed Laser Transmitter for Direct Detection Column CO2 Measurement from Space, J. Yu, 

NASA Langley Research Center

• Advanced W-Band Gallium Nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) for Cloud Doppler 

Radar Supporting ACE, K. Fung, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• High Efficiency, Digitally Calibrated TR Modules Enabling Lightweight SweepSAR Architectures for DESDynIClass Radar Instruments, J. Hoffman, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Advanced Antenna for Digital Beamforming SAR, R. Rincon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

• Precision Deployable Mast for the SWOT KaRIn Instrument, G. Agnes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Demonstration of a Hyperspectral Microwave Receiver Subsystem, W. Blackwell, Massachusetts Institute 

of Technology Lincoln Laboratory

• Advanced Amplifier Based Receiver Front Ends for Submillimeter-Wave Sounders, G. Chattopadhyay, Jet 

Propulsion Laboratory

• Development of Immersion Gratings to Enable a Compact Architecture for High Spectral and Spatial 

Resolution Imaging, D. Jaffe, University of Texas

• HgCdTe Infrared Avalanche Photodiode Single Photon Detector Arrays for the LIST and Other Decadal 

Missions, X. Sun, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

• Fabry-Perot for the Integrated Direct Detection Lidar (FIDDL), S. Tucker, Ball Aerospace & Technologies 

Corporation

Three projects graduated from funding in FY11, all of which advanced at least one Technology 

Readiness Level (TRL) during the course of funding. The ACT FY11 graduates are as follows:

• PolZero: Time-Domain Polarization Scrambler for Wavelength-Diverse Sensors, R. Illing, Ball Aerospace & 

Technologies Corporation

• Detector Technology Development for Cloud-Aerosol Transport Lidar, M. McGill, NASA Goddard Space 

Flight Center

• Laser Remote Sensing of O2 for Determination of CO2 Mixing Ratio and Sensing of Climate Species, 

J. Dobler, ITT Industries

As sunlight is scattered, absorbed, and reflected by the 

Earth’s surface and atmosphere, each interaction imparts 

a unique signature on the light observed by satellite-borne 

sensors. For instance, light reflected from calm water can be 

highly polarized at some views, and unpolarized at others. 

Just as polarized sunglasses block light waves moving in 

particular planes, many remote-sensing instruments are also 

sensitive to polarized light and their measurements can have 

serious errors without some kind of polarization correction. 

In general there are two ways to approach the problem: 

1) measure the polarization of incoming light and adjust the 

data accordingly, or 2) neutralize the polarization up front 

before the instrument measures it. A new technology called 

PolZero has successfully demonstrated the latter approach.

PolZero is a time-domain polarization scrambler. Put more 

simply: it scrambles the polarization of light entering an 

instrument so measurement accuracy is not affected, 

particularly as observation angles change with time. The 

technique was tested and demonstrated by Ball Aerospace 

using custom components from Hinds Instruments, Inc.

In November 2010, PolZero was integrated with the GLIMMER 

(GLobal IMager for Marine Ecosystem Research) spectrometer 

for a series of aircraft test flights. In this role, PolZero significantly reduced polarization sensitivity 

without affecting measurement quality.

Moving forward, PolZero could be a 

candidate component for several 

future satellite instruments, such as: 

the spectrometers for the Aerosol - Cloud 

- Ecosystems (ACE) mission, the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events 

(GEO-CAPE) mission, and the Global 

Atmospheric Composition Mission 

(GACM) as well as for the Hyperspectral 

Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) mission.

Below, PolZero team readies for a flight 

on the Twin Otter aircraft. 

(All Images Credit: R. Illing)

≈ 7”
Future Challenges

Active Remote Sensing Technologies to enable new measurements of 

the atmosphere, cryosphere and Earth’s surface.

• Atmospheric chemistry using lidar vertical profiles

• Ice cap, glacier, sea ice, and snow characterization using radar and lidar

• Tropospheric vector winds using lidar

• Precipitation and cloud measurements using radar

For more than a decade, ESTO investments have anticipated science requirements to enable many new 

measurements and capabilities. ESTO technologies were already underway to address the priorities 

outlined by the 2007 NRC Decadal Survey for Earth science, the 2010 NASA Science Plan, and NASA’s 

2010 plan for a climate architecture: “Responding to the Challenge of Climate and Environmental 

Change.” This is a testament to ESTO’s broad-based, inclusive strategic planning. It is also the result 

of a commitment to monitor, and match investments to, the evolving needs of Earth science through 

engagement with the science community, development of technology requirements, and long-term 

investment planning.

Looking ahead, there are four broad technology areas that have the potential to expand, support, and 

even revolutionize the future of Earth science:

15

Large Deployable Apertures for future weather, climate, and natural hazard measurements.

• Temperature, water vapor, and precipitation from geostationary orbit

• Soil moisture and sea surface salinity using L-band radar

• Surface deformation and vegetation using radar

Intelligent Distributed Systems using advanced communication, on-board processors, 

autonomous network control, data compression, and high density storage.

• Long-term weather and climate prediction linking observations to models

• Interconnected sensor webs that share information to enhance observations

Information Knowledge Capture through 3D visualization, holographic 

memory, and seamlessly linked models.

• Intelligent data fusion to merge multi-mission data 

• Discovery tools to extract knowledge from large and complex data sets 

• Real time science processing, archiving, and distribution of user products

Additional Resources

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Additional information is available online at the ESTO website:

More on ESTO’s 

approach to technology development,

ESTO programs, and 

strategic planning

A compilation of

relevant reports, 

presentations, and 

other documents on 

technology

development for 

NASA Earth science 

A fully searchable database 

of ESTO investments

An active, regularly updated section for 

news items and announcements

An interactive tool 

that shows ESTO’s 

linkages to the NRC 

Decadal Survey

visit esto.nasa.gov

Information about 

ESTO solicitations 

and awards

Current features on 

ESTO technology 

projects, progress, 

achievements, and 

infusions
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Earth Science Technology Office

Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 407.0

Greenbelt, MD 20771

www.esto.nasa.gov

www.nasa.gov