2012 annual report

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Earth Science Technology Office
Executive Summary

As reported in the pages that follow, fiscal year 2012 (FY12) has been a productive year that saw 

numerous successes in the advancement and infusion of technologies for NASA Earth science.

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

the first Earth Science Decadal Survey – “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: NASA’s Plan for a Climate-Centric Architecture for Earth Observations from 

Space.” Of note, this year saw significant technology demonstrations and infusions on a variety of 

airborne platforms. We have highlighted these flights on pages 7-8. 

Eighteen new investments were added to the ESTO portfolio in FY12 through solicitations under the 

Advanced Information Systems Technology program. In addition to ESTO’s existing programs, a new 

pilot program, In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies, or InVEST, was created during FY12 to 

provide validation opportunities for space-based emerging technologies. The first InVEST solicitation was 

released in September of 2012. 

ESTO also continues to build upon a strong history of technology development and infusion. In FY12 40% 

of active ESTO technology projects advanced at least one Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Of the nearly 

600 completed projects in the ESTO portfolio, 37% have already been infused while an additional 43% 

have a path identified for future infusion in Earth observing missions or commercial applications. 

These successes demonstrate the hard work of our principal investigators and their collaborators. Their 

contributions to technology development ensure a bright future for Earth science innovations. We 

welcome another year of continued technology advancement in FY13. 

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

i

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

2012 Metrics •••••••••••••• 3 - 6

Special Section: 

Going Airborne ••••••••••••• 7 - 8

2012 in Review:

 - Instruments •••••••••••••• 9 - 10

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

 - Components •••••••••••••• 13 - 14

 - In-Space Validation •••••••••••••• 15

Additional Resources •••••••••••••• 16
1 2

About ESTO

As the technology function within 

NASA’s Earth Science Division, 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 employs an open, flexible, 

science-driven strategy that relies on 

competition and peer-review to produce 

the best, cutting-edge technologies for 

Earth science endeavors.

ESTO also applies a rigorous approach 

to technology development:

• Planning investments by careful 

analyses of science requirements

• Selecting and funding technologies 

through competitive solicitations and 

partnership opportunities

• Actively managing the progress of 

funded projects

• Facilitating the infusion of mature 

technologies into science

measurements 

The results speak for themselves: a 

broad portfolio of nearly 700 emerging 

technologies – 138 of which were active 

at some point during Fiscal Year 2012 

(FY12) – ready to enable or enhance 

science measurement capabilities as 

well as an ever-growing number of 

technology infusion successes.

ESTO’s technology 

portfolio enables 

end-to-end science 

measurements, from 

the instruments that 

make observations 

to the data systems 

and information 

products that make 

observations useful.

NASA Centers

27%

Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory

28%

Academia

27%

Industry

15%

Federal Labs

3%

Student Participation

Student participation in ESTO projects has always been substantial. Since 1998, at least 430 

students have been involved in ESTO-funded work and as many as 120 graduate-level degrees 

have been awarded. In 2012 alone, 118 students were actively involved with ESTO projects. 

Roughly half are pursuing doctorates while the remainder are working toward master or 

undergraduate degrees.

University of Pittsburgh graduate student Kevin Reath stands among the mud volcanoes (gryphons) at 

the geothermally active Salton Sea in southern California. Reath conducted in situ measurements of the 

thermal signatures and mineralogy, which were later used for calibration of the ESTO-funded MAGI (Mineral and Gas Identifier) airborne sensor as well as satellite measurements. ESTO funding allowed Reath 

to earn his Masters degree in Geology and Planetary Science. (image: University of Pittsburgh)

The 138 active projects during FY12 included the combined 

efforts of more than 509 principal investigators (PIs), coinvestigators (Co-Is), and partners from a variety of 

institutions. The graph at left gives the distribution of 

these participating institutions.

Several University of Arizona students were involved 

in the development of the Ground-based Multiangle 

SpectroPolarimetric Imager (GroundMSPI) instrument. 

Pictured with the GroundMSPI from left to right: 

Nirantha Balagopal (undergrad), Stacey Sueoka (PhD), 

Christine Bradley (PhD), Jacob Krause (BS, completed 

in 2012), Russell Chipman (Professor / Co-Investigator), and Anna-Britt Mahler (PhD, completed in 2010). 

(image: D. Diner)
3 4

With nearly 600 completed technology investments and an

active portfolio during fiscal year 2012 (FY12) of 138 projects, ESTO 

is driving innovation, enabling future Earth science measurements, 

and strengthening NASA’s reputation for developing and advancing 

leading-edge technologies.

To clarify ESTO’s FY12 achivements, what follows are the year’s 

results tied to NASA’s performance metrics for ESTO:

GOAL #1: 

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

Technology Readiness Level (TRL). 

FY12 RESULT: 

40% of ESTO technology projects funded during FY12 advanced one or more TRLs 

over the course of the fiscal year. Nearly half of these (17% of the FY12 projects) 

advanced more than one TRL. See the graph below for yearly comparisons. 

[Note: because of the variable periodicity of solicitations and reporting, multi-year 

trends are not meaningful.]

 

ESTO’s infusion 

success - drawn from 

over 600 completed 

projects through the 

end of FY12

Map provides 

geographical 

distribution of principal investigators 

for the nearly 700 

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 #2: 

Mature two to three technologies to the 

point where they can be demonstrated 

in space or in a relevant operational 

environment.

FY10

37%

2012 Metrics

50%

FY11

40%

FY12

FY12 RESULT:

At least six ESTO projects achieved infusion into 

space missions or airborne campaigns in FY12. Notable examples include:

 

- The Airborne Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder (A-SMLS), a prototype nextgeneration MLS for measuring trace species in the upper troposphere, completed 

its first test flights on July 3 and 5, 2012. Flying on the NASA WB-57 aircraft near 

the coast of Houston, TX, A-SMLS successfully acquired ozone measurements and 

can be configured for a variety of other trace species. (PI: Paul Stek, JPL, 

2007 Instrument Incubator Program (IIP-07) award)

The Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) mission concept proposes to study the 

world’s ecosystems and provide information on natural disasters such as volcanoes, 

wildfires and drought. Two ESTO-funded projects have developed and demonstrated 

airborne precursor instruments for HyspIRI-like measurements:

- The Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) – which aims to 

provide high spatial and spectral resolution thermal land imaging data – was 

integrated and test flown on a Twin Otter over Cuprite, Nevada, in July 2012. As 

an airborne instrument, HyTES can be used to study Earth’s ecosystems, natural 

disasters, and changes in land surface as well as test and refine requirements for 

a future spaceborne thermal infrared imager. (PI: Simon Hook, JPL, IIP-07)

- Another thermal infrared imager prototype – an imaging spectrometer for Mineral 

and Gas Identification (MAGI) – has also been designed as an airborne demonstrator of the planned HyspIRI imager. MAGI, which can collect 32 spectral 

channels of image data between 7 and 12.7 microns while weighing only 1 

pound and measuring 4.6 inches long, conducted test flights on a Twin Otter 

aircraft in October of 2011. (PI: Jeffrey Hall, Aerospace Corporation, IIP-07)

Already 

Infused

> 37%

Path identified 

for infusion

> 43%

Awaiting 

Infusion 

Opportunity

< 20%
5 6

2012 Metrics (continued)

Testing the hyperspectral imager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (image: G. Kopp)

GOAL #3:

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

FY12 RESULT:

A notable example:

- An accurate accounting of the amount of energy entering and leaving the Earth’s atmosphere – the 

planet’s radiation budget – is key to improving climate prediction and establishing a reliable benchmark for Earth’s current climate. Climate is affected by the long-term balance between the solar 

irradiance absorbed by Earth’s land, atmosphere, and oceans and that which is reflected back into 

space. To acquire the necessary measurements, future NASA missions, such as the proposed Climate 

Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO), will require shortwave radiometric 

accuracies that are nearly ten times better than current on-orbit capabilities.

Initiated in 2008, an ESTO project titled “Hyperspectral Imager to Meet CLARREO Goals of High 

Absolute Accuracy and On-Orbit SI Traceability” has prototyped, characterized, and demonstrated 

a hyperspectral imager containing a new, novel solar cross-calibration system to meet the accuracy 

goals. Essentially, the imager will compare the relative irradiances from the Sun and the Earth with 

high accuracy. The project additionally designed and built an engineering model using flight-like 

mechanisms and optics that underwent vibration, thermal/vacuum, and lifetime tests to demonstrate 

the ruggedness and viability of the system as a deployable instrument.

(PI: Greg Kopp, University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics)

WEB FEATURE: Over 10 Years of Investments 

Shaping Future Radiation Budget Measurements

For more than a decade, numerous ESTO projects have built and validated early versions of the 

instruments and components needed for Earth radiation budget measurements. In many ways, 

these early investments enabled the designation of CLARREO as a 

mission concept. Learn more at:

 esto.nasa.gov/news/CLARREO.html

A prototype hyperspectral 

imager to demonstrate a novel 

new solar cross-calibration 

method for improving on-orbit 

radiometric accuracies

(image: G. Kopp)
Since 1998, more than 70 ESTO technologies have been demonstrated onboard airplanes, UAVs 

(Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles) or high-altitude balloons, logging hundreds of flight hours in aggregate. 

As illustrated in the timeline below, FY12 was a banner year for airborne technologies. 

At least 17 current projects – ESTO projects as well as partnerships with NASA’s Airborne Science and 

Earth Science Research and Analysis programs – were demonstrated on airborne platforms or flew as 

part of airborne science campaigns. Nine of these projects flew for the first time in FY12.

7 8

Going Airborne

Technologies Take Flight in FY2012

Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12

ESTO Projects Partnerships & ESTO Heritage

Airborne platforms are often essential to the calibration and validation of emerging technologies. They 

provide a stepping-stone to reduce risk prior to committing new technologies to space missions. They 

also enable mature instruments and systems to be rapidly put into service on airborne field campaigns, 

collecting science data and validating the observations of satellites.

Airborne testing often occurs during, and within the scope of, technology development and funding. In 

other cases, ESTO has partnered with platform providers – in particular, NASA’s Airborne Science Program 

– to provide follow-on opportunities and manage technology progress from integration to validation. 

Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM)

5/7; Aircraft: Twin Otter; PI: P. Mouroulis, JPL

Aug-12 Sep-12

Mineral and Gas Identification (MAGI, Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer)

10/18; Aircraft: Twin Otter; PI: J. Hall, Aerospace Corporation

First Flights

Next Generation Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRISng)

4/22; Aircraft: Twin Otter; PI: R. Green, JPL

Optical Autocovariance Wind Lidar (OAWL)

10/26-11/8; Aircraft: WB-57; PI: S. Tucker, Ball Aerospace

Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS)

2/21 & 6/18-22; Aircraft: ER-2; PI: M. McGill, NASA GSFC

Airborne Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder (A-SMLS)

7/3, 7/5 & 8/7; Aircraft: WB-57; PI: P. Stek, JPL

Glacier & Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer 

8/8 & 8/13; Aircraft: WB-57; PI: D. Moller, Remote Sensing Solutions

Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES)

7/18-19; Aircraft: Twin Otter; PI: S. Hook, JPL

Airborne UV-SWIR Multiangle Spectropolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)

1/6 & 8/28; Aircraft: ER-2; PI: D. Diner, JPL

Enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (e-MAS)

8/22-30; Aircraft: ER-2; PI: S. Hipskind, NASA ARC

Electronically Steerable Flash Lidar (ESFL)

Oct - Dec; Aircraft: Twin Otter; PI: C. Weimer, Ball Aerospace

Efficient Swath Mapping Laser Altimetry Demonstration

8/16-28; Aircraft: P-3; PI: A. Yu, NASA GSFC

On-Board Processing to Optimize MSPI

1/6; Aircraft: ER-2; PI: P. Pingree, JPL

High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2)

6/20-22; Aircraft: B-200 King Air; PI: C. Hostetler, NASA LaRC

Integration of HSRL Into Ozone DIAL System

5/15-6/30; Aircraft: DC-8; PI: J. Hair, NASA LaRC

Radar On-board Processing and Auonomous Data Collection 

1/5; Aircraft: G-III; PI: Y. Lou, JPL

The HSRL-2 project, which is funded by the NASA Airborne Instrument Technology 

Transition (AITT) program and managed by ESTO, is also supporting the Two-Column 

Aerosol Project (TCAP), a 12-month Department of Energy research campaign. TCAP is 

studying aerosols to learn how they scatter and absorb sunlight and how they affect 

cloud formation. HSRL-2 measures aerosol backscatter and depolarization to provide 

the vertical distribution of aerosols within the atmosphere. (image: NASA)

OAWL, an airborne prototype instrument in support of the proposed 

3D-Winds decadal survey mission concept, measures aerosol and 

molecular winds with a single 355 nm laser. OAWL completed five 

test flights on the NASA WB-57 and measured winds with 2-6 m/s 

precision, corroborated by ground-based radar wind profiler data.

(image: D. Hanselman)

RTMM is a science decision-making tool for monitoring and managing NASA airborne 

field campaigns and ground validation exercises. RTMM was used on several campaigns 

in 2012, including: the NASA GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment (DC-8, Jan/Feb) 

and the DARPA-funded Nimbus flight experiment focused on lightning initiation processes (Spear UAV, Jun & Aug). RTMM utilizes sensor-web-enabled data access and services 

via a web portal. (image: NASA)

Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM)

1/17-2/29 & 6/25-29/6 & 8/13-18; Aircraft: various; PI: M. Goodman, NASA MSFC

The Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) is 

a new, modified version of a swath-mapping airborne sensor originally developed to 

collect data for high-resolution ice-surface topography maps. GLISTIN-A features 

higher peak transmit power and its antenna can transmit and receive to improve the 

vertical accuracy of data. At left is first-look, uncalibrated elevation data over the 

Rosamond Lake, CA, from the August engineering flights. (image: D. Moller)
9 10

SPOTLIGHT: Laser System on GRACE Follow-On to Measure Gravity More Accurately 2012 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 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 35 active projects in FY12, 16 of which 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 next IIP solicitation is expected to be 

released in 2013. 14 projects were completed over the past year, 12 of which advanced at least one 

Technology Readiness Level (TRL) during the period of funding. The FY12 graduates are as follows:

•	HyTES: A Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer for HyspIRI-TIR Science, S. Hook, JPL

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

Snow Accumulation Measurements, I. Papapolymerou, Georgia Institute of Technology

•	Calibrated Observations of Radiance Spectra from the Atmosphere in the far-InfraRed - CORSAIR, M. Mlynczak, 

NASA LaRC

•	Novel Laser Approach for Precision CO2 Column Measurement, W. Heaps, NASA GSFC

•	GeoSTAR Technology Development and Risk Reduction for PATH, B. Lambrigtsen, JPL

•	SWIR Aerosol/Cloud Polarimetric Imager, D. Diner, JPL

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

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

University of Colorado / Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (see p. 5 for more on this project)

•	Ka-band SAR Interferometry Studies for the SWOT mission, L. Fu, JPL

•	Panchromatic Fourier Transform Spectrometer (PanFTS) Instrument for the Geostationary Coastal and Air 

Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Mission, S. Sander, JPL

•	Infrared Correlation Radiometer Fabrication and Characterization as Applied to the GEO-CAPE Decadal Survey 

Mission, D. Neil, NASA LaRC

•	Laser Ranging Frequency Stabilization Subsystem for GRACE II, W. Folkner, JPL

•	Development and Demonstration of an Optical Autocovariance Direct Detection Wind Lidar (OAWL), S. Tucker, 

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation

•	A Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder for Studying Fast Processes in the Troposphere, P. Stek, JPL

Instruments

The twin satellites of NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, developed in 

partnership with Germany and launched in 2002, have provided a dramatic view of Earth’s variable 

gravity and mass distribution and spurred new insights in a variety of scientific fields. From hydrology 

and geophysics to ice mass estimates and global sea levels, GRACE has produced discoveries with 

far-reaching impacts on society.

The planned GRACE Follow-On mission, with a launch as early as 2017, aims to demonstrate an 

advanced laser instrument that could improve the accuracy of inter-spacecraft ranging by tenfold or 

more and lead to enhanced gravity measurements. The instrument technology was developed at the 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with Ball Aerospace, with IIP funding.

Top : Artist’s depiction of the 

GRACE Follow-On twin spacecraft.

Above: Prototype assembly and 

thermal enclosure (approximately 

10” tall) for the advanced laser 

cavity. The cavity itself is made 

using glass with a low coefficient 

of thermal expansion in order to 

maintain a constant distance 

between end mirrors. 

(image: W. Folkner)

As the existing GRACE satellites orbit Earth, they encounter subtle 

changes in gravitational pull. These variations produce slight 

movements in the spacecraft orbits that can be detected by careful 

range measurements between the satellites. GRACE uses a microwave ranging instrument, referenced to a stable quartz clock and 

coupled with precise GPS tracking, to measure these minute 

changes to a few microns over the approximately 220 km distance 

separating the satellites.

GRACE Follow-On will use the same overall technique – carefully 

measuring the variations between two spacecraft – but the laser 

approach will be much more accurate. The advantage is due largely 

to the shorter wavelength of the laser, compared to the microwave 

wavelength, referenced to a thermally isolated optical cavity, which 

is more stable than the quartz clock.

The laser demonstration on GRACE Follow-On will be a partnership 

between NASA, which will provide the laser, cavity assembly, and 

ranging processor, and the German Space Program, which will 

provide the measurement optics and steering mirror assembly 

along with instrument integration and testing.

At Left: Three sub-array modules, each with 16 antenna elements and 16 

miniaturized receiver modules, built to test and demonstrate a microwave 

sounder antenna/receiver array concept. The project sought to reduce the 

risk of microwave antenna and receiver technologies that will be critical to 

the Geostationary Synthetic Thinned Aperture Radiometer (GeoSTAR), an 

instrument proposed as part of the Precipitation and All-weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH) mission concept. If successful, GeoSTAR will be 

the first microwave sounder to operate from Geostationary Earth orbit. 

(image: B. Lambrigtsen)
Information Systems 

2012 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 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 included 47 active investments in FY12, one-third of which have already advanced 

one or more Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) to date. 18 of the 47 investments were awarded in 

February 2012, through an AIST solicitation released in 2011. The new projects are as follows:

11 12

On August 19th, the Chemistry and Camera instrument – or ChemCam – on NASA’s Curiosity rover 

used its powerful laser for the first time to study a small Martian rock named Coronation. ChemCam 

was able to perform this task and return the data to Earth, in part, through the ESTO-funded Radiation 

Tolerant Intelligent Memory Stack (RTIMS) – a memory module that controlled the firing of the laser, 

data acquisition, data buffering, and communication with the Rover Computer Element. 

Jeffrey Herath of NASA Langley Research Center developed RTIMS under a 2002 AIST award for Earthobserving missions at geostationary and low-Earth orbit. Now it is being used as part of ChemCam, 

an instrument on Curiosity’s mast that uses a laser to vaporize materials up to 9 meters away to 

determine their elemental composition. RTIMS is helping safeguard ChemCam observations with novel 

radiation shielding and mitigation technologies. RTIMS also provides a significantly smaller and lighter 

memory array than was previously available, saving as much as 80% in volume and footprint. 

SPOTLIGHT: Memory Module Enables Research on Mars

Above: Two RTIMS modules on a 

demonstration board (image: J. Herath) 

Right: A composite image, with magnified insets, 

depicts the first laser test by ChemCam 

(image: NASA/JPL)

•	Plume Tracer: Interactive Mapping of Atmospheric 

Plumes, A. Berk, Spectral Sciences

•	High-Speed On-Board Data Processing for Science 

Instruments (HOPS), J. Beyon, NASA LaRC

•	Next-Generation Real-Time Geodetic Station Sensor 

Web for Natural Hazards Research and Applications, 

Y. Bock, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD

•	Multivariate Data Fusion and Uncertainty 

Quantification for Remote Sensing, A. Braverman, JPL

•	Automated Event Service: Efficient and Flexible 

Searching for Earth Science Phenomena, T. Clune, 

NASA GSFC

•	An Advanced Learning Framework for High 

Dimensional Multi-Sensor Data, M. Crawford, Purdue

•	QuakeSim: Multi-Source Synergistic Data Intensive 

Computing for Earth Science, A Donnellan, JPL

•	Fusion of Murricane Models and Observations: Technology to Improve Forecasts, S. Hristova-Veleva, JPL

•	Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis for Monitoring 

Hazards (ARIA-MH), H. Hua, JPL

•	EPOS for Coordination of Asynchronous Sensor Webs, 

S. Kolitz, Draper Laboratory

•	A High Performance, Onboard Multicore Intelligent 

Payload Module for Orbital and Suborbital Remote 

Sensing Missions, D. Mandl, NASA GSFC

•	Land Information System for SMAP Tier-1 and AirMOSS Earth Venture-1 Decadal Survey Missions: 

Integration of SoilSCAPE, Remote Sensing, and 

Modeling, M. Moghaddam, USC

•	Semi-Automatic Science Workflow Synthesis for 

Computing on the NASA Earth Exchange, R. Nemani, 

NASA ARC

•	A Mission Simulation and Evaluation Platform for 

Terrestrial Hydrology Using the NASA Land Information System (LIS), C. Peters-Lidard, NASA GSFC

•	On-Board Processing (OBP) to Advance the PanFTS 

Imaging System for GEO-CAPE, P. Pingree, JPL

•	Integration of the NASA CAMVis and Multiscale 

Analysis Package (CAMVis-MAP) For Tropical Cyclone 

Climate Study, B. Shen, University of Maryland

•	Unified Simulator for Earth Remote Sensing (USERS), 

S. Tanelli, JPL

•	Empowering Cloud Resolving Models Through GPU 

and Asynchronous IO, W. Tao, NASA GSFC

22 projects graduated from AIST funding in FY12, 

all of which advanced at least one TRL during the 

course of funding. The FY12 graduates are:

•	Real-Time and Store-and-Forward Delivery of UAV 

Sensor Data, W. Ivancic, NASA GRC

•	Geostatistical Data Fusion for Remote Sensing 

Applications, A. Braverman, JPL

•	Instrument Simulator Suite for Atmospheric 

Remote Sensing, S. Tanelli, JPL

•	QuakeSim: Increasing Accessibility and Utility of 

Earthquake Fault Data, A. Donnellan, JPL

•	Network Design and Operation for Near Real-Time 

Validation of Space-Borne Soil Moisture Measurements, M. Moghaddam, University of Michigan

•	OSCAR: Online Services for Correcting Atmosphere 

in Radar, P. von Allmen, JPL

•	InSAR Computing Environment, P. Rosen, JPL

•	On-Board Processing to Optimize the MSPI Imaging 

System for ACE, P. Pingree, JPL

•	Coupling NASA Advanced Multi-scale Modeling and 

Concurrent Visualization Systems for Improving Predictions of Tropical High-impact Weather, B. Shen, 

University of Maryland

•	Anomaly Detection and Analysis Framework for Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS), 

R. Nemani, NASA ARC

•	Sensor Web 3G to Provide Cost-Effective 

Customized Data Products, D. Mandl, NASA GSFC

...FY12 Graduates continue on page 12

•	Multi-Sensor Data Synergy Advisor (MDSA), 

C. Lynnes, NASA GSFC

•	Technology Infusion for the Real Time Mission Monitor, M. Goodman, NASA MSFC

•	Integration of Data Assimilation, Stochastic Optimization and Uncertainty Modeling within Land Information System (LIS), C. Peters-Lidard, NASA GSFC

•	Real-Time In Situ Measurements for Earthquake 

Early Warning and Spaceborne Deformation 

Measurement Mission Support, Y. Bock, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD

•	End-to-End Design and Objective Evaluation of Sensor Web Modeling and Data Assimilation System 

Architectures: Phase II, S. Talabac, NASA GSFC

•	Autonomous On-Board Processing for 

Sensor Systems (A-OPSS) Technology Transition 

for HyspIRI, M. French, USC Information Sciences 

Institute

•	Automated Tracking of Earth Science Phenomena 

for Ingest into Moving Object Database to Enable 

Systematic Studies, T. Clune, NASA GSFC

•	High-End Computing On-demand Model Execution 

Environment, R. Nemani, NASA ARC

•	Secure, Autonomous, Intelligent Controller for Integrating Distributed Emergency Response 

Satellite Operations, W. Ivancic, NASA GRC

•	Increasing Utility of UAVSAR and Model 

Applications, A. Donnellan, JPL

Web Feature:

Watch a video about RTIMS 

at ESTO’s YouTube channel: 

youtube.com/user/NASAESTO
12 projects graduated from the ACT program during the past year, 10 of which advanced at least one 

Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The FY12 graduates are:

•	Far-Infrared Extended Blocked Impurity Band (FIREBIB) Detectors Optimized for Earth Radiance Measurements, 

M. Mlynczak, NASA LaRC

•	CLASS Instrument Technology Maturation for ASCENDS, M. Phillips, Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies

•	Hybrid Doppler Wind Lidar Transceiver, C. Marx, NASA GSFC

•	A Large High-Precision Deployable Reflector for Ka- and W-band Earth Remote Sensing, M. Lane, JPL

•	A Low Power, High Bandwidth Receiver for Ka-band Interferometry, P. Siqueira, University of Massachusetts

•	Ultra-sensitive Near-Infrared Optical Receiver Using Avalanche Photodiodes, M. Krainak, NASA GSFC

•	Advanced Thermal Packaging Technologies for RF Hybrids, J. Hoffman, JPL

•	Advanced Component Development to Enable Low-Mass, Low-Power High-Frequency Radiometers for Coastal 

Wet-Tropospheric Correction on SWOT, S. Reising, Colorado State University

•	Large Deployable Ka-Band Reflectarray for the SWOT Mission, M. Thomson, JPL

•	In-Pixel Digitization Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) for the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events 

(GEO-CAPE) Mission, D. Rider, JPL

•	Large Aperture, Solid Surface Deployable Reflector, R. Taylor, Composite Technology Development

•	A GNSS RF ASIC for Digital Beamforming Applications, T. Meehan, JPL

An artist’s rendering of the SWOT 

spacecraft. (image: J. Howard)

(images on opposite page 

courtesy listed principal

investigators.)

13 14

2012 in Review: Components

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

demonstration of component- and subsystem-level technologies for use in state-of-the-art Earth 

science instruments and information systems. ACT program funding is primarily geared toward 

producing technologies that reduce the risk, cost, size, mass, and development time of future

space-borne and airborne missions.

The ACT program often brings component technologies to a maturity level that allows their integration into other technology projects, such as those selected by the Instrument Incubator Program, or 

for further development by other programs. In other cases, the ACT produces component technologies of sufficient readiness that they can be directly infused into mission development or science 

campaign activities. 

In FY12, the ACT program portfolio held a total of 28 investments. 15 of these were added in FY11 

through a competitive solicitation that received 96 proposals. 

Components

SPOTLIGHT: Several Component Technologies to Enable SWOT Decadal Survey Mission

The Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission concept is intended to produce a better 

understanding of the world’s oceans and terrestrial surface waters at a much higher spatial resolution 

than is currently available. Using wide-swath radar altimetry measurements, SWOT could make the 

first global survey of Earth’s surface water, observe the fine details of the ocean’s surface topography, 

and measure how water bodies change over time. 

Web Feature:

Watch an animation of the 

proposed SWOT deployment 

at ESTO’s YouTube channel: 

youtube.com/user/NASAESTO

The design for SWOT includes two deployable, 5 meter, Ka-band reflectarray 

antennas – part of the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) proposed for 

SWOT – that will be separated by 10 meters and need to be structurally flat and 

thermally stable to meet demanding pointing and interferometric phase stability 

requirements. This project built and tested a full-scale deployable reflectarray 

prototype (left) that has become the current baseline for the SWOT mission. 

(M. Thompson, JPL, ACT-08)

Since 1998, numerous ESTO-funded projects have steadily 

advanced the technologies needed for a SWOT-like 

mission. The facing page includes a few recent 

ACT investments that may further 

enable the SWOT mission.

A key challenge for the SWOT mission will be a low-power, high bandwidth Ka-band 

receiver that is capable of making precision measurements over a wide bandwidth. 

This project has completed design, development, and implementation of a singlestage Dual Down Converter (or DDC, shown here) that meets SWOT mission 

requirements. (P. Siqueira, University of Massachusetts, ACT-08)

A three-frequency microwave radiometer has also been proposed for the 

SWOT mission to improve accuracy in estimating wet tropospheric path delay 

in coastal zones and over land. This ACT project designed, developed and 

built the multi-frequency antenna horn shown here and integrated it into the 

radiometer system. The completed prototype underwent testing and met 

SWOT requirements. (S. Reising, Colorado State University, ACT-08)

A second project is working to design and prototype a precision deployable mast for the two KaRIn antennas, including 

the hinges and latches needed for precise space deployment 

and an accurate pointing adjustment mechanism. Shown here 

is the mechanical drawing for a 180 degree hinge and latch 

at the mid-span of the boom. (G. Agnes, JPL, ACT-10)
Toward In-Space Validation

The space environment imposes harsh conditions on satellite components and systems. In some cases, 

there is a need to validate certain new technologies in space prior to use in a mission– particularly 

those that cannot be adequately and completely tested on the ground or in airborne systems. The 

In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program was established as a pilot program 

in 2012 to provide a new validation option for these types of emerging technologies. 

Recent advancements in small, standardized satellites and increasing, low-cost, access to space are 

rapidly transforming the way technologies can be demonstrated and validated. CubeSats – 10 cm cube 

platforms launched as secondary payloads to a larger satellite – are leading the way as a standardized 

platform. They can be inexpensive, as little as $1-2M including launch and basic operations when 

leveraging prior payload development, and can be built and launched quickly, generally within 18 to 

24 months from concept formulation to deployment. CubeSats can be combined to form 2- or 3-unit 

configurations for a variety of applications. Although precise numbers are unavailable, there have been 

approximately 100 CubeSats launched as of 2012.

The first InVEST solicitation was released in September 2012, with proposals due in late November. The 

solicitation focused on small instruments and instrument systems that can: comply with the CubeSat 

standard, launch within two years of funding, and provide significant reductions in technology risk.

15

Additional Resources

16

ESTO launched a new website for 2012 that contains several online resources as well as additional 

information on ESTO’s approach to technology development, programs, validation activities, and 

strategic planning:

General Information 

on current and past 

programs, studies, 

solicitations, TRL 

definitions, events, 

and more.

A fully-searchable 

database of ESTO 

investments

An active, regularly updated section for 

news items and announcements

visit esto.nasa.gov

Timely features on 

ESTO technology 

projects, progress, 

achievements, and 

infusions

Social media and 

news listserv options 

to stay connected:

> Twitter: 

 @NASAESTO

> YouTube:

 NASAESTO

Future missions will generate very high data volumes. For example, the Multi-angle 

Spectropolarimetric Imager (MSPI - Instrument Incubator Program, Diner/JPL), a 

candidate for the ACE mission concept, will produce 95 Megabytes per second per 

camera. MSPI will house a total of nine cameras. There is currently no way to get that 

amount of raw data from space to the ground.

One solution is to move the first stage of ground processing to the satellite in a new 

radiation-hard-by-design FPGA. This would reduce downlink requirements by two 

orders of magnitude.

In 2011, the MSPI algorithm – developed under an 

ESTO Advanced Information Systems Technology 

(AIST) project (AIST-07, Pingree, JPL) – and a new 

FPGA developed by the Xilinx Corporation were 

launched on a CubeSat (top right), built by the 

University of Michigan’s Student Space Systems 

Fabrication Lab (S3FL, shown at right). 

The CubeSat was a secondary payload to the 

NASA Suomi NPP mission. Access to space was 

enabled by the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative.

(images: University of Michigan)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Earth Science Technology Office

NASA GSFC, Code 407.0

Greenbelt, MD 20771

www.esto.nasa.gov