NP-2014-10-1283-HQ
Aeronautics

and

Space Report

of the 

President

Fiscal Year

2013

Activities
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 

directed the annual Aeronautics and Space Report 

to include a “comprehensive description of the 

programmed activities and the accomplishments 

of all agencies of the United States in the field of 

aeronautics and space activities during the preceding 

calendar year.” In recent years, the reports have 

been prepared on a fiscal-year basis, consistent 

with the budgetary period now used in programs of 

the Federal Government. This year’s report covers 

activities that took place from October 1, 2012, 

through September 30, 2013. Please note that these 

activities reflect the Federal policies of that time 

and do not include subsequent events or changes 

in policy.
Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Table of Conten

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 1

• Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate 1

• Science Mission Directorate  .

• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 33

• Space Technology Mission Directorate 40

Department of Defense . 

Federal Aviation Administration 57

Department of Commerce 63

Department of the Interior 91

Federal Communications Commission  . 

U.S. Department of Agricultur . 

National Science Foundation 131

Department of State  . 

Department of Energy  . 

Smithsonian Institution 151

Appendices 157 

• A-1 U.S. Government Spacecraft Recor  1

• A-2 World Record of Space Launches Successful in

Attaining Earth Orbit or Beyond . 

• B Successful Launches to Orbit on U.S. Vehicle  1

• C Human Spaceflights . 

• D-1A Space Activities of the U.S. Government—Historical Table of Budge

Authority in Millions of Real-Year Dollars 163

• D-1B Space Activities of the U.S. Government—Historical Table of Budge

Authority in Millions of Inflation-Adjusted FY 2013 Dollars . 

• D-2 Federal Space Activities Budget . 

• D-3 Federal Aeronautics Activities Budget 166

Acronyms 167

1Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

National Aeronautic

Space Administr

NASA

Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) continued its focus on research and 

technology development in FY 2013, including a major communications systems 

upgrade to enhance research capabilities. A second new U.S. commercial cargo 

vehicle, provided by Orbital Sciences Corporation, conducted its demonstration 

flight to the ISS during FY 2013. 

The ISS began FY 2013 with Expedition 33 ISS Commander Suni Williams 

(NASA), Yuri Malenchenko (Roscosmos), and Aki Hoshide (Japanese Aerospace 

Exploration Agency [JAXA]) living on board. On October 10, 2012, the SpaceX 

Dragon vehicle (SpX-1), carrying almost 900 pounds of supplies, was berthed to the 

Node 2 nadir port, where it remained until October 28, when it departed the ISS 

and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California. This was 

the first operational flight of the SpaceX Dragon under the Commercial Resupply 

Services (CRS) contract, following its successful demonstration flight in May 2012. 

Since the retirement of the Space Shuttle, the Dragon spacecraft is the only vehicle 

capable of returning large amounts of cargo, including frozen science samples, from 

the ISS to Earth. The onboard crew was joined on October 25, 2012, by Kevin Ford 

(NASA), Oleg Novitskiy (Russia), and Evgeny Tarelkin (Russia), who launched on 

a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A Russian 

Progress cargo vehicle carrying several tons of supplies docked to the ISS on 
2Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

October 31, 2012. Williams and Hoshide conducted a U.S. Extravehicular Mobility 

Unit (EMU) spacewalk on November 1, 2012, to mitigate an ammonia leak in the 

cooling system for one of the eight ISS power channels. On November 18, 2012, 

Williams, Malenchenko, and Hoshide undocked their Soyuz vehicle from the ISS 

and landed in Kazakhstan, ending Expedition 33.

Expedition 34 began on November 18, 2012. Astronaut and ISS Commander 

Ford and cosmonauts Novitskiy and Tarelkin remained on board and were joined 

on December 21, 2012, by Chris Hadfield (Canadian Space Agency [CSA]), 

Roman Romanenko (Russia), and Tom Marshburn (NASA) when their Russian 

Soyuz vehicle docked to the ISS. A Russian Progress cargo vehicle carrying sev-

eral tons of supplies docked to the ISS on February 11, 2013. On March 3, 2013, 

the SpaceX Dragon vehicle (SpX-2), carrying almost 1,300 pounds of supplies, 

was berthed to the Node 2 nadir port. Expedition 34 ended on March 15, 2013, 

when Ford, Novitskiy, and Tarelkin undocked their Soyuz vehicle from the ISS 

and landed in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 35 began on March 15, 2013. ISS Commander Hadfield, Romanenko, 

and Marshburn remained on board and were joined on March 29, 2013, by Pavel 

Vinogradov (Russia), Aleksandr Misurkin (Russia), and Chris Cassidy (NASA) 

when their Russian Soyuz vehicle docked to the ISS. On March 25, 2013, the 

SpaceX Dragon (SpX-2) unberthed from the ISS and returned almost 2,700 pounds 

of equipment and experiments to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off 

the coast of Baja California. Vinogradov and Romanenko conducted a Russian 

Orlan spacewalk on April 19, 2013, to install the Obstanovka experiment and 

replace an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) laser radio reflector. They also 

retrieved a Biorisk experiment container. A Russian Progress cargo vehicle carry-

ing several tons of supplies docked to the ISS on April 26, 2013. Marshburn and 

Cassidy conducted a U.S. EMU spacewalk on May 11, 2013, to replace a pump 

package unit suspected of leaking ammonia coolant. Expedition 35 ended on 

May 13, 2013, when Hadfield, Romanenko, and Marshburn undocked their Soyuz 

vehicle from the ISS and landed in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 36 began on May 13, 2013. ISS Commander Vinogradov, Misurkin, 

and Cassidy remained on board and were joined on May 29, 2013, by Fyodor 

Yurchikhin (Russia), Karen Nyberg (NASA), and Luca Parmitano (European 
3Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Space Agency [ESA]) when their Russian Soyuz vehicle docked to the ISS. An 

ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV4) named Albert Einstein docked to the 

Service Module aft port on June 15, 2013, carrying more than seven tons of supplies to the ISS. Misurkin and Yurchikhin conducted a Russian Orlan spacewalk 

on June 24, 2013, to configure connectors to allow the ground to test the Service 

Module Kurs automated docking system equipment, perform maintenance on 

the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) module, and install and retrieve experiments. 

Parmitano and Cassidy conducted a U.S. EMU spacewalk on July 9, 2013, to 

perform various systems and experiment support tasks. Parmitano and Cassidy 

also conducted a U.S. EMU spacewalk on July 16, 2013, completing several tasks 

before the extravehicular activity (EVA) was ended early due to excessive water 

in Parmitano’s EMU helmet. A Russian Progress cargo vehicle carrying several 

tons of supplies docked to the ISS on July 28, 2013. On August 9, 2013, JAXA’s 

H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV4), carrying several tons of supplies, was berthed to 

the Node 2 nadir port. Misurkin and Yurchikhin conducted a Russian Orlan 

spacewalk on August 16, 2013, to perform system tasks in support of the future 

arrival of the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, install the Vinoslivost 

experiment, and install gap spanners. Misurkin and Yurchikhin also conducted a 

spacewalk on August 22, 2013, to remove the external onboard laser communications terminal, install a portable workstation, collect particulate samples on the 

Mini Research Module 2, and inspect antennas. They also unfurled a Russian flag 

in honor of Russian Flag Day. Expedition 36 ended on September 11, 2013, when 

Vinogradov, Misurkin, and Cassidy undocked their Soyuz vehicle from the ISS 

and landed in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 37 began on September 11, 2013. ISS Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, 

Nyberg, and Parmitano remained on board and were joined on September 26, 2013, 

by Oleg Kotov (Russia), Sergey Ryazanskiy (Russia), and Mike Hopkins (NASA). 

On September 29, 2013, the second U.S. commercial cargo vehicle developed 

under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program arrived 

at the ISS during the vehicle’s demonstration flight. Developed by Orbital Sciences 

Corporation, the Cygnus spacecraft was launched on an Antares rocket from 

Virginia on September 18, 2013, and completed a series of demonstration objectives prior to its arrival at the ISS. The Cygnus vehicle was captured with the ISS 
4Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

robotic arm and berthed to the ISS at the Node 2 nadir port. The Cygnus vehicle 

carried 1,300 pounds of cargo to the ISS. 

Research and technology development continued to be the primary focus of 

operations on board the ISS throughout FY 2013. For the first time, ISS crewmembers achieved an average of at least 35 hours per week for payload investigations 

on the ISS. In early April, the crew performed a major upgrade to the onboard 

communications system, significantly increasing uplink bandwidth (from 3 to 

25 megabits per second) and downlink bandwidth (from 150 to 300 megabits per 

second). Downlink video channels increased from four to six, and space-to-ground 

audio channels increased from two to four. These upgrades enhanced ISS research 

capabilities and improved the operability of the ISS data systems. 

On October 4, 2012, five CubeSat satellites were deployed from the ISS using 

a multipurpose experiment platform on the Japanese Experiment Module robotic 

arm, the first-ever satellite deployments from the ISS. Robotic Refueling Mission 

operations, to successfully demonstrate capabilities for robotic satellite servicing, 

continued in FY 2013 with the first-ever demonstrations of fluids transfer. The 

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer particle physics detector continued to search for 

antimatter, dark matter, and cosmic rays to better understand the universe. And, 

for the first time, the standard ISS orientation was modified for an extended period 

to support full-sun-rotation viewing for the ESA SOLAR experiment. 

ISS crewmembers commissioned the JAXA aquatic habitat for first use with the 

Medaka fish and conducted multiple NanoRacks investigations designed and led 

by students. Crewmembers initiated investigations on the effects of space radiation 

on mammalian reproduction systems and embryonic mouse stem cells while also 

initiating the Ocular Health study to characterize the risk of microgravity-induced 

visual impairment/intracranial pressure for long-duration ISS inhabitants. The 

crew also performed the first test of the Microflow cytometer on the ISS, focusing 

on body fluids and blood. In addition, the crew continued to study the long-term 

effects of microgravity on ISS crewmembers, including cardiac function, bone loss, 

immune function, nutrition, and brain function. The new vegetable production 

system for growing edible plants in microgravity and the NanoRacks Astrium small 

centrifuge for molecular and cellular investigations on plant and animal tissue in 

artificial gravity were delivered to the ISS. 
5Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

In July 2013, the ISS program cohosted the 2nd Annual ISS Research and 

Development Conference, including awards for top discoveries in microgravity; top 

applications in materials science, Earth science, education, and medical advancements; and exploration-related technology-development initiatives.

Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications

Human Research Program

In 2013, the Human Research Program (HRP) transitioned to a new NASA 

Research Announcement (NRA) format in order to be more responsive and flexible and to enable solicitations throughout the year. Historically, one research 

announcement was issued in July, resulting in the selection of proposals in April 

of the following year. The Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO) 

NRA is a new solicitation that will remain open year-round, with new research 

opportunities, or appendices, being issued as needed. In July, the HERO NRA 

announced four research opportunities, including a Twin Astronaut Studies special topic, “Differential Effects on Homozygous Twin Astronauts Associated with 

Differences in Exposure to Spaceflight Factors.” This opportunity emerged from 

NASA’s decision to fly veteran astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the ISS for a period 

of one year beginning in March 2015, while his identical twin brother, retired 

astronaut Mark Kelly, remains on Earth. 

A team of seven scientists from the Space Radiation Element and the 

Universities Space Research Association (USRA) developed a new NASA Space 

Cancer Risk (NSCR) projection model, which was released in December 2012. 

The tool evaluates the cancer risks, including the level of uncertainty, for astronauts from exposure to solar particle events and galactic cosmic rays. The NSCR 

model originated from recommendations of the National Council on Radiation 

Protection and Measurements, with revisions from the latest analysis of human 

radio-epidemiology data. The model was independently reviewed by the National 

Research Council in 2012. The NSCR model was the recipient of the 2013 Johnson 

Space Center (JSC) Software of the Year Award and is located online at http://

spaceradiation.usra.edu/irModels.
6Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Long-duration spaceflight is associated with physiologic changes in the body similar to those of disuse or detraining. One of these changes is a decline in aerobic fitness or conditioning. A proven measure of such fitness is maximum oxygen uptake 

(VO2max), also known as aerobic capacity. While on the ISS, astronauts exercise 

for about one hour per day in an attempt to maintain their aerobic capacity. For the 

first time, HRP researchers directly measured VO2max during long-duration spaceflight in 14 astronauts. Each astronaut’s VO2max was measured before flight, once 

a month during flight, and after flight using specially designed hardware. Subjects 

rode on a cycle ergometer using a protocol that started with a warm-up, followed 

by incremental increases in workload that ended in a maximal effort. During the 

test, astronauts wore a nose clip and breathed through a mouthpiece so that all of 

the expired air was analyzed for oxygen and carbon dioxide, from which VO2max 

is measured. The study findings lead to several recommendations: exercise sooner, 

increase intensity, and improve testing. Aerobic exercise countermeasures should 

start as soon as possible after a crewmember arrives on the ISS, preferably in the 

first few days. Also, the intensity of the existing exercise countermeasures should 

be increased. Importantly, the testing strategy should be modified because changes 

in VO2max could not accurately be detected using the standard test based on heart 

rate during submaximal exercise.

Lunar geologists and inhalation toxicologists developed a two-tiered approach to 

investigate the inherent toxicity of lunar dust. A parent sample returned by Apollo 14 

was used to isolate native dust of respirable size. Respirable native dust constitutes 

only a few percent by mass of lunar soil, and it is of great concern because it can be 

inhaled deeply into the lungs. In addition, a small portion of the parent sample was 

ground into respirable size to simulate activation of the surface of the dust, as might 

occur on the lunar surface. The results of the studies led to a recommended safe 

exposure estimate of 0.5 milligrams per meter (mg/m) as a safe concentration of dust 

in a habitable environment for periodic exposures of up to six months. The original 

300-fold gap in uncertainty was reduced to essentially no uncertainty. However, the 

recommended exposure is likely a conservative value and should not be applied to 

dust from unusual locations on the moon. In FY 2013, this research was published in 

a series of three papers in volume 25 of the journal Inhalation Toxicology, which can 

be accessed online at http://informahealthcare.com/journal/iht.
7Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

ISS Research—Space Biology and Physical Sciences

The organization selected by NASA to manage non-NASA utilization of the 

ISS National Laboratory, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space 

(CASIS), established a new Board of Directors composed of national leaders in 

research and technology development. The board is chaired by France Cordova, 

former president of Purdue University and former NASA Chief Scientist. Other 

members include Dr. Leroy Hood, president of the Institute for Systems Biology 

and a recipient of the National Medal of Science for his contributions to DNA 

sequencing technology, among other accomplishments. 

Efforts to define open-source approaches to ISS research that will make experimental data available to an expanded community of researchers progressed in 2013, 

with a workshop jointly sponsored by NASA and CASIS to discuss applications of 

high-throughput analytics, often referred to as “Omics,” to ISS research in biology 

and medicine. The results from the workshop were used to build working relationships between NASA and CASIS for the eventual implementation of open-source 

research on the ISS.

Exploration Systems Development

An Integrated Exploration Mission

The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget request continued to implement the 

bipartisan strategy for space exploration approved by Congress in 2010, a plan that 

advances U.S. preeminence in science and technology, improves life on Earth, 

and protects our home planet, all while helping create jobs and strengthening the 

American economy. This budget reflected current fiscal realities by aligning and 

leveraging relevant portions of NASA’s science, space technology, and human 

exploration capabilities to achieve the President’s challenge of sending astronauts 

to an asteroid by 2025. Within the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) 

Mission Directorate (HEOMD), Exploration Systems Development (ESD) is continuing NASA’s exploration efforts, which include the Orion spacecraft, Space 

Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift launch vehicle, and Exploration Ground Systems 

(EGS) infrastructure required to conduct crewed missions of exploration into deep 

space, including a proposed mission to send astronauts to a redirected asteroid 
8Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

that would be inserted into a stable orbit around the moon. Orion and SLS fit 

well within a broader U.S. Government–managed launch strategy of procuring 

commercial launches of crew and cargo to the ISS while concentrating NASA’s 

development efforts on exploration missions beyond Earth orbit. SLS and Orion 

are fundamental building blocks in a capability-based architecture designed for 

long-term human exploration of our solar system, particularly the goal of landing 

humans on Mars. Both Orion and SLS are being designed to support multiple 

missions and destinations rather than being optimized for one particular mission 

or architecture. The capabilities being developed will open a broad range of exciting destinations for human exploration in the solar system. NASA’s approach to 

expanding the human presence into the solar system includes sending humans to 

an asteroid in the next decade and ultimately sending humans to Mars.

As part of the Agency’s overall asteroid strategy, NASA announced in April 

2013 a first-ever mission to identify, capture, and redirect an asteroid into orbit 

around the moon. The overall mission is composed of three separate and independently compelling elements: the detection and characterization of candidate 

near-Earth asteroids; the robotic rendezvous, capture, and redirection of a target 

asteroid to the Earth-Moon system; and the crewed mission to explore and sample 

the captured asteroid using the Space Launch System and the Orion crew capsule. 

This mission represents an unprecedented technological challenge—raising the 

bar for human exploration and discovery while helping protect our home planet 

and bringing us closer to a human mission to Mars in the 2030s. NASA is currently working to align ongoing activities across the Agency to affordably achieve 

the objectives while we plan this mission. Continued progress will depend on 

feasibility, affordability, and congressional support. The President’s budget request 

augments existing activities in space technology, science, and human exploration 

and operations to enhance our near-Earth asteroid detection and characterization 

assets; accelerate advanced solar-electric-propulsion development; and design and 

test capabilities to capture a small, yet slowly tumbling asteroid in space. 

Exploration Systems Development: NASA is continuing to meet its milestones in the development of the Space Launch System, a rocket system ultimately 

capable of bringing an unprecedented 130 metric tons of payload to Earth orbit, 

and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) program, which continues 
9Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

on schedule for an uncrewed test flight in 2014. This test flight, Exploration Flight 

Test-1 (EFT-1), will see Orion conduct two orbits of Earth and re-enter the atmosphere at a high speed characteristic of a returning deep space exploration mission. 

The test will provide valuable data about the spacecraft’s systems, including, most 

importantly, its heat shield. The flight test article for this mission is already in place 

at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and being readied for this test in the fall of 

2014. NASA’s budget supports progress toward a first uncrewed test of Orion and 

the SLS together, known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) in 2017, with the first 

crewed mission of the two vehicles slated for 2021. These two missions will test 

and demonstrate these systems. Together, the SLS and Orion represent a critical 

step on the path to human deep space exploration. Because our commercial space 

partners continue to make rapid and cost-effective progress toward meeting the 

Agency’s requirements for access to the ISS and to low-Earth orbit, NASA is able 

to focus its human Orion spacecraft on deep space exploration. 

Orion: In December 2012, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) 

signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which ESA will provide a service 

module for the Orion EM-1 mission, currently scheduled to launch in 2017. Also, 

during FY 2013, NASA completed a major space technology development milestone by successfully testing a pressurized, large cryogenic propellant tank made of 

out-of-autoclave composite materials. Switching to composite construction could 

lead to rocket propellant tanks that are 30 percent lighter and cost 25 percent 

less than state-of-the-art metal tanks. Such a weight reduction would dramatically 

increase the performance capabilities of future space systems, such as an upgrade to 

the upper stage of the SLS heavy lift rocket. Other recent accomplishments include 

the following: the Heat Shield structure was completed and shipped to KSC to 

await installation on EFT-1; the Launch Abort System was completed; the Service 

Module and Spacecraft Adaptor were mated; and the Spacecraft Adaptor Jettison 

Fairing Separation Test took place. Between 2011 and 2013, nine successful parachute tests were conducted. During August 2013, the first Orion stationary recovery test in Norfolk, Virginia, occurred. In November, Orion powered on for the 

first time at KSC. Orion continues to work with ESA on completing the Service 

Module Structural Test Article. In designing for challenging deep space missions, 

the Orion team will perform rigorous human-rating tests and critical certification 
10Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

milestones required for safe, successful human spaceflight. With a proven launch 

abort system and its inherent design to provide the highest level of safety for the 

crew during long-duration missions, the Orion MPCV is poised to take on increasingly challenging missions that will take human space exploration beyond Earth 

orbit and out into the solar system.

SLS: During 2013, the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center (SSC) began its 

conversion to support testing of the RS-25 rocket engine, which will begin in spring 

2014. All foundation work for the Core Stage Vertical Assembly Center (VAC) 

tool at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in Louisiana has been completed. The 

VAC tools were shipped from Sweden in three sequential shipments, concluding 

in December. Also during 2013, Boeing continued to make progress on core stage 

engineering, with over 220 drawings released each month, including drawings for 

70 percent of the total core stage mass that have been released. Painting of the 

Orion Stage Adapter was completed on schedule to support the EFT-1 launch. SLS 

has also installed the Core Stage Flight Computers in the Integrated Avionics Test 

Facility, and testing will begin in spring 2014. Weld tools that are now operational 

include the Segmented Ring Tool, Vertical Weld Center, and Enhanced Robotic 

Weld Tool. The program continues to progress toward its Critical Design Review 

(CDR), which is scheduled for March 2015.

Exploration Ground Systems: In FY 2013, Ground Systems continued to 

develop launch site infrastructure to prepare, assemble, test, launch, and recover 

the SLS and Orion flight systems. The program conducted a Preliminary Design 

Review (PDR) Readiness Assessment on December 17, with the PDR kickoff 

planned for January 2014. NASA performed crawlerway upgrades to repair the degradation of base material and surface rocks to eliminate risks associated with transportation of launch vehicles to Pads A and B for multiple users. The demolition of 

the Shuttle-era flame trench at Pad B is also under way and on schedule. During 

2013, NASA continued to establish and develop 21st Century Space Launch 

Complex (CSLC) partnerships aimed at understanding Government and commercial ground processing, launch, and range infrastructure requirements while 

implementing the modifications identified during studies conducted in FY 2011 and 

FY 2012. NASA has also pursued opportunities to partner or leverage investments 

for modernization activities to support safer and more efficient launch operations, 
11Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

enhance payload-processing capabilities, facilitate appropriate private-sector activities, engage in operations environmental remediation, and support the modernization of launch-range capabilities. Area communication and security systems were 

upgraded to bring them up to date with current technology, such as digital imaging, 

by utilizing newly installed connectivity. NASA has also been executing temperature and lighting upgrades in heritage facilities to reduce utility costs, constructing 

waste facilities for oily wastewater and other hazardous materials, and performing 

studies and tests to develop effective, environmentally friendly coatings for launch 

equipment and chemical treatments to neutralize hypergolic fuels to an inert state. 

Commercial Crew Development

The Commercial Crew Program facilitates U.S. commercial industry development of safe, reliable, and cost-effective human space transportation to and from 

low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. During 2013, our commercial 

partners continued to make progress maturing their respective commercial crew 

transportation systems.

CPC contractors include the following: The Boeing Company, Houston, Texas; 

Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems, Louisville, Colorado; and Space 

Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), Hawthorne, California. Our three partners are successfully completing technical, programmatic, and financial milestones 

as they mature their respective commercial crew transportation systems. 

• Boeing completed its production design review, phase 1 safety review 

board, landing and recovery ground systems design review, launch vehicle 

adapter Preliminary Design Review, integrated vehicle analysis and wind 

tunnel testing, upper-stage liquid-oxygen-duct development testing, and 

orbital-maneuvering engine-development testing. Additionally, Boeing 

released the second major revision to its integrated software.

• Sierra Nevada completed its integrated baseline review and the integrated 

system safety analysis review #1.

• SpaceX completed its integrated system requirements review, ground 

systems and ascent Preliminary Design Review, pad-abort test review, 
12Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

human-certification-plan review, on-orbit and entry Preliminary Design 

Review, and the inflight-abort-test review.

Also in FY 2013, NASA awarded the first phase of commercial transportation 

Certification Products Contracts (CPC). Under these contracts, our partners will 

work with NASA to develop products required to implement the Agency’s flight 

safety and performance requirements. This includes implementation across all 

aspects of the space system, including the spacecraft, launch vehicle, and ground 

and mission operations.

Launch Services

During FY 2013, the Launch Services Program (LSP) successfully launched three 

major payloads: the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)-K, the Landsat Data 

and Continuity Mission (LDCM), and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph 

(IRIS). The TDRS-K and LDCM missions presented a particular challenge for 

LSP, as they were launched less than 12 days apart from opposite coasts. TDRS-K 

launched aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on 

January 31, 2013, and LDCM lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) 

in California, also aboard an Atlas V, on February 11. Supporting both launches 

tested LSP’s scheduling and resource management capabilities, and the program 

responded with two resounding successes that further vital science and technology. 

The LSP also continued to provide launch-related systems engineering, launch 

integration, and mission design and analysis support to approximately 35 NASAsponsored missions in various phases of development. To find out more about these 

and other NASA science missions, see the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) 

section in this report.

The LSP continued its efforts to expand the selection of launch vehicles, 

working across the launch-vehicle industry to support the continued growth of 

the U.S. commercial space sector by providing competitive opportunities to U.S. 

commercial launch providers. In FY 2013, the program acquired launch services 

for two future science missions: the Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource 

Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) and the Ice, Cloud, and 

land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2). Both will be launched by United Launch 
13Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Services: OSIRIS-REx aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 

in Florida, and ICESat-2 aboard a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 

California. NASA and LSP are also partnering with several universities to launch 

small research satellites through the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites project and the CubeSat Launch Initiative, which provides opportunities for small 

satellite payloads to fly as secondary payloads on upcoming launches. These 

payloads provide educational opportunities for students in science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics disciplines. CubeSats have been selected from 25 

states across the United States, with 29 launched and 11 manifested on NASA, 

National Reconnaissance Office, and U.S. Air Force missions. To provide additional launch options for small civil-sector payloads and to promote the continued 

evolution of the U.S. commercial space launch market, LSP released a solicitation 

for a CubeSat-class, firm-fixed-price launch service. NASA awarded a contract to 

Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc., for three CubeSats in 2016. This contract 

is a pathfinder for acquiring future launch services for low-cost and/or high-risktolerant payloads. The LSP is also continuing to lead the certification effort of 

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 v1.1-configuration launch vehicle for flight readiness in support 

of the Science Mission Directorate’s Jason-3 mission in 2015. 

Human Spaceflight Capabilities

By the end of FY 2013, the Rocket Propulsion Testing (RPT) program had safely 

performed over 349 tests. This was a 300 percent increase over 2012. The test time 

totaled over 270,000 seconds of testing and over 13,000 seconds of hot-fire testing 

at various levels of thrust. 

The J-2X engine (a new upper-stage rocket) completed its testing series on the 

A-1 test stand at Stennis Space Center, culminating with a 330-second test in 

early September 2013. The first human-rated liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen rocket 

engine to be developed in 40 years, the J-2X upper stage engine is a candidate for 

the heavy-lift Space Launch System. This capability is critical to NASA’s deep 

space exploration program development.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation and Aerojet Rocketdyne conducted test 

firings of the AJ-26 engine at Stennis Space Center. This engine was used on 
14Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

the Orbital Antares rocket that successfully launched in September 2013 from 

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) and supports the Commercial Orbital 

Transportation Services project.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) tested the F-1 gas generator for the SLS 

Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration Risk Reduction Program. This program is designed to lead to an affordable advanced booster that meets the evolved 

capabilities of the heavy lift SLS.

Boeing conducted testing of its orbital maneuvering and reaction control system 

thruster at the White Sands Test Facility in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew 

Program. White Sands Test Facility engineers conducted several tests to support 

the Department of Defense (DOD) Missile Defense Agency engine and thruster 

test program, the Peacekeeper Safing Project, and the Minuteman hot-fire test and 

decontamination efforts for the Minuteman Life Extension Program. 

NASA completed limited facility repairs and modifications to the Plum Brook 

Station B-2 facility at Glenn Research Center (GRC) to enable NASA’s only thermal vacuum facility capable of testing articles containing cryogenic oxygen and 

hydrogen. In addition, Stennis Space Center continues major refurbishment activities for the B-2 test stand critical to SLS core stage testing. Stennis Space Center 

began the first phase of refurbishing the High Pressure Industrial Water (HPIW) 

system, which provides cooling, deluge, and acoustic dampening for test articles. 

The HPIW has the capability to provide 300,000 gallons per minute at nearly 

300 pounds per square inch. 

Space Communications and Navigation

In FY 2013, the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program Office 

focused on the critical sustainability and development of the ground and space 

components of the networks that provide space communications for NASA’s missions. The three networks—the Near Earth Network (NEN), the Space Network 

(SN) Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), and the Deep Space 

Network (DSN)—continued to meet the space communications needs, such as 

Earth monitoring and support of deep space science missions, of a wide range of 

customers, both internal and external to NASA.
15Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

In FY 2013, SCaN maintained at least 99 percent proficiency of all of its networks, providing communication and navigation services to approximately 35 

spacecraft using the Deep Space Network, approximately 30 spacecraft using the 

Space Network, and approximately 30 spacecraft using the Near Earth Network. 

The Near Earth Network also provided communication and navigation services to 

approximately 25 launches during launch and early orbit phases.

The Deep Space Network is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also 

supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. The Space Network consists of a space 

segment, composed of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, and a ground 

segment, which includes the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and the 

Guam Remote Ground Terminal. Data from the satellites and the International 

Space Station are downlinked to the ground segment. The Near Earth Network 

provides tracking, telemetry, and communications services, using antenna assets 

located around the world, for orbital missions and occasionally suborbital missions.

SCaN completed some key milestones during FY 2013: 

• SCaN Program System Engineering decided upon the requirements for 

integrating the three networks, which will be incrementally accomplished 

during the rest of the decade. 

• The TDRS-K spacecraft successfully launched and achieved its initial 

operating capability, and the TDRS-L spacecraft successfully completed 

its Pre-Ship review. 

• TDRS-M successfully held its Critical Design and Production 

Readiness Reviews. 

• The Space Network Ground Segment Sustainment project successfully 

completed its technical Critical Design Review. 

• The Near Earth Network project successfully passed its K-Band Mission 

Concept Review. 

• The Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Project successfully 

completed its system-level Critical Design Review. 

• The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration payload was successfully launched on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer 
16Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

(LADEE) and completed its technical objective of transmitting over 600 

million bits per second from the moon. 

• The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration project successfully 

held its Mission Concept Review. 

• The SCaN Test Bed achieved operational capability and began testing 

ways to change the functionality of radios during spaceflight. 

• The Spectrum Management Program continued to work with the White 

House, Congress, national regulators, and interagency partners in implementing the President’s Broadband Initiative. NASA led the Executive 

Branch’s efforts in several technical compatibility studies, the most critical of which focused on the compatibility of introducing new commercial 

broadband systems in S-band spectrum occupied by TDRSS. 

• The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) is a 

major international organization that develops internationally agreed and 

interoperable space communications standards that enable joint international missions and reduce cost and risk to space missions. In 2013, SCaN 

engineers led CCSDS working groups in completing many new standards, 

including the Conjunction Data Message (CDM) international standard 

that prevents satellite collisions and the resulting space debris.

Advanced Exploration Systems

The Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program is pioneering new 

approaches for high-priority capabilities needed for human exploration through 

rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities in flight, and 

validating operational concepts. 

In FY 2013, AES continued the successful execution of 27 projects with 64 

program-level milestones spread across nearly all the NASA Centers. The team 

accomplished 46 milestones on schedule and within the available resources in 

AES. This was accomplished despite an extremely challenging sequestration budget environment that included a reduction of over 20 percent in budget authority 

and final budget impacts remaining unknown until the last two months of the 

execution year. 
17Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

These milestones included the following:

• AES awarded a fixed-price cost-sharing contract to conduct an expandable habitat demonstration on the ISS with Bigelow Aerospace. This represented the first cost-sharing technology demonstration contract awarded 

by the Agency to provide valuable in-orbit performance data to NASA 

and industry. In addition, AES awarded a fixed-price contract for the 

passive common berthing mechanism to enable berthing of the Bigelow 

module to the ISS, the first contract of this type awarded by NASA. Since 

the awarding, the effort has completed four burst tests, demonstrating a 

factor of safety that is more than double the required levels and finishing 

the Phase 1 Safety Review for the ISS.

• AES awarded the Z-2 Suit garment contract to continue the development 

and risk reduction for future exploration spacesuits. This effort under 

AES’s leadership also accomplished the design, development, and assembly of the first portable life-support system to be completed by NASA in 

30 years, a significant leap forward in the development of the life-support 

systems required for EVA. Underwater tests of a modified Advanced Crew 

Escape Suit were conducted to develop short-duration EVA capabilities for 

asteroid exploration.

• AES’s Spacecraft Fire Safety flight demonstration effort completed the 

Mission Concept Review, Requirements Review, Project Technical 

Review-1, and final material testing confirmation. Flight demonstrations 

remain on schedule aboard three Cygnus vehicle cargo flights to the ISS.

• The Radiation Protection efforts completed delivery and began operations 

of five flight sensors to the ISS that characterize the radiation exposure 

information of the crew. In addition, the Critical Design Review and 

flight hardware assembly were completed for the Radiation Environmental 

Monitor on EFT-1.

• The Morpheus/Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology 

(ALHAT) efforts recovered from a test failure in August of 2012 by 

rebuilding a completely new test vehicle with over 70 upgrades and purchasing the required elements for a third vehicle. The result was a successful tethered test campaign of the new vehicle, with free-flight tests 
18Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

planned to begin in early FY 2014. The ALHAT system’s hazard identification and avoidance capabilities were demonstrated in a helicopter 

flight test.

• AES Resource Prospector Mission planning progressed significantly this 

year with the completion of a Mission Concept Review in September 

2013. This included significant studies with potential international partners and continued development of the NASA elements of the mission. 

To support these efforts, AES released a request for information in July for 

potential NASA-industry partnerships to develop an industry-led robotic 

lunar lander.

• As part of our ongoing Joint Robotic Precursor Activities, AES strengthened our coordination with the Science Mission Directorate by providing 

a HEO instrument-selection team to support the Mars 2020 mission formulation. This led to the Mars 2020 Science Definition Team accepting 

the proposed HEO instrument contribution to demonstrate oxygen production from the Martian atmosphere. This capability is needed for future 

human missions to produce the propellants for the trip back to Earth.

• In response to the Strategic Implementation Planning efforts for the ISS, 

AES conducted an inclusive review of all demonstrations, which resulted 

in increasing support to efforts that are fundamental in advancing exploration capabilities through demonstrations on the ISS. An example is an 

additive manufacturing demonstration on the ISS that began development in 2013.

• AES led the Agency’s efforts to define the Strategic Knowledge Gaps for 

the moon, asteroids, and Mars by enlisting the expertise of external assessment groups and the international community through the International 

Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG).

• AES is supporting NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) by leading 

studies and preliminary efforts to develop the asteroid capture system and 

crew interaction systems for asteroid exploration. This included providing 

the core leadership for the Asteroid Initiative Request for Information 

released on June 18 that gathered ideas from a broad community on 

ARM system concepts, augmenting Near Earth Asteroid observation 
19Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

capabilities and partnering approaches for planetary defense. Over 400 

responses were received.

• AES released the 14-nation ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap, second 

edition, and created synergy with International Space Station partnership 

planning with a set of common goals, a unified path for future international human exploration initiatives, identification of near-term collaboration opportunities, and two global outreach events. 

• AES led the creation of the international white paper on the benefits of 

space exploration, for use by international space agencies to assist with 

communication within their home countries and inform political and 

budgetary processes.

Other notable AES accomplishments include leading a partnership between 

NASA and the private sector to define common goals and industry objectives that 

could enable future human exploration. Twenty-four more CubeSats were selected 

under the CubeSat Launch Initiative, with 20 satellites preparing for launch in 

2013. Three CubeSat payloads were selected for flight on the EM-1 mission in 2017. 

The deep space habitat project continued university engagement through the 

eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge. Additional ongoing 

efforts include the Goldstone Radar imaging campaign of near-Earth asteroids and 

the continued operation of the Radiation Assessment Detector (over one year) on 

the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which resulted in two papers published in the journal Science.

Science Mission Directorate

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) conducts scientific exploration 

enabled by the use of space observatories and space probes that view Earth from 

space, observe and visit other bodies in the solar system, and peer out into our 

galaxy and beyond. From space, in space, and about space, NASA’s science vision 

encompasses questions as practical as hurricane formation, as enticing as the prospect of lunar resources, and as profound as the origin of the universe. SMD seeks 

answers to significant questions that touch us all: How and why are Earth’s climate 

and environment changing? How and why does the sun vary and affect Earth and 
20Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

the rest of the solar system? What are the impacts on humanity? How do planets 

and life originate? What are the characteristics of planetary systems orbiting other 

stars, and do they harbor life? Are we alone?

SMD has five program divisions: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, 

Astrophysics, and the Joint Agency Satellite Division (JASD). SMD also has a 

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program office. In FY 2013, SMD successfully launched three new space and Earth science missions designed to improve our 

understanding of solar processes, Earth system change, the nature of the universe, 

and the history of the solar system. SMD lays the intellectual foundation for the 

robotic and human expeditions of the future while meeting today’s needs for scientific information to address national issues such as climate change, space weather, 

and education.

Earth Science Division

Earth is a complex, dynamic system we do not yet fully understand. The Earth 

system, like the human body, comprises diverse components that interact in complex ways. We need to understand the Earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, 

cryosphere, and biosphere as a single connected system. The purpose of NASA’s 

Earth Science program is to develop a scientific understanding of Earth’s system 

and its response to natural or human-induced changes, in addition to improving 

the prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards.

In November 2012, an international team of experts supported by NASA and 

ESA combined data from multiple satellites and aircraft to produce the most 

comprehensive and accurate assessment of current ice sheet losses in Greenland 

and Antarctica and their contributions to sea-level rise. The combined rate of 

melting for the ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica increased greatly 

during the last 20 years. Together, these ice sheets are losing more than three 

times as much ice each year as they were in the 1990s. About two-thirds of the 

loss is coming from Greenland, with the rest from Antarctica. The study was 

produced by an international collaboration—the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise—that combined observations from 10 satellite missions to 

develop the first consistent measurement of polar ice-sheet changes. Satellite 
21Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

data from NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and the 

NASA–German Aerospace Center’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment 

(GRACE) missions were included in the study. This activity was a major challenge involving cutting-edge research to produce the most detailed estimates of 

ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica to date.

On January 17, 2013, an international research team led by an investigator from 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, analyzed more 

than a decade of satellite microwave radar data collected between 2000 and 2009 

over Amazonia. The observations included measurements of rainfall from NASA’s 

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and measurements of the moisture 

content and structure of the forest canopy (top layer) from the SeaWinds scatterometer on NASA’s Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) spacecraft. An area of the 

Amazon rainforest twice the size of California continued to suffer from the effects 

of a mega-drought that began in 2005. These results, together with observed recurrences of droughts every few years and associated damage to the forests in southern 

and western Amazonia in the past decade, suggest that the rainforests might be 

showing the first signs of potential large-scale degradation due to climate change. 

The scientists found that during the summer of 2005, more than 270,000 square 

miles (700,000 square kilometers, or 70 million hectares) of pristine, old-growth 

forest in southwestern Amazonia experienced an extensive, severe drought. This 

mega-drought caused widespread changes to the forest canopy that were detectable 

by satellite.

In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA launched the 

Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) on February 11, 2013, adding a new 

chapter to an enduring program to monitor land change over time. LDCM (later 

renamed to Landsat 8) provides images of our ever-changing planet in unparalleled 

clarity. The Landsat data series, begun in 1972, has provided the longest continuous record of changes in Earth’s surface as seen from space and is the only satellite system to repeatedly observe the global land surface at moderate resolution. 

Landsat data provide a consistent and reliable foundation for research on land-use 

change, forest health, and carbon inventories, as well as changes to our environment, climate, and natural resources. Additionally, the free and open access to 

Landsat data enables the measurements to be used routinely by decision makers 
22Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

both inside and outside the Government for a wide range of natural resource issues, 

including water resource management, wildfire response, agricultural productivity, 

rangeland management, and the effects of climate change. For example, Landsat 8 

contributed to finding the coldest place on Earth—a high ridge in Antarctica on 

the East Antarctic Plateau where temperatures in several hollows can dip below 

–133.6 degrees Fahrenheit (–92 degrees Celsius) on a clear winter night. Scientists 

made the discovery while analyzing the most detailed global surface temperature 

maps to date developed with data from remote sensing observations from Landsat 

8. Researchers analyzed 32 years’ worth of data from several satellite instruments, 

including those on Landsat 8, and found that temperatures plummeted to record 

lows dozens of times in clusters of pockets near a high ridge between Dome Argus 

and Dome Fuji, two summits on the ice sheet known as the East Antarctic Plateau.

In June 2013, a new dataset called Bedmap2 was released, giving a clearer picture 

of Antarctica from the ice surface to the bedrock below. This dataset is critical 

to improving knowledge of the contribution of Antarctica to sea-level change. 

Researchers used data from satellites, aircraft, and surfaced-based surveys to build 

a data product with higher resolution, greater coverage, and improved precision 

of surface elevation, ice thickness, and bedrock topography. Major contributions 

came from ICESat (surface elevation measurements) and the Operation IceBridge 

aircraft mission (ice-thickness data). The Bedmap2 project involved an international consortium led by the British Antarctic Survey and involving many NASAsupported scientists. 

Heliophysics Division

NASA’s Heliophysics program seeks to understand the sun, heliosphere, and 

planetary environments as a single connected system. We live in the extended 

atmosphere of an active star; while sunlight enables and sustains life, the sun’s 

variability produces streams of high-energy particles and radiation that can harm 

life or alter its evolution. In addition to solar processes, the Heliophysics domain of 

study includes the interaction of solar plasma and radiation with Earth, the other 

planets, and the galaxy. By analyzing the connections between the sun, solar wind, 

planetary space environments, and our place in the galaxy, we are uncovering the 
23Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

fundamental physical processes that occur throughout the universe. Understanding 

the connections between the sun and its planets will allow us to predict the impacts 

of solar variability on humans, technological systems, and the presence of life itself.

During January 2013, scientists released 20 balloons in Antarctica, each eight 

stories tall, to help answer an enduring space weather question: When the giant 

radiation belts surrounding Earth lose material, where do the particles actually go? The NASA-funded mission was called BARREL, or Balloon Array for 

Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Loss. During this month of bright, sunny days, 

the BARREL team launched a balloon every one or two days into the circumpolar winds. Each balloon floated for anywhere from 3 to 40 days, measuring x-rays 

produced by fast-moving electrons high up in the atmosphere. BARREL worked 

hand in hand with NASA’s Van Allen Probes, which travel directly through the 

Van Allen radiation belts during their orbit of Earth. As the Van Allen Probes 

were observing an increase in waves and a decrease in the number of electrons in 

the belts, BARREL tracked electrons that precipitated out of the belts and hurtled 

down Earth’s magnetic field lines toward the poles. These measurements from the 

different vantage points of the balloons in the atmosphere and satellites in space 

help us understand the ultimate fate of these energetic particles that can damage 

space assets in their path.

A coronal mass ejection (CME) impacted Earth’s magnetosphere for several 

hours on January 17, 2013. As the CME encountered the boundary of the magnetosphere, its magnetic fields and those around Earth realigned in a process 

called magnetic reconnection, which allows energy and solar particles to enter 

into the magnetosphere. Three of NASA’s THEMIS (Time History of Events and 

Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) spacecraft were flying through the magnetosphere’s boundary approximately 45 minutes apart and caught this interaction. 

THEMIS showed that an arm of cold, dense plasmasphere material stretched all 

the way up to the magnetic reconnection point where the CME had made contact 

with Earth’s magnetopause. The three sets of THEMIS observations demonstrated 

that the plume had a dramatic impact on the characteristics of the magnetic reconnection, effectively slowing down the transfer of energy and particles into the 

magnetosphere. Understanding how the near-Earth space responds to the dynamic 
24Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

conditions on the sun and in the solar wind is key to understanding how to protect 

our orbiting spacecraft from the effects of space weather.

On May 13, 2013, NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite detected polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) at latitude 70° north, a week or 

more sooner than they appeared in the previous six years as observed by AIM. 

PMCs, Earth’s highest clouds, are a summer phenomenon, occurring at polar latitudes when temperatures become cold enough for ice to form near the mesopause 

(~84 kilometers altitude). There are two ways that clouds could have occurred so 

early. First, the air could have been unusually moist. However, AIM measures the 

water vapor content simultaneously with the ice layers and saw nothing unusual. 

It is more likely that temperature is the culprit. The AIM observations show 

that temperatures associated with the PMCs were as much as 10 degrees Celsius 

lower than the average for that day near 83 kilometers altitude. In addition, the 

NASA Aura Earth science spacecraft’s Microwave Limb Sounder instrument has 

been measuring global temperatures at mesopause altitudes since 2005, and these 

data show that 2013 was much colder than all the previous years since AIM was 

launched. This early start was puzzling because it occurred when the output of 

the sun is at the maximum of its 11-year solar cycle. The unexpected behavior of 

the clouds could be a response to changes in the global circulation highlighting 

how connections between different layers of the atmosphere operate over great 

distances. The ability to study these connections is likely to lead to a new understanding of how our atmosphere works.

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) launched into space on 

June 27, 2013, to begin a two-year quest to probe some of the sun’s biggest mysteries. After a 60-day checkout period in orbit, IRIS revealed that the region located 

between the surface of the sun and its atmosphere is a more turbulent place then 

previously understood. IRIS made it possible to study the explosive phenomena in 

the sun’s interface region in sufficient detail to determine the phenomena’s role in 

heating the outer solar atmosphere. The mission’s observations also opened a new 

window into the dynamics of the low solar atmosphere that play a pivotal role in 

accelerating the solar wind and driving solar-eruptive events.

On July 10, 2013, NASA reported what had long been suspected: our heliosphere, the area of the sun’s influence created by the solar wind, has a tail like a 
25Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

comet. A comet moving through the inner solar system leaves particles to form 

streams trailing off behind it. But, the tail of our heliosphere has never actually 

been observed until now. NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, mapped 

the boundaries of the tail of the heliosphere in the “light” of neutral atoms, something that had never before been possible. Scientists described this tail, called 

the heliotail, in detail in a paper published on July 10, 2013, in The Astrophysical 

Journal. By combining observations from the first three years of IBEX imagery, 

the team mapped out a tail that shows a combination of fast- and slow-moving 

particles. There are two lobes of slower particles on the sides and faster particles 

above and below, with the entire structure twisted as it experiences the pushing 

and pulling of magnetic fields outside the heliosphere. Based on the map of the 

heliotail they have now provided, an observer looking straight down the tail sees a 

shape a little like a four-leaf clover. This shape makes sense, given the fact that the 

sun has been sending out mostly fast solar wind near its poles and slower wind near 

its equator for the last few years—a common pattern in the most recent phase of 

the sun’s 11-year activity cycle.

NASA’s Van Allen Probes discovered a particle accelerator in the heart of Earth’s 

radiation belts on July 25, 2013. The discovery that the particles are accelerated by 

a local energy source is akin to the discovery that hurricanes grow from a local 

energy source, such as a region of warm ocean water. The Van Allen Probes were 

designed to distinguish between two broad possibilities on what processes accelerate the particles to such amazing speeds: local acceleration or radial acceleration. 

In radial acceleration, particles are transported perpendicular to the magnetic fields 

that surround Earth, from areas of low magnetic strength far from Earth to areas of 

high magnetic strength near Earth, picking up speed much the way a rock rolling 

downhill gathers speed simply due to gravity. This discovery of local acceleration 

was one of the most highly anticipated and exciting results from the Van Allen 

Probes. This discovery also brings us closer to being able to predict space weather 

conditions and its effects.

On September 12, 2013, NASA announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft had 

officially become the first humanmade object to venture into interstellar space. 

New and expected data indicated Voyager 1 had traveled for about one year 

through plasma, or ionized gas, present in the space between stars, suggesting 
26Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

that the spacecraft had crossed into interstellar space in the summer of 2012. 

Voyager is in a transitional region immediately outside the heliosphere, where 

some effects from our sun are still evident. Voyager 1 first detected an increased 

pressure of interstellar space on the heliosphere in 2004. Scientists then ramped 

up their quest for evidence of the spacecraft’s interstellar arrival, knowing the data 

analysis and interpretation could take months or years. Voyager 1 does not have a 

working plasma sensor, so scientists needed a different way to measure the spacecraft’s plasma environment to make a definitive determination of its source. A 

coronal mass ejection, or a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields, that 

erupted from the sun in March 2012 provided scientists with the data they needed. 

When this infrequent gift from the sun eventually arrived at Voyager 1’s location 

13 months later, in April 2013, the plasma around the spacecraft began to vibrate 

like a violin string. On April 9, 2013, Voyager 1’s plasma-wave instrument detected 

these waves. The pitch of the oscillations helped scientists determine the density 

of the plasma. The particular oscillations meant that the spacecraft was bathed 

in plasma more than 40 times denser than what it had encountered in the outer 

layer of the heliosphere, suggesting that Voyager is now embedded in cold, dense 

interstellar plasma rather than hotter, more tenuous solar-wind plasma.

Planetary Science Division

The observation and discovery of our solar system’s planetary objects is one of 

the oldest of scientific pursuits. With an exploration strategy based on progressing from flybys, to orbiting, to landing, to roving, and finally to returning samples 

from planetary bodies, NASA’s planetary science program advances the scientific 

understanding of the solar system in extraordinary ways while pushing the limits of 

spacecraft and robotic engineering design and operations. Since the 1960s, NASA 

has broadened its reach with increasingly sophisticated missions launched to a host 

of nearby planets, moons, comets, and asteroids.

On November 29, 2012, NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, 

GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission provided support for the 

long-held hypothesis that Mercury harbors abundant water ice and other frozen 

volatile materials within its permanently shadowed polar craters. For the first time, 
27Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

scientists saw a chapter in the story of how the inner planets, including Earth, 

acquired water and some of the chemical building blocks of life. Spacecraft instruments completed the first measurements of excess hydrogen at Mercury’s north 

pole, made the first measurements of the reflectivity of Mercury’s polar deposits 

at near-infrared wavelengths, and enabled the first detailed models of the surface 

and near-surface temperatures of Mercury’s northern polar regions. Scientists suggested decades ago there might be water ice and other frozen volatiles trapped 

at Mercury’s poles. The idea received a boost in 1991 when the Arecibo radio 

telescope in Puerto Rico detected radar-bright patches at Mercury’s poles. Images 

from MESSENGER taken in 2011 and early 2012 confirmed that all radar-bright 

features at Mercury’s north and south poles lie within shadowed regions on the 

planet’s surface. These findings were consistent with the water-ice hypothesis.

On December 3, 2012, NASA’s Mars Curiosity used its full array of instruments 

to analyze Martian soil for the first time and found a complex chemistry within 

the Martian soil. Water, sulfur, and chlorine-containing substances, among other 

ingredients, showed up in samples that Curiosity’s arm delivered to an analytical 

laboratory inside the rover. Detection of the substances during this early phase of 

the mission demonstrated the laboratory’s capability to analyze diverse soil and 

rock samples over the next two years of its prime mission. Scientists also verified 

the capabilities of the rover’s instruments. The specific soil sample came from a 

site of windblown dust and sand named “Rocknest.” The site lies in a relatively flat 

part of Gale Crater, still miles away from the rover’s main destination on the slope 

of a mountain called Mount Sharp. The rover’s laboratory includes the Sample 

Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite and the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument. All instruments worked, including during the first run of the two analytical 

instruments. SAM used three methods to analyze gases given off from the dusty 

sand when it was heated in its oven. Curiosity’s team selected Rocknest as the first 

scooping site because it has fine sand particles suited for scrubbing interior surfaces 

of the arm’s sample-handling chambers. Sand was vibrated inside the chambers to 

remove residue from Earth. Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) produced 

close-up images of Rocknest that showed a dust-coated crust one or two sand-grains 

thick, covering dark, finer sand. The composition and mineralogy findings of the 
28Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

largely basaltic sand/dust have been published, refining our understanding of material that covers much of Mars.

On December 4, 2012, NASA announced plans for a reformulated Mars 

Exploration Program, including a new robotic science rover (based on the Curiosity 

design) that is set to launch in 2020. The planned portfolio includes the currently 

operating Curiosity and Opportunity rovers and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 

Odyssey, and joint ESA-NASA Mars Express orbiters at Mars. The portfolio also 

includes the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter that 

launched in 2013 to study the Martian upper atmosphere, as well as participation 

in the European Space Agency’s ExoMars program. NASA participation in the 

2016 and 2018 ExoMars missions includes providing the “Electra” telecommunication radios to ESA’s 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter and a critical element of the premier 

astrobiology instrument on the 2018 ExoMars rover. With the Discovery Program’s 

Insight mission, scheduled to launch in 2016, NASA will have a total of six missions 

exploring our Earth-like neighbor this decade and will be a partner in three ESA 

missions. The first NASA Mars mission of the next decade—the 2020 rover—will 

address high-priority Agency science goals by carrying payloads to conduct in situ 

science and prepare for future Mars science and human exploration.

On December 17, 2012, NASA named the site where the twin Gravity Recovery 

and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft impacted the moon in honor of the late 

astronaut Sally Ride, who was America’s first woman in space and a member of the 

GRAIL mission team. On December 14, 2012, the twin spacecraft were commanded 

to descend into a lower orbit that resulted in an impact on a mountain near the 

moon’s north pole. The formation-flying dual spacecraft impacted the lunar surface 

as planned at a speed of 3,760 miles per hour (1.7 kilometers per second). The impact 

marked a successful end to the GRAIL mission, which was NASA’s first planetary 

mission to carry cameras fully dedicated to education and public outreach. Sally Ride, 

who died in July 2012 after a 17-month battle with cancer, led GRAIL’s MoonKam 

(Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) program through her company, Sally Ride Science, in San Diego, California. Along with its primary science 

instrument, each GRAIL spacecraft carried a MoonKam camera that took more 

than 115,000 total images of the lunar surface. Imaging targets were proposed by 

middle school students from across the country and the resulting images returned 
29Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

for them to study. The names of the spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, were selected by Sally 

Ride and the mission team from student submissions in a nationwide contest.

NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) successfully launched to the moon on September 6, 2013. This was the first payload 

to launch on a U.S. Air Force Minotaur V rocket integrated by Orbital Sciences 

Corp., and it was the first planetary mission launched from Goddard Space Flight 

Center’s (GSFC) Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. LADEE also carried the Lunar 

Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD), which successfully demonstrated 

deep space optical communications at rates of 622 megabits per second (Mbps), a 

paradigm shift in space communication technology. LADEE’s science objectives 

were to measure the moon’s tenuous atmosphere, characterizing its composition and 

variability, and to study the orbital dust environment. The Lunar Dust EXperiment 

(LDEX), the first dedicated dust instrument to orbit the moon, discovered a tenuous veil of tiny 1/1,000-millimeter-sized particles created by the continual rain of 

micrometeoroids on the lunar surface. LDEX measurements also ruled out electrically levitated dust as the cause of the pre-sunrise glow reported by some Apollo 

astronauts. The Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) discovered and systematically 

mapped three noble gases in the moon’s atmosphere: argon, neon, and helium. 

The Ultraviolet/Visible Spectrometer (UVS) systematically studied sodium and 

potassium, exotic species that exhibit odd variations with the lunar phase. UVS 

and NMS detected several other atmospheric gases, including magnesium and 

possibly volatile species. On April 17, 2014, as its remaining fuel was exhausted, 

LADEE made a planned impact on the moon. During its mission, LADEE gathered 

detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere, which scientists hope to use to develop a thorough understanding of the 

characteristics of our nearest celestial neighbor. In turn, this will help researchers 

understand other bodies in the solar system, such as large asteroids, Mercury, and 

the moons of outer planets.

Astrophysics Division

The Astrophysics Division seeks to understand the universe and our place in 

it by investigating the very moment of its creation; continuing to learn the full 
30Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

history of stars and galaxies; discovering how planetary systems form and how environments hospitable for life develop; and searching for the signature of life on other 

worlds, perhaps to learn that we are not alone.

In 2013, scientists using NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope announced the discovery of exoplanets that are almost as small as Earth and in orbits large enough to 

put the exoplanets near the habitable zone. Several of the exoplanets discovered in 

2013 are smaller than Mercury, and at least three of the newly discovered exoplanets are less than twice the size of Earth. Finding such small planets, particularly in 

the habitable zones, is a significant achievement. Using publicly available Kepler 

data, astronomers announced on February 6, 2013, that 6 percent of red dwarf stars 

have habitable, Earth-sized planets. Since red dwarfs are the most common stars in 

our galaxy, this implies that the closest Earth-like planet could be just 13 light-years 

away and that there could be more than a billion such planets in our Milky Way 

Galaxy. The question of whether or not this high frequency holds for sun-like stars 

will be answered by further analysis of the full Kepler dataset.

Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope 

(HST) announced on January 8, 2013, that they were able to probe the stormy 

atmosphere of a brown dwarf, creating the most detailed “weather map” yet for this 

class of cool, star-like orbs. The forecast shows wind-driven, planet-sized clouds 

enshrouding these strange worlds. Brown dwarfs form out of condensing gas, as 

stars do, but lack the mass to fuse hydrogen atoms and produce energy. Instead, 

these objects, which some call failed stars, are more similar to gas planets with their 

complex, varied atmospheres. The new research is a stepping stone toward a better 

understanding not only of brown dwarfs, but also of the atmospheres of planets 

beyond our solar system.

On February 27, 2013, NASA’s newest astrophysics mission, the Nuclear 

Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, and the European Space Agency’s 

X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM)-Newton mission teamed up to measure definitively, for 

the first time, the spin rate of a black hole with a mass two million times that of our 

sun. The supermassive black hole lies at the dust- and gas-filled heart of a galaxy 

called NGC 1365 and spins almost as fast as Einstein’s theory of gravity will allow. 

The new data demonstrate that x-rays are being warped by the tremendous gravity 

of the black hole.
31Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope announced on August 6, 

2013, that they had solved a 40-year mystery on the origin of the stream of gas connecting our Milky Way Galaxy to our neighbor Magellanic Cloud galaxies. New 

observations reveal that a combination of gravity and gas pressure stripped the gas 

from the Small Magellanic Cloud about two billion years ago and a second region 

of the stream originated more recently from the Large Magellanic Cloud. These 

streams give birth to new stars in galaxies throughout the universe, but only in the 

nearby Magellanic Clouds can we uncover the exact way this happens. 

On August 28, 2013, astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered why material around the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way 

Galaxy is extraordinarily faint in x-rays. In one of the longest Chandra-observing 

campaigns, new Chandra images of the black hole Sagittarius A* show that less 

than 1 percent of the gas initially within Sagittarius A*’s gravitational grasp ever 

reaches the event horizon. Instead, much of the gas is ejected before it gets near the 

event horizon and has a chance to brighten, leading to feeble x-ray emissions. The 

ejection of this gas tells astronomers about its origin and helps them understand 

why some supermassive black holes are so much fainter than others, both in the 

local universe and in the distant early universe.

James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large infrared-optimized telescope designed to study and answer fundamental astrophysical questions that range 

from the formation and structure of the universe to the origin of planetary systems 

and the origins of life. A scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and 

the Spitzer Space Telescope, the JWST observatory will be used by international 

teams of astronomers to conduct imaging and spectroscopic observations in the 

0.6–27 micron (μm) wavelength range. The mission of the JWST program/project 

is to develop, launch, and operate a state-of-the-art observatory for use by the international astronomy community to advance our understanding of the origin and 

destiny of the universe; the creation and evolution of the first stars and galaxies to 

form after the Big Bang; the formation of stars and planetary systems within the 

Milky Way Galaxy; and the characteristics of planetary systems, including our own.
32Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), the last of three James Webb Space 

Telescope flight science instruments, arrived at Goddard Space Flight Center from 

Germany on September 20, 2013. NIRSpec joined other instruments at GSFC for 

integration into the science instrument module for subsequent testing in 2014. 

JWST is a collaborative effort between NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space 

Agency to develop a large, near- and mid-infrared-optimized space telescope to 

be launched in October 2018. JWST will observe fainter and more distant targets 

than previous telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope, thereby enabling 

new scientific discoveries and providing answers to questions as old as human 

imagination: How did planets, stars, and galaxies come into existence, and are we 

alone in the universe?

Joint Agency Satellite Division

The Joint Agency Satellite Division (JASD) efficiently manages NASA’s fully 

reimbursable satellite and instrument development program, which includes 

NOAA-funded missions. JASD offers the Federal agencies a single interface for 

planning, development, and management of their satellite projects.

Since its inception in 2010, JASD has consistently delivered to NASA’s partner 

agencies and to the science community. For example, regarding Jason-3, the project 

successfully passed Key Decision Point-C (KDP-C) and was confirmed for implementation on January 17, 2013. On May 8, 2013, the project successfully passed 

KDP-D, and all three instruments developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 

were delivered to Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) for the start of spacecraft integration. The JPL-developed instruments were the Advanced Microwave 

Radiometer (AMR), the Global Positioning System Payload (GPSP), and the Laser 

Retroreflector Array (LRA).

On August 27, 2013, the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) project, another JASD mission, successfully completed KDP-C and was confirmed for 

implementation. Prior to KDP-C, the DSCOVR project resolved a major information technology security classification issue with the ground system: NOAA 

required a “High Impact” rating for all its operational assets, and DSCOVR was 

built as a “Moderate Impact” asset. Through several working-group meetings, the 
33Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

issue was resolved and codified in an IT Security Implementation memo signed by 

NASA and NOAA.

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD)

Aviation is the transportation mode that connects nations, cities, businesses, 

and people to support a growing and vital global economy. Within the United 

States, aviation is essential to economic well-being. Since our establishment, 

NASA has continually advanced America’s aviation system in order to improve 

our quality of life and productivity on Earth. NASA contributes unique innovations to aviation through our research activities. These innovations serve as key 

enablers for the vital role of U.S. commercial aviation in driving American commerce and supporting safe, environmentally sustainable mobility. Our role is to 

explore early-stage concepts and ideas; develop new technologies and operational 

procedures through foundational research; and demonstrate the potential of promising new vehicles, operations, and safety technology in relevant environments. 

We are focused on the most appropriate cutting-edge research and technologies to 

overcome a wide range of aeronautics technical challenges for the Nation’s and the 

globe’s current and future air-transportation system.

Aviation Safety Program

During FY 2013, NASA calibrated and validated a computational tool used to 

assess the risk of engine ice crystal icing. NASA anticipates that this tool will be 

available to the engine manufacturers to use during the design process to mitigate 

the impact of ice crystal icing. This form of icing has been reported to cause engine 

power loss events under certain atmospheric conditions generally attributed to 

high-altitude thunderstorms. Researchers hypothesize that solid ice crystals partially melt when entering the warmer engine environment and then may refreeze 

on parts of the engine compressor, leading to a loss of engine power. NASA conducted calibration tests using a jet engine known to be susceptible to ice crystal 

icing. The tests were the first to be conducted in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory 
34Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

(PSL) at Glenn Research Center. The testing confirmed the conditions that the 

computational tool had predicted would lead to engine power loss events.

NASA also completed the second major test in a series intended to evaluate 

the capabilities of new engine sensors and diagnostic systems. The first test was 

conducted during 2012. NASA worked with multiple industry and Government 

partners to conduct the ground-based tests on a C-17 aircraft engine, and the 

knowledge gained thus far has been communicated to the aviation community. 

During the test series, NASA and its partners successfully demonstrated the capability of NASA-developed health management technologies to detect and diagnose 

incipient engine faults before they cause a safety problem. The tests have given 

NASA a first opportunity to evaluate the capabilities under the high temperature 

and vibration environment associated with an operating aircraft engine. 

NASA and its partners established the technical feasibility of a vehicle-level 

prognostic reasoning system. This system would offer an onboard capability to provide additional warning about potential aircraft system failures that could degrade 

safety. The information could allow pilots or maintenance personnel to take necessary steps to ensure continued safe operation. The prognostic reasoning system 

combines onboard system measurements with a data-mining capability to detect 

out-of-the ordinary or anomalous conditions. Using this approach, the reasoning 

system compares onboard conditions with historical data linked to actual failures. 

Pilots and maintenance personnel would be notified when the system detected 

an anomaly. Designers used subject-matter experts during the development of 

this system to improve the system’s ability to detect potential problems correctly 

while limiting the number of false detections. During the multi-year activity that 

completed in 2013, NASA and its partners used a prototype reasoning system to 

correctly predict three safety incidents from a set of regional airline flight data. 

The system also correctly detected and provided advance warning of four faults 

that were injected into an aircraft navigation system. To improve opportunities 

for technology transfer, NASA and its partners tested the reasoning system using 

existing aircraft hardware, software, and communication protocols.
35Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Airspace Systems Program

NASA officially presented the prototype software for its Precision Departure 

Release Capability (PDRC) to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 

August 2013. With PDRC, controllers will be able to improve the overall efficiency 

of air traffic management by reducing missed or delayed departures and allowing 

more aircraft to depart within a given timeframe. Tests of the software conducted 

during the past few years show that PDRC could help improve compliance with 

the departure time by up to 80 percent, thereby improving the use of slots in the 

overhead stream of air traffic that can go empty due to timing issues on the ground. 

Testing and evaluation of the PDRC software was done during two series of exercises conducted at NASA’s North Texas Research Station near the Dallas/Fort 

Worth International Airport beginning in May 2012 and concluding earlier in 

2013. During the evaluation, FAA controllers used the prototype PDRC system to 

schedule departure times for real, operational airline flights. The PDRC software 

tool is the latest example in a long history of NASA’s technical contributions to 

the aviation community.

NASA conducted a field trial with American Airlines for NASA’s Dynamic 

Weather Routing (DWR), a tool that continually analyzes flight trajectories and 

weather conditions and then suggests course corrections to avoid the trouble. Field 

trials like these are the final step required before NASA delivers the DWR tool 

to carriers and system developers for improved flight efficiencies and cost savings.

NASA conducted the most recent testing for the Spot and Runway Departure 

Advisor (SARDA) during summer 2013. SARDA is a decision support tool that 

helps to improve the efficiency of departure operations on taxiways and runways. 

While previous simulations included participation by controllers, this simulation 

was the first time that pilots were also included. Using over 120 current and future 

operational scenarios, controllers used SARDA to plan and issue gate release 

and departure clearances to the pilots for execution. Early simulation results suggest that sharing the controller’s SARDA information with the pilots enabled 

improved coordination and allowed the aircrews to meet the controller’s SARDA 

plans more accurately.
36Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Fundamental Aeronautics Program

Aircraft noise is of great concern in the current air transportation system, especially in airport communities. Aircraft noise greatly limits the ability to increase 

air traffic throughput in order to meet projected increased demand for air travel. 

NASA has been at the forefront of developing and providing tools to industry 

that characterize the community impact of aircraft noise, especially through its 

comprehensive Aircraft Noise Prediction Program (ANOPP) code, which predicts 

the noise created by the entire aircraft and the noise impact on the ground. NASA 

recently developed the next generation of ANOPP (ANOPP2) and, in FY 2013, 

validated it with wind tunnel data. ANOPP2’s new capabilities include the prediction of noise created by advanced aircraft configurations, which are very different from the conventional tube-and-wing aircraft in use today, and the effects of 

atmosphere and local terrain in noise propagation. ANOPP2 will allow for more 

accurate predictions of community noise impacts for current-generation aircraft 

and will enable accurate noise impact assessments of future aircraft designs.

NASA is exploring advances to make air travel even more flexible and convenient by seeking ways to increase the use of helicopters in the air transportation 

system. The goal is to make modern helicopters quieter and more fuel efficient so 

that they can safely carry more people and cargo and be more effective in conducting current missions and new missions such as increased delivery and transportation. To support these improved capabilities, NASA made significant advances 

in rotary wing propulsion systems in FY 2013 that included new types of engine 

compressors and turbines and new transmissions. Also, to make rotorcraft quieter, 

NASA measured and studied the noise of helicopters doing complicated turns and 

landings. NASA’s concern for air traffic safety created new efforts to examine helicopters operating in bad weather. In August 2013, NASA crashed a helicopter fuselage in its ongoing effort to improve helicopter safety. Using the drop test facility at 

Langley Research Center, NASA dropped the fuselage 30 feet, simulating a severe 

but survivable crash. Crash-test dummies served as passengers in the test. The goal 

of the drop was to test improved seat belts and seats, to collect crashworthiness 

data, and to check out some new test methods. The drop also provided data that 

will serve as a baseline for another test scheduled for late 2014. NASA worked to 
37Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

reduce problems caused by ice forming on the rotor blades through a wind tunnel 

test in the Icing Research Tunnel at Glenn Research Center in August–September 

2013. NASA also sought to understand how pilots can control helicopters at night 

and in bad weather through a simulation test at the Vertical Motion Simulator at 

Ames Research Center in June 2013.

Faster vehicles are another way to make air travel more convenient for the flying 

public. NASA is helping to achieve faster air travel by working on technology 

that would enable high performance supersonic transports to fly commercially 

with virtually no noise impact on the ground from sonic booms. NASA completed 

extensive ground testing in spring 2013 to validate its high-fidelity computational 

tools that predict sonic boom and aircraft drag. Good to excellent comparisons 

were achieved between test data and the predictions for both sonic boom and aircraft performance, thereby providing confidence in the accuracy of NASA’s most 

advanced computational tools. These tools may eventually be used to help design 

new types of aircraft.

To help reduce the impact of air travel on the environment, NASA successfully completed in-flight and ground-based tests to characterize the emissions from 

aircraft engines burning an alternative biofuel. Preliminary results indicate that 

the biofuel blends tested may substantially reduce the emission of black carbon, 

sulfates, and organics. Future efforts will assess contrail formation using these biofuel blends to further ensure that there are no adverse effects on the environment.

Integrated Systems Research Program

During FY 2013, NASA continued to make progress towards reducing or eliminating technical barriers to safe and routine access of unmanned aircraft systems 

(UAS) into the National Airspace System for civil use. Based on the results of 

earlier analysis and testing, NASA, in close partnership with the FAA and other 

regulatory bodies, planned for future technology development focusing on the most 

critical needs for safe UAS integration and meeting the most immediate requirements of the regulatory bodies. This research will be validated through future flight 

testing over the next few years.
38Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

In September 2013, NASA completed a series of characterization tests of a unique 

flight test environment for UAS research called the Live Virtual Constructive–

Distributed Environment (LVC-DE) in order to establish a baseline of the system’s 

capabilities. During the tests, LVC-DE allowed live unmanned and manned aircraft 

operators to interact with virtual unmanned and manned aircraft operators, supported by actual and simulated air traffic data from air traffic control facilities and 

ground control stations. The result was safe but realistic testing of UAS integration 

concepts and flight characteristics. 

NASA also explored technologies and procedures that can guarantee seamless 

communication between UAS, air traffic controllers, and other pilots. In February 

2013, NASA began working with industry to develop a specially designed radio 

for use by UAS that would enable secure command-and-control communications 

between the ground and the aircraft. Over the course of seven flights, engineers 

characterized the frequencies that would be used and investigated how they interact with various topographical and climatological conditions around the United 

States to ensure uninterruptable two-way transmission.

NASA successfully completed testing in the Langley Research Center’s (LaRC) 

14×22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel to demonstrate the noise reduction potential 

of the Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft configuration. This testing investigated 

the combined airframe and jet engine noise using an HWB model and a compact 

jet engine noise simulator. It also characterized the ability of the HWB airframe to 

“shield” emitted noise. Acoustic analysis of the HWB configuration indicates that 

it will meet the goal of 42 decibel noise reduction from existing noise standards. 

To enable the testing, NASA made numerous upgrades to the wind tunnel, further 

augmenting this critical national asset for future research needs.

NASA also used the 14×22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel in support of research 

investigating the potential for noise reduction in aircraft flaps and landing gear 

(which are major components of structural noise generation in aircraft) while minimizing weight and integration penalties. NASA performed detailed evaluations of 

six selected flap noise reduction concepts on a semi-span model of a Gulfstream 

G550 aircraft. The testing was performed both alone and with landing gear noise 

reduction concepts. Data from these test runs were used to down select the most 
39Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

promising flap and gear noise reduction technologies, which will be subjected to 

further computational analysis.

NASA conducted significant planning for a new Advanced Composites project 

during FY 2013. NASA’s objective in this five-year project is to significantly accelerate the timeline to bring innovative aerospace composite materials and structures 

to market, which today can exceed 20 years or more, through the development of 

next-generation, physics-based tools and streamlined processes. In August 2013, 

NASA, in conjunction with the Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable 

of the National Research Council, met to discuss and validate the project’s goals, 

objectives, and approach.

Aeronautics Test Program

During FY 2013, NASA continued to make targeted investments in its capabilities so that the Nation’s aeronautics community has the tools to deliver the 

technology innovations and breakthroughs necessary to address the increasingly 

complex research and development challenges associated with safe and effective 

real-world flight.

In March 2013, NASA first tested and then validated Glenn Research Center’s 

recently modified Propulsion Systems Laboratory. The new engine icing capability provides a unique high-altitude, ice-crystal-generation capability to test a fully 

operating turbofan engine at the temperatures, pressures, and air speeds representative of those encountered in flight. Spray bars emit a cloud of moisture so that 

researchers can safely observe what happens inside a full-scale jet engine. 

NASA also modified a test facility at Langley Research Center by installing test 

section acoustic insulation improvements, a new compact jet engine simulator and 

fuel system, and microphone array and array traversing system at the 14×22-Foot 

Subsonic Wind Tunnel. This new and unique acoustic measurement capability 

provides combined airframe and engine acoustic testing to enable research in 

advanced aircraft configurations, as well as validation of current and new noise 

prediction methods. The first test of this new capability successfully demonstrated 

the noise reduction potential of the Hybrid Wing Body aircraft configuration. 
40Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

NASA also used the capability to research the potential for noise reduction in 

aircraft flaps and landing gear on a semi-span model of a Gulfstream G550 aircraft. 

To aid in the understanding of the current condition and reliability of the 

Aeronautics test assets and their ability to meet current and future (five-year horizon) test requirements, NASA established a formal process of conducting periodic 

assessments. In FY 2013, NASA conducted the first of these assessments on the 

Flight Loads Laboratory, Western Aeronautical Test Range, and Flight Simulation 

Lab and obtained valuable knowledge of the ground-based assets that support 

critical flight testing. The assessment will inform strategic investment decisions 

to ensure that relevant flight testing capabilities continue to be available to support the research, development, test, and engineering milestones of NASA and 

Department of Defense programs.

Space Technology Mission Directorate 

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) made major strides in 

2013, pioneering new technologies and capabilities that added breadth to NASA’s 

toolkit, aiding current and future missions. The Directorate is engaged in nine 

major technology development programs that are under way at each of NASA’s 10 

Field Centers located across the United States.

Four PhoneSat CubeSats were placed in Earth orbit in 2013, demonstrating 

that off-the-shelf, commercial smartphone technology can serve as a spacecraft’s 

operating system, enabling the transmission of images and scientific information. 

Through STMD’s Flight Opportunities Program, the Agency solicited, selected, 

and launched cutting-edge space technology payloads on commercial reusable 

launch vehicles, balloons, and commercial parabolic aircraft. The flights permitted 

participants to demonstrate their technologies at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere—

and then return that hardware back to terra firma—before committing them to the 

ruthless and unforgiving conditions of orbital spaceflight. 

In a major “game changing” development in 2013, NASA completed testing on 

a Boeing-led 2.4-meter-diameter prototype composite cryogenic propellant tank. 

This tank, designed to contain super-cold-temperature hydrogen, was fabricated 

using out-of-autoclave techniques. The result: a composite cryogenic tank made 
41Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

with a 25 percent reduction in production cost and a 30 percent reduction in 

weight that allows for increased payload capacity. A larger tank is now in the works 

for testing in 2014, eyed for compatibility with the cryogenic upper stage needed for 

NASA’s new big booster, the Space Launch System.

As an innovative manufacturing project, NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne successfully hot-fire-tested a 3D-printed rocket engine injector, marking one of the 

first steps in using additive manufacturing for space travel. The liquid-oxygen and 

gaseous-hydrogen rocket injector assembly was made using selective laser melting 

manufacturing—a method to shorten production times and lower unit prices of 

the past. 

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program nurtured visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of breakthroughs. In 2013, the NIAC backed conceptual looks at radical concepts in 

propulsion and power, aircraft design, orbital debris removal, and near-Earth-object 

threat mitigation, as well as novel ideas on robotics and interplanetary probes, 

imaging, and communications. 

STMD engaged in more than 400 activities with 75 accredited U.S. universities 

to enable future missions and maintain our continued leadership in space. For the 

third consecutive year, the Space Technology Research Grants program awarded 

competitive technology fellowships for graduate research on the Agency’s most 

difficult space technology challenges. Sixty-five new fellowships were awarded this 

year, bringing the total number of funded graduate student space technology development efforts to 193. Several fellowship graduates are already making an impact 

in the Nation’s aerospace and innovation workforce.

In 2013, hundreds of NASA Small Business Innovation Research and Small 

Business Technology Transfer programs were funded. More than 400 proposals 

were selected from U.S. small businesses for development, demonstrating the 

potential of private-sector innovation to meet NASA’s needs.

43Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Department of Def

DOD

Aeronautics Activities

Fixed-Wing Vehicles

In July 2013, the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Surfing Aircraft Vortices for Energy 

($AVE) program demonstrated a 10 percent fuel savings during a flight of two 

C-17As. An instrumented trail aircraft flew in the wake of the lead aircraft on a 

training mission from Edwards Air Force Base to Hawaii and back. By flying in the 

wake of the lead aircraft, the trail aircraft experienced significantly lower dynamic 

pressure and gained partial lift from turbulence in the lead aircraft’s wake.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) conducted wind tunnel tests of a 

C-5M scale model to validate the fuel-savings of winglets. The tests confirmed 

a 4 percent fuel savings. AFRL also evaluated overwing nacelle configurations 

to improve economy of operations, threat response, noise reduction, and agility. 

Results indicate a potential 5 percent improvement in efficiency compared to 

underwing nacelle configurations.

The Marine Corps F35B short-takeoff/vertical-landing aircraft completed the 

second phase of its developmental testing in sea trials aboard the USS Wasp. 

The aircraft reached a milestone on August 14, 2013, by completing its first 

night landing at sea aboard the USS Wasp. Also, Rolls-Royce delivered the 50th 

three-bearing swivel module and 40th LiftFan for the F-35B to the Department 

of Defense. 

The Air Force Research Laboratory completed low-speed and transonic 

wind tunnel validation testing for two concept vehicles under the Speed Agile 
44Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Configuration Demonstrator program. Two hybrid powered-lift systems for a 

future short takeoff and landing “speed agile” airlifter were tested. The airlifter is 

intended to carry payloads of up to 65,000 pounds and cruise at Mach 0.8. Boeing’s 

design features an upper-surface blowing system inboard and circulation control 

and internally blown flaps on the outboard wind section. Lockheed Martin’s system 

uses circulation control and internally blown flaps on the outboard wing sections 

and a novel ejecting-reversing-nozzle inboard.

The Department of Defense completed the initial flight of the first production 

Beechcraft AT-6 aircraft. The AT-6 is an attack version of the single-engine turboprop T-6 trainer. The AT-6 was upgraded to a 1,600-horsepower PT6A-68D engine 

and has structural modification over the T-6 trainer. The AT-6 also uses the A-10C 

precision engagement modification capabilities.

In 2013, the USAF added additional crews and flight hours to the requirements 

for the KC-46A Next-Generation Aerial Refueler in response to a review that 

showed that current plans did not take full advantage of the KC-46A’s cargo and 

aeromedical evacuation capabilities. In August 2013, Boeing and the Air Force 

completed a Critical Design Review for the KC-46A, one month ahead of schedule. 

Boeing began assembling the wing for the first aircraft in June 2013. 

In March 2013, the Speed Agile Powered-Lift System Concept Demonstration 

Team was honored as the recipient of the 2013 Aviation Week Laureate Award in the 

Aeronautics and Propulsion category. The Speed Agile Powered-Lift Demonstration 

program is a joint effort of the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, Boeing, and 

Lockheed Martin. The program collaboratively developed a revolutionary approach 

to airlifter design that combines short-takeoff-and-landing utility with airliner-class 

cruise efficiency. The Speed-Agile Concept Demonstration program culminated with 

wind tunnel testing in 2012. 

Rotorcraft

The Naval Air Warfare Center developed a semi-active seat for the MH-60 

Seahawk to mitigate cockpit vibrations. Tests showed that the seat mitigated 90 

percent of the dominant rotor-induced vertical vibration. The modified seat design 

is a direct retrofit to the current MH-60 crew seat.
45Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Balloon Flight Systems

In July 2013, the Army successfully demonstrated the aerostat-based Joint Land 

Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Network Sensor (JLENS) system as it 

tracked an anti-ship cruise missile. JLENS is hosted on two TCOM-built, 243-footlong aerostats.

In May 2013, the Navy demonstrated its MZ-3A airship, the A170, in the 

Caribbean area for intelligence and surveillance to support counter-narcotics trafficking operations. The airship carried surface optics and full-motion spectral imagers to detect submerged targets. 

The Army directed Northrup Grumman to cease work on the Long Endurance 

Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV). The 303-foot-long hybrid had made only one 

flight, in 2012. The program was cancelled due to its inability to meet performance 

goals and a shortage of funds to continue research and development.

Hypersonics

In May 2013, an X-51A WaveRider set a record for the longest air-breathing 

powered hypersonic flight when it flew for 3.5 minutes at Mach 5. WaveRider, built 

by the Boeing Company, is a scramjet-powered demonstrator and is launched from 

a B-52H. Upon engine ignition, the aircraft accelerated to Mach 5.1 and provided 

370 seconds of valuable flight data. The WaveRider uses the shock waves it creates 

to generate lift. This event was the fourth flight for WaveRider.

The Large-Scale Scramjet Engine Testing Techniques (LSETT) program, a 

joint project of the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, and ATK, completed 

ground tests of a fuel-cooled, dual-mode scramjet engine at both NASA’s Langley 

Research Center, in Virginia, and ATK-General Applied Science Laboratory, in 

Ronkonkoma, New York. The test was conducted using a missile-scale, fuel-cooled 

ATK combustor and flight-representative inlet/isolator tested in free-jet, semi-freejet, and direct-connect configurations.
46Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

In August 2013, the Air Force Research Laboratory flew the X-56A for the 

first time at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center (now named Armstrong 

Flight Research Center) in California. The X-56A Multi-utility Aeroelastic 

Demonstration (MAD) is a modular, unmanned research aircraft capable of demonstrating a variety of adaptive structures and wing and tail configurations for 

active flutter suppression techniques and gust load alleviation. These technologies 

are vital for future transports as well as for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unmanned aerial systems. The X-56A was transferred to NASA during 

2013 for active flutter suppression developmental testing and experimentation.

In July 2013, the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) Aircraft 

Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) completed two arrested landings on the USS 

George H. W. Bush. This is the first instance of a tailless, unmanned autonomous 

aircraft landing on a modern aircraft carrier. This event also included multiple 

precision approaches, nine touch-and-go landings, and three catapult launches.

The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft completed its first flight in May 2013. 

Triton is an upgraded version of the Global Hawk. Triton has an operational 

altitude of 53,000 feet and a range of 11,500 miles. Triton is built by Northrup 

Grumman for the Navy. Its mission is wide-area, long-duration intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. 

In May 2013, the Naval Research Laboratory’s Ion Tiger hydrogen-fuel-cellpowered unmanned plane flew for more than 48 hours, eclipsing its previous record 

of 26 hours and 2 minutes set in 2009. The new fuel system uses high-pressure 

liquid hydrogen stored in lightweight tanks, which allows for a threefold increase 

in fuel density. 

In September 2013, the Missile Defense Agency completed the fifth flight of 

Boeing’s Phantom Eye hydrogen-powered, high-altitude unmanned aircraft. During 

this flight, the aircraft reached an altitude of 28,000 feet and flew for just under four 

and a half hours. This flight included a payload from the Missile Defense Agency. 

In July 2013, Northrop Grumman delivered the first MQ-8C Fire-X verticaltakeoff unmanned aircraft to the Navy. Ground and communications testing was 

completed during 2013, and the first flight was scheduled for early FY 2014. The 
47Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

MQ-8C shares software, avionics, payloads, and ship ancillary equipment with the 

MQ-8B, while the upgraded airframe provides double the endurance and three 

times the payload. 

An enhanced version of the MQ-1C version of General Atomics’ Predator 

Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) made its first flight in July. This was the first 

flight of the Army’s Improved Gray Eagle (IGE), a next-generation derivative of the 

combat-proven Block 1 Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System. The IGE provides 

increased endurance, with 23 additional hours for reconnaissance missions, over 

the Block 1 Gray Eagle. The aircraft’s payload capacity is more than 50 percent 

greater than the Block 1 Gray Eagle’s and has 50 percent more fuel capacity in its 

deep-belly fuselage. An upgraded centerline hardpoint offers the option of either a 

500-pound external fuel tank or a 360-degree-sensor payload.

Aircraft Engines, Subsystems, Components, and 

Other Aeronautical Developments

The Army’s High-Speed Container Delivery System (HSCDS) was used in 

Afghanistan beginning in April 2013 to deliver cargo to remote locations not easily accessible to overland convoys. The HSCDS is deployed from C-17 and C-130J 

aircraft flying at speeds of up to 250 knots to drop cargo loads from between 3,000 

and 16,000 pounds at altitudes as low as 250 feet. The HSCDS is the product of 

a Joint Concept Technology Development program and provides greater aircraft 

maneuverability during airdrop, decreased ingress and egress time, and increased 

payload delivery accuracy compared to conventional airdrop technologies.

In concert with the universities of Alabama, San Jose, Idaho, Nevada-Reno, 

and Missouri, the Naval Postgraduate School conducted eight flight tests of an 

autonomous high-altitude, high-opening parafoil delivery system. This system is 

investigating balloon-borne, lower stratosphere deployments of ultralightweight 

payloads using 10-to-40-square-foot canopies. Potential applications for this technology include the retrieval of weather balloon and sounding rocket payloads.

The China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station built and performed structural 

tests on the Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator. A rocket sled was used 

to perform the structural and inflation tests.
48Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

The Department of Defense’s Computational Research and Engineering 

Acquisition Tools and Environments (CREATE) Air Vehicles program 

(CREATE-AV) released three multidisciplinary, physics-based computational engineering products in 2013: the fixed-wing analysis tool Kestrel 4.0, the rotorcraft 

analysis tool Helios 4.0, and the conceptual design tool DaVinci 2.0. CREATE is 

part of DOD’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP).

In February 2013, the Air Force Research Laboratory completed testing of 

General Electric’s engine under the ADaptive Versatile ENgine Technology 

(ADVENT) program, achieving the highest combination of compressor and turbine temperatures ever recorded. The accomplishment resulted from lightweight, 

heat-resistant ceramic matrix composite materials. This technology, combined with 

an adaptive low-pressure spool, yielded a 25 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, 

a 30 percent increase in operating range, and a 5 to 10 percent improvement in 

thrust compared to today’s fixed-cycle engines.

Airborne Weapons Systems and Missiles

The Navy supported a U.K. Royal Navy Trident 2 D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile test in 

October 2012. This was the 143rd successful flight for the Trident 2 D5 since 1989. 

In February 2013, the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block 1A intercepted a 

medium-range ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean, demonstrating success 

of the upgraded third-stage rocket motor and solid divert attitude control system. 

The missile was launched from the USS Lake Erie. In May, an SM-3 Block 1A 

was also launched from a Navy Aegis-class cruiser off the coast of Hawaii, where 

it destroyed a complex, separating short-range ballistic missile. An SM-3 Block 

1B missile was successfully fired in September 2013 and intercepted a complex, 

separating short-range ballistic missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range 

Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The SM-3 Block 1B incorporates an enhanced two-color 

infrared seeker and throttleable divert attitude control system. This was the 28th 

intercept for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program since flight testing began 

in 2002 and the 23rd successful intercept for the SM-3 missile family. In May 2013, 

Raytheon celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Standard Missile Family.
49Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

In June 2013, Raytheon achieved a production milestone with the delivery of the 

5,000th AIM-X Sidewinder air-to-air missile to the Department of Defense. 

In September 2013, the Missile Defense Agency led a series of tests called Flight 

Test Operational-01. The tests began with the launch of two medium-range ballistic missile targets on operationally realistic trajectories toward the Army’s Reagan 

Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll. The USS Decatur detected, tracked, and developed 

firing solutions on the targets with the Aegis weapons system and intercepted the 

first target with an SM-3 Block 1A missile. An AN/TYP-2 radar located with the 

Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapons system acquired and 

tracked the targets and intercepted the second target with a THAAD missile.

A ground-based midcourse defense interceptor test in January 2013 verified the 

performance of the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle through two divert maneuvers. A 

subsequent attempt to intercept a long-range ballistic-missile target launched from the 

Kwajalein Atoll was not successful. The interceptor missile launched from Vandenberg 

Air Force Base, in California, experienced a separation failure between the upper 

stages of the interceptor. Across all Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) programs from 

2001 to 2013, there have been 64 hit-to-kill intercepts in 80 flight test attempts.

In April 2013, a Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missile successfully 

detected, tracked, and intercepted a tactical ballistic missile (TBM) in a Lower 

Tier Project Office flight test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. By current practice, two PAC-3 missiles were ripple-fired in the test. The first interceptor destroyed the target and the second PAC-3 missile self-destructed as planned. 

In June 2013, PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles successfully 

engaged, intercepted, and destroyed two different threat representative targets: an 

advanced tactical ballistic missile target and a cruise missile target.

In September, the Navy successfully launched its 40th Coyote Supersonic SeaSkimming Target (SSST) vehicle from the Pacific Missile Range in Hawaii. The 

year 2013 marked the 10th year of the Coyote program. 

Aircraft Safety and Survivability

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base supported NASA tests with multinational 

partners to investigate the effects of lasers on composite materials used on military 
50Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

aircraft. Tests during 2013 were performed in simulated flight conditions, including 

high-speed airflow, but without fuel backing or laser-hardened coatings. The results 

from these tests will be used to improve laser hardening and fire suppression.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s Aerospace Survivability and Safety Operation 

Location designed, tested, and evaluated a low-profile, lightweight parachute 

intended to enable aircrews to eliminate the time required to don parachutes in 

emergency bailout situations. The new parachutes are designed to be small and 

light enough to be worn throughout the mission, and they are built to minimize 

their impact on crew mobility and performance.

Space Activities

Launch and Range Operations and Spacelift Developments

The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program continued to place satellites into orbit successfully during FY 2013. With 11 launches in FY 2013, United 

Launch Alliance (ULA) continued its record of 100 percent success. Of these, 8 

of the 11 were National Security Space missions, including a Wideband Global 

Satellite Communications launch.

On July 13, 2013, the Air Force launched the second Mobile User Objective 

System (MUOS) satellite for the Navy using an Atlas 5 launch vehicle. The launch 

vehicle was acquired and launched by United Launch Alliance under the Evolved 

Expendable Launch Vehicle program. 

In a November 27, 2012, Acquisition Decision Memorandum, the Under 

Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics authorized the 

Air Force to begin negotiations with United Launch Alliance for a requirements contract to procure 36 rocket cores for National Security Space missions 

across five years (fiscal years 2013 through 2017). On December 18, 2013, the Air 

Force awarded the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Launch Vehicle 

Production Services (LVPS) and Capability to United Launch Alliance. The Air 

Force also set aside up to 14 rocket cores, in addition to the above commitment, 

for competition as early as FY 2015 if new entrant launch service providers achieve 

certification to compete.
51Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

The Air Force funded two opportunities in FY 2013 for new launch service providers to qualify to compete for future contracts under the Evolved 

Expendable Launch Vehicle program and competitively awarded the Deep Space 

Climate Observatory and Space Test Program-2 launch missions to SpaceX on 

November 30, 2012. The Air Force and SpaceX signed a Cooperative Research and 

Development Agreement (CRADA) and a Certification Plan on June 7, 2013, for 

the EELV-class certification of the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle. SpaceX successfully completed one of the three flights required for certification with its successful 

launch of CASSIOPE and secondary payloads on the first flight of Falcon 9 v1.1 

launched on September 29, 2013. 

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a reusable 

first-stage program, XS-1, the Experimental Spaceplane. As envisioned, XS-1 will 

be an unmanned hypersonic craft comparable to traditional launch vehicles in 

terms of cost, operation, and reliability. The goal of the program is to fly 10 times 

in as many days. XS-1 is envisioned to carry payloads of 3,000 to 5,000 pounds. 

The Air Force Research Laboratory completed designs for turbomachinery components for a full-scale, oxygen-rich, staged-combustion rocket engine. The AFRL 

also fabricated and tested a subscale pre-burner for this engine. AFRL’s research 

in this area is conducted under the Integrated High-Payoff Rocket Propulsion 

Technology (IHPRPT) program. 

Global Positioning System

The Air Force successfully launched a third Global Positioning System (GPS) 

IIF satellite in October 2012 and a fourth in May 2013. The GPS Enterprise also 

achieved 0.47-meter accuracy on June 8, 2013, the best constellation performance 

to date. In February of 2013, power was turned on for the first time to the first of 

the next-generation GPS satellites, the GPS III satellite 1. GPS III-1 successfully 

completed a third exercise with the Launch and Checkout System of the GPS 

Next Generation Operational Control System. The modernized GPS III satellite 

provides a Standard Positioning Service to a broad spectrum of civil users. It will 

also transmit a new civil signal (L1C), which is compatible with the European 

Galileo satellite navigation signal, E1. L1C is also compatible with signals planned 
52Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

for broadcast on Japan’s Quazi-Zenith Satellite System, a system meant to augment 

GPS services. Once implemented, the common civil signal will be jointly broadcast 

by up to 60 satellites from both GPS and Galileo constellations, further increasing 

accuracy and availability of civil position, navigation, and timing solutions. 

In 2013, the GPS Modernized User Equipment (MUE) program successfully 

completed numerous GPS Military-Code (M-Code) receiver technology demonstrations. The MUE program greatly reduced technical and integration risks and 

established the technological foundation that the follow-on Military GPS User 

Equipment (MGUE) program is currently leveraging. 

Satellite Communications

On September 18, 2013, the Air Force successfully launched the third Advanced 

Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-3) satellite to provide global protected communications to U.S. and international forces. The governments of Canada, the 

Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are key international partners with the 

United States in this program. The AEHF will replace the Milstar system to provide highly secure, protected communications under harsh environments, such as 

after a nuclear detonation. 

On May 24, 2013, the Air Force launched the Wideband Global Satellite 

Communications (SATCOM) Satellite 5 (WGS-5) atop a Delta IV at Cape 

Canaveral, Florida. With the transfer into operations, the satellite constellation 

completed global coverage and led to a fully mission-capable WGS constellation. WGS-6 was launched on August 7, 2013, from Cape Canaveral. WGS-6 is 

entirely funded by the government of Australia under an international agreement 

that is the forerunner of key agreements with Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, 

the Netherlands, and New Zealand to purchase WGS-9. WGS provides wideband 

military satellite communications capacity to extend the Department’s networks 

among major ground and aerial nodes. Both satellites completed on-orbit testing 

procedures and are now operational. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command and U.S. Army Strategic Command perform the satellite control mission for WGS at Wideband SATCOM Operations Centers (WSOCs) at key worldwide locations. 
53Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

The second of the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS-2) satellites 

was successfully launched in July. MUOS is designed to provide cellular telephonelike communications to mobile subscribers in the UHF band with a Wideband 

Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) waveform. In addition, three of the 

four ground stations have become operational to support an initial operating capability in FY 2014.

Space-Based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is an integrated, incrementally deployed 

system that supports missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence, and 

battlespace awareness mission areas. The nominal constellation consists of four 

Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, two hosted sensors in Highly Elliptical 

Orbit (HEO), and ground elements. GEO 1 and GEO 2 satellites are on orbit and 

were certified in August 2013 and December 2013, respectively. The HEO 3 payload 

was delivered to the classified host in June 2013. GEO 3, GEO 4, and HEO 4 are all in 

production with no outstanding issues. The Government is currently negotiating the 

contract award of GEO 5 and GEO 6 satellites to Lockheed Martin.

Satellite Control and Space Situation Awareness

The Space Threat Assessment Testbed (STAT), at the Arnold Engineering 

Development Complex in Tennessee, reached initial operational capability. STAT 

enables the Air Force to test space assets in high-fidelity simulated orbital environments. STAT can emulate numerous features of space weather and can reproduce 

self-induced effects such as material exhaust and thruster backflux. 

In 2013, the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office continued to support the on-orbit operations of the ORS-1 satellite, which launched in June 2011 

from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Although designed with a life 

of 2 years, ORS-1 continued to support U.S. Central Command through 2013. In 

addition to directly supporting the Joint Force Commander, ORS continued to 

advance technical, logistic, and launch objectives and abilities.
54Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

The Space Security and Defense Program (SSDP) is a joint Department of 

Defense and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) organization 

established to function as the center of excellence for options and strategies (materiel and non-materiel) leading to a more resilient and enduring National Security 

Space (NSS) Enterprise. Formerly known as the Space Protection Program (SPP), 

the SSDP was chartered by DOD and ODNI on March 5, 2013, to expand the 

existing authorities and roles/responsibilities of the SPP. This transition effectively 

integrates and unifies space protection efforts on a national level to better meet the 

evolving threat to our NSS systems and capabilities. 

In November 2012, the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) Mission System 

(JMS) Increment 1 program delivered a space-situational-awareness system capable 

of command and control of space forces and predictive battlespace management to 

the JSpOC. JMS uses a service-oriented architecture infrastructure and common 

operating picture that are tailorable by the user. The JMS replaced the legacy systems with a modernized, scalable, extensible, and sustainable platform. JMS is an 

Agile IT program, delivering capabilities in a series of increments. Increment 1 has 

been in continuous use since November 2012 and has operated for over 8,000 hours 

without critical failure and supported multiple high-profile events throughout 2013. 

On September 1, 2013, the Air Force Space Command shut down the Space 

Fence, a key part of the network for tracking satellites and orbital debris. Budget 

reductions led to the decision to close the system. A new project to develop an 

upgraded capability to replace the Space Fence is under review by the Department 

of Defense.

Other Space Developments

DARPA’s Phoenix program completed phase 1 of its plan to develop a sustainable ecosystem of hardware delivery, capture, and transport using an on-orbit 

servicer/tender. The goal of Phoenix is to demonstrate the first on-orbit space 

assembly and harvesting of retired satellite antennas to create new space systems.

The Air Force launched the third test flight of its Orbital Test Vehicle in 

December 2012. OTV is a developmental space plane, the X-37B, built by the 
55Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Boeing Company. The first flight occurred in April 2010. The objective of the X-37 

Program is to demonstrate technologies required to reuse a space vehicle. 

57Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Federal Aviat

Administrat

FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration continues furthering the goals of the Next 

Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), which represents a comprehensive overhaul of the entire National Airspace System (NAS). NextGen will make 

air travel more convenient and dependable while ensuring that flights remain safe, 

secure, and as hassle-free as possible.

Making progress toward the next generation of aviation is being made possible 

by shifting to smarter, satellite-based, and digital technologies that incorporate 

new procedures to make air travel more convenient, predictable, and environmentally friendly.

• NextGen improvements will enable the FAA to guide and track aircraft 

more precisely on more direct routes. NextGen efficiencies will contribute to enhanced safety, reduced delays, increased fuel savings, and 

reduced aircraft exhaust emissions. NextGen will enable the sharing of 

real-time data, including weather, the location of aircraft and vehicles, 

and conditions throughout the NAS. The right information gets to the 

right people at the right time, helping controllers and operators make 

better decisions and improve on-time performance.

• NextGen is better for the environment because it will help to make 

flying quieter, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient. Operators are beginning 

to use alternative fuels and new equipment and procedures, reducing 

aviation’s adverse impact on the environment. More precise flightpaths 

are also helping limit the number of people impacted by aircraft noise.
58Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

• NextGen enhances safety—the agency’s top priority is ensuring safe 

skies and airfields. NextGen innovation and improvements are delivering just that by providing air traffic controllers and pilots with the tools 

to proactively identify and mitigate issues associated with weather and 

other hazards.

In FY 2013, the FAA continued its work toward safely increasing the efficiency 

of the NAS by improving efficiencies at metropolitan areas with complex air traffic flows using integrated solutions. A metroplex refers to a system of airports in 

close proximity and their shared airspace that serve one or more major cities. A 

metroplex has at least one but often two or more major commercial airports. As 

of January, the FAA’s Optimization of Airspace and Procedures in the Metroplex 

(OAPM) program had eight active teams in various phases of development. OAPM 

is the FAA’s fast-track initiative to implement Performance Based Navigation 

(PBN) procedures and airspace improvements to reduce fuel consumption and 

aircraft exhaust emissions in some of the United States’ busiest airspace. The eight 

Metroplex studies completed in December 2012 estimated substantial potential 

savings from RNAV approaches and departures and airspace redesign—as much 

as 30 million gallons of fuel and 298 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The first three sites—Houston, including David Wayne Hooks 

Memorial Airport (DWH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), George Bush 

Intercontinental Airport (IAH), and Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR); North 

Texas, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas 

Love Field Airport (DAL); and Washington, DC, including Dulles International 

Airport (IAD), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Baltimore/

Washington International Airport (BWI), Richmond International Airport (RIC), 

and Andrews Air Force Base (ADW)—are expected to have completed the design 

phase and to move into the implementation phase in FY 2014. 

The many elements of PBN, mainstays of NextGen implementation from the 

start, continued to grow. In May 2013, the FAA launched the PBN Dashboard, a 

Web-based tool that provides deployment and usage data on every RNAV and RNP 

airport procedure in the NAS. This operational information will support analysis 

of current PBN performance and aid in developing new procedures.
59Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

The Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) program continues steady deployment of ground stations. As of February 2013, the FAA had 

installed more than 500 ADS-B ground stations, of which 445 were operational, 

providing traffic and weather information to properly equipped aircraft and supporting air traffic control separation services at 28 Terminal Radar Approach 

Control (TRACON) facilities. The FAA has mandated that aircraft flying in 

most controlled airspace be equipped with ADS-B Out—the ability to broadcast 

their position to the ADS-B network—by January 1, 2020. ADS-B Out avionics 

use on-board navigation equipment to derive an aircraft’s position, which is then 

broadcast for air traffic control services and for use by other aircraft. The roughly 

once-per-second broadcast rate not only is automatic, but also depends on equipment on the aircraft for air traffic surveillance to occur—thus the cooperative 

and dependent nature of ADS-B. General aviation aircraft owners who decide to 

equip with optional ADS-B In reception and display capability, as well as with the 

mandated ADS-B Out transmission capability, will be able to see the location of 

nearby ADS-B Out aircraft via air-to-air reception or by relay from the ground. 

In addition, ADS-B In can display the location of transponder-equipped aircraft 

tracked by ground-based radar surveillance when this information is relayed from 

the ground to the cockpit, thus providing situational awareness of nearby aircraft 

that are not yet equipped with ADS-B Out. Making use of GPS and Wide Area 

Augmentation System technology, ADS-B is the NextGen successor to ground 

radar for tracking aircraft in the National Airspace System. The FAA continued to 

develop policy regarding ADS-B In avionics, from which operators will be able to 

draw significant benefits. ADS-B Out avionics receive positioning data from GPS 

satellites, process them, and transmit the aircraft’s position to the ground. Ground 

stations send data on the aircraft’s position to controller displays on the ground and 

to cockpit displays on aircraft that are equipped with ADS-B In. ADS-B In also 

will enable cockpit display of nearby ADS-B Out aircraft positions. 

Just as the agency has seen significant progress in its efforts to advance NextGen, 

its commercial space program made great accomplishments in FY 2013. 

The FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) licenses and regulates U.S. commercial space launch and reentry activities and the operation of nonFederal launch and reentry sites to protect public health and safety, property, and 
60Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. In addition, 

AST encourages, facilitates, and promotes U.S. commercial space transportation. 

In FY 2013, there were a total of 18 FAA-licensed launches and zero permitted 

launches; this was a sixfold increase over FY 2012. No fatalities, serious injuries, 

or significant property damage to the uninvolved public occurred during these 

licensed events.

In FY 2013, AST issued four launch licenses to the following organizations:

• A launch-specific license to United Launch Alliance to conduct a 

Delta IV heavy launch of Orion (EFT-1 mission) from Cape Canaveral 

Air Force Station (CCAFS).

• A launch-operator license to Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) to 

conduct Minotaur launches of U.S. Government payloads from Wallops 

Flight Facility.

• A launch-specific license to SpaceX to conduct the F9-006 CASSIOPE 

mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base. This involved the inaugural 

launch of the F9 v1.1 launch vehicle and the first attempt of partial flyback 

of an expendable stage.

• A launch-specific license to OSC to conduct multiple Antares (vehicle 

configuration 120) launches from WFF.

AST issued two launch-site operator license renewals: one to the Virginia 

Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA) for the Mid-Atlantic Regional 

Spaceport at WFF and another to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) for 

the Kodiak Launch Complex at Kodiak Island, Alaska.

AST issued two experimental-permit renewals: the first to Scaled Composites 

for WhiteKnightTwo (WK2)/SpaceShipTwo (SS2) launches at the Mojave Air 

and Space Port and the second to SpaceX for Grasshopper launches in McGregor, 

Texas. One safety approval was granted to Black Sky Training for scenario-based 

physiology-altitude training.

AST conducted 142 safety inspections on over 54 different types. The goal of 

every AST safety inspection is to ensure public safety by verifying FAA licensee 

and permittee compliance with FAA regulations and license/permit terms and conditions. Inspectors traveled to various locations including Cape Canaveral, Florida; 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Mojave, California; Kodiak, Alaska; 
61Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia; Las Cruces, New Mexico; McGregor, Texas; Burns 

Flat, Oklahoma; Hawthorne and Long Beach, California; Jacksonville, Florida; 

Vienna and Dulles, Virginia; Black Rock, Nevada; Southampton, Pennsylvania; 

and the equator.

To support all new and renewed licenses in FY 2013, AST carried out several 

environmental reviews. Specifically, AST issued the draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for the SpaceX launch site in Texas. Additionally, AST adopted 

NASA’s final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Constellation Program 

and issued a Record of Decision (ROD) to support the issuance of a reentry license 

to Lockheed Martin Corporation for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. AST 

also adopted the U.S. Air Force’s supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) 

for the SpaceX Falcon Program at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and 

issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and ROD to support the issuance of a launch and reentry license to SpaceX for Falcon 9 commercial launch 

operations at CCAFS. Similarly, AST adopted the USAF’s EA for the SpaceX 

Falcon Program at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and issued a FONSI 

and ROD to support the issuance of a launch-and-reentry license to SpaceX for 

Falcon 9 commercial launch operations at VAFB. AST continued to monitor the 

New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s compliance with Federal historic preservation 

requirements and other requirements related to biological resources for the development of Spaceport America.

The FAA’s Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COECST) is a partnership of academia, industry, and Government developed to address 

current and future challenges for commercial space transportation. In FY 13, the 

COE-CST conducted research and development efforts and produced 13 papers 

in four areas: space launch operations and traffic management; launch vehicle systems, payloads, technologies, and operations; commercial human spaceflight; and 

space transportation industry viability.

Information about the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation, regulations, reports, and other documents can be found at http://ast.faa.gov.

63Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Department of Comm

DOC

During FY 2013, DOC contributed to the development of the National Space 

Transportation Policy issued by the President in November 2013. DOC worked 

to ensure that the policy included provisions promoting the health, robustness, 

innovation, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness of U.S. commercial space businesses. DOC, working in cooperation with the Department of State, made significant strides towards reforming the U.S. satellite export control regime. DOC’s 

Bureau of Industry and Security published and received comments on proposed 

regulations that would transfer many space-related items from State Department 

jurisdiction to the Commerce Department.

DOC continued to participate in the national management of the Global 

Positioning System as a member of the National Executive Committee for SpaceBased Positioning, Navigation, and Timing, the senior body that advises and coordinates Federal agencies on GPS matters. DOC participated in the committee’s 

June 2013 meeting and hosted three meetings of its Executive Steering Group to 

discuss major policy issues affecting GPS, including spectrum management and 

interference mitigation.

DOC continued to host the secretariat of the National Executive Committee 

and participate in its daily operations, including public outreach about GPS. DOC 

staff enhanced the http://www.gps.gov Web site at the center of the Government’s 

GPS outreach campaign, adding a mobile-friendly format and new content for 

educational users. DOC helped develop new educational materials about GPS and 

disseminate them to over 22,000 science teachers and students.

DOC participated in bilateral consultations, led by the State Department, with 

Japan to discuss cooperation on space and GPS issues. DOC’s Office of Space 
64Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Commercialization also continued to serve as the U.S. cochair of a U.S.-European 

working group on trade issues affecting satellite navigation markets.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) environmental satellites are key tools for forecasting weather, analyzing climate, and monitoring 

hazards worldwide. In FY 2013, NOAA satellites were as critical as ever, this year 

helping the East Coast prepare for Hurricane Sandy. Twenty-four-hour global coverage from NOAA’s satellites provides scientists and managers with a continuous 

stream of information used in preparation for events that will impact our climate, 

weather, and oceans. NOAA manages and operates three types of environmental 

satellites: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), Polarorbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), and ocean altimetry (Jason).

NOAA’s Geostationary Satellites

GOES continuously monitor the Western Hemisphere by circling Earth in a geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the equator, meaning they remain over one 

position of the surface by orbiting at a speed matching Earth’s rotation. Information 

from GOES is used for short-term weather forecasting and severe storm tracking. 

GOES imagery is also used to estimate rainfall during thunderstorms and hurricanes for flash flood warnings as well as snowfall accumulation and overall snow 

cover in cold climates. This information helps meteorologists issue winter storm 

warnings and spring snow melt advisories. In FY 2013, GOES-15 flew at 135° west 

longitude and served as “GOES-West,” while GOES-13 flew at 75° W and served as 

“GOES-East.” GOES-12, which most recently flew at 60° W and served as GOESSouth America, was decommissioned in August 2013 after 12 years in space.

NOAA’s Polar-Orbiting Satellites

POES circle Earth in an almost north-south orbit at an altitude of approximately 

517 miles, passing close to both poles. Earth constantly rotates counterclockwise 
65Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

underneath the path of the satellite, affording each satellite a different view with 

each orbit. It takes the satellite approximately 1.5 hours to complete a full orbit. 

In a 24-hour period, the 14 orbits of each polar-orbiting satellite provide two complete views of weather around the world. POES provides full global coverage with 

advanced sensors for weather and climate data, collecting information on temperature, atmospheric conditions, wind speed, cloud formation, and drought conditions 

over the entire Earth. 

In FY 2013, NOAA-19 served as NOAA’s primary polar-orbiting satellite, but 

NOAA continued to operationalize the first of its next generation of polar-orbiting 

satellites, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP). Two major 

milestones have been reached: on February 22, 2013, when operational control was 

transitioned from NASA to NOAA, and later in the year when NOAA’s National 

Weather Service began using data from Suomi NPP in its numerical weather prediction models. Suomi NPP is a joint NOAA-NASA mission and serves as a bridge 

between NOAA’s current fleet of polar-orbiting satellites and the upcoming nextgeneration Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). 

NOAA’s Ocean Altimetry Satellite

NOAA, along with its partners NASA, the Centre National d’Études Spatiales 

(CNES), and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological 

Satellites (EUMETSAT), operates Jason-2, a sea surface topography mission that flies 

an altimeter to provide high-precision measurements of sea surface height. Because 

the temperature of the ocean and ocean currents can change the height of the sea and 

because these characteristics can affect the world’s weather, including tropical storms, 

Jason-2 has been crucial to improvements in weather modeling and tropical storm–

intensification forecasting. Its follow-on, Jason-3, is currently under development.

NOAA’s Additional Space-Based Capabilities

In addition to those three main types of environmental satellites, NOAA also 

flies two types of additional instruments on some of its satellites together with 

international partners.
66Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Argos is a data collection and location relay system administered under an agreement between NOAA and CNES initiated in 1974. Through the Argos program, 

CNES provides sensors for flight on NOAA and EUMETSAT satellites. These sensors collect a wide variety of in situ measurements, including data on atmospheric 

pressure, sea temperature, ocean-current velocity, animal migration patterns, and 

river water levels.

The Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system (COSPAS-SARSAT) 

is an international effort that uses satellites to locate emergency beacons carried 

by ships, aircraft, or individuals and communicate location information to searchand-rescue authorities. The system has rescued over 35,000 people worldwide since 

1982. The governing parties of the system are the United States (NOAA), France 

(CNES), Russia, and Canada. NOAA provides space on its polar-orbiting satellites 

for the French processor and Canadian receiver.

International Agreements

On August 27, 2013, building on a 30-year relationship, top officials from NOAA 

and EUMETSAT signed a long-term cooperative agreement, ensuring continued space-based weather, water, and climate monitoring. At a ceremony at the 

European Union (EU) Delegation in Washington, DC, Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, 

NOAA Acting Administrator, and Alain Ratier, EUMETSAT Director-General, 

signed the agreement. They were joined by Dr. François Rivasseau, Deputy Chief 

of Mission, EU Delegation to the United States.

Additionally, on September 18, 2013, NOAA joined top representatives from 

EUMETSAT and the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) to participate in an 

event unveiling a detailed report by ESPI’s Arne Lahcen on the tremendous benefits and long history of NOAA and EUMETSAT cooperation in geostationary, 

polar-orbiting, and ocean altimetry satellites. The report concludes with a costbenefit impact assessment and states that the partnership “has enabled their user 

communities to benefit from more data products, increased accuracy and a better 

timeliness and robustness of the observing systems, all at a lower cost.”
67Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Other Accomplishments

In April 2013, at the 29th annual National Space Symposium in Colorado 

Springs, Colorado, NOAA was awarded the Space Achievement Award by the 

Space Foundation. This award is given every year in recognition of individuals or 

organizations for space achievement, breakthrough space technology, or program or 

product success representing critical milestones in the evolution of space exploration and development. NOAA was given this award for its use of space-based systems in making life-saving predictions and issuing early warnings of severe weather 

conditions, particularly in advance of Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast on October 29, 2012, causing widespread 

damage to numerous communities. These two images, taken from the Suomi NPP 

satellite, capture Sandy as it makes its way over the United States. The first is an 

infrared image, while the second is a “nighttime light” image, showing lights from 

U.S. cities and Sandy’s clouds, lit by the moon.

Infrared and “nighttime light” 

satellite images of Hurricane 

Sandy. (NOAA)
68Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

In FY 2013, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continued to provide Federal agencies and the aerospace industry with the research, 

guidance, standards, products, and services needed to advance the President’s space 

agenda. These wide-ranging outputs fall into four main categories: (1) validation, 

measurement, and calibration; (2) manufacturing technology; (3) observation and 

sensing; and (4) spacecraft and living environments. 

NIST supported accurate and compatible measurements made by the aerospace 

industry by providing Standard Reference Materials (SRM) and calibration services. Customers used these SRMs and services to ensure the accuracy of their 

own instrument calibrations and the validity of their measurement methods. In 

FY 2013, aerospace companies purchased 127 SRMs: a wide variety of metal alloys, 

biological materials, calibration solutions, and environmental materials. NIST 

provides the tools, methodologies, standards, and measurement services needed by 

aerospace parts manufacturers, assemblers, and NASA to maintain their accurate 

and traceable use of the International System of Units (SI)—units of length, mass, 

and time, as well as their derived units (force, acceleration, sound pressure, and 

ultrasonic power). For example, NIST performed calibrations of length standards 

for U.S. aerospace companies to ensure that the dimensions of their manufactured 

parts conform to design specifications. 

Traceable NIST measurements (mass, force, vibration, acoustics, electricity, thermometry, humidity, flow, pressure, viscosity, fluid density, radiometry, and length) 

are essential for aircraft manufacturing, according to a senior Boeing metrologist. 

Further, in the manufacture of the company’s new 787 airplanes, every tool used 

in the assembly process has been calibrated in Boeing’s metrology laboratories 

with direct traceability to NIST. Structural testing of the airplane is performed 

by scores of load cells with up to 3.54 meganewtons (MN) (800 kilopound force 

[klbf]) of capacity. These load cells are central to the structural testing of the first 

full-scale composite wing/titanium wing box. The load cells, used to analyze the 

integrity of the wing-box structure, are directly traceable to NIST either through 

direct comparison with NIST-calibrated load cells or through calibration in the 

Boeing 221-kilonewton (kN) (50 klbf) force-deadweight machine whose masses 
69Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

were calibrated at NIST. Other direct applications of NIST measurements included 

the use of NIST-calibrated weights to support wind tunnel applications; weighing 

airplanes; and torque, pressure, and force measurements. 

NIST continues to work with EMCORE Corporation of Albuquerque, New 

Mexico, a leading developer of high-efficiency solar-photovoltaic cells for space 

applications, to space-qualify its solar cells. EMCORE sent batches of solar cells 

for irradiation by an electron beam from the NIST Van de Graaff accelerator, 

where the equivalent electron fluence experienced by a satellite over several 

decades in Earth orbit may be delivered in less than 1 hour. Characterizing the 

degradation in performance of the solar cells as a result of irradiation is an important part of the qualification process, as is validating the performance of the cells 

in a space-radiation environment. The knowledge gained by irradiation of these 

devices assisted EMCORE in the development of its technology in terms of product reliability and functionality.

NIST worked with Goddard Space Flight Center to determine the radiation 

sensitivity of an ion mass spectrometer, which is designed to operate in the highradiation environment of Jupiter’s magnetosphere and icy moons. It is anticipated 

that this device will serve as one of the monitoring instruments in the upcoming 

NASA JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) and Clipper missions, but it could also 

be deployed in other high-radiation environments such as Uranus. NIST’s testing 

involves placing the instruments in a large vacuum chamber and bombarding the 

microchannel plate detectors with high-energy electrons using calibrated solidstate detectors as beam monitors. This allows the NASA experimental group to 

characterize the detector response to high-energy electron beams and to determine 

the effectiveness of the radiation shielding.

NIST used neutron imaging to study alkali metal heat pipes that cool the leading edge of hypersonic aircraft. In a project sponsored by Lockheed Martin in 

FY 2013, lithium heat pipes were designed and manufactured by Thermacore and 

the University of Tennessee. NIST’s neutron imaging facility visualized the lithium 

fluid motion while the heat pipe operated at temperatures of up to 1,100°C. After 

cooling the lithium to room temperature, NIST acquired 3D images of the lithium 

concentration. This project utilized the unique capability of neutron imaging to 

help develop the next generation of high-speed aircraft.
70Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

NIST collaborated jointly with the National Transportation Safety Board 

(NTSB) and Boeing on investigating potential causes of the major battery thermal 

runaways that resulted in the grounding of the 787 Dreamliners by the Federal 

Aviation Administration in January 2013. The battery headers involved in the 

thermal runaway events were nondestructively analyzed. By using neutron tomography to produce 3D images, investigators were able to check for the presence of 

lithium salts on the battery header, which could have led to a short circuit of and 

subsequent runaway event in the battery pack. Neutron imaging has provided a 

new tool to the NTSB for enhanced aircraft-safety-related investigation.

NIST has recently begun work with DOD and Boeing on the applicability of 

laser-scanning technology for the dimensional measurement of aircraft components. This new technology offers potential cost savings and increased measurement throughput. The work includes developing calibration methodologies and 

facilities for laser-scanner systems and national and international standardization 

of their measurement accuracy.

NIST continues to develop and characterize measurement methods for advanced 

optics used in aerospace and space applications. Advanced optical elements are 

essential components of air- and space-borne imaging systems and telescopes. 

Such elements must incorporate features that yield vastly improved performance 

but pose significant measurement challenges. Examples include complex, highly 

accurate optical surfaces that are neither flat nor spherical or that have microand nanoscale surface structures. In collaboration with NASA, NIST developed 

a method that employs a mirror with a special height relief pattern to assess the 

capability of inspection equipment to measure fine surface features on optical surfaces. NIST also collaborated with NASA, supported by funding through NASA’s 

Innovative Partnerships Program, to develop a new interferometric method to 

precisely measure the form errors of mandrels needed for the fabrication of x-ray 

mirrors for future space-borne x-ray telescopes. The new method, based on a pair 

of computer-generated holograms, has the potential to meet the metrology requirements for the next generation of x-ray mirrors, which cannot be met with the 

current probe-based metrology for mandrels. These collaborations built on prior 

joint developments by NIST and NASA for the calibration of reference optical flats 

for precision interferometry.
71Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

NIST also continues to work on the development of nanometrology for nanomanufacturing. The aerospace industry is interested in the potential benefits of 

nanotechnology. The development of accurate nanometrology of small particles 

and structures is critical to the success of this effort. For example, a reference material has been made available for scale calibration of optical, scanning probe, and 

scanning particle beam instruments to the same dimensional standard. The use 

of this standard has also been extended to the measurement and monitoring of 

beam-induced contamination in scanned particle beam instruments. Using this 

standard and the methods developed, NIST has virtually eliminated the deposition 

of contamination on the specimen, which is a common artifact in these instruments (which are critical to imaging, measurement, and characterization for nanotechnology). In addition, these methods have applications in other areas, such as 

to cleaning optical surfaces. NIST research is also being conducted to characterize 

and monitor instrumentation performance and standardization to ensure accurate 

dimensional metrology of carbon composites, carbon nanotubes, and cellulose 

nanocrystals. Nanocomposite material offers the advantage of lighter airframes 

giving better fuel economy; however, it still needs to be determined if the material 

provides the necessary high strength and durability. To facilitate this, NIST developed a new scanning electron microscope imaging technique to help to determine 

the carbon nanotube loading in composite materials.

Using instruments developed to help improve semiconductor electronics, NIST 

has worked with Johns Hopkins University and NASA to measure the optical 

constants of iron and nickel. Iron metal is a key component of many planetary 

surfaces. It is present as macroscopic grains (larger than the wavelength of light) in 

a variety of meteorites and is inferred to exist in the asteroidal parent bodies (e.g., 

S- and M-types). In addition, much smaller (nanometer to micrometer) grains of 

metallic iron are produced to varying degrees in the surfaces of airless solar system 

bodies by exposure to the space environment. Space weathering (which includes 

solar wind sputtering and micrometeoroid impact melting and vaporization) results 

in the reduction of ferrous iron in silicates to the metallic state and creation of 

nanophase blebs and coatings on and within regolith particles. The nanophase 

iron (npFe0

) is optically active and has a strong effect on the reflectance spectrum. 

For example, a mature lunar soil that has accumulated npFe0 is much darker and 
72Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

has a steeper spectral slope than a freshly ground powder of the same lithology; 

diagnostic absorption bands are also greatly attenuated in space-weathered material. 

In support of Johns Hopkins University’s efforts to analyze remote and laboratory 

spectra of planetary surfaces, NIST has undertaken a program to measure the optical constants of iron and nickel. The optical constants (n and k) are fundamental 

physical parameters that govern the reflectance (and transmission) of light from 

a material. NIST has measured n and k from extended wavelengths ranging from 

150 nanometers (nm) to 4,000 nm for high-purity iron films using ellipsometry, 

including bare films exposed to the atmosphere and films protected from the atmosphere via a novel technique involving an iron coating on a fused silica prism. 

Surprisingly, the air-exposed film exhibits optical constants that are markedly different from those of the protected film, despite the fact that the air-exposed film 

appears to the eye to be bright and mirror-like. Analysis of the air-exposed film by 

x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the presence of oxidized iron (Fe2

O3) on 

the surface, and we conclude that oxidation layers form rapidly on the air-exposed 

metal and measurably alter the optical properties.

NIST, in partnership with the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, 

and the Smithsonian Institution, continued a research program to improve the 

absolute radiometric calibration of stars for applications that include satellitesensor calibration, dark-energy research, and nighttime aerosol monitoring.

Scientists from NIST, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute 

of Technology collaborated on the pre-launch and post-launch calibration of the 

Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER), which was flown for the final 

time in June 2013. CIBER was designed to characterize various properties of the 

near-infrared background, including its absolute photometric spectrum and spatial anisotropy. These are critical measurements that constrain the overall stellar 

content of the universe, particularly at very early epochs when the first generation 

of stars were formed. The CIBER calibrations were performed using a transportable version of NIST Spectral Irradiance and Radiance Responsivity Calibrations 

using Uniform Sources Facility (Traveling SIRCUS). The SIRCUS calibration 

provided the most accurate available measurements of the CIBER absolute spectral 

response and has allowed several critical science topics to be addressed. Primarily, 

the NIST calibration has enabled a detailed analysis of the CIBER data, allowing 
73Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

the disentanglement of local contributions like the Zodiacal Diffuse Galactic Light 

from the much fainter and more distant extra-galactic background. Furthermore, 

the NIST calibrations are critical for allowing comparison of the CIBER data to 

previous measurements and models, some of which have already been excluded 

by the CIBER data. As a side-product of the exceptionally accurate calibration 

provided by SIRCUS, the CIBER team will release a catalog of several hundred 

calibrated stars to the astronomical community; the catalog will be a unique and 

valuable dataset due to the lack of atmospheric extinction over a broad spectral 

range. A second version of CIBER is being constructed that will allow even better spatial and spectral resolution of the background infrared light from the early 

stages of the universe. 

NIST worked with the Air Force, NASA, the FAA, the Commercial Aviation 

Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), the Department of Energy (DOE) National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and industry in fuels research geared 

towards developing alternative fuels and generating an understanding upon which 

to base innovative designs for jet and rocket propulsion systems. Major foci of the 

work involved combustion kinetics, chemical characterization, microbial-induced 

corrosion, and thermophysical properties. In the past year, NIST has completed 

thermophysical property measurements on thermally stressed rocket propellant for 

Edwards Air Force Base. This required the design and construction of a thermal 

stress apparatus capable of producing liter quantities of stressed fluid required for 

multiple measurements of density, volatility, speed of sound, and viscosity. For this 

work, fuel was stressed at two temperatures: 475°C and 510°C. After the aforementioned measurements were completed this year, work began on a surrogate 

mixture model that will be capable of predicting thermodynamic and transport 

properties of the stressed fuel. In addition to the work on the thermal stress fluids, 

we have also applied two-dimensional gas chromatography to the characterization 

of rocket propellants, relating this detailed composition assay (with partial least 

squares chemometrics) to the NIST-developed measure of volatility by use of the 

advanced distillation curve metrology.

NIST is also working to certify SRM 1617b Sulfur in Kerosene (High Level) and 

will have a certified sulfur mass fraction (0.1250 percent) at level to help serve the 

needs of the aviation industry. Additionally, SRM 1617b will include reference 
74Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

values for kinematic viscosity, density, and speed of sound at a range of temperatures to aid in the blending of jet fuel with biofuels. ASTM D7566 Standard 

Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons has 

paved the way for biofuels to be widely used in this capacity. However, polar biofuels blended with nonpolar traditional aviation fuels can significantly affect physical 

properties such as kinematic viscosity, affecting flow and delivery of a fuel blend to 

an engine. These new values planned for SRM 1617b can be used in conjunction 

with reference values for kinematic viscosity, density, and speed of sound already 

available for NIST biodiesel SRMs 2772 and 2773 to monitor blending and performance by the aviation industry.

Finally, NIST held a biocorrosion workshop in July 2013 that helped establish 

vital measurement needs in understanding microbial induced corrosion (MIC) 

mechanisms, pulling together experts in the areas of microbiology, metallurgy, 

and chemistry. This multidisciplinary approach allowed NIST to identify gaps in 

the areas of MIC detection and monitoring in materials, define the activity and 

impact of microbial presence, and measure the potentially detrimental degradation 

of fuels as a result of microbial contamination. As a result of the workshop, efforts 

to provide vital standards related to MIC and alternative fuel deployment will 

ultimately lead to developing prediction methods and minimizing the impact of 

MIC on key fuel infrastructure. NIST’s Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility 

(SURF) III was used as a source of soft x-rays and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light 

to calibrate mirrors, filters, detectors, and spectrometers used in NASA and NOAA 

spacecraft. NASA and its contractors were the most prolific users of SURF III in 

2013 and amassed over 800 hours of beam usage. Calibrations included rocketborne instruments to maintain the accuracy of the instrumentation for the EUV 

Variability Experiment (EVE) aboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) 

and the EUV and X-ray Irradiance Sensor (EXIS) and Solar Ultraviolet Imager 

(SUVI) instrumentation now being built for NOAA’s GOES-R satellite mission. 

These instruments are designed to study soft x-ray and EUV solar irradiance and 

its variability. NASA’s EVE measurements are important to the National Space 

Weather Program (NSWP)—which tracks solar storms that impact space-based 

communications and navigation technologies—and to the NOAA EXIS and SUVI 
75Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

instruments, both of which provide NOAA with data about the solar effects on 

Earth’s atmosphere.

NIST continued to develop a Hyperspectral Image Projector (HIP) facility to 

enable preflight performance validation of future satellite sensors using realistic 

scenes. NIST extended the spectral range of this facility to cover the violet–nearviolet region of the solar spectrum. Previously the HIP facility had covered only the 

blue-green-red–near-infrared spectral range.

NIST performed spectral irradiance measurements of the collimated output 

infrared beam from several space simulation chambers used in the aerospace industry for the calibration of infrared remote sensing systems for the Missile Defense 

Agency. For this work, NIST utilized the NIST-developed Missile Defense Transfer 

Radiometer (MDXR) and a portable cryogenic radiometer. 

NIST continued its collaboration with NOAA on the calibration of the Marine 

Optical BuoY (MOBY) used in the vicarious calibration of ocean-color measurements provided by satellite sensors. NIST is participating in the MOBY Refresh 

effort, which will result in a new optical design and other improvements that will 

reduce the overall measurement uncertainties and allow the current system, which 

is beyond its design lifetime, to be retired.

NIST continued to collaborate with NASA on the calibration and characterization of the Ocean Radiometer for Carbon Assessment (ORCA), a hyperspectral 

ocean-color imaging system under development at NASA through the Instrument 

Incubator Program. 

NIST continued to help NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center develop a version of SIRCUS. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding 

provided a tunable laser to NIST that has been loaned to Goddard for the last 

few years. The facility provides a source of tunable, high-power, uniform irradiance for calibrating satellite sensors. NIST has also calibrated transfer standards to 

characterize the source. This facility has been active in the calibration of ORCA 

and the reflective solar aspect of the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity 

Observatory (CLARREO) and the SOlar, Lunar for Absolute Reflectance Imaging 

Spectrometer (SOLARIS).

NIST also helped the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and 

Space Physics to develop a version of the NIST SIRCUS facility. This facility has 
76Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

been useful in calibrating the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM), a future instrument to measure solar spectral irradiance from space. The first SIM was characterized at SIRCUS and is presently in space (although not operational).

NIST has started the calibration of the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas 

Experiment (SAGE) III, a system designed to take long-term measurements 

of ozone, aerosols, water vapor, and other gases in Earth’s atmosphere from the 

International Space Station. Traveling SIRCUS has been deployed to NASA’s 

Langley Research Center and will make radiance responsivity measurements of 

sensor bands from 290 nm to 1,550 nm.

NIST provides air-speed, hydrocarbon-liquid-flow, and gas-flow measurements to 

support the aerospace sector. The air-speed calibration service performs calibrations of anemometers used at airports, on aircraft, and in wind tunnels for testing 

new aircraft. The hydrocarbon-liquid calibration service calibrates flow meters that 

are used to measure jet fuel (for example, turbine meters that are used to evaluate 

jet engine performance on test stands). During the past year, NIST studied the calibration stability of coriolis meters and their usage as transfer standards in comparisons between secondary calibration labs in the aerospace calibration chain. The 

Fluid Metrology Group advised NASA’s Glenn Research Center on large (greater 

than 20 kilograms per second [kg/s]) gas flow calibrations and advanced the uncertainty calculations for large blowdown gas-flow calibration standards that they use. 

NIST provided heat-flux gauge calibrations to the Federal Aviation 

Administration staff at the William J. Hughes Technical Center for setting regulations for heat resistance of materials used in aircraft. In addition, these gauges were 

used by the FAA for round-robin testing of the procedures for assessing thermal 

conductance at independent suppliers of materials used in aircraft. These calibrations were also utilized by Boeing.

NIST helped resolve long-standing discrepancies in the data used to determine 

temperature and other properties of hot astronomical objects observed by the 

Chandra X-ray Observatory and other x-ray missions. NIST created, in the laboratory, atoms in the same extremely hot form as that found in high-energy astrophysical environments. By analyzing x-ray emissions from these atoms and comparing 

them to detailed calculations, NIST provided the basic data needed to understand 

observations from deep space. NASA partially funded this effort carried out in 
77Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

collaboration with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the 

Argonne National Laboratory.

NIST began the construction of a new facility, the Controlled-Background 

System for Spectroradiometry and Spectrophotometry (CBS3). This facility will 

contain an evacuated, temperature-controlled infrared test chamber for studying the performance of sensors, calibration sources, and the optical properties of 

materials in the 5-micrometer to 50-micrometer infrared spectral region to provide 

the measurement standards and calibrations required for the next generation of 

infrared satellite sensors used for weather forecasting and climate research.

NIST initiated construction of a new facility to permit more rapid and accurate 

measurements of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of materials, 

including polarization sensitivity, in support of ground- and space-based remote 

sensing throughout the solar-reflected region.

NIST is collaborating with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to develop 

photodetectors for space applications. With funding from NASA, NIST designed 

and fabricated nanotextured gallium nitride (GaN) and GaN nanowires that 

serve as raw material for photocathode detectors. Goddard collaborators activated 

the material with cesium and packaged the units into complete imaging systems. 

In FY 2013, NIST modeled and grew photocathode films with the addition of 

thin-surface heterostructures in an ongoing effort to eliminate the need for cesium 

oxide coatings on photocathode devices. While these coatings significantly 

improve the quantum efficiency, they require vacuum packaging, which limits 

their lifetime and application. 

NIST collaborated with JPL on the development of superconducting nanowire 

single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). SNSPDs are a type of single-photon detector 

with extremely low noise and very-high-speed response. These devices are of interest to JPL for space communications and to NIST for various quantum information 

experiments. In FY 2013, NIST characterized various JPL devices. NIST also packaged some JPL devices with our self-aligned single-mode optical-fiber packaging 

scheme. In FY 2013, NIST began joint development with JPL of small arrays of 

SNSPDs, which increase the device area. This is an important development for 

future use of these detectors in laser communication systems.
78Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

NIST is teaming with Northrop Grumman and the University of Maryland 

to develop the next generation of high-sensitivity solar-blind UV photodetectors 

using robust wide-band-gap materials. This project successfully combines Northrop 

Grumman’s expertise in nitride material growth, NIST’s exceptional nanofabrication and characterization capabilities, and the University of Maryland’s device 

design and fabrication expertise. Such radiation-hard, ultra-sensitive ultraviolet 

photodetectors are intended for use in radiation monitors, satellite-based imaging, 

and other space applications.

NASA’s next-generation satellite observatories require new detectors with 

improved sensitivity and scalability. With NASA funding, NIST developed new 

detectors based on the voltage-biased superconducting transition-edge sensor 

(TES). TES offers new capabilities for the detection of electromagnetic signals, 

from millimeter waves through x-rays. Following on their successful development at 

NIST, TES has become the reference technology or a leading candidate for future 

NASA satellite missions at x-ray, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths, as 

well as for many NASA-funded ground-based and suborbital instruments (including balloon-borne instruments and instruments intended for the Stratospheric 

Observatory for Infrared Astronomy [SOFIA]). More recently, NIST has developed 

integrated TES polarimeters for measuring polarization of the cosmic microwave 

background (CMB). These devices incorporate multiple TESes per pixel to measure the power in the different polarizations of the CMB. This integrated detector 

utilizes fully micromachined silicon feedhorns for beam formation. This integrated 

detector technology was deployed on the South Pole Telescope (SPT) in early 

2012, and the first of three imaging detector arrays was installed on the Atacama 

Cosmology Telescope (Chile) in 2013.

With NASA funding, NIST is also developing Superconducting Quantum 

Interference Devices (SQUIDs) and SQUID-based multiplexers to read out large 

arrays of TES detectors in a manageable number of output channels. NIST is providing SQUID systems to many researchers, both at NASA Centers (Goddard, 

JPL) and in academia, working on NASA-funded projects (including the California 

Polytechnic State University; Stanford University; the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology; the University of California, Berkeley; Princeton University; Cornell 

University; and others). SQUIDs and SQUID multiplexers developed at NIST are 
79Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

currently deployed in many ground- and balloon-based instruments (including 

the Atacama Cosmology Telescope [ACT], the Background Imaging of Cosmic 

Extragalactic Polarization 2 [BICEP2]/Keck Array, the South Pole Telescope, the 

Background-Limited Infrared-Submillimeter Spectrograph [BLISS], the Goddard 

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique [IRAM] Superconducting 2 Millimeter 

Observer [GISMO], Spider, the E and B Experiment [EBEX], and others) and will 

be used in most of NASA’s future TES instruments. Recent developments for 

improved detector readout include the demonstration of TES readout with dissipationless microwave SQUID multiplexers, the demonstration of Code-Domain 

multiplexers with sub-frame sampling for the measurement of fast x-ray pulses, and 

new low-power SQUID amplifiers for use at focal-plane temperatures. 

NIST’s work in detector readout and multiplexing creates a path for truly large 

(up to 1 million) pixel arrays of TES detectors for use in a variety of astronomical instruments. NIST is also using its SQUID expertise to assist Goddard in the 

development of magnetic micro-calorimeters.

NIST continues work on new concepts to achieve on-chip electrical cooling 

of cryogenic detectors. These on-chip coolers, based on superconducting tunnel 

junctions, could greatly simplify spacecraft cryogenic requirements by providing 

a final on-chip stage of cooling from 0.3 K to 0.1 K. Researchers at NIST have 

developed large-area coolers fabricated using standard microelectronic processes. 

These devices have demonstrated cooling power 100 to 1,000 times greater than 

in previous demonstrations. More recently, NIST demonstrated the first cooling by 

tunnel junctions of a macroscopic stage that can support user-supplied payloads. 

With NASA funding, NIST has initiated the “NIST Participation in NASA’s 

Support of ESA ISS Clock Projects”—an integrated program supporting science 

and operational goals of ESA’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) and 

the Space Optical Clock (SOC) program in close collaboration and coordination 

with ESA, NASA, and global participants. The ACES program will operate an 

atomic clock in orbit on the International Space Station with 1 × 10–16 uncertainty 

for tests of fundamental physics and for high-accuracy global intercomparison of 

ground clocks. The follow-on SOC program will operate a higher performance 

atomic clock in orbit on the ISS with 1 × 10–17 uncertainty for even more stringent 

tests of fundamental physics and for improved global intercomparison of ground 
80Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

clocks. ACES is currently scheduled for flight in 2016, and NIST is currently supporting preparations for the program. NIST has initiated three primary projects as 

part of the broad program:

1. NIST continues preparations to host an ACES Microwave Link Ground 

Terminal (MWL GT) and to participate in ACES/Microwave Link (MWL) 

time and frequency transfers, international clock comparisons, and fundamental science goals based on precision time and frequency measurements.

2. NIST is performing research, development, and evaluation of an ytterbium (Yb) optical lattice clock as a candidate for the Space Optical Clock 

program. The NIST Yb lattice clock is expected to reach a fractional frequency uncertainty of better than 1 × 10–17.

3. NIST continues to perform research, development, and evaluation of 

a highly miniaturized femtosecond-laser-frequency comb in the optical 

spectral region for potential future applications in the Space Optical 

Clock program. NIST will demonstrate a high-performance optical microcomb that could be used in space for direct comparisons of optical and 

microwave clocks, for referencing microwave time and frequency signals 

directly to optical standards, and for other applications. This project is 

being performed in collaboration with scientists at the California Institute 

of Technology.

NIST also works with NASA on secure communications. The NIST 

Cryptographic Module Validation Program and the Cryptographic Algorithm 

Validation Program (CAVP) have had an ongoing relationship with NASA in 

providing technical assistance with Federal Information Processing Standard 

(FIPS) 140-2: Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, as well as other 

cryptographic-based standards—specifically with NASA’s Langley Research 

Center. NASA works with many vendors and other government space agencies, such as the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to develop cryptographic 

modules for unique environments (i.e., space-based or ground telemetry) where 

interpretation of FIPS 140-2 is critical to both development and conformance to 

the standard. As a result, the NIST programs have successfully validated vendordeveloped cryptographic modules for conformance to FIPS 140-2 and for deployment in space-based imaging and communication systems, including the Hughes 
81Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

SPACEWAY Crypto Kernel, which is used in next-generation Ka-band broadband 

satellite systems. Cryptographic validations were in use on vehicles contracted 

to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 

program. The ongoing NIST collaboration with NASA and its suppliers continues, specifically with the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and NASA’s 

Commercial Crew Development programs.

NIST supports NASA with its unique capabilities at the National Center for 

Neutron Research (NCNR). Scientists seek to utilize polymer nanocomposites 

to enhance the thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the base polymeric matrix material. Electrical properties of nanocomposites are crucial in many 

aerospace applications, including lightning-strike dissipation in air vehicles and 

electrical-charge mitigation in space vehicles in the charged space environment. 

In addition, robust mechanical properties are necessary in a wide range of temperatures for fundamental structural material components. NIST partnered with 

Edwards Air Force Base to use small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to measure 

electrically conducting polyaniline nanofiber/polyimide nanocomposites. The 

study determined that the level of electrical conductivity in these heterogeneous 

materials depends primarily on the concentration and geometry of the conductive 

filler particles. The observed critical filler content that marks the onset of increase 

in conductivity in the majority of these composites falls between 15 and 25 percent 

volume/volume (vol/vol). At such high filler concentrations, many of the desirable mechanical properties of the matrix polymer are either compromised or lost. 

However, when the conductive components are reduced in size from macro- to 

nanosized, the concentration threshold for conductivity is dramatically reduced, 

with the additional advantage of preserving the bulk mechanical properties of the 

matrix polymer.

An additional collaboration with Glenn Research Center studied the synthesis 

and properties of several proton-exchange membranes for fuel-cell technology. 

SANS measurements were critical to understanding the morphology and distribution of small ionic clusters within these films, which impart their ability to 

exchange protons. The goal of this partnership is to produce materials with lower 

costs, higher conductivity, and improved temperature stability. 
82Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Other material-engineering projects include collaboration with Northwestern 

University to develop phase-equilibria and diffusion-mobility descriptions for the 

cobalt-aluminum-tungsten system, which are the basis for a new class of hightemperature superalloys. These alloys have the potential to significantly increase 

the efficiency of turbine engines by increasing operating temperatures and thus 

decreasing fuel consumption and lowering emissions. Simultaneously, these alloys 

hold the promise of improving wear-resistance for increased service life, thus lowering operational costs. Like the currently used nickel-based superalloys, these 

cobalt-based alloys depend on the precipitation of a second phase, phase γ  ́, to 

strengthen the matrix (γ). NIST is providing data on the microstructure of evolution and stability of the primary strengthening phase, γ  ́ phase, and data on the 

diffusion mobilities in the cobalt-aluminum-tungsten system. These data are being 

used to refine existing multicomponent thermodynamic and diffusion-mobility 

databases that are used to predict microstructure evolution and property behavior 

during processing and service. With NASA funding from the Planetary Instrument 

Definition and Development Program (PIDDP), NIST has worked to develop 

microsensor technology for use in planetary exploration missions. NIST’s sensing technology for measuring trace gas-phase compounds is inherently small, with 

low mass and low power consumption, and these features are well suited to extraterrestrial deployment and operation on rovers, atmospheric sampling balloons, 

trend-monitoring weather stations, and networks. The fabricated devices include 

silicon-microelectromechanical system (Si-MEMS) array platforms that are populated with varied chemiresistive materials. Rapid thermal modulation is employed 

to greatly enhance signal densities from sets of individually addressable “microhotplate” elements within the arrays to sense multiple analytes. Nanostructured 

oxide-sensing materials provide the sensitivity required to detect targets of interest 

at relevant concentration levels. As a demonstration scenario, efforts were specifically directed to future exploration of the Martian surface—efforts that will 

seek to locate hotspots of methane and determine if there is also proximal sulfur 

dioxide (suggesting volcanic activity) or ethane or hydrogen (possibly indicating a 

biological origin). 

As reported in a peer-reviewed journal publication and a final report to NASA, 

operation of the microsensor arrays was demonstrated under simulated Martian 
83Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

conditions (CO2-rich background, low temperature and pressure), including the 

ability to detect and quantify target compounds sub-micromole/mole (μmol/mol) 

(20 nanomole [nmol]/mol to 200 nmol/mol). We also reported on the pre-training 

and post-operation of microsensors for reliable target sensing and the transfer of 

training between array elements to extend sensor-measurement life. The adaptability of this emerging sensor technology has implications for the exploration of other 

space-exploration venues (besides Mars), as well as for analytical measurements of 

cabin environments in crewed space missions. 

Suppliers to the aerospace industry, both commercial and defense, know that in 

order to be competitive, they need solutions that work across entire supply chains 

and production streams. The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 

works with the aerospace industry to develop systematic solutions for original 

equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as their suppliers and prime integrators. 

A proven leader in innovation, NIST MEP collaborates with aerospace executives 

to drive improvements in design, sourcing, and production.

NIST MEP’s expertise, coupled with a national network of resources, including state and Federal agencies, enables it to provide a variety of services to aerospace companies. NIST MEP helps clients face many of today’s biggest challenges, 

including reducing engineering change requirements, identifying and achieving 

affordability targets, reducing lead times, improving Request for Quotation (RFQ) 

results, mitigating risk, and improving quality and reliability.

In FY 2013, NIST MEP centers engaged in 226 business improvement projects 

with 143 individual manufacturing companies designated with an aerospace North 

American Industry Classification System number (NAICS 3364). The NIST MEP 

post-project, follow-up survey of aerospace NAICS companies revealed that MEP services resulted in the creation or retention of 5,200 aerospace jobs, over $138 million in 

new sales, nearly $251 million in retained sales, over $144 million in new investment, 

and nearly $51 million in cost savings. 

In FY 2013, NIST MEP began partnering with the Bureau of Industry and 

Security (BIS) to take a proactive approach to assisting aerospace and space suppliers adversely affected by NASA’s changing budget priorities. BIS recently concluded a survey of suppliers in the aerospace and space industries. The results of 

this in-depth study of the supply chain focused on supplier vulnerabilities in light 
84Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

of NASA’s spending reductions. MEP is using the results of the study for outreach 

and marketing to companies adversely affected by declines in the space industry. 

Identifying and assessing at-risk companies and developing a customized plan that 

addresses each company’s unique set of circumstances will take a coordinated effort 

between MEP, BIS, and other state and local partners. By working together, these 

entities can not only identify struggling companies, but assist them in adapting to 

new economic realities to stay in business, retain employees, preserve key defensecritical capabilities, and grow profitability. Pilot efforts have begun in California 

and Texas.

National Ocean Service 

NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) released a new Web application to 

allow users to easily and quickly view NGS geodetic control across the United 

States and its territories using Google Maps. The NGS Data Explorer map application (http://geodesy.noaa.gov/NGSDataExplorer/) is an innovative, interactive 

tool allowing users to explore NOAA’s extensive geodetic control network, which 

provides the framework for all positioning activities in the Nation. This new map 

application provides access to control mark information including latitude, longitude, elevation, position source, and other available precise positioning data. The 

online application presents an easy and efficient way for users to download datasheets directly from a mapping application. Surveyors, engineers, and Geographic 

Information Systems (GIS) professionals will benefit from the rapid access to information that the application provides.

The NGS’s Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum 

(GRAV-D) airborne-survey project completed data collection for more than 30 

percent of the United States and its territories. Upon completion, the GRAV-D 

project will allow surveyors and scientists to employ GPS to determine more precise and accurate elevations than currently possible, in less time and with less 

effort. The current vertical datum is anchored by less accurate, more costly survey 

monuments, and there are elevation errors ranging from 16 inches to 6 feet relative to sea level. When GRAV-D is successfully completed and the new elevation 

system is accessible using the Continuously Operating Reference Station network, 
85Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

these elevation errors will be reduced to just under 1 inch. Data coverage for 2013 

includes Puerto Rico, most of the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast, a large part of 

Alaska, the Northeast United States, Northern California, and southern Florida.

NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey completed a nearly 20-year effort to define 

the vertical datum of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Vertical Datum of 2002 [PRVD02]). 

The new elevations establish accurate and reliable heights consistent for the main 

island of Puerto Rico, where the majority of the population resides. The establishment of an enhanced geodetic framework for the Commonwealth will improve 

mapping, civil engineering, and land-surveying projects. With increased precision 

and accuracy in products such as floodplain maps, warning systems, and hurricane 

inundation models, the geospatial community can enhance the services they provide to the general population.

The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) increased ocean observation capabilities for the Nation. For example, the Caribbean Coastal Ocean 

Observing System (CariCOOS), one of 11 IOOS regions, deployed a new buoy 

and two new weather stations this year, making for a total of four buoys and 15 

weather stations in CariCOOS. The new buoy, located in Vieques Sound, measures 

a multitude of meteorological and oceanographic parameters such as wave heights, 

wave direction, wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, salinity, barometric 

pressure, and ocean currents. This buoy will aid U.S. Coast Guard operations 

and inform the boating community of daily conditions. Also in 2013, CariCOOS 

delivered a number of new modeling products, including current forecasts based on 

U.S. Navy models and high-resolution current forecasts in the U.S. Virgin Islands 

and San Juan Bay. IOOS scientists also developed storm-surge inundation maps for 

the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. CariCOOS is working with state emergency 

managers for the publication of these maps. In addition, IOOS scientists are using 

satellite imagery from the European Space Agency to evaluate suspended sediments and display them online for water management applications. Over this past 

year, the CariCOOS data pages received more than one million views from links 

on the NOAA National Data Buoy Center and CariCOOS Web sites. 
86Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

International Trade Administration (ITA)

Industry and Trade Policy

The Office of Transportation and Machinery (OTM) pursued multiple paths to 

promote exports of products and services that will support the Next Generation 

Air Transportation System. OTM created and published an online NextGen 

Solutions Vendors Guide to help foreign customers identify U.S. companies 

who can provide products that meet the requirements of the International Civil 

Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Aviation System Block Upgrade technology 

roadmaps. OTM participated in the first World Air Traffic Management Congress 

in Madrid, Spain, to learn about the specific air-navigation procurement needs of 

specific countries, counsel individual companies on NextGen-related prospects, 

and recruit participants for the NextGen Solutions Vendors Guide. OTM also participated in a number of domestic conferences and exhibitions to discuss the future 

of the NextGen market with individual companies.

Additionally, OTM worked with the FAA, the Transportation Security 

Administration (TSA), NASA, and the USAF in preparations for ICAO’s 12th Air 

Navigation Conference (ANC-12) in Montreal in November 2012, providing the 

Commerce perspective on various topics that impact U.S. industry. These topics 

included required navigational performance, remotely piloted aircraft, and satellite 

navigation, among others. OTM worked with the FAA, Export-Import (Ex-Im) 

Bank, Millennium Challenge Corporation, U.S. Small Business Administration 

(SBA), Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and U.S. Trade and 

Development Agency (USTDA) to produce and distribute at ANC-12, a brochure 

that lists Government sources of funding for air traffic management renovation 

projects around the world and provides information on U.S. vendors of NextGen 

equipment and services. The brochure allowed ICAO to address how members 

will finance required system upgrades. In addition, OTM worked with the FAA, 

TSA, and the State Department in preparation for the 38th ICAO Assembly in 

September 2013, providing the ITA perspective on aviation safety, aviation security, 

air-navigation policy and procurement, and the economics of air transportation. 
87Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

OTM also participated in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium and the 

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned 

Systems 2013 Conference to engage with Government, academic, and industry 

stakeholders within the UAS community, to learn more about the projected market for UAS, to hear about the latest roadmaps for the technology, and to recruit 

participants for the NextGen Solutions Vendors Guide (particularly the section on 

Remotely Piloted Aircraft).

OTM renewed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Embry-Riddle 

Aeronautical University (ERAU) to share data and aerospace information and to 

promote the competitiveness, sustainability, and innovation of the U.S. aerospace 

manufacturing industry. The renewed MOA includes an addendum detailing a 

new virtual research partnership program in which ERAU-Worldwide students will 

research topics suggested by ITA.

Throughout the year, OTM organized and led five meetings of the Industry 

Trade Advisory Committee for Aerospace Equipment (ITAC 1). The committee 

provides advice to the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative on 

aerospace-related trade policy issues.

ITA continues to support the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on issues 

relating to the enforcement of U.S. rights under the World Trade Organization 

concerning trade in civil aircraft. In particular, OTM has provided support for 

the ongoing U.S.-EU trade dispute over subsidies to manufacturers of large civil 

aircraft, providing industry expertise in areas relating to changes in the market and 

actions of the major stakeholders. 

ITA’s OTM and Office of Financial Service Industries (OFSI) continued to participate in the Group on the Sector Understanding on Export Credits for Civil 

Aircraft (the “Aircraft Sector Understanding” or ASU) at the Organization for 

Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The governments of almost 

all countries with major aircraft manufacturers are signatories to the ASU, an 

annex to the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, which 

establishes rules for export credit agencies. The OECD rules aim to ensure that 

government-provided export financing is not a competitive factor in civil-aircraft 

sales competitions. A new ASU, which had been completed in early 2011, went 

into full effect in 2013. As a member of the U.S. delegation, ITA helped ensure 
88Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

that the interests of industry were addressed as the new ASU was implemented 

and provided advice on how Ex-Im Bank programs affect the aerospace industry. 

ITA and NOAA continued their active participation in the implementation of 

the current National Space Policies, which include industrial base and competitiveness issues. ITA’s OTM actively participated in the implementation of several 

actions that were identified in the June 2010 National Space Policy, which revised 

and updated several aspects of the previous policies. In order to ensure that commercial interests continue to be adequately addressed, OTM and NOAA continued to ensure that all of the policies’ implementation actions will improve U.S. 

industry’s competitiveness, stimulate the American economy, increase exports, and 

create U.S. jobs. ITA actively participated in the review of Space Transportation 

Policy led by the White House and sought to ensure that the policy encouraged 

U.S. commercial growth in that sector.

OTM continues to represent commercial remote sensing satellite industry interests within the Remote Sensing Interagency Working Group (RSIWG), led by the 

State Department. The RSIWG coordinates policy for the export of commercial 

remote sensing satellite systems and negotiates government-to-government agreements that address the safeguarding of those systems’ technology. The RSIWG 

consulted with several foreign countries on satellite cooperation and met with 

industry representatives to understand the impact on related businesses.

ITA continued to play an important role in promoting U.S. aerospace trade 

interests as the industry faced mounting competition from abroad. ITA participated 

in and organized trade events and provided advocacy to support U.S. companies 

in international aerospace competitions, including commercial sales for aircraft, 

helicopters, airport construction, communications, remote sensing satellites, commercial projects, and air traffic management projects.

In June 2013, ITA organized and supported the Commerce Department’s participation in the Paris Air Show and arranged senior-level meetings for the Deputy 

Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing with foreign government and industry officials as well as U.S. industry executives. ITA/OTM met with numerous U.S. and 

foreign government and industry officials to discuss ongoing policy issues impacting the competitiveness of U.S. industry.
89Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Industry and Trade Promotion

ITA’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) Aerospace Team 

recorded 350 export successes in FY 2013 valued at over $1.6 billion. An export 

success is an activity in which Department of Commerce personnel effectively 

assist a U.S. company with identifying new international sales channels or resolving an issue that is hindering an export sale. Commercial Service (CS) personnel 

impacted deals with small- and medium-sized companies, as well as larger corporations such as Bell Helicopter, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and 

United Technologies Corporation.

The CS Aerospace Team held over 500 counseling sessions with U.S. aerospace 

companies, helping them to resolve international trade issues, identify new export 

markets, and develop strategies for entering those markets.

The CS Aerospace Team participated in 35 domestic and international aerospace trade events at which CS Aerospace Team members supported U.S. industry 

with one-on-one counseling sessions, arranged individualized business-to-business 

meetings with international business partners, and provided additional export 

counseling services. ITA trade show support generated hundreds of trade leads for 

participating companies, allowing them to enter or expand their exports to international markets. These international trade events included the Paris Air Show, 

Aircraft Interior Show, and Aerospace and Defense Trade Mission to Turkey (led by 

Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez), among 

others. The CS Aerospace Team also released the first edition of its Aerospace 

Resource Guide, profiling market opportunities in over 40 countries. This resource 

was well received by industry and will be expanded upon in FY 2014.

OTM also worked with the Commercial Service and USTDA to put on a series 

of Webinars highlighting aviation opportunities in Latin America. The series was 

planned to support the U.S.-Latin America/Caribbean Aviation Summit hosted by 

USTDA in Miami. Commercial specialists from five countries in Latin America 

provided information on business prospects for U.S. companies for aircraft and for 

aviation infrastructure.
90Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Bureau of Industry and Security

On May 24, 2013, the Departments of State and Commerce published proposed 

rules to transfer jurisdiction of commercial satellites and related items from State 

to Commerce. We expect that this transfer of jurisdiction will make an important 

difference for national security and the satellite industry by facilitating cooperation 

with U.S. allies, strengthening the competitiveness of sectors key to U.S. national 

security, and increasing U.S. exports—all while maintaining robust controls where 

needed to enhance our national security. The goal for publication of final rules is 

late March or early April 2014, with effective dates 180 days thereafter. The following items are those proposed for transfer from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) to 

the Commerce Control List: 

• commercial satellites and commercial communication satellites; 

• lower-performance remote sensing satellites; planetary rovers; planetary 

and interplanetary probes; and related systems such as ground control 

systems and training simulators; 

• test, inspection, and production equipment; noncritical software for 

production, operation, or maintenance; noncritical technology for development, production, installation, operation, or maintenance; radiationhardened microelectronics; and parts and components of satellite buses 

and payloads not listed on the USML.
91Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Department of the In

DOI

Remotely sensed data and resources contribute significantly to mission-critical 

work across the Department of the Interior. Spanning data sources from aerial 

photography, to moderate-resolution satellite data, to highly specialized imaging 

sensors and platforms, DOI personnel use remote sensing capabilities to evaluate 

and monitor land-surface conditions over the vast areas for which DOI has responsibility. The following is a small sampling of DOI remote sensing activities in 2013. 

U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is both a user and a provider of remotely 

sensed data. The USGS manages the Landsat satellite series and a Web-enabled 

archive of global Landsat imagery dating back to 1972. The entire Landsat archive 

became available for download at no charge in December 2008, and by December 

of 2013, almost 15 million Landsat scenes had been downloaded by the user community. The USGS also distributes aerial photography through the National Map 

and archives and distributes historical aerial photography; LIght Detection And 

Ranging (LIDAR) data; declassified imagery; and hyperspectral imagery; as well 

as data collected by Unmanned Aircraft Systems and imagery from a variety of 

Government, foreign, and commercial satellites. These data are used for a wide 

variety of applications, including mineral resource development; U.S. and global 

ecosystem health monitoring; land use and climate change; emergency response; 

and the assessment of natural hazards such as fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, 

droughts, and floods.
92Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Landsat Satellites

The Landsat Program (http://landsat.usgs.gov/) is a joint effort of the USGS and 

NASA to gather Earth-resource data using a series of land-observing satellites. 

Whereas NASA’s role is in the development and launch of Earth-observing instruments and spacecraft, the USGS is responsible for flight operations, maintenance, 

and the management of all ground-data reception, processing, archiving, product 

generation, and distribution. For 41 years, the primary objective of the Landsat 

Program has been to record land-surface conditions across the global land surface 

through the collection of consistently calibrated image data.

In spring 2013, the USGS decommissioned Landsat 5 following an extraordinary 

28 years of imaging operations, which earned it an official Guinness World Record. 

Shortly thereafter, the USGS assumed ownership and operation of Landsat 8 following NASA’s launch and on-orbit checkout. Data from the new satellite proved 

to be in great demand, thanks in part to NASA’s imaging-sensor improvements, 

which included a greatly improved signal-to-noise ratio, 12-bit quantization, a new 

coastal blue band (for the detection of water column constituents), a new cirrus 

band (for better cloud screening), and an additional thermal band (for more precise 

temperature measurements).

The Landsat team at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Systems 

(EROS) Center ingested over 516,000 new images from Landsats 5, 7, and 8 into the 

Landsat archive during fiscal year 2013 and added nearly 1.4 million historical Landsat 

images provided by current or former International Cooperator receiving stations. 

During the same period, users downloaded nearly 4.4 million Landsat scenes from 

EROS’s servers.

An Innovative Approach to Documenting User Requirements

The USGS initiated the National Land Imaging Requirements (NLIR) Project 

as a collaborative effort between the USGS Land Remote Sensing Program, 

the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, and the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Under this project, the USGS 

and NOAA have partnered to design and develop a system to obtain, characterize, 
93Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

manage, maintain, and prioritize user requirements for Earth Observation (EO) 

data. The comprehensive insight afforded by this capability will enable an unprecedented view of requirements and allow for the effective matching of EO capabilities and data to user needs. 

Rather than defining needs in terms of a particular technology or solution, as has 

historically been the case, the NLIR Project gathers user requirements for specific 

EO information such as land surface temperature, land surface topography, and 

vegetation type. Each requirement includes relevant attributes that define where, 

when, and at what spatial and temporal resolution the information is needed. 

Through this approach, user requirements become “solution-agnostic” and can be 

evaluated against all potential solutions including existing and future technologies. 

The NLIR Project is changing the paradigm for analyzing EO science requirements 

and linking them to solutions.

An overview of the Earth Observation Requirements Evaluation System.

Landsat-Scale Evapotranspiration for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint 

and Delaware River Basins

The USGS WaterSMART (Water for Sustainable Management of America’s 

Resources for Tomorrow) Project aims to quantify the year-to-year variability 

of vegetation water use (consumptive use). WaterSMART focuses on irrigated 

lands and seeks to make previous-year consumptive use estimates available in a 

cost-effective and timely manner, before the next irrigation season starts. USGS 
94Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

scientists improve upon existing hydrologic models to estimate and validate evapotranspiration (ET) from irrigated lands and the general landscape using a combination of satellite data and weather datasets. In the current effort, the first-ever 

basinwide ET estimate was produced for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint 

(ACF) and Delaware River Basins (at a spatial resolution of 100 meters, corresponding to Landsat’s thermal band) using the Operational Simplified Surface 

Energy Balance (SSEBop) approach. 

For the first time ever, seamless monthly and annual ET maps for 2010 were produced for the ACF and Delaware Basins. These products clearly show the spatial 

distribution of ET in the basin and magnitude differences associated with different 

land-cover types. The ability to estimate seamless ET at the Landsat scale will 

enable the creation of consistent, basinwide ET estimates for hydrological applications that are relevant for local decision making in water-resource planning and 

management. This project demonstrates the potential to create a nationwide ET at 

the Landsat scale using the Landsat 8 data stream.

USGS will continue to evaluate and apply Landsat-based ET for consumptiveuse change detection, trend analysis, and groundwater recharge/withdrawal studies.

VolcView: A New Tool for Satellite Data Analysis

Volcanic ash poses a serious hazard to aviation, and the proximity of the 52 

historically active volcanoes in Alaska-to-North Pacific air routes requires that the 

Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) use all available tools to monitor volcanic 

activity, detect eruptions, and work with the National Weather Service to characterize and track volcanic ash clouds. Satellite remote sensing is used in conjunction with in situ seismic and other geophysical monitoring (at 28 volcanoes) to 

meet this mission mandate. The AVO uses a variety of near-real-time data sources 

from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Moderate 

Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite (GOES) sensors. During FY 2013, AVO worked with a 

Volcano Science Center (VSC) Web developer to produce a display and analysis 

tool for these data. 
95Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

VolcView (http://volcview.wr.usgs.gov) allows AVO staff access to up-to-date 

image products of the North Pacific at the office, at home, and via smartphone. 

Partner agencies like the National Weather Service (NWS), Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), and Department of Defense (DOD), as well as the general 

public, can access the image products to observe and monitor volcanic activity. 

Data products have been developed by AVO to discriminate volcanic ash from 

meteorological clouds and to highlight volcanoes with elevated surface temperatures. AVO is actively engaged with the NWS to improve the analysis and 

visualization capabilities of VolcView. The overall goal of the VSC development 

is to extend the VolcView model to the other four USGS volcano observatories 

that include the California Volcano Observatory, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The interface of VolcView, a tool for displaying and analyzing satellite images of volcanoes in the 

North Pacific.

3D Elevation Program

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative (http://nationalmap.gov/3dep) is a 

multi-year, multi-agency approach to systematically obtaining 3D elevation data for 

the Nation in an eight-year period. The data will be derived from high-resolution 

LIDAR (taken over the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Trust Territories) 

and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) data (taken over Alaska). 
96Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

The National Geospatial (NGP) Program manages 3DEP as a collaborative effort 

among multiple Federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, academia, 

and the private sector. In support of 3DEP, the USGS is implementing programmatic and infrastructure improvements to plan, acquire, store, and disseminate vast 

amounts of LIDAR and IFSAR data to support a wide range of user requirements 

for high-resolution elevation data. In FY 2013, the USGS actively participated in 

several data-acquisition activities directly supporting the goals and objectives of 

3DEP. For example, for Hurricane Sandy response and mitigation, the NGP coordinated the acquisition of approximately 27,000 square miles of high-resolution 

LIDAR over the affected area through the Geospatial Products and Services 

Contract (GPSC). Additionally, for South Platte River flooding, the USGS assisted 

the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Denver Regional 

Council of Governments in acquiring approximately 5,600 square miles of highresolution LIDAR through GPSC.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy hit the Atlantic shoreline of New Jersey during several astronomical high-tide cycles in late October 2012. The eastern seaboard is subject to sea-level 

rise and an increased severity and frequency of storm events, prompting habitat and 

land-use planning changes. The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) is conducting detailed mapping of marine and estuarine wetlands and deepwater habitats—

including beaches and tide flats, as well as upland land use/land cover—using specially 

acquired NOAA aerial imagery flown at 1-foot resolution. These efforts will assist 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in its continuing endeavors to map the 

barrier islands in accordance with the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) guidelines. Land-use/land-cover classification will be based on the USFWS National 

Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and the USGS Anderson Land Use and Land Cover 

Classification System.

Mapping characterization is occurring with respect to potential storm surge and 

flooding impacts, which are anticipated to reshape rebuilding efforts. Mapping 

includes selected barrier islands and marshes from North Carolina to New York. 

These vital wetland areas are important for migratory waterfowl and neotropical 
97Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

bird habitats, wildlife foodchain support, and nurseries 

for shellfish and finfish populations. Coastal wetlands also 

play an important function as 

storm-surge buffers. Activities 

include the mapping of dominant estuarine wetland plant 

species that are useful for wetland functional analysis and 

wildlife evaluation and management concerns. This project is 

intended to integrate with, and 

offer updated databases pertinent to, the USFWS, NWRC, 

and NWI programs; NOAA 

tide-flat and beach data; FEMA 

flood-zone data; natural heritage endangered and threatened species lists; watershed management; and state and local land-use planning.

The shaded areas show the locations of Hurricane Sandy 

LIDAR projects.

Hydrothermal Alteration Maps, U.S. Basin and Range

The Mineral Resources Program at the USGS has released a new set of 

maps compiled from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection 

Radiometer (ASTER) data that illustrate minerals deposited by hydrothermal 

alteration that are typically associated with copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum 

deposits. Some of the minerals mapped are also associated with rare-earth, elementrich carbonatite deposits. Map coverage of the basin and range includes Nevada; 

southern Arizona; and parts of California, New Mexico, and Utah. The maps 

help define new deposit targets for mineral assessments and exploration, delineate 

hydrothermal systems for further deposit formation study, and assist in identifying 

potential acid producing and acid-neutralizing rocks in watersheds. The maps and 
98Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

map units can be downloaded from the USGS Web site server (http://pubs.usgs.gov/

of/2013/1139/; http://mrdata.usgs.gov/surficial-mineralogy/ofr-2013-1139/).

Fish and Wildlife Service

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in concert with its international, Federal, tribal, state, local, and nongovernmental organization partners, 

uses remote sensing images to find optimal solutions to monitor and manage 

our waters, wetlands, and landscapes. The USFWS utilizes a variety of remote 

sensing data products such as aerial, satellite optical, thermal, radar, sonar, and 

LIDAR imagery to map habitats, find invasive plants, determine flightpaths of 

birds and bats, conduct fish and wildlife inventories, reduce management costs, 

and monitor trust species. 

Avian Radar Project

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses avian radar (http://www.fws.gov/radar/) 

along with multiple other methods to monitor bird and bat migration along the 

shorelines of the Great Lakes. Mobile avian radar units have been stationed around 

the Great Lakes since 2011. These radar units track birds and bats as they fly 

through the air. By combining data from the avian radar units, acoustic and ultrasonic monitors, and visual bird surveys, the USFWS can gain a broader picture of 

what is occurring on the landscape. Data from this project, along with the USFWS 

Voluntary Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines, will help inform decisions to balance the needs of development and the need to protect wildlife.

Through the use of avian radar to study migration, data can be gathered from 

a much larger range, with a more consistent effort, and without causing stress to 

the animals under study because they do not know that they are being monitored. 

Additionally, the avian radar units can collect data continuously and can easily 

collect data during times (such as at night) when visual surveys are difficult.

For each spring and fall migration season since 2011, the two MERLIN avian 

radar units and a variety of acoustic monitors have been placed around the Great 

Lakes to answer a variety of in-depth questions about bird and bat migration. The 
99Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

radar units are each equipped with two antennas that allow data to be gathered 

simultaneously about the flight direction of migrants as well as their flight heights. 

With this information, the risk of collisions with humanmade structures such as 

wind turbines can be assessed.

Mapping Phragmites with PALSAR Radar Imagery

The invasive Phragmites australis forms dense stands that cause habitat degradation and reduced biological diversity on Great Lakes wetlands. Early detection 

and treatment are key to controlling Phragmites, so a map of the current distribution is needed (http://www.mtri.org/monitoring_phragmites.html). Phased Array 

type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) imagery was used to produce 

the first basin-wide distribution map showing the extent of large, dense, invasivePhragmites-dominated habitats in wetlands and other coastal ecosystems along the 

U.S. shore of the Great Lakes. PALSAR is a satellite-imaging-radar sensor that is 

sensitive to differences in plant biomass structure and inundation patterns, allowing for the detection and delineation of these tall (up to 5 meters), high-density, 

high-biomass, invasive Phragmites stands. Classification was based on multi-season 

PALSAR L-band (23-centimeter wavelength) HH and HV polarization data. 

Seasonal (spring, summer, and fall) datasets were used to improve discrimination of Phragmites by taking advantage of phenological changes in vegetation and 

A view of invasive Phragmites distribution in the Great Lakes.
100Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

inundation patterns over the seasons. Extensive field collections of training and 

randomly selected validation data were conducted in 2010–2011 to aid in mapping 

and for accuracy assessments. Overall basin-wide map accuracy was 87 percent. 

The invasive Phragmites maps are being used to identify major environmental drivers of this invader’s distribution, to assess areas vulnerable to new invasion, and 

to provide information to regional stakeholders through a decision-support tool. 

The generation of these products was led by Dr. Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, of the 

Michigan Technological Research Institute, with funding support by the USFWS 

and USGS via the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Chinook Salmon in the Togiak River, Alaska

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations are declining throughout most of Alaska but remain a valuable resource for subsistence, sport, and commercial harvests. Traditional ecological knowledge indicates that the spawning 

distribution of Chinook salmon has shifted from tributaries to the main stem, with 

significantly more Chinook salmon spawning in the main stem than in tributaries. The goal of this project is to describe physical factors influencing Chinook 

salmon spawning habitat availability and distribution, which may influence overall 

abundance. The specific goals of this project are to (1) determine areas of high- and 

low-density Chinook salmon spawning and (2) describe the habitat characteristics 

associated with these areas. Telemetry data from Chinook salmon radio tagged in 

2009–2012 was used to determine high- and low-density spawning in a GIS framework. Next, visible and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery was collected 

over the Togiak River in two main stems and one tributary location. This imagery 

will be analyzed to describe and compare the physical habitat characteristics and 

temperature differences in high- and low-density spawning areas with the expectation that areas with a low density of Chinook salmon spawning activity will have 

different habitat characteristics than areas with a high density of spawning activity. Information from this project will aid in understanding habitat characteristics 

important for Chinook salmon spawning that can be derived from remote sensing 

imagery, which may provide an alternative method to ground-based studies.
101 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

LIDAR of Channeled Scablands Area and Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

A LIDAR dataset is providing a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) 

for modeling various natural-resource-related issues. The data collection is facilitating the development of models for wetland management and restoration on the 

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and private lands.

A Stewardship Area was identified during the development of the Turnbull 

National Wildlife Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan to focus refuge 

acquisition and private-land-conservation programs in watersheds critical to the 

refuge water supply and its connectivity to the larger landscape. LIDAR data are 

being used to address multiple refuge-management questions related to hydrology, 

vegetation, habitat, and hydro-geomorphology. LIDAR bare-earth mapping of the 

Turnbull Stewardship Area has provided the USFWS with valuable data that have 

made substantial improvements to a number of refuge and partnership programs. 

The data will aid the USFWS and its partners (including the Bureau of Land 

Management and Ducks Unlimited) to make better planning decisions across this 

large landscape to effectively address the potential effects of climate change and 

other stressors such as agricultural land uses and urban development on critical 

habitat and species such as sage grouse. The use of these topographical data will 

facilitate the planning and design of potential habitat restoration or enhancement 

projects on both refuges and private lands.

Songbird Habitat Modeling Using LIDAR and NAIP-CIR

The golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo were listed by the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered in 1990 and 1987, respectively. In 1992, 

the 10,000-hectare Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (BCNWR) 

was established in Texas to protect the habitat for these two species. The warbler occupies later successional stages of oak and Ashe juniper woodland habitat 

during the breeding season, while the vireo prefers early successional shrublands. 

Contemporary habitat models for songbirds often lack fine-scale habitat information mapped over large areas. LIDAR data and high-spatial-resolution National 

Agriculture Imagery Program color infrared (NAIP-CIR) aerial photography were 
102Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

used to characterize habitat structure and composition over the entire refuge. 

Habitat features such as successional stages, conifer and broadleaf tree canopy 

cover, tree density, and vertical and horizontal structural complexity were derived 

using machine learning and other statistical methods. These data layers were used 

as model covariates to develop empirical estimates of warbler and vireo population 

density and occupancy rates on and off refuge lands. Spatial model outputs are 

being used to prioritize conservation and habitat restoration activities that are part 

of endangered species and habitat recovery efforts.

National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) has a significant investment and long history 

in using aerial and spaceborne remote sensing and GPS technologies. The NPS 

Inventory and Monitoring Program conducts baseline inventories for more than 

270 parks spanning over 30 million acres of public lands. Remote sensing data are 

a critical source of information regarding geology, soils, vegetation, and infrastructure. Aerial photography and satellite imagery have been utilized to compile vegetation maps; 10 million acres are currently mapped and 8.5 million acres are under 

way, with 12 million remaining. These data are particularly critical for NPS activities in Alaska. The NPS takes advantage of the free Landsat archive to quantify 

decadal changes in glacier ice cover and document land-cover change in National 

Park units. NPS has been the DOI sponsoring agency to map all large wildland 

and prescribed fires as part of the DOI Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project, using the Landsat archive. GPS supports field-data collection, navigation, and 

search-and-rescue operations across the agency.

Putting Some Backbone in Coastal National Parks

One of the key early steps in preparing for sea-level rise and storm surge is establishing the geodetic “backbone,” a high-accuracy monumentation network with 

long-term viability. This task was just completed for the northeast coastal National 

Parks by the University of Rhode Island and the National Park Service (http://www.

edc.uri.edu/monumentation/). Newly installed monuments and carefully screened 
103 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

existing ones, positioned at 5-kilometer intervals to provide complete coverage of 

the coastal zone, each have 4 hours of Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS data 

collected and then processed with National Geodetic Survey tools to ascertain 

elevation values to within 2–4 centimeters. Results are available in a useful assortment of Web maps, viewers, databases, and services, including Online Positioning 

User Service (OPUS)—the NGS geodetic monumentation database—where they 

are maintained in perpetuity. The backbone provides ground control for many 

follow-on projects, including collecting interagency LIDAR imagery following 

Hurricane Sandy, determining the elevation of buildings in flood zones, and calculating sediment budgets for threatened salt marshes. Elevations for hundreds of 

additional sites, surveyed off the backbone, are used along with LIDAR (funded 

through the ARRA and Hurricane Sandy Recovery) and other data to model 

inundation risk for key resources and infrastructure in these parks. The benefiting 

National Parks, Monuments, and other sites include the Statue of Liberty National 

Monument; Ellis and Governors Islands; Gateway and Boston Harbor Islands 

National Recreation Areas; Acadia National Park; Assateague Island, Fire Island, 

and Cape Cod National Seashores; Colonial National Historical Park; and the 

George Washington Birthplace National Monument. NPS plans to extend this 

geodetic backbone throughout all coastal National Parks.

Geodetic backbone sites for Fire Island National Seashore.
104Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Under Trees and Water at Crater Lake National Park

The 2010 LIDAR survey of Crater Lake National Park penetrated forested terrain to reveal surface features of the ignimbrite (pyroclastic-flow deposit) from 

the climactic caldera-forming eruption in fine detail. This eruption occurred over 

7,000 years ago, culminating in the collapse of Mount Mazama to form Crater 

Lake. In late July, Charlie Bacon and Joel Robinson of the USGS in Menlo Park 

visited several unusual features observed in the LIDAR terrain image. “Ground 

truthing” showed that irregular surfaces east of Scoria Cone are long, linear ridges 

of lava smoothed by glaciers; while on Lloa Rock, late pyroclastic flows shaped the 

fine-grained ignimbrite into V-shaped mounds that point toward the caldera. Also 

imaged are meter-scale fault scarps near the western boundary of the park that 

were previously unidentified. The fault scarps cut lateral moraines but are overlain 

by climactic ignimbrite, suggesting that the last large earthquakes on these faults 

LIDAR reveals geologic features beneath the heavily forested Castle Creek area in Crater Lake 

National Park. Two creeks, Little Castle and Castle, flow through gorges cut into Mount Mazama’s climactic pyroclastic-flow deposit. At their confluence (B1), the ignimbrite is about 330 feet (100 meters) 

thick. Many thinner flow deposits have finger-shaped flow lobes (B2). An extensional rift (B3) at the 

nose of Castle Point scars the surface of the deposit. The deposit compacts, because of cooling and 

settling, and tilts away from the point toward the deposit’s thickest part at the valley center, causing 

the rift. A 1-meter-tall arcuate scarp (B4) faces west, where the margin of a pyroclastic-flow deposit 

became unstable, collapsed, and fed a thin secondary pyroclastic flow to the northwest. South of 

Castle Point are crater vents for young basaltic flows, one round and one pear-shaped (B5). (Robinson 

and others, 2012)
105 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

occurred between deglaciation and the climactic eruption, or between ~14,000 and 

7,700 years ago. 

Mapping Permafrost Thaw Erosion Features

NPS used high-resolution IKONOS satellite images and a combination of manual and computer-assisted methods to map slumps and small landslides caused by 

the thaw of permafrost in Alaska’s arctic National Parks (http://science.nature.nps.

gov/im/units/arcn/vitalsign.cfm?vsid=9). These five NPS units cover over 8 million 

hectares, about a quarter of all the NPS-managed land in the USA. NPS found 

over 2,000 active-layer detachments (ALD) and over 700 retrogressive thaw slumps 

(RTS). Remapping at 5- to 10-year intervals is planned to determine trends in the 

number, area, and distribution of these features.

Fire Effects in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

On February 11, 2013, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 

staff cheered when they saw rocket contrails from the launch of Landsat 8 a few 

miles north of the park. Barely three months later, the Springs Fire (May 2, 2013) 

burned 25,000 acres of parkland, and NPS GIS and remote sensing specialists were 

using the very first publicly released Landsat 8 images to map burn severity (http://

www.nps.gov/samo/parkmgmt/firemanagement.htm) in the area. Maps visualizing 

Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) imagery helped park scientists 

and resource managers assess the effects of the Springs Fire. Later that season, NPS 

did the same thing for the much smaller Old Fire (August 18, 2013). BARC provides a sensitive, spatially detailed, but unitless measure of how much vegetation is 

consumed by a fire. A geomorphologist used BARC imagery immediately after the 

fire to assess soil-erosion potential for the Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation 

(BAER) program. This map (below) combines standard classes of burn-severity values derived from the BARC image with requested classes of slope-steepness values 

derived from a digital elevation model to provide the geomorphologist with needed 

inputs for his sediment yield calculations. It shows where critically steep slopes are 

and how much vegetative cover was lost there. Steep slopes with high burn-severity 
106Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

values are especially vulnerable to soil erosion in the post-fire environment. Over 

the next several months, fire ecologists combined BARC imagery with pre-fire vegetation, road, trail, and terrain data, using GIS to determine where to locate and 

collect field data from several hundred burn-severity field plots. When the BARC 

imagery is calibrated with ground-based field plot data, meaningful comparisons 

can be made of fire effects from multiple fires burning under a range of weather 

and fuel conditions. The Springs Fire is interesting because it occurred out of fire 

season during the worst drought in at least a century.

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requires field-based measurements 

to support management decisions covering vast expanses of land. By integrating 

remote sensing into the BLM’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring strategy, 

field-based monitoring data are leveraged to generate information and maps that 

would otherwise be too expensive to produce. The BLM is developing a core set 

of integrated and scalable remote sensing tools that will provide an integrated, 

quantitative monitoring approach that will allow the BLM to efficiently and effectively document the impacts from authorized and unauthorized disturbance and 

land-treatment activities at local and regional scales.

Grazing Impacts on Wetland Surface Microtopography

Wyoming’s high desert riparian areas cover less than 1 percent of the landscape 

but account for up to 20 percent of forage. Livestock spend disproportionate time in 

these areas, inflicting disproportionate ecological impact by grazing and trampling, 

as well as causing increased riparian erosion and hummocking. Wetland hummocks 

are elevated soil pedestals separated by inter-hummock channels draining the wetland and eroding the organic soils that are the “sponge” for holding water in the 

system and prolonging stream flow that wildlife (and humans) depend on. BLM and 

Agricultural Research Service researchers used a handheld camera to capture nadir 

stereo images 1.5 meters above transects located both inside and outside long-term 

grazing exclosures in four wetlands. They processed images into 5-millimeter digital 
107 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

elevation models, detrended slope from the models, and used the standard deviation of all grid-cell elevations as a surface-roughness indicator. Data were verified 

by an independent erosion bridge field method. Surface roughness outside grazing 

exclosures was 50 percent higher than inside exclosures (p<0.0001, n=4), supporting a conclusion that livestock grazing significantly contributes to hummock 

formation in these high desert wetlands and that changes in grazing management 

are needed to ameliorate the situation. The utility of the monitoring method used 

could be enhanced by adaptation to aerial platforms.

Monitoring Change in the BLM National Monuments

A remote sensing project in cooperation with Northern Arizona University and 

the Bureau of Land Management is being conducted to assess the impact of illegal human activity: vehicular routes; human trails; and the accumulation of litter, 

debris, and hazardous materials. The project will assist in evaluating the health of 

the landscape and the public’s enjoyment of national monuments.

Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group 

uses LIDAR data in conjunction with river and reservoir bathymetric surveys to 

develop continuous topographic/bathymetric surfaces in support of 1D, 2D, and 

3D hydraulic modeling (http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/sediment/). Hydraulic models use 

these data and user-specified flow rates to produce maps of wetted area, water surface profiles, and 3D velocity estimates. Results are used to analyze flood risk and 

to estimate patterns and rates of sedimentation in canals, rivers, and reservoirs.

The Bureau of Reclamation uses Landsat data to help monitor consumptive 

water use throughout the western United States. BOR analysts use Landsat imagery to map irrigated crops for estimating water demand and to monitor interstate 

and inter-basin water compact compliance. Reclamation is also involved in the 

ecological restoration of a number of rivers in the West. LIDAR, multispectral 

aerial imagery, and sonar data are used to generate maps of topography, vegetation, 

and river-channel bathymetry, which guide restoration activities.
108Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Lower Colorado River Agriculture and Water Use Estimates

Reclamation routinely monitors more than 3.5 million acres of agriculture and 

riparian vegetation along the Lower Colorado River from the Hoover Dam to 

the Southerly International Border (http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/wtracct.

html). The generated data include crop and riparian types, acreages, and associated 

water-use estimates. Remote sensing and GIS are the primary tools used for this 

activity. These data assist Reclamation in accounting for water use by each state 

and individual water user, verifying fallowed lands for conservation programs, and 

analyzing other water management needs.

San Joaquin River Restoration Program

The San Joaquin River Restoration Program http://www.restoresjr.net/background.

html) is a comprehensive long-term effort to restore flows to the San Joaquin River 

in California’s Central Valley from Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced 

River. Its goal is to restore a self-sustaining Chinook salmon fishery in the river 

while reducing or avoiding adverse water-supply impacts from restoration flows. 

Reclamation continues to investigate and develop remote-sensing-based methods 

to map and monitor vegetation and its response to flow restoration on the river. 

Current and possible future activities include the acquisition and use of hyperspectral imagery and LIDAR data to support this effort.

Irrigated Crop Mapping in the Upper Colorado Basin

Reclamation is charged with measuring consumptive water use (water that is 

physically removed, through either export or evaporation) within the Upper 

Colorado River Basin (http://www.usbr.gov/uc/library/envdocs/reports/crs/crsul.html). 

Irrigated agriculture accounts for the majority of consumptive water use within 

the basin, and Reclamation measures this use by multiplying estimates of crop area 

(m2

) derived from remote sensing by daily crop-specific water use estimates (m d–1), 

then summing these daily results to generate seasonal and annual values. Locally 

measured weather data (solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed, humidity, 
109 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

and precipitation) define the daily water requirement of a clipped grass reference 

crop (ETo), while locally calibrated crop coefficients relate the daily water use of 

specific crops to that of the reference crop. Existing datasets are leveraged during the irrigated-crop-mapping procedure. Digital geographic databases of potentially irrigated land from the Upper Colorado River Basin states define the areas 

where Reclamation maps irrigation status, and crop types for irrigated areas are 

provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Cropland Data 

Layer (CDL). Reclamation maps irrigation status on a pixel-by-pixel basis using a 

multi-date Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholding procedure. NDVI images are generated from atmospherically corrected Landsat imagery 

provided by the USGS. For areas where cloud cover limits the number of successful 

image acquisitions, Landsat 7 data gaps can result in areas with an inadequate 

number of image “looks” to reliably ascertain irrigation status. For these areas, gaps 

in the Landsat 7 image data are filled with mean values of valid NDVI data occurring within polygons, defining individual agricultural fields.

The Office of Surface Mining

The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) remote sensing program provides OSM 

offices, states, and tribes with the necessary tools to use remote sensing technologies to support Titles IV (Abandoned Mine Lands) and V (Regulation of Current 

Mining) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). As part 

of this support, the OSM remote sensing program provides high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photography, and LIDAR data to conduct analysis of terrain, 

vegetation, and hydrologic function on active mine sites to ensure that reclamation 

is consistent with the approved mining permit. These data are also used to support the inventory, monitoring, and assessment of abandoned mine-land features to 

ensure that there is no threat to the environment or to health and human safety.

Use of UAS for Stream and Coal Waste Reclamation

The New Mexico Abandoned Mine Land Program (NMAMLP) is exploring 

remote sensing techniques to monitor change in land cover and stream morphology 
110Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

at reclamation projects. The Program, as well as its reclamation projects, is funded 

through grants from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement 

(OSMRE) based on the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). 

Unmanned aircraft systems offer high-resolution imagery, flexible deployment, and 

relatively low cost at focused areas. NMAMLP examined the use of a UAS to 

supplement revegetation and stream channel morphology monitoring at the Dillon 

and Dutchman Canyons, once part of a larger coal mining site, of Vermejo Park 

Ranch in northern New Mexico. As a result of NMAMLP geomorphic reclamation 

work, meanders and dynamic stability have been restored to sections of streams 

once straightened and degraded by historic coal mining practices. Coal waste had 

been redistributed and covered with topsoil by earth-moving equipment, drainages 

were added, and conditions were created to reestablish wetlands to mitigate net 

loss. Seeding, planting, and natural establishment of native plants were used in the 

process of revegetation. 

A Trimble UX5 Aerial Imaging Rover, a fixed-wing UAS with a 1-meter wingspan and electric pusher propeller, will be deployed at the site to map the topography of the postconstruction reclamation as well as the revegetation. A series of 

high-resolution stereo pairs of orthophotography taken with the UX5 will produce a point cloud of XYZ values after photogrammetric processing. A mosaic of 

A view of first-season revegetation after geomorphic reclamation within Dillon Canyon at Vermejo 

Park Ranch in Raton, New Mexico. Plantings at the stream’s edge survived a flooding event, and 

vegetation started to emerge from seeding below the mulch layer.
111 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

color-infrared (CIR) aerial photography will be used to help identify vegetation and 

subsequent mapping. Digital surface models of pre- and postreclamation topography will be compared. Also planned is the analysis of vegetation height based on 

point cloud values attributed with the CIR data. A mosaic of the four-band multispectral imagery, including the near-infrared band, will be used to help identify 

vegetation and subsequent mapping. These high-resolution aerial images will also 

aid subsequent vegetation classifications of a WorldView2 satellite image purchased 

by OSMRE Technical Innovation and Professional Services. 

Ground validation includes vegetation transects and stream-channel profiles. The 

increased spatial resolution of a UAS compared to both traditional aerial photogrammetry and satellite imagery will add significant value to reclamation monitoring.

Remote Sensing for Computer-Aided Inspections

The Alton Field Division (AFD) has been working with the Mid-Continent 

Region (MCR) Program Technology Support Branch to incorporate geospatial 

technologies into field inspections. Multispectral imagery from sites in Missouri, 

Illinois, and Indiana is viewed on a tablet device, provided by TIPS, in the field 

during inspections, which provides the inspector with a better overall picture of 

the site and a mechanism to locate compliance issues more easily than by on-theground methods (e.g., walking the entire inspection site). After the inspection, the 

imagery is useful for identifying sediment ponds, water-monitoring wells, diversion 

channels, and other relevant features. AFD has stated that the addition of the 

imagery and the maps has enhanced the overall effectiveness of the inspection 

report and the inspection process in the field.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) applies remote sensing to issues such as 

land-use planning; pollution affecting subsistence hunting and fishing; and climate change impacts such as the prediction of sea-level rise for coastal tribes, the 

location and identification of potential dam hazards, and the generation of digital 

terrain data for the use of open-channel hydraulics. In FY 2011, the BIA started 
112Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

integrating remote sensing into forest inventory and management-planning efforts 

in remote, low-timber-value, and inaccessible areas. A pilot project was started to 

see if remote sensing applications in timber typing could be utilized for a broadlevel inventory of these lands. The BIA’s goal is to see if remote sensing can alleviate the need for expensive ground-inventory operations.

Informing LANDFIRE Remotely Sensed Analyses

In 2013, several tribes and Bureau of Indian Affairs Regions contributed a variety of datasets to the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools 

(LANDFIRE) program in order to assist with the update of a number of remotely 

sensed geospatial layers (e.g., vegetation type and fuels models). The contributed 

datasets included disturbance perimeters (wildfire and fuels treatments), vegetation plot data (forest inventory and Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory Protocol 

[FIREMON]), and feedback information (e.g., observations regarding discrepancies 

between LANDFIRE fuel-model assignments and on-the-ground fuel-model determinations). The submittal of these datasets will improve LANDFIRE’s decisionmaking process regarding changes from remotely sensed imagery analysis and will 

provide an underlying cause to the observed changes.
113 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Satellite imagery aids the Alton Field Division in mapping and identifying features at coal-mine sites 

in the Mid-Continent Region.

115 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Federal Communicati

Commission

FCC

The Federal Communications Commission formulates rules and administers proceedings to facilitate the provision of commercial satellite services in the United 

States. It also issues licenses for the launch and operation of all nongovernmental 

U.S. satellites. Internationally, the FCC coordinates satellite radio frequency usage 

with other countries. The FCC’s activities in FY 2013 related primarily to commercial communications satellites. 

The FCC took several significant actions in administrative and rule-making 

proceedings in FY 2013. After a longstanding and contested proceeding, on 

October 7, 2012, the FCC amended its technical rules to enable the deployment 

of new broadband services in the 2.3-gigahertz (GHz) Wireless Communications 

Service (WCS) while continuing to protect satellite radio services and aeronautical 

mobile telemetry operations in adjacent bands and continuing to protect the Deep 

Space Network earth station in Goldstone, California. 

On March 15, 2013, the FCC provided guidance concerning FCC licensing of 

nongovernmental small satellites, including satellites that fall within the categories 

of picosatellites, nanosatellites, and CubeSats. These new, small satellite designs 

have enabled a wider range of organizations, including universities and research 

organizations, to directly launch satellites. The FCC’s guidance focused on educating participants who may be unfamiliar with FCC satellite licensing and identified 

scheduling and other requirements in an effort to aid satellite operators in planning for successful missions.
116Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

In a separate release on March 15, 2013, the FCC provided guidance on obtaining experimental authorizations for the use of radio frequencies for commercial 

(i.e., non–Federal Government) space-launch activities and for related ground stations and ground testing facilities. The guidance outlined types of authorizations, 

information requirements, noninterference conditions, and coordination with 

Federal agencies. 

After a comprehensive review of licensing and operating rules for satellite services begun in September 2012, on August 9, 2013, the FCC adopted changes to 

Part 25 of the FCC rules. These changes revised over 150 rule provisions to better 

reflect evolving technology, eliminate unnecessary filing requirements, eliminate 

unnecessary technical restrictions, and improve clarity. 

The FCC authorized a number of commercial communication satellite launches 

and operations. The authorizations include the following:

• October 9, 2012: To Intelsat License, LLC, to construct and launch a 

C-Ku-UHF-band satellite. The FCC also authorized operations of the 

C-Ku-band at the longitude 55.5° west orbit location.

• December 4, 2012: To DIRECTV Enterprises, LLC, to launch and operate 

a satellite at the longitude 99.235° west orbit location.

• April 18, 2013: To DIRECTV Enterprises, LLC, to launch and operate a 

satellite at the longitude 76.0° west orbit location.

The FCC granted a number of license modifications and Special Temporary 

Authorizations for satellite networks. Many involved routine testing or redeployment of satellites within a multi-satellite system. Several of these actions, however, 

warrant particular mention:

• October 2, 2012: The FCC granted ORBCOMM License Corp. a license 

modification to permit the launch of a satellite for use in the ORBCOMM 

satellite network. The satellite launched as a secondary payload on a 

commercial resupply mission, operated by SpaceX, to the International 

Space Station.

• October 16, 2012: The FCC granted Intelsat License, LLC, authorization 

to relocate satellite Intelsat 709 to operate at the longitude 47.5° east orbit 

location in accordance with International Telecommunication Union 

(ITU) filings of Germany.
117 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

• February 4, 2013: The FCC granted Iridium Constellation, LLC, an 

authorization, conditioned on completion of additional radio-frequency 

coordination, to provide an aeronautical safety service, primarily in currently unserved oceanic and polar regions.

The FCC added three non-U.S.-licensed space stations to its permitted space 

station list to allow these space stations to provide domestic and international 

satellite service to U.S. earth stations that have routine technical parameters. 

Specifically, on December 6, 2012, the FCC added Mexico’s SATMEX 8 space 

station using the C-band and Ku-band at the longitude 116.8° west orbit location 

to the permitted list. On March 14, 2013, the FCC added Brazil’s Amazonas 3 space 

station using the C-band and Ku-band at the longitude 61.0° west orbit location to 

the permitted list. On July 12, 2013, the FCC added the Netherlands’ SES-6 space 

station using the C-band and Ku-band at the longitude 40.5° west orbit location to 

the permitted list.

The FCC also granted a request for non-U.S.-licensed space stations to provide 

service in the United States on a nonroutine basis, including the following: 

• October 17, 2012: The FCC granted the Netherlands’ planned space station for operator Spectrum Five LLC access to the United States market 

using the 17/24-GHz broadcast-satellite service band at the longitude 

119.25° west orbit location.

119 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

U.S. Departme

Agricult

USDA

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

The Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Office of Global Analysis (OGA) 

served as a major source of objective and reliable global agricultural production 

information to the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB), the primary 

source of the USDA’s global commodity outlook. The outlook reports for FY 2013 

provided public access to information and data affecting world food security and 

were crucial in decisions affecting U.S. agriculture, trade policy, and food aid. This 

included regional, national, and subnational monitoring and analysis of crop conditions, yield potential, and the impact of events affecting crop production. 

Satellite imagery resources were managed through the USDA’s Satellite Imagery 

Archive (SIA) program. The SIA program was established by the USDA’s Remote 

Sensing Coordinating Committee (RSCC), which is chaired by the USDA’s 

Office of the Chief Information Officer. The SIA fulfilled its mission of providing 

cost-effective sharing of satellite data through a centralized system for purchases, 

receipts, inventory, storage, and dissemination of satellite imagery to USDA agencies. The following agencies participated in the program: the Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), National Agricultural Statistics 

Service (NASS), Forestry Service (FS), Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Farm Service Agency (FSA). 

The success of the USDA’s SIA was also a practical demonstration of collaborative agreements with NASA, NOAA, the USGS, and the National 
120Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). During FY 2013, the USDA satelliteimagery library continued to enable all USDA agencies to access satellite imagery 

at substantially reduced individual agency cost. The key performance indicators of 

the program were measured by timely distribution and receipt of requested satellite imagery and the provision of bulk satellite imagery at a measurable economic 

benefit to the USDA agencies. In addition, the FAS OGA performed the physical 

management of the SIA facility and the online Archive Explorer (AE) system at 

http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/archive_explorer/Default.aspx. The Archive Explorer, a 

Web-enabled browse-and-search tool, allowed users to browse, select, and retrieve 

the contents of the SIA.

In addition, the FAS OGA provided support and maintenance of the USDA’s 

global database of crop area, production, supply, and distribution (PSD); weather 

and soil moisture; monthly crop growth stage and harvest calendars; Global 

Agricultural Monitoring (GLAM); global reservoir and lake monitoring; and vegetation index monitoring. The successful production of agricultural commodity 

outlook and the maintenance of global agricultural datasets were fulfilled using a 

variety of satellite Earth-observation data. This included NASA’s satellite Earthobserving systems (Landsat, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer 

[MODIS] Aqua and Terra satellites, and the Jason and Tropical Rainfall Measuring 

Mission [TRMM] satellites from TOPEX/Poseidon), NOAA’s satellite data (the 

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), and other international datasets 

(the Indian Remote Sensing [IRS] Advanced Wide Field Sensor [AWiFS], the 

Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor [LISS], the Satellite for Observation of Earth 

[Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre, or SPOT] 4 and 5, and DEIMOS-1).

U.S. Forest Service

As the primary forestry agency of the United States and the largest agency in the 

USDA, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) continues to sustain the health, diversity, 

and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands. This work is conducted via 

three specific agency mission areas: Research and Development (USFS R&D), the 

National Forest System (NFS), and State and Private Forestry (USFS S&P). 
121 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

USFS R&D conducts research to address forestry and natural-resource issues 

both internationally and domestically, including the development of relevant science and technologies. Partnerships with states, tribes, and other Federal agencies, 

as well as universities and private industry, are integral to the accomplishment of 

the USFS R&D mission. Additionally, the USFS administers and manages 155 

national forests and 20 national grasslands collectively known as NFS lands. These 

lands encompass 193 million acres in 44 states and Puerto Rico and are managed 

for the purpose of sustainable multiple use to meet the diverse needs of people. 

Lastly, USFS S&P provides assistance to private landowners and state, tribal, and 

community forestry agencies in the stewardship of approximately 500 million acres 

of non-Federal forest lands throughout the United States. This assistance includes 

the provision of information and support to partner agencies to protect forests from 

wildland fires, insects, disease, and invasive plants.

To address the data needs of these USFS mission areas in FY 2013, the USFS 

collaborated with NASA, as well as NOAA, USGS, and other agencies, to apply 

operational satellite and airborne imagery and the most advanced remote sensing 

and geospatial technologies. Specific FY 2013 USFS accomplishments are summarized below.

• Collected comprehensive Earth Observation System (EOS) MODIS and 

Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared 

Imaging Radiometer Suite (Suomi NPP VIIRS) direct broadcast data for 

the United States and Canada; processed and disseminated relevant fire 

mapping and geospatial data products to fire managers and the general 

public (http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us). 

• Continued activities with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Direct 

Readout Laboratory under a USFS-NASA interagency agreement to 

test and operationally implement direct readout technologies to support 

resource management, including land, atmosphere, and ocean science processing algorithms for EOS and Suomi NPP sensors (http://directreadout.

fs.fed.us).

• Continued utilizing MODIS imagery for operational detection of forest 

damage and changing forest health conditions in our Nation’s forests 

(http://foresthealth.fs.usda.gov/portal/Flex/FDM?dL=0).
122Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

• Collaborated with NASA and USFS science partners to participate in 

Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP) mission workshops and respond to 

NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 

Request for Proposals (RFPs) for potential applications using SMAP 

observational data/science products.

• Continued to distribute 250-meter forest-attribute data surfaces derived 

from MODIS imagery and other geospatial predictor data using nearest 

neighbor imputation methods (http://fsgeodata.fs.fed.us/rastergateway/

forest_type/index.php).

• Continued to distribute 250-meter forest-carbon estimates derived from 

MODIS imagery and other geospatial predictor data using nearest neighbor imputation methods (http://fsgeodata.fs.fed.us/rastergateway/biomass/

index.php).

• Coordinated with NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC) in FY 2013 to 

successfully transfer the Autonomous Modular Sensor (AMS) sensor to 

the USFS and conducted AMS testing and integration flights on USFS 

aircraft for eventual operational use in FY 2014–2015.

• Continued coordination with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center 

(GSFC) on testing and evaluation of the Multi-Angle Implementation of 

Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) for MODIS and its potential use for 

land and atmosphere remote sensing applications.

• Coordinated with GSFC on evaluating test data collected by the Goddard 

LIDAR Hyperspectral and Thermal (G-LiHT) sensor for potential land 

remote sensing and resource management applications.

• Operationally applied Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat  7 

Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM), and Landsat 8 Operational Land 

Imager (OLI) imagery to map the location, extent, and severity of approximately 200 large wildfires in FY 2013 to support post-fire emergency stabilization/hazard-mitigation activities and forest restoration planning/

management activities (http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/baer and http://www.

fs.fed.us/postfirevegcondition).

• Continued to operationally apply Landsat 4/5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM 

imagery to inventory, map, and characterize historical large fires to 
123 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

assess the effectiveness of national fire management policies as part of 

the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) project. MTBS mapping activities through FY 2013 include the completion of 17,025 historical fires (~120 million burned acres) spanning from 1984 to 2011 (http://

www.mtbs.gov).

• Coordinated with the University of Maryland, NASA, and the USGS 

to execute and test Landsat 8 and VIIRS I-band prototype fire-detection 

algorithms and evaluate derived output products to support USFS operational fire-support activities.

• Continued technology transfer activities between the USFS and ARC 

regarding unmanned aircraft systems and related technologies under the 

auspices of the NASA-USFS Wildfire Research Applications Partnership 

and a USFS-NASA interagency agreement (http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/

WRAP/index.html).

• Coordinated with ARC on the final development of the Wide Area Imager 

(WAI) (developed under the NASA Small Business Innovation Research 

[SBIR] program) and subsequent fire-mapping-demonstration missions.

• Used Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 8 OLI, and National Agricultural Imagery 

Program (NAIP) imagery to initiate and complete mid-level vegetationmapping products for National Forest lands and adjacent land areas 

throughout the country.

• Used Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 8 OLI, and NAIP imagery to model Tree 

Canopy Cover (TCC) for the entire continental United States as part of 

the Multi-resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) National 

Land Cover Database 2011 update.

• Used Landsat TM/ETM/OLI and MODIS imagery to map and assess 

damage to forests in the immediate aftermath of severe storms and other 

catastrophic events during FY 2013 (e.g., Colorado flood event in 2013).

• Completed an assessment in coordination with the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) of the effects of land-cover change on water 

quality using Landsat TM/ETM time-series stacks to detect and monitor forest land-cover change in the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan 
124Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

watersheds from the mid-1980s to the present. This activity has been 

extended to include Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario as well. 

• Used Landsat TM/ETM/OLI and National Agricultural Imagery Program 

imagery in conjunction with other core geospatial datasets to conduct 

ecological and soil-type mapping on NFS lands that are used by the USFS, 

NRCS, and other agencies for resource management, planning, and decision making (http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/programs/teui/about.html).

• Continued to use Landsat TM/ETM time-series stacks, NAIP imagery, 

and USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis plot data to support carbon and 

biomass monitoring for 55 selected forested sites across the United States 

in support of the North American Forest Dynamics (NAFD) Project 

(http://daac.ornl.gov/NACP/guides/NAFD_Disturbance_guide.html).

• Continued to develop standards and practices for integrating LIDAR into 

forest and resource management (i.e., defining acquisition specifications, 

data quality assessment, analysis/modeling procedures for forest parameters, etc.). This is relevant to recent and potential USFS–NASA JPL 

LIDAR collaboration such as the acquisition and processing of hyperspectral imagery (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, or 

AVIRIS) and LIDAR data for the 2013 Rim Fire in California.

National Agriculture Statistics Service

The remote sensing acreage estimation program used Disaster Monitoring 

Constellation (DMC) and USGS Landsat data to produce crop-acreage estimates 

for crops at the state and county levels for 41 states during the 2013 crop year. 

Acreage estimates were created for 17 different crops covering all market-sensitive 

crops and states. With the expanded coverage and timeliness, the National 

Agriculture Statistics Service’s (NASS) Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB) was 

able to utilize the remote sensing acreage indications as independent input for setting the official estimates for their monthly Crop Production Reports. Analysts 

derived remote-sensing-based acreage indications from a crop-specific land-cover 

categorization called the Cropland Data Layer (CDL). As primary satellite imagery 

inputs, the Foreign Agricultural Service Satellite Imagery Archive provided 1,638 
125 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

DMC images through a cooperative partnership while utilizing 5,906 Landsat 8 

images from the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, NASS distributed the CDL 

for 48 states to stakeholders for the previous 2012 crop season via the USDA 

Geospatial Data Gateway and the CropScape data visualization portal at http://

nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape. 

NASS utilized MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products 

for modeling corn and soybean yield indications over the 12 largest production states. 

Updated yield estimates were delivered operationally to the ASB as an independent 

indication for setting official August, September, and October yield estimates by 

state, district, and county. MODIS land surface temperature (LST) products were 

again used to provide another independent variable for yield estimation. 

NASS completed work with George Mason University on a NASA-funded science grant titled “A National Crop Progress Monitoring System Based on NASA 

Earth Science Results.” Research focused on crop growth modeling, crop phenology 

stage detection algorithm development, system prototyping and implementation, 

and crop progress ground-truth data collection for validation. A new Web-based 

national vegetation condition geospatial portal named VegScape was implemented 

from this project during February 2013. The VegScape URL is http://nassgeodata.

gmu.edu/VegScape and the site serves as a monitoring application based on MODIS 

daily, weekly, and biweekly products and incorporates several vegetation metric 

indices for vegetation greenness and drought anomaly assessment. Additionally, 

NASS continued work on a NASA science grant titled “Fallowed Area Mapping 

for Drought Impact Reporting and Decision Making,” where NASS contributes 

monthly growing season CDL-based fallowed-land estimates for California water 

resource stakeholders.

USDA Farm Service Agency

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) administered farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, and loan programs as laid out by Congress through a network 

of Federal, state, and county offices. Geospatial systems and data played a fundamental role in the management of FSA’s programs. The agency maintained a 

nationally consistent geospatial dataset representing farm and field boundaries 
126Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

known as Common Land Units (CLUs). FSA used CLUs, digital soil surveys, 

1-meter imagery, satellite imagery, and other datasets for program implementation, 

management, and monitoring, as well as for response and recovery efforts during 

natural disasters. 

FSA used remotely sensed data for mission-related business intelligence projects, 

including products like the NASS Cropland Data Layer, for which the FSA CLU 

is used to ground-truth. FSA continued to use satellite and aerial imagery, locally 

collected datasets, and weather data for disaster preparation and response. A few 

examples of this activity in 2013 included support during Hurricane Sandy, flooding in Colorado, and the fires in the West and Southwest. During the recovery 

period, these data were used to support the administration of FSA Emergency 

Loan, Emergency Conservation, and Livestock Indemnity Programs. 

As the primary source of aerial imagery for the USDA, FSA administered the 

National Agriculture Imagery Program, leveraging partnership funds from other 

Federal entities to acquire imagery during the growing season over the contiguous 

United States. In 2013, FSA collected imagery for 23 states under this program. 

The FSA AgSat Blanket Purchase Agreement was used to deliver satellite data not 

already available through other Federal sources for parts of Alaska, Hawaii, the 

Pacific Basin, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The AgSat and NAIP data were used 

to provide image Web services for FSA enterprise spatially enabled applications. 

NAIP, as well as FSA’s large imagery archive, was accessible to the public through 

the USDA Geospatial Data Gateway, Web services, and media, and is used by 

many other Federal, state, and local agencies as well as academia in their day-to-day 

business operations.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the primary Federal 

agency working with private landowners to help protect and conserve the Nation’s 

natural resources. For more than 50 years, the NRCS has used remote sensing 

products to carry out conservation programs. Aerial and satellite imagery processed 

in the form of digital orthoimagery remained the primary remote sensing product 
127 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

used by the NRCS to inventory, monitor, manage, and assess our natural resources 

in GIS nationwide. 

Elevation

Continue developing an NRCS enterprise system including infrastructures for 

information technology; hardware; software; and data management integration, 

tools, and applications to make the LIDAR data an integral part of agency business. 

LIDAR is used by several Federal agencies; however, the approach used has been 

project-centric, not nationwide, in scale. NRCS is working with partners to extend 

LIDAR nationwide and share the costs of LIDAR acquisition across several Federal 

agencies while ensuring that NRCS LIDAR business needs are maintained. 

USGS is also actively pursuing the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative. It 

is being developed to respond to growing needs for high-quality topographic data 

and for a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation’s 

natural and constructed features. The primary goal of 3DEP is to systematically 

collect enhanced elevation data in the form of high-quality LIDAR data over the 

conterminous United States, Hawaii, and U.S. territories, with data acquired over 

an 8-year period. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) data will be 

collected over Alaska, where cloud cover and remote locations preclude the use of 

LIDAR over much of the state. The 3DEP initiative is based on the results of the 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/neea.html). 

Aerial Imagery

By partnering with the USDA Farm Service Agency and other Federal and state 

agencies, the NRCS acquired statewide 1-meter orthoimagery for 23 states and 

parts of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Basin. NRCS participates in many Federal 

Government interagency coordination committees such as the National Digital 

Orthophoto Program and the National Digital Elevation Program to avoid duplication of orthoimagery and digital elevation acquisitions. The USDA Geospatial 

Data Gateway Web site made available all orthoimagery purchased by the NRCS 

to internal users and the general public.
128Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

NRCS orthoimagery acquisitions for Hawaii and the Pacific Basin use predominately high-resolution commercial satellites from DigitalGlobe. All acquisitions 

were contracted at USDA-FSA-APFO (Aerial Photography Field Office), USGSEDC (Earth Resources Observation and Science [EROS] Data Center), or DODNGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency). All orthoimagery acquisitions 

are at .6 meter or higher resolution and 4–8 multi-spectral bands depending on 

the satellite sensor. NRCS acquired coverage for these U.S. Pacific Basin areas in 

FY 2013: the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and the 

Federated States of Micronesia. 

NRCS acquisitions for Alaska used a combination of aerial cameras and satellite 

sensors depending on the location. Aerial cameras at a 1-meter ground resolution 

were used at an area northeast of Fairbanks called Yukon Flats and an area southeast of Fairbanks called Delta Junction. NRCS used high-resolution commercial 

satellites from DigitalGlobe for Juneau, Nome, Bethel, and Port Clearance. These 

acquisitions were for .6 meter, 8-band digital orthoimagery. NRCS used satellite 

contracts with DOD-NGA and USDA-FSA-APFO. 

The NRCS used the USDA Small Area Aerial Photography Contract to acquire 

high-resolution aerial photography (4-inch ground-resolving distance) and scans 

from over 72,988 confidential statistical sites to collect natural resource data for the 

annual National Resources Inventory (NRI) program in the Contiguous United 

States (CONUS). The NRCS also contracted for aerial photography over 450 

NRI sites in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and 375 sites in Hawaii. The 

NRCS also used the USDA Small Area Aerial Photography Contract to acquire 

24,346 photos over 14,854 Stewardship Land easements in CONUS and Hawaii. 

Because of their remote location, nine easements in Alaska required the contracting of high-resolution satellite imagery from the USDA Satellite Imagery Blanket 

Purchase Agreement. 

Satellite Remote Sensing

The NRCS continued using satellite imagery from the USGS Hazard Data 

Distribution System to respond to natural disasters. Major events in 2013 included 

the tornadoes that hit Moore, Oklahoma, and the flooding along the Colorado 
129 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Front Range. For the Colorado flooding, NRCS provided pre- and post-event imagery from satellite and aerial sources via Web services to state offices supporting 

their ability to deliver Emergency Watershed Protection assistance.

Positioning, Navigation, and Timing 

With the completion of the Russian Federation’s Global Navigation Satellite 

System (GLONASS) navigation constellation, the continued sustainment of a 

28-satellite GPS constellation, and the increasing launch rate of the European 

Union’s Galileo navigation constellation, the NRCS not only enjoys the benefits 

of space-based American Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), but also 

utilizes signals from the growing family of Global Navigation Satellite Systems 

(GNSS). Increasing availability of space-based GNSS PNT will provide the NRCS 

with greater operational performance in challenging environments and increase 

accuracy in open conditions. Greater operational efficiencies and reduced costs 

will accrue from the integration of space-based GNSS PNT into NRCS business 

areas. As vendors begin to produce and mass-market multi-GNSS equipment, the 

NRCS will assess offerings and invest in technology that streamlines equipment 

and increases operational efficiency.

• NRCS employees in field service centers across the country continue to 

utilize handheld GPS to perform day-to-day data collection for conservation planning. In FY 2013, the NRCS developed a strategic vision calling for technology investment not only to utilize the modernized GPS 

frequencies of L2C and L5 but also to utilize multiple GNSSes as they 

achieve full operational capability. The NRCS is working to fully refresh 

current technology with multiple GNSS and modernized GPS PNT technology by 2020.

• In FY 2013, the NRCS purchased over 500 handheld multi-GNSS receivers and handheld computers with GNSS. These receivers utilize the fully 

operational Russian Federation GLONASS as well as the enhanced GPS 

navigation constellations. The receivers replaced models purchased in 

2001 that were failing and were vulnerable to jamming. The procurement of receivers with integrated geotagging digital cameras increased 
130Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

operational efficiency for field users. The use of the dual constellation 

receivers will improve positioning results under tree canopy.

• The NRCS purchased 90 engineering PNT systems. Many of these systems 

are Real Time Kinematic (RTK), which means there is a rover system constantly receiving corrections from a base system. The NRCS also invested 

in systems that utilize corrections transmitted from cellular networks. By 

subscribing to networks operated by state agencies and private businesses, 

the NRCS can leverage the investment in a traditional RTK system and 

obtain two rovers. By utilizing multiple GNSS and cellular RTK, the 

NRCS has obtained the performance of two complete systems for the cost 

of one.
131 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

National Sc

Foundati

NSF

The National Science Foundation continued to serve as the lead Federal agency 

for the support of ground-based astronomy and space science. Through the divisions of Astronomical Sciences, Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, Polar 

Programs, and Physics, the NSF sponsored a broad base of observational, theoretical, and laboratory research aimed at understanding the states of matter and 

physical processes in the universe. Areas of research ranged from the most distant 

reaches of the universe and the earliest moments of its existence to nearby stars 

and planets—including our own sun and planetary system—and Earth’s atmosphere and space environment.

Division of Astronomical Sciences 

The Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) within the Mathematics and 

Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate supported the development of advanced 

technologies and instrumentation for astronomical sciences, in addition to providing core support for the optical and radio observatories whose state-of-the-art 

instrumentation and observing capabilities are accessible to the community on the 

basis of scientific merit. The NSF’s national astronomical facilities included the 

National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the Arecibo Observatory (AO), 

the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), and the National Solar 

Observatory (NSO). The NSF also served as the executive agency for the Gemini 

Observatory—an international partnership operating optical/infrared telescopes 
132Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres—providing the United States’ 

share of support for the program.

In partnership with Europe, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan, construction continued 

on the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an interferometer located near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. FY 2013 saw the delivery of the 

final antennas and receivers from all partners. A total of 66 antennas have been 

accepted. Science operations continued, concurrently with commissioning, using a 

32-element subset of the full array.

AST continued its oversight of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST, 

formerly the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope), the next-generation U.S. 

ground-based solar telescope. The ATST, a collaboration of scientists from 22 

institutions representing a broad segment of the U.S. solar physics community, 

had previously earned the strong recommendation of the National Research 

Council of the National Academy of Sciences. When completed in 2019, the 

DKST will be the world’s flagship ground-based telescope designed specifically for 

the study of solar magnetic fields on scales as small as 30 kilometers. In order to 

evaluate the impacts of a nearly 30-month delay in acquiring the relevant permits 

to construct, the baseline cost and schedule were re-evaluated in a comprehensive re-costing exercise. The resulting new baseline was approved by the National 

Science Board in August 2013. The total project cost is now $344.13 million, and 

the onset of full science operations is scheduled for July 2019. Fabrication of the 

major telescope subsystems and instruments are ongoing, as is construction on 

the Haleakala site where excavation and construction of the facility’s foundation 

are nearing completion. 

MPS/AST, along with its Federal partner, DOE’s Office of High Energy Physics 

(HEP), supported further design and development of the Large Synoptic Survey 

Telescope (LSST) project in FY 2013. This project will produce a purpose-built 

wide-field survey telescope and use the attached 3.3-gigapixel camera to image the 

entire accessible sky repeatedly for at least 10 years, producing more than 20 terabytes of data nightly. The LSST database will enable breakthrough research not 

just in cosmology (dark energy and dark matter), but also in galactic structure and 

solar system astronomy. LSST also opens up the time domain and will revolutionize the study of transient events. The camera is a deliverable from DOE, led by 
133 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. FY 2013 funding for DOE precluded 

the beginning of Major Item of Equipment (MIE) funding for the LSST camera, 

so an MIE start was included in the budget request for FY 2014. In addition, a 

status review in June 2013 felt that the project should add additional schedule float. 

Bottom-up re-planning of the entire project led to a one-year increase in the duration of construction, installation, and commissioning over the schedule prepared 

in FY 2012. NSF’s budget request for FY 2014 included the start of construction 

funding for LSST, and as a result, a Final Design Review was organized in accordance with NSF’s procedures for approving large facility funding. This review will 

take place early in FY 2014. NSF’s responsibilities include the telescope, site, and 

data management, including separate specialized access for research and for education and public outreach uses. The added duration increases the estimated cost 

above the original request, which led to significant discussion throughout the latter 

half of FY 2013. LSST continues to attract strong support within the research and 

education communities, and interest from other countries wishing to contribute 

to the project is growing, with a major European meeting held in September 2013.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is a 6-meter-diameter millimeterwave telescope located at 5,200 meters (17,000 feet) on Cerro Toco in the Atacama 

Desert of northern Chile, near the ALMA site. It is designed to measure minute 

variations in the intensity of the cosmic microwave background (the radiation at 

microwave wavelengths that is a remnant of the Big Bang) to study how the universe began, what it is made of, and how it evolved to its current state. ACT is a 

dedicated special-purpose telescope and is equipped with a state-of-the-art customized camera with detectors cooled to one-tenth of a degree above absolute zero. 

In FY 2013, the major technical activity was to get the first of three arrays for 

the ACT Polarization Experiment (ACTPol) cryostat in the field observing the 

sky. At the end of the fiscal year, the camera was in the field and mounted on the 

telescope. The ACTPol receiver is a sophisticated new design based on a dilution 

refrigerator, which allows the detectors to operate with very low noise at a cryostat 

temperature of 100 millikelvins. 

The Polarization of Background Radiation (POLARBEAR) telescope is a 3-meterdiameter off-axis millimeter-wave antenna designed to measure the polarization of 

the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. The observatory is located 
134Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

near the ACT and ALMA facilities on the Chilean Atacama plateau. The telescope 

is being used to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background to 

search for “B-modes,” which will open up a new window on the early universe and 

the physics of inflation if detected. Unlike previous radio telescopes, POLARBEAR 

was designed for a very large field of view to accommodate a large imaging camera. 

Wide area coverage is key to obtaining a broad sampling of the microwave background sky and high signal-to-noise measurements. In FY 2013, the project was fully 

operational and accumulated more than 3,300 hours of CMB data and 500 hours 

of calibration data. These observations were focused on three patches in the sky, 

producing the most precise maps of the CMB polarization to date.

Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences

The Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences’ (AGS) high-altitude aircraft, the Gulfstream V (GV), is a highly modified and instrumented midsize jet 

operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a Federally 

Funded Research and Development Center of the NSF. The GV is FAA-certified to 

operate at 51,000 feet, and its ability to fly for long durations (over 12 hours), fly long 

range (over 6,000 kilometers), and carry scientific payloads (up to 6,000 pounds) have 

enabled scientific research previously not possible with existing platforms. The GV is 

the most advanced airborne research platform in the U.S. civilian fleet. The German 

Aerospace Center (DLR) recently completed modifications, including advanced 

instrumentation, to a Gulfstream 550 that can collaborate with NSF’s GV aircraft 

in scientific campaigns. During FY 2013, the DLR’s 550 staff and the GV’s staff continued collaboration on instrument pod development and shared instrumentation, 

and the GV continued to conduct long-duration flights for the High-performance 

Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) Pole-toPole Observations (HIPPO) deployment to study the carbon cycle and greenhouse 

gases as part of a multi-year campaign. The GV also participated in additional field 

projects during FY 2013 and remained one of the world’s most advanced airborne 

research platforms. 

NCAR’s Research Aircraft Facility continued to operate and maintain GV through 

FY 2013. GV’s expected lifetime is 10 to 25 years, during which new instrumentation 
135 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

innovations will be continually integrated onto the airframe as appropriate. NCAR 

also operated and maintained NSF’s heavy-lift C-130Q research aircraft. 

The AGS Geospace Section (GS) supported a wide variety of research programs 

in space science in FY 2013. These included the funding of advanced radar systems 

to study the ionosphere and magnetosphere, ground-based optical equipment to 

study the aurora and airglow, partial support to ground-based solar telescopes and 

instruments, and a wide-ranging portfolio of basic research in space physics. Major 

GS-funded activities in FY 2013 included the Geospace Facilities (GF) program; the 

Space Weather Research (SWR) program; the Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics 

of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) program; the Geospace Environment Modeling 

(GEM) program; and the Solar, Heliosphere, and INterplanetary Environment 

(SHINE) program.

The National Space Weather Program (NSWP) is a multiagency Federal program aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of space weather on the Nation’s 

technological infrastructure by providing timely, accurate, and reliable space environment observations, specifications, and forecasts.

Throughout FY 2013, the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) 

for space weather research, cosponsored by the NSF and NASA and located at 

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, continued to provide the research community with access to state-of-the-art space weather models and conducted important model validation activities necessary for transitioning research models into 

operational use.

Research facilities remained as the key component of GS efforts. The Geospace 

Facilities program in FY 2013 continued to enable basic research on the structure 

and dynamics of Earth’s upper atmosphere. In particular, the CEDAR and GEM 

programs conducted research efforts utilizing these facilities. Throughout FY 2013, 

observations made by the Advanced Modular Incoherent-Scatter Radar (AMISR) 

at Poker Flat, Alaska, demonstrated the unique capabilities of this new instrument, 

including its ability to image the ionospheric effects of auroral particle precipitation in three dimensions. These observations provided a wealth of data particularly 

useful to modelers interested in validating space weather models. A second AMISR 

system has been operating at Resolute Bay in Arctic Canada since 2009. This radar 

is ideally situated to observe the properties of the ionosphere in the polar cap, a 
136Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

region that is characterized by high ionospheric variability that often causes disruption of important navigation and communication systems.

In FY 2013, GS continued to support its program for CubeSat-based small satellite science missions for geospace and atmospheric research and education. During 

FY 2013, four projects continued to operate successfully in space and provided 

high-quality observations and scientific findings. Another two excellent CubeSat 

science projects were started in FY 2013, adding new capabilities and breadth to 

the overall CubeSat program that, with this addition, encompassed a total of 10 

CubeSat projects.

GS continued support for the satellite-based Active Magnetosphere and 

Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE) through FY 2013. 

AMPERE utilized the 66 networked satellites of the existing Iridium constellation 

to create a new facility for collecting geomagnetic field data. The AMPERE facility has provided the first-ever real-time observations of the electric currents that 

link Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere and the first-ever continuous, global 

observations for tracking geomagnetic storm-time dynamics. Geomagnetic storms 

occur when charged particles emitted by solar flares interact with Earth’s magnetosphere. Such storms can cause major disruptions of power and communications 

systems on the ground. The AMPERE data server facility has been established and 

placed online, and data for the years of 2010–2013 have been made freely available 

to researchers, with new data being added continually. During FY 2013, the existing AMPERE award was completed, and negotiations between the university and 

industry partners for the continuation of the project were initiated.

The GS solar physics community also continued to benefit from the Division of 

Astronomical Sciences’ ongoing efforts to develop and manage the DKIST being 

constructed in Hawaii. Also in FY 2013, GS continued to provide oversight for 

much-needed upgrades at the Owens Valley Solar Array in California. 

In FY 2013, the AGS Atmosphere Section (AS) continued to support the 

Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate 

(COSMIC). The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and 

its collaborator, Taiwan’s National Space Organization (NSPO), designed and built 

the COSMIC six-satellite constellation, which was launched on April 14, 2006, 

with the support and assistance of the USAF’s Space Test Program (STP). Shortly 
137 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

thereafter, data became available from the three payloads: the special space-based 

GPS radio occultation (RO) receivers, the so-called Tiny Ionosphere Photometers, 

and the Tri-Band Beacons. These data have been provided freely to the world scientific community. 

COSMIC radio occultation data have been assimilated at many operational 

weather prediction centers, including the U.S. National Centers for Environmental 

Prediction (NCEP), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts 

(ECMWF), Météo France, the United Kingdom Met Office, the Meteorological 

Service of Canada, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, and others. All of these 

centers have reported that RO data are having a significant positive impact on 

numerical weather forecasts. In ionospheric studies, COSMIC RO data have accelerated the development of physical models for space weather prediction by providing dense, accurate, and global electron density measurements. These data are used 

for model testing and initialization, including the response of the global ionosphere 

to the impact of solar storms. 

During FY 2013, all six COSMIC satellites were operating and providing data. 

On average, COSMIC produced from 1,500 to 2,000 GPS RO soundings per day. 

Ninety percent of these were processed and delivered to operational centers within 

3 hours. COSMIC has supported more than 1,100 registered users from 52 countries. In collaboration with UCAR’s UNIDATA, COSMIC soundings have been 

provided in real time to support the university community. 

Division of Polar Programs

For FY 2013, the primary activities of the Division of Polar Programs (PLR) in 

ground-based space science and astronomy included continued full-scale observations at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station with the 10-meter off-axis 

radio telescope and deployment of a battery of five small-aperture (25-centimeter) 

telescopes known as the Small Polarimeter Upgrade for DASI (Degree Angular 

Scale Interferometer), or SPUD. Both the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and 

SPUD are focused on cosmic microwave background polarization measurements. 

The High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz (HEAT) robotic telescope at Ridge A 

continued data collection through FY 2013. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory 
138Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

(ICNO) also continued data collection of high-energy neutrino events through 

FY 2013. 

Recent scientific results from SPT include a joint study with ALMA published in 

Nature (“Dusty starburst galaxies in the early Universe as revealed by gravitational 

lensing”). Bursts of star formation were discovered with energies of “a trillion suns.” 

Another SPT result was a breakthrough in CMB B-mode polarization research: 

the team detected for the first time a subtle B-mode polarization signal in the CMB 

radiation caused by “gravitational lensing”—gravitational interactions of the CMB 

photons with matter along their journey to Earth. 

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (jointly operated at the South Pole by PLR 

and NSF’s Division of Physics) has now collected data for almost three years from 

a complete array of 86 strings of optical photodetectors deployed in deep ice under 

the South Pole Station in Antarctica at a depth between 1.4 and 2.4 kilometers. 

The ICNO Collaboration in FY 2013 reported the first observation of 28 neutrinoinduced events that correspond to some of the highest neutrino energies detected 

so far. The team analyzed neutrino events that exceed 50 teraelectronvolts (TeV) 

and come from anywhere in the sky (1 electronvolt [eV] is the energy an electron 

or proton gains when it is accelerated by a voltage of 1 volt; 1 TeV is a trillion eV; 

2 eV is about the energy of a photon in the visible orange light band). While most 

of the neutrinos observed by IceCube exhibit energies in the range expected for 

atmospheric neutrinos from decays of particles produced in extensive air showers 

by cosmic rays, the energies of the discovered 28 events are much higher (from a 

hundred to a thousand TeV), indicating a likely origin from far away in our galaxy 

or even more distant places. 
139 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Department of

DOS

The Department of State carries out diplomatic efforts to support U.S. space 

policies and programs internationally. DOS supports U.S. civil space activities 

through the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral agreements with partner 

countries and leads U.S. participation in numerous international space and technological activities and international organizations. DOS also maintains outreach 

programs to advance U.S. space and foreign policy objectives.

DOS continued to lead the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee 

on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) plenary and its two subcommittees: Legal (LSC) and Scientific and Technical (STSC). With numerous countries and private-sector entities now engaged in space activities, DOS considers 

promoting the safe and responsible use of space by all current and future spacefaring nations a vital goal. During COPUOS 2013, State continued U.S. participation in the Working Group on Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities 

(LTS). This working group was tasked with examining and proposing voluntary 

best practices guidelines to ensure the safe and sustainable use of outer space for 

peaceful purposes and the benefit of all countries. The LTS Terms of Reference 

were finalized in 2011, and the Working Group continued in 2013 with the four 

expert groups to discuss interrelated topics relevant to long-term space sustainability, such as the connection between sustainable development on Earth and the 

sustainability of space activities, space situational awareness, space debris, space 

weather, and regulatory issues. 

Still building on the results of the International Heliophysical Year and the 

International Space Weather Initiative to improve international cooperation in 

understanding the impact of space weather on satellites and Earth’s environment in 
140Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

general, DOS continued to promote space weather as an important foreign policy 

topic worldwide and during COPUOS. The STSC completed its multi-year work 

plan in 2013 on the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI), where the 

United States played a leading role. During this session, space weather became a 

regular agenda item, and State was fortunate to have an astronomer—an American 

Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow—on board to coordinate and provide expert advice on U.S. space weather objectives and programs 

with other delegates and agencies.

During the 52nd session of the LSC in 2013, the State Department promoted 

the continuation of the item entitled “Review of the International Mechanisms 

for Cooperation in the Peaceful Exploration and Use of Outer Space” through 

the U.S. delegation, which allowed the United States to take a leadership role 

in shaping the course of the LSC. The item is based on a proposal introduced 

in 2012 by the United States and co-sponsored by China, Ecuador, Japan, Peru, 

and Saudi Arabia, and it provided other delegates with a comprehensive overview 

of the current status of national space laws and regulations and helped member 

states in understanding the different approaches taken at the national level to the 

development of national space-related regulatory frameworks. 

The U.S. and EU continued close cooperation under the auspices of the 2004 

GPS-Galileo Cooperation Agreement. In FY 2013, new Terms of Reference for 

the Working Groups formed under the agreement were drafted as a result of a 

decision taken at the July 2012 GPS-Galileo Plenary. Particular attention paid to 

protection of intellectual property developed as a result of our joint cooperation. 

These Terms of Reference were reviewed and approved during FY 2013. Working 

Group A continued its work on seeking coordination with the EU under ITU 

auspices for next-generation GPS III signals and power levels. Working Group C 

also continued its work on developing next-generation GNSS applications, particularly for aviation use. 

During the 2012 U.S.-EU Space Policy Dialogue in Prague, the United 

States underscored its interest in negotiating access to the Galileo Public 

Regulated Service (PRS) signal. The EU requested a formal letter from the 

State Department to that effect, which was drafted and delivered to the EU 

in early 2013. Follow-up meetings on the PRS issue were held in June 2013 in 
141 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Washington, DC, and in July in Brussels, where the EU informed the United 

States of progress in its process to obtain a mandate to negotiate a possible access 

agreement with the United States on PRS. 

In November 2012, the United States and Japan held a Technical Working 

Group meeting in Tokyo, where Japan detailed its planned expansion of the QuasiZenith Satellite System (QZSS) to add more satellites. This expansion requires 

technical consultations with the United States to ensure compatibility between 

QZSS and GPS signals. The United States and Japan held a plenary meeting of 

our bilateral civil space dialogue in July 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. The extension of 

U.S.-Japan agreements to host QZSS reference stations in Hawaii and Guam was 

discussed. The parties also discussed possible future directions for the International 

Committee on GNSS (ICG) and on holding workshops on interference detection 

and mitigation and spectrum protection. 

The United States and Russia held several video teleconferences, as well as 

meetings on the margins of other international conferences to explore Russia’s 

2012 proposal to obtain monitoring station facilities in the United States to help 

improve the accuracy of its civil GLONASS satellite navigation system. Details of 

Russia’s proposal kept changing in response to pointed questions for clarification 

from the United States By the end of FY 2013, discussions were focused on using 

existing, available data from scientific reference stations already in operation in the 

United States. 

Finally, DOS continued to promote the use of GPS in the African continent, 

working through the AfricaArray consortium and the United Nations Office of 

Outer Space Affairs. AfricaArray is a public-private partnership led by academic 

researchers at the Universities of Witwatersrand in South Africa and Pennsylvania 

State University in the United States. The partnership is focused on supporting training and research in Earth, atmospheric, and space sciences in Africa. 

At the AfricaArray annual meeting held January 17–20, 2013, in Johannesburg, 

DOS facilitated the travel of scientists from Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, 

Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia, as well as their participation in workshops 

on GPS applications on a broad spectrum of Earth and space sciences. 

143 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Department of En

DOE

The Department of Energy participates in the national effort to further U.S. 

interests in space. Three organizations within DOE provide this capability: the 

National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Office of Defense Nuclear 

Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R&D), the Office of Science 

(SC), and the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). 

Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research 

and Development

The Nuclear Detonation Detection program builds the Nation’s operational sensors to monitor the planet from space to detect and report surface, atmospheric, 

or space nuclear detonations (NuDets). The Space-based Nuclear Detonation 

Detection subprogram provides much of the Nation’s capability to detect, report, 

locate, and identify nuclear explosions using orbiting satellites. The Office of 

Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development develops, builds, 

and delivers these satellite payloads to meet interagency performance and schedule 

commitments and provides launch and on-orbit operational support for the current 

generation of the U.S. NuDet Detection System (USNDS). 

Since the Vela satellite program in 1960, NNSA and its predecessors have provided the underlying science and technology capability for space-based detection 

of foreign nuclear weapon detonations to meet test-ban-treaty monitoring and 

missile warning needs. Today, these associations continue and have expanded to 

include military support missions and space control. These efforts span decades of 

overlapping generations of instruments deployed on multiple platforms in different 
144Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

orbital configurations. NNSA continues full-scale production and delivery of sensor packages to ensure that payloads are ready, as needed, to meet national security 

requirements. To ensure that the technologies and capabilities developed for the 

program support stakeholder needs, DNN R&D actively engages in intergovernmental working groups that reduce duplication among agencies, bring new user 

requirements to the fore, and improve the quality of relevant technology across 

the funding agencies. Strong synergy exists between the work performed in the 

USNDS program and planetary science and astrophysics. The current gamma-ray 

spectrometers used for USNDS share their heritage with the NASA Swift mission, 

which evolved from earlier USNDS sensors. This mission exemplifies how collaboration between National Laboratories and NASA for astrophysics has benefited 

USNDS capabilities and vice versa. Additionally, the NASA Living With a Star 

program contributes to, and is benefited by, the NNSA-developed payloads that 

monitor and operate in the near-Earth space environment.

The NNSA weapons laboratories, most notably Los Alamos National Laboratory 

(LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), supply the science, technology, and engineering required for USNDS, with Lawrence Livermore National 

Laboratory (LLNL) contributing to the end-to-end testing of USNDS. These 

NNSA laboratories have unique and comprehensive capabilities in understanding nuclear weapons, as well as the signatures and observables associated with a 

nuclear detonation and the propagation of signals from the weapon to the sensor. Moreover, these laboratories provide capabilities in the design, construction, 

calibration, deployment, and operation of satellite-based detection instruments, 

along with detailed modeling and analysis. As the basis for 24/7/365 global monitoring, the user/operations communities routinely receive analysis, insights, and 

computer codes based on this research. These capabilities represent an important 

non-commercial source of national space expertise and competency that NNSA is 

committed to sustaining and nourishing.

Two payloads built by NNSA at these laboratories accomplish the NuDet reporting mission—the Global Burst Detector (GBD) and the Space and Atmospheric 

Burst Reporting System (SABRS). The GBD payload is hosted on all GPS satellites. The SABRS payload is carried on satellite hosts in geosynchronous orbit. In 

order to maintain a vital capability to design and implement these systems, DNN 
145 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

R&D supports Demonstration-Validation payloads to explore new technologies and 

new sensing modalities and to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for 

parts that might be used in future payload designs. 

Office of Science

The DOE Office of Science supports several activities that contribute to a broad 

range of space interests. These activities include SC fundamental research that 

is of mutual interest to the NASA mission and NASA researchers, collaborative 

research efforts with NASA, and the operation of SC scientific facilities that are 

available to NASA and the broader scientific community for space-related research. 

SC supports fundamental research in plasma science that contributes to 

SC-NASA mutual interests in knowledge of magnetospheric/ionospheric, solar, and 

astrophysical systems. A major area of research supported by SC’s Office of Fusion 

Energy Sciences (FES) is centered on developing a comprehensive understanding of 

astrophysical magnetized-plasma processes, including particle acceleration in cosmic gamma-ray bursts, magnetic reconnection and turbulent processes in Earth’s 

magnetosphere and the solar corona, the formation and evolution of astrophysical 

jets, and the dynamo processes that create planetary/galactic magnetic-field structures. Some specific examples include (1) large-scale plasma simulation codes that 

are applied to study space weather; (2) the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at the 

University of California, Los Angeles, which enables controlled studies of Alfven 

waves that carry energy and momentum from the sun to Earth and throughout 

the universe; (3) the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) at the Princeton 

Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), which permits laboratory studies of reconnection in Earth’s magnetotail; (4) the Magneto-Rotational Instability (MRI) facility, 

also at PPPL, which elucidates the physics of accretion disks around black holes; 

and (5) a newly established center at PPPL in partnership with the Max Planck 

Society that specifically explores the application of plasma science to astrophysical 

problems. In addition, FES sponsors unmagnetized-plasma research that uses lasers 

and light-source x-rays to probe the properties of warm dense matter similar to that 

found in planetary cores.
146Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Projects funded by the Office of Science and executed through joint collaboration with NASA include the development of experimental techniques of 

fundamental physics for use in space to investigate high-priority national science 

objectives. Examples of these efforts include the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 

(AMS) and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST). The AMS, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment designed and built primarily by 

SC and launched on the Space Shuttle in May 2011. AMS-02 is now mounted 

on the International Space Station, where it searches for various types of unusual 

matter by measuring cosmic rays. Among the experiment’s science goals are the 

search for evidence of dark matter and cosmic domains of antimatter. The Large 

Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument on NASA’s FGST, is a space-based 

particle-physics detector that helps researchers study the gamma-ray sky. SC managed the LAT fabrication and now operates the LAT Science Operations Center. 

Researchers use the data to learn about high-energy acceleration mechanisms generated by supermassive black holes and supernovae and to search for dark matter. 

The Office of Science and NASA engage in collaborative research efforts in the 

area of atmospheric science and environmental phenomena. SC and NASA completed two joint experiments in 2013: the Two Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) 

and the Marginal Ice Zone Observations and Processes EXperiment (MIZOPEX). 

Supported under SC’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) activity, 

TCAP utilized a fixed site on Cape Cod supplemented by aircraft in order to amass 

more refined aerosol observations in polluted air masses advecting eastward to the 

North Atlantic. MIZOPEX flew a NASA unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over 

Arctic sea ice to characterize the ocean surface, sea ice, and atmosphere at the 

critical Marginal Ice Zone, north of the ARM facility at Oliktok, Alaska. NASA 

currently uses the UAV, as well as ARM data, to advance NASA sensor parameterizations; SC uses the UAV data to test and validate improvements to sea 

ice models as part of the DOE investments in climate model development. SC’s 

ARM activity also provides support at three sites (Southern Great Plains; Barrow, 

Alaska; and Manus Island, Papua New Guinea) for validation of the Cross-track 

Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder that will 

fly on NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System 

(NPOESS) satellite and will provide profiles of temperature and moisture. 
147 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Since astronauts are spending more time in space, NASA has long been engaged 

in working on ground-based studies to understand the possible risks to human 

beings exposed to space radiation. The Office of Science has been working with 

NASA in a couple of areas to help support NASA’s mission interests in this area. 

SC provides scientific user facilities for the scientific community, including particle 

accelerators and ion beams for biological and electronic systems radiation studies. The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) was established at DOE’s 

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to study the radiobiological effects of 

using beams of heavy ions extracted from BNL’s Booster accelerator that are also 

produced to deliver into SC’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider facility. Jointly managed during the four-year construction period by SC and NASA’s Johnson Space 

Center, the NSRL facility provides a leading capability for radiobiology studies in 

the United States. In addition, since FY 2001, DOE and NASA have engaged in 

coordinated efforts to better understand and predict the health risks associated 

with exposure to low-dose radiation. SC’s Low Dose Radiation Research Program 

has coordinated with NASA’s Space Radiation Project within NASA’s Human 

Research Program. The SC Low Dose program focuses on doses of radiation measured at or below current workplace exposure limits; current collaborations are 

limited due to a decreasing emphasis on human radiation research within SC’s 

research portfolio. 

Office of Nuclear Energy

The Office of Nuclear Energy supports NASA’s space science and exploration 

programs by maintaining the necessary infrastructure capabilities of nuclear facilities to produce and deliver power systems for Federal user agencies, such as NASA. 

These capabilities, funded by DOE, support NE’s production of space radioisotope 

power systems for current space mission applications. The Office of Nuclear Energy 

also conducts research and development for NASA-funded radioisotope power 

system (RPS) and space reactor power and propulsion system technology programs.

DOE and its predecessors have provided radioisotope power systems that have 

safely enabled deep space exploration and national security missions for over five 

decades. Radioisotope power systems convert the heat from the natural radioactive 
148Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

decay of plutonium (Pu)-238 into electricity. RPSs are capable of producing either 

heat or electricity for decades under the harsh conditions encountered in deep 

space. They have proven safe, reliable, and maintenance-free in missions to study 

the moon and all the planets in the solar system except Mercury. Systems that 

utilize RPS-powered systems are currently in many different stages of their mission 

lives. The Mars Science Laboratory rover, named Curiosity, landed on Mars in 

August 2012. Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to another 

planet and is powered by a Multi-Mission Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) 

that was designed, built, and delivered by DOE. It is currently exploring Mount 

Sharp in Gale Crater on Mars. Voyagers 1 and 2, each powered by three MultiHundred Watt (MHW)-RTGs, left Earth in 1977 to conduct a grand tour of the 

outer planets. Voyager 2 is continuing to explore the heliosheath on the edge of 

the solar system, while Voyager 1, at more than 11 billion miles from Earth, has 

traveled farther than any other humanmade object and, as of August 2012, was 

the first such object to enter interstellar space. Both spacecraft remain operational 

and are sending back useful scientific data after over 36 years of operation; they 

are expected to continue functioning until 2025. The Cassini mission launched in 

1997 and entered orbit around Saturn in 2004. The Cassini spacecraft uses three 

DOE-supplied General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS)-RTGs and is the largest 

spacecraft ever launched to explore the outer planets. It is successfully returning 

data and images of Saturn and its surrounding moons by using a broad range of 

scientific instruments. Cassini is expected to continue to operate until at least 

2017. The New Horizons spacecraft, launched in 2006 and powered by a single 

GPHS-RTG, is the fastest spacecraft to ever leave Earth. New Horizons has already 

returned images and scientific data from Jupiter and will continue its journey of 

three billion miles to study Pluto and its moon, Charon, in 2015. It may also go on 

to study one or more objects in the vast Kuiper Belt, the largest structure in our 

planetary system.

DOE is continuing to work with NASA to develop the Advanced Stirling 

Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). This radioisotope power system uses dynamic 

energy conversion for greater system efficiency than that of an RTG. Although 

ASRG was not selected last year for the competitive Discovery-12 Mission, ASRG 

system development continued for potential use in future missions.
149 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

The stockpile of plutonium-238 used to power these missions to explore the 

solar system and for other Government applications is limited. NE is working with 

NASA to reestablish domestic Pu-238 production in order to ensure the continued 

availability of these power systems for future science missions. NASA has fully 

funded the costs to reestablish this national production capability since FY 2011. 

The Pu-238 Supply Project will use existing facilities at the Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory (ORNL) and Idaho National Laboratory to produce Pu-238. In 2013, 

the project continued to qualify the neptunium (Np)-237 target design and to demonstrate production steps. 

151 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Smithsonian Insti

The Smithsonian Institution continued to contribute to national aerospace 

goals through the activities of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 

(SAO), which, together with the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, 

Massachusetts, forms the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). 

Through this organization, more than 300 scientists engaged in a broad program of 

research in astronomy, astrophysics, Earth and space sciences, and science education. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, 

DC, also contributed to national aerospace goals through its research and education activities.

In FY 2013, exoplanets, or planets orbiting distant stars, continued to be a hot 

topic. SAO astronomers analyzing data from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft concluded 

that one out of every six stars in our galaxy has an Earth-sized planet. Since the 

Milky Way has about 100 billion stars, there are at least 17 billion Earth-sized 

worlds out there.

An Earth-sized world could be too hot or cold for life, so researchers also worked 

to calculate how many planets orbit in the warm “Goldilocks” zone of their stars. 

In a February 2013 press conference, SAO astronomers announced that Earth-like 

worlds are likely to be right next door, astronomically speaking. They found that 

six percent of red-dwarf stars have habitable, Earth-sized planets. Since red dwarfs 

are the most common stars in our galaxy, the closest Earth-like planet could be just 

13 light-years away.

In an unusual twist, SAO researchers also gained new insight into the cosmic 

origin of gold. Gold is rare on Earth in part because it’s also rare in the universe. 

Unlike elements like carbon or iron, it cannot be created within a star. Instead, 

it must be born in a more cataclysmic event like a gamma-ray burst. Observations 

of a gamma-ray burst that occurred in June 2013 showed that the star collision 
152Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

that caused it also resulted in the production of enough gold to create 10 copies of 

Earth’s moon in solid gold.

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in August 2003, continues to produce exciting new views of the universe at infrared wavelengths. Spitzer is the 

fourth and final space telescope in NASA’s Great Observatory series. Spitzer’s 

Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) was developed at SAO and constructed at NASA’s 

Goddard Space Flight Center. Spitzer is operated for NASA by the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory. Spitzer’s “cold mission” lasted more than 5.5 years and ended with the 

depletion of its liquid-helium coolant on May 15, 2009. However, two of the cameras at the 3.6- and 4.5-micron wavelengths in IRAC continue to operate during 

the new “warm mission” phase. 

SAO scientists, in collaboration with the Spitzer Science Center, continue to 

play an important role in operating IRAC and analyzing its data for making astronomical observations. 

In FY 2013, SAO scientists and their collaborators published data from the 

Spitzer-South Pole Telescope Deep Field (SSDF) survey. This survey covered 

almost 90 square degrees of a southern region of the sky known as the South Pole 

Telescope Deep Field. This field benefits from a wealth of supporting observations 

using other facilities. The main focus of this effort is to better understand galaxy 

clusters—the largest structures known to exist. 

SAO astronomers also conducted a multi-wavelength study of galaxies with 

Spitzer. They specifically examined galaxies heavier than 1 billion suns at distances 

of 4 to 7 billion light-years. The results showed that massive quiescent galaxies were 

already in place by 5 billion years after the Big Bang but that lower-mass galaxies 

generally ceased their star formation at later epochs.

A combination of the Spitzer Extended Deep Survey and the Hubble Space 

Telescope Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey was 

used to track galaxy evolution back to a time when the universe was only 600 million years old. These results show that the brightest galaxies are crowded more 

tightly than expected from previous estimates at this time in the universe’s history. 

The Spitzer/IRAC images are the first such individual detections of galaxies at 

this time. From these observations, the first measurements of galaxies’ masses were 

determined, implying a very efficient star formation at such an early time.
153 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

SAO astronomers also observed the asteroid (3552) Don Quixote as part of a 

Spitzer Space Telescope project to characterize a large sample of near-Earth objects 

(NEOs). The NEO population, which mainly consists of fragments from collisions 

between asteroids in the main asteroid belt, is thought to include contributions 

from short-period comets as well. Because comets’ active lifetimes are significantly 

shorter than the dynamical lifetimes of NEOs, it is likely that the NEO population 

contains a significant number of extinct or dormant comets. Don Quixote was one 

of the most promising NEO candidates for a cometary origin, based on its cometlike orbit and albedo (reflectivity of its surface).

As hoped, SAO astronomers discovered cometary activity in Don Quixote. 

Images clearly showed the presence of a coma and a tail at a wavelength of 

4.5 microns, but not in the 3.6-micron band, which is consistent with emission 

from carbon dioxide molecules from the comet. Computer models produced a 

diameter estimate of 11.4 miles, which confirms Don Quixote to be the third 

largest known NEO.

With its unrivaled ability to create high-resolution x-ray images, the Chandra 

X-ray Observatory plays a critical role in the exploration of the universe. The 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations 

from the Chandra X-ray Center from its location in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In FY 2013, researchers announced that a major observing campaign with 

Chandra and several other satellites showed that magnetars—the dense remains 

of dead stars that erupt sporadically with bursts of high-energy radiation—may be 

more diverse and common than previously thought. Magnetars are some of the 

most extreme objects in the universe and are created when a massive star runs out 

of fuel and collapses, leaving behind an ultradense object only 10 to 15 miles wide. 

Later in the year, astronomers using Chandra discovered the first x-rays from a 

planet passing in front of a star outside of our solar system. The planet (named HD 

189733b) is similar in size to Jupiter but is 30 times closer to its star than Earth is to 

the sun; HD 189733b orbits its star once just every 2.2 days. The Chandra results 

tell researchers about the planet’s atmosphere as well as how the planet and star 

affect one another.

Also announced in FY 2013, data from Chandra suggest that the debris field 

from an exploded star may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky 
154Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Way Galaxy. This supernova remnant appears to be the product of a rare explosion in which matter is ejected at high speeds along the poles of a rotating star. 

The remnant, called W49B, is about a thousand years old as seen from Earth and 

located about 26,000 light-years away.

Astronomers also teamed Chandra up with the Hubble Space Telescope and optical telescopes on the ground to discover the densest galaxy in the nearby part of the 

universe. Packed with an extraordinary number of stars, this unusual galaxy is providing clues to its intriguing past and how it fits into the galactic evolutionary chain.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory provides better-than-HD-quality images of the 

sun’s surface and outer atmosphere. SAO is a major partner in the Atmospheric 

Imaging Assembly (AIA)—a group of four telescopes that photograph the sun in 

10 different wavelength bands, or colors, once every 12 seconds.

The Hinode mission is a joint U.S.-Japan-Europe mission designed to study the 

detailed physics of the sun’s atmosphere. SAO is the lead institution on the X-ray 

Telescope (XRT) on the Hinode spacecraft. The XRT is a telescope that images 

energetic x-rays that are produced in the hottest parts of the sun’s corona.

The AIA and Hinode XRT observations formed the basis of the thesis work by 

a graduate student supported by SAO. In this work, mathematical magnetic field 

models are constructed in ways that are consistent with the high-resolution AIA 

and XRT observations. These models show how magnetic energy is stored in the 

corona as well as the conditions that are needed to release the energy quickly in 

flares and coronal mass ejections.

In FY 2013, XRT provided stunning images of the structure of regions of activity 

in the sun’s atmosphere. These regions are locations where large solar eruptions 

originate. The images from XRT allowed scientists to systematically study the 

structure and evolution of the magnetic fields within these regions, leading to a 

better understanding of the conditions that can cause large eruptions.

In FY 2013, the NASA Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) was successfully launched. SAO built the telescope feed and has an active role in IRIS 

operations and science. IRIS observations are helping us to understand how the 

magnetic fields threading the sun’s atmosphere create the solar corona.

In public outreach, SAO continued its popular monthly “Observatory Night” 

lectures and observing sessions. Begun by observatory director Harlow Shapley in 
155 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

1930, these public nights offer the local community an opportunity to learn about 

the latest advances in astronomy and view the moon, stars, and planets through a 

variety of telescopes. A second overflow room was added in order to accommodate 

attendance numbers that continue to outstrip the capacity of the main auditorium.

SAO also provided occasional “Author’s Night” programs, as well as scifi movie nights that explore the theme “Everything I learned about science, I 

learned at the movies.”

SAO made a concerted effort to boost its online presence in FY 2013. 

“Observatory Night” lectures, colloquia, and other public programs now are routinely Webcast live to reach a broader audience. SAO also created a YouTube 

channel in order to widely distribute its public talks, news features, and other 

video offerings.

In FY 2013, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum continued to educate and inspire the public through exhibits, research, and education programs, including discovery stations, lecture series, family educational 

events, publications, and intern training. In collaboration with the National 

Museum of American History, NASM opened a new major exhibition, “Time 

and Navigation,” which includes topics of air navigation, space navigation, and 

satellite navigation. Also on exhibit this year was Leonardo da Vinci’s original 

“Codex on the Flight of Birds.” This treasured notebook was on loan to NASM 

from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy. It includes da Vinci’s remarkable ideas 

and sketches related to mechanical flight. 

Staff members in NASM’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS) 

continued to participate on the science teams of several spacecraft missions. 

Three of six full-time CEPS scientists served on mission teams during the year. 

Dr. John Grant is a Participating Scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) 

mission that is currently operating on Mars. He is a chair of the MER Science 

Operations Working Group, in which he leads the day-to-day science planning for 

the Opportunity rover. He conducts real-time mission planning from a data station 

installed on site at CEPS. In addition, he is cochair of the Mars 2020 Landing Site 

Steering Committee. CEPS staff are also on the science teams for the Mars Science 

Laboratory (MSL); the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere 

Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on Mars Express; both the High-Resolution 
156Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and Shallow Subsurface Radar (SHARAD) 

instruments on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO); the radar sounder on 

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE); the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 

(LRO); and the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and 

Ranging (MESSENGER) mission to Mercury. 

CEPS continued its active research program in planetary and terrestrial geology 

and geophysics using remote sensing data from Earth-orbiting satellites, as well as 

piloted and unpiloted space missions. The scope of research activities included 

work on the moon, Mars, Earth, Mercury, and Titan. Research topics included 

Martian and terrestrial Aeolian (wind impact) studies, comparative planetology, 

terrestrial volcanism, geomorphology of Mercury, Martian subsurface channels, 

and channel features on the surfaces of Mars and Titan.

In addition, during FY 2013, NASM completed 8 new books and a total of 25 

articles in history. In science, NASM completed 19 articles (7 of which had CEPS 

lead authors) and 51 abstracts. Additionally, the NASM Fellowship Program hosted 

10 fellows and 6 visiting scientists.
157

Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

ppendice
158Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Appendix A-1

u.s. governmenT spaCeCrafT reCord

(Includes spacecraft from cooperating countries launched by U.S. launch vehicles.)

Calendar Year

Earth Orbita Earth Escapeb

Success Failure Success Failure

1957 0 1 0 0

1958 5 8 0 4

1959 9 9 1 2

1960 16 12 1 2

1961 35 12 0 2

1962 55 12 4 1

1963 62 11 0 0

1964 69 8 4 0

1965 93 7 4 1

1966 94 12 7 1b

1967 78 4 10 0

1968 61 15 3 0

1969 58 1 8 1

1970 36 1 3 0

1971 45 2 8 1

1972 33 2 8 0

1973 23 2 3 0

1974 27 2 1 0

1975 30 4 4 0

1976 33 0 1 0

1977 27 2 2 0

1978 34 2 7 0

1979 18 0 0 0

1980 16 4 0 0

1981 20 1 0 0

1982 21 0 0 0

1983 31 0 0 0

1984 35 3 0 0

1985 37 1 0 0

1986 11 4 0 0

1987 9 1 0 0

1988 16 1 0 0

1989 24 0 2 0

1990 40 0 1 0

1991 32c 0 0 0

1992 26c 0 1 0

1993 28c 1 1 0

1994 31c 1 1 0

1995 24c, d 2 1 0

1996 30 1 3 0

1997 22e 0 1 0

1998 23 0 2 0

1999 35 4 2 0

2000 31f 0 0 0

2001 23 0 3 0

2002 18 0 0 1b

2003 28c, f 0 2 0

2004 8c 0 1 0

2005 10 0 2 0

2006 20d 0 2 0

2007 16 2 2 0

2008 22f 0 0 0

2009 24f 1 0 0

2010 15 0 0 0

2011 16 1 3 0

2012 13 0 0 0

2013 (through September 30, 2013) 15 0 0 0

TOTAL 1,711 157 109 16

a. The criterion of success or failure used is attainment of Earth orbit or Earth escape rather than judgment of mission success. “Escape” flights 

include all that were intended to go to at least an altitude equal to lunar distance from Earth.

b. This Earth-escape failure did attain Earth orbit and, therefore, is included in the Earth-orbit success totals.

c. This excludes commercial satellites. It counts separately spacecraft launched by the same launch vehicle.

d. This counts various sets of microsatellites as a single payload.

e. This includes the Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative (SSTI) Lewis spacecraft that began spinning out of control shortly after it achieved Earth orbit.

f. This includes American spacecraft not launched in the U.S.
159 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Appendix A-2

World reCord of spaCe launChes suCCessful

in aTTaining earTh orbiT or beyond

(Enumerates launches rather than spacecraft; some launches orbited multiple spacecraft.)a

Calendar 

Year

United

Statesb

USSR/

CIS Francec Italyc Japan

People’s 

Republic

of China Australia

United

Kingdomc

European 

Space

Agency India Israel Iran

North

Korea

South

Korea

1957 2

1958 5 1

1959 10 3

1960 16 3

1961 29 6

1962 52 20

1963 38 17

1964 57 30

1965 63 48 1

1966 73 44 1

1967 57 66 2 1 1

1968 45 74

1969 40 70

1970 28 81 2 1 1 1

1971 30 83 1 2 2 1 1

1972 30 74 1 1

1973 23 86

1974 22 81 2 1

1975 27 89 3 1 2 3

1976 26 99 1 2

1977 24 98 2

1978 32 88 3 1

1979 16 87 2 1

1980 13 89 2 1

1981 18 98 3 1 2 1

1982 18 101 1 1

1983 22 98 3 1 2 1

1984 22 97 3 3 4

1985 17 98 2 1 3

1986 6 91 2 2 2

1987 8 95 3 2 2

1988 12 90 2 4 7

1989 17 74 2 7 1

1990 27 75 3 5 5 1

1991 20 62 2 1 9 1

1992 31 55 2 3 7 2

1993 24 45 1 1 7

1994 26 49 2 5 6 2

1995 27 33 1 2 12 1

1996 32 25 1 3 10 1

1997 37 28 2 6 12 1

1998 34 24 2 6 11

1999 32 26 4 10 1

2000 30 34 5 12

2001 23 23 1 1 8 2

2002 18 23 3 4 11 1 1

2003 26 21 2 6 4 2

2004 19 22 8 3 1

2005 16 26 2 5 5 1

2006 15 16 5 3 5

2007 25 33 3 13 8 3 1

2008 19 26 1 11 7 3

2009 25 29 3 4 9 4 1

2010 15 30 2 15 6 1 1

2011 17 33 3 18 7 3 1

2012 13 27 2 19 10 2 1 1

2013* 15 21 3 8 6 2 1

*(through September 30, 2013)

TOTAL 1,462 2,967 10 8 84 179 1 1 220 36 6 3 1 1

a. This includes commercial expendable launches and launches of the Space Shuttle as well as launches to useless orbit.

b. Launches from U.S.-Russia joint platform included in U.S. totals.

c. Since 1979, all launches for ESA member countries have been joint and are listed under ESA.
160Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Appendix B

suCCessful launChes To orbiT on u.s. vehiCles

October 1, 2012–September 30, 2013

Launch Date

Spacecraft Name

COSPAR* Designation

Launch Vehicle Mission Objectives

Apogee and

Perigee (km),

Period (min),

Inclination to Equator (°) Remarks

October 4, 2012

Navstar 67 (GPS 2F-3) 

2012-053A

Delta 4M+4,2

Military navigation 20,236

20,130

718

54.8

Global Positioning System (GPS)

October 8, 2012

Dragon CRS-1

2012-054A

Falcon 9

International Space Station 425

402

92.8

51.7

Secondary payload: Orbcomm OG2 

(2012-054B, communications)

December 11, 2012

OTV-3 (X37B)

2012-071A

Atlas 5-501

Military/classified 358

342

91.5

43.5 

U.S. Air Force test of unmanned

space plane

January 31, 2013

TDRS-K

2013-004A

Atlas 5-401

Communications 35,817

35,758

1,436.1

6.6

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 

(TDRS)

Renamed TDRS 11 after achieving 

orbit

February 11, 2013

Landsat 8

2013-008A

Atlas 5-401 

Earth science 703

702

98.8

98.2

March 1, 2013

Dragon CRS-2

2013-010A

Falcon 9

International Space Station 409

380

92.4

51.7

March 19, 2013

SBIRS GEO-2

2013-011A

Atlas 5-401 

Military 35,790

35,770

1,436.1

6.5

Space-Based Infra Red System (SBIR) 

missile detection satellite for

geosynchronous orbit

April 21, 2013

Cygnus Mass Simulator

2013-016D

Antares 110

Rocket testing 150

144

87.4

51.6

Also launched CubeSats:

Bell (2013-016A),

Dove 1 (2013-016B),

Alexander (2013-016C),

Graham (2013-016E)

May 15, 2013

Navstar 68 (GPS 2F-4)

2013-023A

Atlas 5-401 

Navigation 20,212

20,153

718

55.2

May 25, 2013

WGS 5

2013-024A

Delta 4M+5,4 

Communications 35,786

35,785

1,436.1

0

Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)

June 28, 2013

IRIS

2013-033A

Pegasus XL 

July 19, 2013

MUOS 2

2013-036A

Atlas 5-551

Military communications 35,900

35,800

1,436.1

Mobile User Objective System 

(MUOS)

August 8, 2013

WGS 6

2013-041A

Delta 4M+5,4

Communications 35,786

35,785

1,436.1

0

Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)

Space science 659

620

97.5

98

Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph 

(IRIS)
161 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Appendix B (cont.)

suCCessful launChes To orbiT on u.s. vehiCles

October 1, 2012–September 30, 2013

Launch Date

Spacecraft Name

COSPAR* Designation

Launch Vehicle Mission Objectives

Apogee and

Perigee (km),

Period (min),

Inclination to Equator (°) Remarks

August 28, 2013

USA 245 (NROL 65)

2013-043A

Delta 4H

Military/classified 997

257

97.3

97.8

National Reconnaissance Office 

September 7, 2013

LADEE

2013-047A

Minotaur 5 

Planetary science Lunar Atmosphere and Dust 

Environment Explorer (LADEE) 

September 18, 2013

AEHF 3

2013-050A

Atlas 5-531 

Military 35,700

35,700

1,306.3

20.4 

Advanced Extremely High Frequency 

(AEHF)

September 18, 2013

Cygnus ORB-D1

2013-051A

Antares 110 

International Space Station 414

411

92.8

51.7

September 29, 2013

Cassiope

2013-055A

Falcon 9 v1.1

*U.N. Committee on Space Research 

Communications/space 

science

1,440

326

102.6

81

Also launched CubeSats: CUSat (2013-

055B), DANDE (Drag and Atmospheric 

Neutral Density Explorer, 2013-055C), 

POPACS 1-3 (Polar Orbiting Passive 

Atmospheric Calibration Sphere, 

2013-055D-F)
162Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Appendix C

human spaCeflighTs

October 1, 2012–September 30, 2013

Spacecraft Launch Date Crew

Flight Time 

(d:h:min) Highlights

Soyuz TMA-06M

(Expedition 33)

Soyuz-TMA-07M

(Expedition 34)

October 23, 2012

December 19, 2012

Kevin Ford

Oleg Novitskiy

Evgeny Tarelkin

Chris Hadfield

Thomas Marshburn

Roman Romanenko

143:16:15

145:15:19

First Soyuz launch from Pad Number 

31/6 since 1984

First Canadian to lead an ISS 

Expedition crew (Hadfield)

Robotic Refueling Mission demonstrated refueling in space for satellite 

servicing

Soyuz-TMA-08M

(Expedition 35)

Soyuz-TMA-09M

(Expedition 36)

March 28, 2013

May 28, 2013

Christopher Cassidy

Pavel Vinogradov

Alexander Misurkin

Fyodor Yurchikhin 

Karen Nyberg

Luca Parmitano

166:06:15

166:05:18

First crewed four-orbit rendezvous

Installed the Obstanovka plasma-wave 

experiment and a new Pump Flow 

Control Subassembly

Completed a communications systems 

upgrade 

Returned the Olympic torch for the 

2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia

Shenzhou 10

Soyuz-TMA-10M

(Expedition 37)

June 11, 2013

September 25, 2013

Nie Haisheng

Zhang Xiaoguang 

Wang Yaping

Oleg Kotov 

Sergey Ryazanskiy

Michael Hopkins

14:14:29

166:06:26

First Chinese lecture and demonstrations to students about physics from 

space

First Cygnus rendezvous

Installed two UrtheCast High and 

Medium Resolution Cameras
163 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Appendix D-1A

spaCe aCTiviTies of The u.s. governmenT

HISTORICAL TABLE OF BUDGET AUTHORITY 

(in millions of real-year dollars)

FY

NASA 

Total

NASA 

Space DOD Othera DOEb DOC DOI USDA NSFc DOT Total Space

1959 331 261 490 34 34 785

1960 524 462 561 43 43 1,066

1961 964 926 814 68 68 1,808

1962 1,825 1,797 1,298 199 148 51 3,294

1963 3,673 3,626 1,550 257 214 43 5,433

1964 5,100 5,016 1,599 213 210 3 6,828

1965 5,250 5,138 1,574 241 229 12 6,953

1966 5,175 5,065 1,689 214 187 27 6,968

1967 4,966 4,830 1,664 213 184 29 6,707

1968 4,587 4,430 1,922 174 145 28 0.2 1 6,526

1969 3,991 3,822 2,013 170 118 20 0.2 1 31 6,005

1970 3,746 3,547 1,678 141 103 8 1 1 28 5,366

1971 3,311 3,101 1,512 162 95 27 2 1 37 4,775

1972 3,307 3,071 1,407 133 55 31 6 2 39 4,611

1973 3,406 3,093 1,623 147 54 40 10 2 41 4,863

1974 3,037 2,759 1,766 158 42 60 9 3 44 4,683

1975 3,229 2,915 1,892 158 30 64 8 2 54 4,965

1976 3,550 3,225 1,983 168 23 72 10 4 59 5,376

TQ* 932 849 460 43 5 22 3 1 12 1,352

1977 3,818 3,440 2,412 194 22 91 10 6 65 6,046

1978 4,060 3,623 2,738 226 34 103 10 8 71 6,587

1979 4,596 4,030 3,036 248 59 98 10 8 73 7,314

1980 5,240 4,680 3,848 231 40 93 12 14 72 8,759

1981 5,518 4,992 4,828 234 41 87 12 16 78 10,054

1982 6,044 5,528 6,679 313 61 145 12 15 80 12,520

1983 6,875 6,328 9,019 327 39 178 5 20 85 15,674

1984 7,458 6,858 10,195 395 34 236 3 19 103 17,448

1985 7,573 6,925 12,768 584 34 423 2 15 110 20,277

1986 7,807 7,165 14,126 477 35 309 2 23 108 21,768

1987 10,923 9,809 16,287 466 48 278 8 19 112 1 26,562

1988 9,062 8,322 17,679 741 241 352 14 18 115 1 26,742

1989 10,969 10,097 17,906 560 97 301 17 21 121 3 28,563

1990 12,324 11,460 15,616 506 79 243 31 25 124 4 27,582

1991 14,016 13,046 14,181 772 251 251 29 26 211 4 27,999

1992 14,317 13,199 15,023 798 223 327 34 29 181 4 29,020

1993 14,310 13,064 14,106 731 165 324 33 25 180 4 27,901

1994 14,570 13,022 13,166 632 74 312 31 31 179 5 26,820

1995 13,854 12,543 10,644 759 60 352 31 32 278 6 23,946

1996 13,884 12,569 11,514 828 46 472 36 37 231 6 24,911

1997 13,709 12,457 11,727 789 35 448 42 39 219 6 24,973

1998 13,648 12,321 12,359 839 103 435 43 39 213 6 25,519

1999 13,653 12,459 13,203 982 105 575 59 37 200 6 26,644

2000 13,601 12,521 12,941 1,056 164 575 60 44 207 6 26,518

2001 14,230 13,304 14,326 1,062 145 577 60 36 232 12 28,692

2002 14,868 13,871 15,740 1,180 166 644 64 28 266 12 30,791

2003 15,364 14,360 19,388 1,305 191 649 74 42 337 12 35,053

2004 15,379 14,322 19,115 1,464 209 745 71 61 366 12 34,901

2005 16,198 15,234 19,690 1,551 229 807 70 73 360 12 36,475

2006 16,623 15,765 22,114 1,647 245 860 82 84 364 12 39,526

2007 16,285 15,568 22,418 1,680 200 912 87 65 404 12 39,666

2008 17,117 16,502 24,795 1,698 195 862 90 59 479 13 42,995

2009 17,775 17,275 26,528 1,868 200 1,078 64 27 485 14 45,671

2010 18,725 18,228 26,463 2,057 203 1,261 67 27 484 15 46,748

2011 18,432 17,898 27,234 2,186 229 1,444 66 20 412 15 47,318

2012 17,773 17,203 26,677 2,580 199 1,876 76 7 406 16 46,460

2013 17,395 16,865 10,818 2,578 185 1,865 84 20 409 15 30,261

a. The Other column is the total of the non-NASA and non-DOD budget authority figures that appear in the succeeding columns. The total is 

sometimes different from the sum of the individual figures because of rounding. The Total Space column does not include the NASA Total column because the latter includes budget authority for aeronautics as well as space. For the years 1989–1997, this Other column also includes small 

figures for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also includes $2.1 billion for the replacement of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1987.

b. The DOE has recalculated its space expenditures since 1998.

c. The NSF has recalculated its space expenditures since 1980, making them significantly higher than reported in previous years.

* Transition Quarter
164Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Appendix D-1B

spaCe aCTiviTies of The u.s. governmenT

HISTORICAL TABLE OF BUDGET AUTHORITY 

(in millions of inflation-adjusted FY 2013 dollars)

FY

Inflation 

Factors

NASA 

Total

NASA 

Space DOD Othera DOEb DOC DOI USDA NSFc DOT Total Space

1959 6.385 2,113 1,666 3,128 217 217 5,012

1960 6.294 3,298 2,908 3,531 271 271 6,710

1961 6.217 5,993 5,757 5,060 423 423 11,240

1962 6.128 11,184 11,012 7,954 1,219 907 313 20,186

1963 6.061 22,261 21,976 9,394 1,558 1,297 261 32,928

1964 5.986 30,526 30,023 9,571 1,275 1,257 18 40,869

1965 5.915 31,055 30,393 9,311 1,426 1,355 71 41,129

1966 5.814 30,089 29,450 9,820 1,244 1,087 157 40,514

1967 5.692 28,264 27,490 9,471 1,212 1,047 165 38,173

1968 5.515 25,299 24,434 10,601 961 800 154 1 6 35,995

1969 5.328 21,263 20,363 10,725 908 629 107 1 5 166 31,996

1970 5.096 19,089 18,075 8,551 719 525 41 5 5 143 27,344

1971 4.834 16,007 14,991 7,310 783 459 131 10 5 179 23,084

1972 4.604 15,225 14,139 6,478 614 253 143 28 9 181 21,230

1973 4.396 14,973 13,597 7,135 648 237 176 44 9 182 21,380

1974 4.212 12,793 11,622 7,439 666 177 253 38 13 186 19,726

1975 3.929 12,688 11,454 7,435 620 118 251 31 8 211 19,509

1976 3.557 12,627 11,471 7,053 599 82 256 36 14 211 19,122

TQ* 3.318 3,093 2,817 1,526 143 17 73 10 3 40 4,487

1977 3.217 12,283 11,067 7,760 623 71 293 32 19 208 19,449

1978 3.088 12,536 11,187 8,454 698 105 318 31 25 219 20,338

1979 2.893 13,295 11,657 8,782 717 171 283 29 23 211 21,157

1980 2.677 14,027 12,528 10,300 619 107 249 32 37 193 23,447

1981 2.460 13,573 12,279 11,876 576 101 214 30 39 193 24,731

1982 2.239 13,534 12,378 14,956 700 137 325 27 34 179 28,034

1983 2.096 14,409 13,263 18,903 685 82 373 10 42 178 32,851

1984 2.008 14,973 13,768 20,468 793 68 474 6 38 206 35,029

1985 1.936 14,660 13,406 24,717 1,130 66 819 4 29 212 39,253

1986 1.875 14,639 13,435 26,487 894 66 579 4 43 202 40,816

1987 1.833 20,018 17,977 29,849 854 88 509 15 35 205 2 48,679

1988 1.785 16,175 14,854 31,556 1,323 430 628 25 32 205 2 47,734

1989 1.730 18,971 17,463 30,969 969 168 521 29 36 209 5 49,401

1990 1.665 20,519 19,080 26,000 842 132 405 52 42 206 7 45,922

1991 1.606 22,508 20,950 22,773 1,240 403 403 47 42 339 6 44,963

1992 1.547 22,150 20,421 23,243 1,234 345 506 53 45 280 6 44,897

1993 1.508 21,578 19,699 21,270 1,102 249 489 50 38 271 6 42,071

1994 1.475 21,497 19,213 19,425 933 109 460 46 46 265 7 39,572

1995 1.445 20,017 18,123 15,379 1,096 86 509 45 46 402 9 34,599

1996 1.415 19,644 17,784 16,291 1,171 65 668 51 52 327 8 35,246

1997 1.388 19,030 17,292 16,278 1,096 49 622 58 54 305 8 34,666

1998 1.363 18,602 16,793 16,845 1,144 140 593 59 53 291 8 34,782

1999 1.346 18,375 16,768 17,770 1,322 141 774 79 50 269 8 35,860

2000 1.328 18,066 16,632 17,189 1,402 218 764 80 58 275 8 35,223

2001 1.302 18,534 17,328 18,659 1,383 189 752 78 47 302 16 37,370

2002 1.273 18,921 17,652 20,030 1,502 211 820 81 36 339 15 39,184

2003 1.252 19,233 17,976 24,270 1,634 239 812 93 53 422 15 43,880

2004 1.227 18,866 17,570 23,450 1,796 256 914 87 75 449 15 42,815

2005 1.196 19,381 18,227 23,559 1,856 274 966 84 87 431 14 43,642

2006 1.159 19,263 18,268 25,626 1,909 284 997 95 97 422 14 45,803

2007 1.121 18,251 17,447 25,124 1,883 224 1,022 98 73 453 13 44,454

2008 1.088 18,632 17,962 26,989 1,848 212 938 98 64 521 14 46,799

2009 1.064 18,909 18,377 28,221 1,987 213 1,147 68 29 516 15 48,585

2010 1.050 19,667 19,145 27,794 2,160 213 1,324 70 28 508 16 49,099

2011 1.040 19,165 18,609 28,317 2,272 238 1,501 69 20 428 16 49,198

2012 1.018 18,099 17,519 27,167 2,627 203 1,910 77 7 413 16 47,313

2013 1.000 17,395 16,865 10,818 2,578 185 1,865 84 20 409 15 30,261

a. The Other column is the total of the non-NASA and non-DOD budget authority figures that appear in the succeeding columns. The total is 

sometimes different from the sum of the individual figures because of rounding. The Total Space column does not include the NASA Total 

column because the latter includes budget authority for aeronautics as well as in space. For the years 1989–1997, this Other column also includes 

small figures for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also includes $2.1 billion for replacement of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1987.

b. The DOE has recalculated its space expenditures since 1998.

c. The NSF has recalculated its space expenditures since 1980, making them significantly higher than reported in previous years.

* Transition Quarter
165 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

Appendix D-2

federal spaCe aCTiviTies budgeT

(in millions of dollars by fiscal year)

Federal 

Agencies

Budget Authority Budget Outlays

2011

actual

2012

actual 

2013

actual1

2014

est.

2011

 actual

2012

 actual

2013

 actual

2014

 est.

NASA2 17,898 17,203 16,865.2 17,646.5 17,017 16,606 16,989 17,643

DOD3 27,234 26,677 10,818 10,353 25,924 26,457 10,299 9,856

DOE4 229 199 185 173 177 158 183 173

DOC5 1,444 1,876 1,864.8 2,083.1 803.2 1,074.3 1,130.5 2,075

DOI 66 76 84 83 66 76 81 83

USDA 19.5 6.7 19.6 19.6 18.1 17.3 17 19.7

DOT 15 16 15 16 15 16 15 16

NSF6 412 406 409 451 543 489 387 389

1. FY 2013 figures incorporate the effect of sequestration.

2. NASA program budgets reflect only direct program costs. Indirect costs are budgeted within the Cross Agency Support Programs account (captured 

within the Federal Space Activities Budget table).

3. DOD FY 2011, 2012, and 2013 figures for Budget Authority and Outlays are estimated at the time of preparing this report. Improvements to the 

estimating methodology resulted in a change in estimated Budget Authority and Outlays starting in FY 2013.

4. Department of Energy budget figures do not include any physics research and operations funding for ground-based experiments managed in the 

High Energy Physics program.

5. Beginning in 2010, the Department of Commerce has defined the entire National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service budget 

that is within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a space activity. Prior years did not include some items, such 

as NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center archives and Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS). The Budget Outlays 

columns reflect dollars “costed” in a fiscal year specific to that same fiscal year’s appropriated dollars.

6. Totals for NSF include Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and all telescope activities. Outlay information includes American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
166Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Appendix D-3

federal aeronauTiCs aCTiviTies budgeT

(in millions of dollars by fiscal year)

Federal 

Agencies

Budget Authority Budget Outlays

2011

actual

2012

actual 

2013

actual1

2014

est.

2011

actual

2012

actual

2013

actual

2014

est.

NASA2 534 570 529.5 566 601 584 558.4 563

USDA 37.1 36.9 33.1 34.6 35.3 36.8 30.2 32.6

DOD3 14,170 14,221 82,730 75,910 13,577 13,509 91,120 75,610

DOI 24 27 29 29 25 27 28 29

DOT 2,905 2,884 2,758 2,717 2,895 3,102 2,990 2,918

1. FY 2013 figures incorporate the effect of sequestration.

2. NASA program budgets reflect only direct program costs. Indirect costs are budgeted within the Cross-Agency Support Programs account (captured 

within the Federal Space Activities Budget table).

3. DOD FY 2011, 2012, and 2013 figures for Budget Authority and Outlays are estimated at the time of preparing this report. Improvements to the 

estimating methodology resulted in a change in estimated Budget Authority and Outlays starting in FY 2013.
167 c Fiscal Year 2013 Activiti

ronyms

3DEP 3D Elevation Program

A

AAC Alaska Aerospace Corporation

ACES Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space

ACF Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint

ACT Atacama Cosmology Telescope

ACTPol ACT Polarization Experiment

ADS-B Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast

ADVENT ADaptive Versatile ENgine Technology

AE Archive Explorer

AEHF Advanced Extra High Frequency

AEM Airborne Electromagnetic

AES Advanced Exploration Systems

AFD Alton Field Division

AFRL Air Force Research Laboratory

AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences

AIA Atmospheric Imaging Assembly

AIM Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere

ALD Active-Layer Detachments

ALMA Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

AMISR Advanced Modular Incoherent-Scatter Radar

AMPERE Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment

AMR Advanced Microwave Radiometer

AMS Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

AMS Autonomous Modular Sensor

ANC-12 12th Air Navigation Conference

ANOPP Aircraft Noise Prediction Program

AO Arecibo Observatory

APFO Aerial Photography Field Office

ARC Ames Research Center

ARM Atmospheric Radiation Measurement 

ARM Asteroid Redirect Mission

ARMD Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

ARS Agricultural Research Service

AS Atmosphere Section

ASB Agricultural Statistics Board

ASRG Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator

AST Division of Astronomical Sciences (NSF)

AST Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA)

ASTER Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer

ASU Aircraft Sector Understanding

ATMS Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder

ATST Advanced Technology Solar Telescope

ATV Automated Transfer Vehicle

AUVSI Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International

AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

AVIRIS Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer
168Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

AVO Alaska Volcano Observatory

AWiFS Advanced Wide Field Sensor

B

BAER Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation

BARC Burned Area Reflectance Classification

BARREL Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Loss

BCNWR Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs

BICEP2 Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2

BIS Bureau of Industry and Security

BLISS Background-Limited Infrared-Submillimeter Spectrograph

BLM Bureau of Land Management

BMD Ballistic Missile Defense

BNL Brookhaven National Laboratory

BOR Bureau of Reclamation

BRDF Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function

C

CAAFI Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative

CariCOOS Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System

CASIS Center for the Advancement of Science in Space

CAVP Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program

CBRA Coastal Barrier Resources Act

CBS3 Controlled-Background System for Spectroradiometry and Spectrophotometry

CCAFS Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

CCMC Community Coordinated Modeling Center

CCSDS Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems

CDL Cropland Data Layer

CDM Conjunction Data Message

CDR Critical Design Review

CEDAR Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions

CEPS Center for Earth and Planetary Studies

CfA Center for Astrophysics

CheMin Chemical and Mineralogy

CIBER Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment

CIR Color-Infrared

CLARREO Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory

CLU Common Land Unit

CMB Cosmic Microwave Background

CME Coronal Mass Ejection

CNES Centre National d’Études Spatiales [National Centre for Space Studies]

COE-CST Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation

CONUS Contiguous United States

COSMIC Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate

COTS Commercial Orbital Transportation Services

CPC Certification Products Contracts

CRADA Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

CREATE Computational Research and Engineering Acquisition Tools and Environments

CREATE-AV Computational Research and Engineering Acquisition Tools and Environments Air Vehicles

CrIS Cross-track Infrared Sounder

CRS Commercial Resupply Services

CS Commercial Service

CSA Canadian Space Agency

CSLC 21st Century Space Launch Complex
169 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

D

DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DASI Degree Angular Scale Interferometer

DEM Digital Elevation Model

DKIST Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

DLR German Aerospace Center [Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt]

DMC Disaster Monitoring Constellation

DNN R&D Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development

DOC Department of Commerce

DOE Department of Energy

DOI Department of the Interior

DSCOVR Deep Space Climate Observatory

DSN Deep Space Network

DWR Dynamic Weather Routing

E

EA Environmental Assessment

EBEX E and B Experiment

ECMWF European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

EDC Earth Resources Observation and Science Data Center

EELV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle

EFT-1 Exploration Flight Test-1

EGS Exploration Ground Systems

EIS Environmental Impact Statement

EM-1 Exploration Mission-1

EMU Extravehicular Mobility Unit

EO Earth Observation

EOS Earth Observation System

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

ERAU Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

EROS Earth Resources Observation Systems

ESA European Space Agency

ESD Exploration Systems Development

ESPI European Space Policy Institute

ET Evapotranspiration

ETM Enhanced Thematic Mapper

EU European Union

EUMETSAT European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites

EUV Extreme Ultraviolet

eV electron volt

EVA Extravehicular Activity

EVE Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment

Ex-Im Export-Import

EXIS Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensor

F

FAA Federal Aviation Administration

FAS Foreign Agricultural Service

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FES Office of Fusion Energy Sciences

FGB Functional Cargo Block

FGST Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

FIPS Federal Information Processing Standard

FIREMON Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory Protocol

FLIR Forward-Looking Infrared
170Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact

FS Forestry Service

FSA Farm Service Agency

G

G-LiHT Goddard LIDAR Hyperspectral and Thermal

G&S Geospace Section

GaN Gallium Nitride

GBD Global Burst Detector

GEM Geospace Environment Modeling

GEO Geosynchronous Earth Orbit

GF Geospace Facilities

GHz gigahertz

GIS Geographic Information Systems

GISMO Goddard IRAM Superconducting 2 Millimeter Observer

GLAM Global Agricultural Monitoring

GLONASS Global Navigation Satellite System

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite Systems

GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites

GPHS General Purpose Heat Source

GPS Global Positioning System

GPSC Geospatial Products and Services Contract

GPSP Global Positioning System Payload

GRACE Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment

GRAIL Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory

GRAV-D Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum

GRC Glenn Research Center

GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center

GV Gulfstream V

H

HEAT High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz

HEO Highly Elliptical Orbit

HEO Human Exploration and Operations

HEOMD Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

HERO Human Exploration Research Opportunities

HIAPER High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research

HIP Hyperspectral Image Projector

HIPPO HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations

HiRISE High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment

HPCMP High Performance Computing Modernization Program

HPIW High Pressure Industrial Water

HSCDS High-Speed Container Delivery System

HST Hubble Space Telescope

HWB Hybrid Wing Body

I

IBEX Interstellar Boundary Explorer

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

ICESat Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite

ICG International Committee on GNSS

ICNO IceCube Neutrino Observatory

IFSAR Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar

IGE Improved Gray Eagle

IHPRPT Integrated High-Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology
171 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

IOOS Integrated Ocean Observing System

IRAC Infrared Array Camera

IRIS Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph

IRS Indian Remote Sensing

ISECG International Space Exploration Coordination Group

ISS International Space Station 

ISWI International Space Weather Initiative

ITA International Trade Administration

ITAC 1 Industry Trade Advisory Committee for Aerospace Equipment

ITU International Telecommunication Union

J

JASD Joint Agency Satellite Division

JAXA Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency

JLENS Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Network Sensor

JMS Joint Space Operations Center Mission System

JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory

JPSS Joint Polar Satellite System

JSC Johnson Space Center

JSpOC Joint Space Operations Center

JUICE JUpiter ICy moons Explorer

JWST James Webb Space Telescope

K

KDP Key Decision Point

kg/s kilograms per second

klbf kilopound force

KSC Kennedy Space Center

L

LADEE Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer

LANDFIRE Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools

LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory

LAPD Large Plasma Device

LaRC Langley Research Center

LAT Large Area Telescope

LDCM Landsat Data and Continuity Mission

LDEX Lunar Dust EXperiment

LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging

LEMV Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle

LISS Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor

LLCD Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration

LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

LRA Laser Retroreflector Array

LRO Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

LSC Legal Subcommittee

LSETT Large-Scale Scramjet Engine Testing Techniques

LSP Launch Services Program

LSST Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

LST Land Surface Temperature

LTS Working Group on Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities

LVC-DE Live Virtual Constructive–Distributed Environment

LVPS Launch Vehicle Production Services
172Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

M

M-Code Military-Code

MAD Multi-utility Aeroelastic Demonstration

MAF Michoud Assembly Facility

MAHLI Mars Hand Lens Imager

MAIAC Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction

MARSIS Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding

MAVEN Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN

Mbps megabits per second

MCR Mid-Continent Region

MDXR Missile Defense Transfer Radiometer

MEMS Microelectromechanical Systems

MEP Manufacturing Extension Partnership

MER Mars Exploration Rover

MESSENGER MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging

mg/m milligrams per meter

MGUE Military GPS User Equipment

MHW Multi-Hundred Watt

MIC Microbial Induced Corrosion

MIE Major Item of Equipment

MIZOPEX Marginal Ice Zone Observations and Processes EXperiment

mK millikelvin

MMRTG Multi-Mission Thermoelectric Generator

MN meganewton

MOA Memorandum of Agreement

MOBY Marine Optical BuoY

MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

MoonKam Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students

MPCV Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

MPS Mathematics and Physical Sciences Directorate

MRI Magneto-Rotational Instability

MRLC Multi-resolution Land Characteristics Consortium

MRX Magnetic Reconnection Experiment

MSE Missile Segment Enhancement

MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center

MSL Mars Science Laboratory

MTSB Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity

MUE Modernized User Equipment

MUOS Mobile User Objective System

MWL Microwave Link

MWL GT Microwave Link Ground Terminal

nmol/mol nanomole/mole

μm microns

μmol/mol sub-micromole/mole

N

NAFD North American Forest Dynamics

NAICS North American Industry Classification System

NAIP National Agricultural Imagery Program

NAIP-CIR National Agriculture Imagery Program color infrared

NAS National Airspace System

NASM National Air and Space Museum

NASS National Agricultural Statistics Service

NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research

NCEP U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction
173 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

NCNR National Center for Neutron Research

NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

NE Office of Nuclear Energy

NEN Near Earth Network

NEO Near-Earth Object

NextGen Next Generation Air Transportation System

NFS National Forest System

NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

NGP National Geospatial Program

NGS National Geodetic Survey

NIAC NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts

NIRSpec Near-Infrared Spectrograph

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

NLIR National Land Imaging Requirements

NMAMLP New Mexico Abandoned Mine Land Program

NMS Neutral Mass Spectrometer

NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAO National Optical Astronomy Observatory

Np Neptunium

NPOESS National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System

NPS National Park Service

NRA NASA Research Announcement

NRAO National Radio Astronomy Observatory

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service

NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NRI National Resources Inventory

NSCR NASA Space Cancer Risk

NSO National Solar Observatory

NSPO National Space Organization

NSRL NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

NSS National Security Space

NSWP National Space Weather Program

NTSB National Transportation Safety Board

NuDets Nuclear Detonations

NuSTAR Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array

NWI National Wetlands Inventory

NWR National Wildlife Refuge

NWRC National Wetlands Research Center

NWS National Weather Service

O

OAPM Optimization of Airspace and Procedures in the Metroplex

ODNI Office of the Director of National Intelligence

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer

OFSI Office of Financial Service Industries

OGA Office of Global Analysis

OLI Operational Land Imager

OPIC Overseas Private Investment Corporation

OPUS Online Positioning User Service

ORCA Ocean Radiometer for Carbon Assessment

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORS Operationally Responsive Space

OSC Orbital Sciences Corporation

OSM Office of Surface Mining
174Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

OSMRE Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

OTM Office of Transportation and Machinery

OTV-3 Orbital Test Vehicle Three

P

PAC Patriot Advanced Capability

PALSAR Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar

PBN Performance Based Navigation

PDR Preliminary Design Review

PDRC Precision Departure Release Capability

PIDDP Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program

PLR Division of Polar Programs

PMC Polar Mesospheric Cloud

PNT Positioning, Navigation, and Timing

POES Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites

POLARBEAR Polarization of Background Radiation

PPPL Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

PRS Public Regulated Service

PRVD02 Puerto Rico Vertical Datum of 2002

PSD Production, Supply, and Distribution

PSL Propulsion Systems Laboratory

Pu Plutonium

Q

QuikSCAT Quick Scatterometer

QZSS Quasi-Zenith Satellite System

R

RFP Request for Proposal

RFQ Request for Quotation

RGB Red, Green, Blue

RMA Risk Management Agency

RNAV Area Navigation

RO Radio Occultation

ROD Record of Decision

ROSES Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences

RPA Remotely Piloted Aircraft

RPS Radioisotope Power System

RPT Rocket Propulsion Testing

RSCC Remote Sensing Coordinating Committee

RSIWG Remote Sensing Interagency Working Group

RTK Real Time Kinematic

RTS Retrogressive Thaw Slumps

S

SABRS Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System

SAGE Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment

SAM Sample Analysis at Mars

SANS Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

SAO Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

$AVE Surfing Aircraft Vortices for Energy

SARDA Spot and Runway Departure Advisor

SBA Small Business Administration

SBIR Small Business Innovation Research
175 Fiscal Year 2013 Activities

SBIRS Space Based Infrared System

SC Office of Science

SCaN Space Communications and Navigation

SDO Solar Dynamics Observatory

SHARAD Shallow Subsurface Radar

SHINE Solar, Heliosphere, and INterplanetary Environment

SI International System of Units

SIA Satellite Imagery Archive

SIM Spectral Irradiance Monitor

SIRCUS Spectral Irradiance and Radiance Responsivity Calibrations using Uniform Sources Facility

Si-MEMS Silicon-Microelectromechanical Systems

SLS Space Launch System

SM Standard Missile

SMAP Soil Moisture Active-Passive

SMCRA Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

SMD Science Mission Directorate

SN Space Network

SNL Sandia National Laboratories

SNSPD Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors

SOC Space Optical Clock

SOFIA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy

SOLARIS SOlar, Lunar for Absolute Reflectance Imaging Spectrometer

SPP Space Protection Program

SPT South Pole Telescope

SPUD Small Polarimeter Upgrade for DASI

SQUIDs Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices

SRM Standard Reference Materials

SS2 SpaceShipTwo

SSC Stennis Space Center

SSDF Spitzer-South Pole Telescope Deep Field

SSDP Space Security and Defense Program

SSEBop Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance

SSST Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target

SSTI Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative

STAT Space Threat Assessment Testbed

STIM Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Grants

STMD Space Technology Mission Directorate

STP Space Test Program

STSC Scientific and Technical Subcommittee

Suomi NPP Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership

Suomi NPP VIIRS Suomi Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite

SURF Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility

SUVI Solar Ultraviolet Imager

SWR Space Weather Research

T

TBM Tactical Ballistic Missile

TCAP Two Column Aerosol Project

TCC Tree Canopy Cover

TDRS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

TDRSS Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System

TES Transition-Edge Sensor

TeV teraelectronvolt

THAAD Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense

THEMIS Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms

TIPS Technical Innovation and Professional Services

TM Thematic Mapper
176Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

TRACON Terminal Radar Approach Control

TRL Technology Readiness Level

TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

TSA Transportation Security Administration

U

UAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems

UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

UCAS Unmanned Combat Air System

UCAS-D Unmanned Combat Air System Aircraft Carrier Demonstration

ULA United Launch Alliance

UNCOPUOS United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

US&FCS U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service

USAF U.S. Air Force

USFS U.S. Forest Service

USFS R&D U.S. Forest Service Research and Development

USFS S&P U.S. Forest Service State and Private Forestry

USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

USML U.S. Munitions List

USNDS U.S. NuDet Detection System

USRA Universities Space Research Association

USTDA U.S. Trade and Development Agency

UVA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

UVS Ultraviolet/Visible Spectrometer

V

VAC Vertical Assembly Center

VAFB Vandenberg Air Force Base

VCSFA Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority

VO2max Maximum Oxygen Uptake

vol volume

VSC Volcano Science Center

W

WAI Wide Area Imager

WAOB World Agricultural Outlook Board

WaterSMART Water for Sustainable Management of America’s Resources for Tomorrow

WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

WCS Wireless Communications Service

WFF Wallops Flight Facility

WGS Wideband Global Satellite Communications Satellite

WK2 WhiteKnightTwo

WSOCs Wideband SATCOM Operations Centers

X

XMM X-ray Multi-Mirror

XRT X-ray Telescope

Y

Yb Ytterbium
NP-2014-10-1283-HQ