Vision science and technology for supervised intelligent space robots

The focus of recent work in robotic vision for application in intelligent space robots such as the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Retriever is in visual function, that is, how information about the space world is derived and then conveyed to cognition. The goal of this work in visual function is first to understand how the relevant structure of the surrounding world is evidenced by regularities among the pixels of images, then to understand how these regularities are mapped on the premises that form the primitive elements of cognition, and then to apply these understandings with the elements of visual processing (algorithms) and visual mechanism (machine organization) to intelligent space robot simulations and test beds. Since visual perception is the process of recognizing regularities in images that are known on the basis of a model of the world to be reliable related to causal structure in the environment (because perception attaches meaning to the link between a conception of the environment and the objective environment), the work involves understanding generic, generally applicable models of world structure (not merely objects) and how that structure evidences itself in images

Alignment of the atmospheric visibility monitoring telescope

Alignment of the first Atmospheric Visibility Monitoring Telescope has revealed errors in mount design, mount manufacture, software, and electronics. This article discusses error sources and solutions, and re-alignment results. Alignment requirements for operation are also presented. The telescope now operates with the desired accuracy and repeatability

ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MINNESOTA COMPARED TO NEIGHBORING STATES AND THE NATION AS A WHOLE AND PROJECTIONS TO 1980 AND TO 1990

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

A BIOTIC CONTROL PERSPECTIVE ON NITRATE CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER FROM AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Agronomists consider the continuity and nutrient capturing properties of cover crops as important determinants of nutrient cycling in agricultural systems. Managing for these biotic control functions can help limit nutrient loss and groundwater contamination between main crop harvests. This simulation study highlights the potential role of cover crop management in a welfare economics framework. The objective is to find the optimal combination of nutrient input to the main crop, the extent of off-season cover crops, and crop functional diversity to maximize the sum of benefits from agricultural production and groundwater protection.Crop Production/Industries,

Engineering tests of the C-141 telescope

Data on image quality, chopper performance, and the closed-loop operation of the 91 cm telescope of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory which were obtained in September 1977 are presented

Rotor systems research aircraft airplane configuration flight-test results

The rotor systems research aircraft (RSRA) has undergone ground and flight tests, primarily as a compound aircraft. The purpose was to train pilots and to check out and develop the design flight envelope. The preparation and flight test of the RSRA in the airplane, or fixed-wind, configuration are reviewed and the test results are discussed

Ecological Economics at a Crossroads

During the past decade theoretical and empirical advances in neoclassical economics have resulted in the virtual rejection of the two pillars of traditional welfare economics-- rational economic man and perfect competition. Surprisingly, many ecological economists are moving closer to the discredited neo-Walrasian welfare model just at the time it is being replaced within the mainstream. We call for a return to the roots of ecological economics and an engagement with current developments in mainstream theory.

Recent advancements in information extraction methodology and hardware for Earth Resources Survey Systems

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

The Approach of Ecological Economics

This paper discusses the major tenets of ecological economics - including value pluralism, methodological pluralism, and multi-criteria policy assessment. Ecological economics offers viable alternatives to the theoretical foundations and policy recommendations of neoclassical welfare economics. A revolution in neoclassical economics is currently taking place and the core assumptions of welfare economics are being replaced with more realistic models of consumer and firm behavior. But we argue that these new theoretical and empirical findings are largely ignored in applied work and policy applications in environmental economics. As the only heterodox school of economics focusing on the human economy both as a social system and as one imbedded in the biophysical universe, and thus both holistic and scientifically based, ecological economics is poised to play a leading role in recasting the scope and method of economic science.

Thematic mapper data quality and performance assessment in renewable resource/agricultural remote sensing

A "quick look" investigation of the initial LANDSAT-4, thematic mapper (TM) scene received from Goddard Space Flight Center was performed to gain early insight into the characteristics of TM data. The initial scene, containing only the first four bands of the seven bands recorded by the TM, was acquired over the Detroit, Michigan, area on July 20, 1982. It yielded abundant information for scientific investigation. A wide variety of studies were conducted to assess all aspects of TM data. They ranged from manual analyses of image products to detect obvious optical, electronic, or mechanical defects to detailed machine analyses of the digital data content for evaluation of spectral separability of vegetative/nonvegetative classes. These studies were applied to several segments extracted from the full scene. No attempt was made to perform end-to-end statistical evaluations. However, the output of these studies do identify a degree of positive performance from the TM and its potential for advancing state-of-the-art crop inventory and condition assessment technology