NASA SBIR 2003 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Flight Landata Inc
One Parker Street
Lawrence ,MA 01843 - 1548
(978) 682 - 7767

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Xiuhong   Sun
xhsun1@aol.com
One Parker Street
Lawrence ,MA  01843 -1548
(978) 327 - 6599
U.S. Citizen or Legal Resident: Yes

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The innovation is a powerful Ultra-Compact High-Definition Hyperspectral Imaging System (UC-HDHIS) for UAV deployment. UC-HDHIS concurrently acquires pushbroom hyperspectral imagery using a grating imaging spectrometer, and framing multispectral imagery using four-selectable-band CCD cameras, along with synchronized sky spectral irradiance measurements. Adapting miniaturized optics, camera and computer components, positioning/attitude measuring devices, and real-time software suite into a modular design, UC-HDHIS is highly configurable with a variable mass 3-15 lbs and a variable volume 125-650 cubic inches. Its CCD hyperspectral module covers 400-950nm spectral range with a spectral resolution better than 2.5nm and a swathwidth better than 752 pixels, which is extendable to 400-1700nm by docking an InGaAs module. The multispectral imaging format is 1024x768 pixels. Minimum quantization depths are 10 bits for hyperspectral and 8 bits for multispectral imagery. Using CompactFlash as mass storage and a special real time recording technology, UC-HDHIS has no mechanically moving/rotating parts and is rugged and vibration-resistant. A dual-Earth-imaging feature calibrates and compensates each part for better radiometric and geometric measurements. With mission automation and simultaneous Earth/sky spectral imaging and position/attitude sensing appended to the hyperspectral/multispectral data, high-quality geo-referenced spectral images are obtainable by a small UAV.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
UC-HDHIS is designed for NASA's interests in compact spectral imaging instruments suitable for aircraft or space flight platforms with low mass, low power, fast measurement times, and a high degree of robustness to survive vibrations in flight or at launch. Its potential NASA applications include:
1) For NASA's Mission to Planet Earth remote sensing validation activities, a gas-powered mini-UAV is adapted by GSFC to carry a suite of sensors to ground truth satellite data. UC-HDHIS is tailored for this mini-UAV deployment.
2) For NASA?s coastal region research interests in mapping kelp beds, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-a concentration and fluorescence.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
UC-HDHIS is an easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy, miniaturized hyperspectral imaging system, which can be fitted into divers light and ultra-light aircraft, model aircraft and small UAVs, airship, and balloon platforms for low-cost commercial remote sensing. Its potential commercial applications include the remote sensing for precision agriculture, crop growing status monitoring, vegetation specie mapping, forest and park services, surface pollution detection, and land-use surveys. With its compactness, portability, and low cost, UC-HDHIS can be modified as a handheld instrument useful for ground truthing field works, law enforcement, homeland security, medical applications, and fruit, agriculture product, and other food inspections.