Laboratory for Advance Sensing
The NASA Ames Laboratory for Advanced Sensing (NASA LAS), led by Dr. Ved Chirayath, focuses on science driven sensing and technology development for next-generation instruments that help us better understand our world and benefit humanity. NASA LAS operates in NASA Ames’ Earth Sciences Division with a primary focus on developing novel instrumentation and information systems to advance NASA’s Earth Science objectives. We welcome collaborations with scientists at NASA, academia and other federal agencies. A list of our group’s publications and relevant datasets are available online.
Technology Portfolio
FluidCam 1&2 – Fluid Lensing visible and near-infrared computational imagers developed with NASA ESTO support for UAV-based 3D imaging of shallow marine environments at cm-scales. High-bandwidth imaging (500 MB/s) onboard storage (1TB), computational capability (0.4 TFLOPS) and payload-directed flight capabilities.
MiDAR – Multispectral Imaging, Detection and Active Reflectance Instrument. Currently under development through a NASA CIF 2015 grant for FY16 deployment, patents pending. This instrument will enable active Fluid Lensing for multispectral underwater imaging from remote sensing platforms.
Capacities
- Fleet of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) adapted for scientific missions.
- Five multirotor FluidCam-equipped sUAS.
- Over 700 sUAS flights conducted.
- NASA internal FAA certification for unmanned remote sensing flights.
Programs
NASA Earth Exchange
NEX combines state-of-the-art supercomputing, Earth system modeling, and NASA remote sensing data feeds to deliver a work environment for exploring and analyzing terabyte- to petabyte-scale datasets covering large regions, continents or the globe.
Earth Science Projects Office
The Ames Earth Science Project Office is a small group of success-oriented individuals providing project management for NASA's Science Mission Directorate field research.
Airborne Sensor Facility
The Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF) at NASA Ames supports a variety of airborne research activities for the NASA Earth Science Division.
Airborne Science Program
The Airborne Science Program within the Earth Science Division is responsible for providing aircraft systems that further science and advance the use of satellite data.
Alpha Jet Atmospheric Program
Unlike most NASA atmospheric airborne research missions, NASA's flexible relationship with the aircraft provider allows Ames Research Center to collect data on a regular basis over multiple seasons, which complements surface and tower-based observations collected elsewhere in the region.
Laboratory for Advanced Sensing
The NASA Ames Laboratory for Advanced Sensing (NASA LAS), led by Dr. Ved Chirayath, focuses on science driven sensing and technology development for next-generation instruments that help us better understand our world and benefit humanity.