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Guide to the Donald E. Wilson Earth Resources Survey Program Papers,
1972-1983
PP07.13-DW
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Title: Donald E. Wilson Earth Resources Survey Program Papers
Date (inclusive): 1972-1983
Collection Number: PP07.13-DW
Creator:
Wilson, Donald E.
Extent:
Number of containers: 10
Volume: 4 cubic feet
Volume: 4 cubic feet
Repository:
Ames Research Center,
Ames History Office
Moffett Field, California 94035
Abstract: This collection includes reports, correspondence, newsletters, maps, and imagery documenting
the applications of remote sensing of earth resources and technology transfer efforts to establish Landsat data analysis
capabilities in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The collection is arranged in six series that reflect
the administration, programs, and records related to these earth resources survey applications projects, as well as the
activities of Donald E. Wilson during his career at the NASA Ames Research Center.
Language:
English
Collection is open for research.
Copyright does not apply to United States government records. For non-government
material, researcher must contact the original creator.
NASA Ames History Office, NASA Ames Research Center. Moffett Field, California. PP07.13-DW, Donald E. Wilson Earth Resources
Survey Program Papers, [Container number] : [Folder number]. [Identification of item]. [Date, if available].
NASA ARC. PP07.13-DW, [Container number] : [Folder number]. [Identification of item]. [Date, if available].
Administrative Information
Related Material
Robert E. Slye Papers, 1961-2001 (PP07.13-RS).
The accumulated records of Donald E. Wilson were given to Robert E. Slye (NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division) to store
when Wilson retired in 1988.
Transferred by Robert E. Slye in August 2007.
Administrative and Biographical History
Donald E. Wilson began his career at the NASA Ames Research Center as a member of the Entry Simulation Team (Code ESB) in
1962.
From 1963 to 1971, Wilson worked in the Materials Research Branch (Code SVM) of the Vehicle and Environment Division (Code
SV)
under the Astronautics Directorate (Code S). It was renamed the Materials Science Branch (Code STS) and reassigned to the
Thermo- and Gas-Dynamics Division (Code ST) in 1972, when the Vehicle and Environment Division, which had supported the Apollo
missions, was eliminated. During the course of his materials science research, Wilson co-authored technical reports on the
thermal analysis of polymeric materials, as well as a study on low temperature cooling techniques.
In August 1972, NASA headquarters chartered Ames with the lead center responsibility for the remote sensing aircraft program.
The Applications Aircraft Support Program Office (AASPO), managed by Edward W. Gomersall, was established in December 1972
to
provide aerial support for earth observation satellites, remote sensing applications, and damage assessments. The AASPO fleet
included two U-2 aircraft, which were made available for research purposes by the U.S. Air Force and arrived at Ames in 1971.
(The civilian version of U-2 aircraft was named ER-2 for earth resources.) Wilson was assigned to the Evaluation and Analysis
section of the AASPO, also known as the Applications Aircraft and Future Programs Office. In 1974, Wilson assumed the role
of
Technical Assistant with the Thermo- and Gas-Dynamics Division.
In 1976, Wilson was assigned to the User Applications Branch (Code SEA) of the Airborne Missions and Applications Division
(Code SE),
headed by Dale R. Lumb. The branch was renamed the Technical Applications Branch in 1979. Ames hosted the Western Regional
Remote
Sensing Conference in 1979 and 1981 to aid in the transfer of operational capabilities for the utilization of remote sensing
technology
for earth resource management among state and local governments, private industry, and universities.
In 1979, Carter’s Presidential Directive 54 initiated the transfer of Landsat operations from NASA to the National Oceanic
and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Two years later, President Reagan proposed the termination of all regional commissions,
as
well as reduced funding to technology transfer programs, which accelerated the commercialization of satellite operations.
In
response, Ames underwent a major reorganization in 1984 in which the Airborne and Missions Applications Division was removed.
Wilson was transferred to the Medium Altitude Missions Branch (Code OMM) in the Science and Applications Aircraft Division
(Code OM) under the Director of Flight Operations and retired on April 22, 1988.
Landsat
The Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS), renamed Landsat in 1975, was equipped with remote sensors, including high resolution multispectral scanner systems (MSS), return beam vidicon (RBV) imaging systems (used on Landsat 1, 2 and 3), and thematic mapper instruments (first used on Landsat 4), designed to acquire data to categorize Earth’s surface. The first satellite, ERTS-1, was launched in 1972, and Landsat 4 was launched in 1982. Landsat is the longest running enterprise for the acquisition of imagery of the earth from space.
The Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS), renamed Landsat in 1975, was equipped with remote sensors, including high resolution multispectral scanner systems (MSS), return beam vidicon (RBV) imaging systems (used on Landsat 1, 2 and 3), and thematic mapper instruments (first used on Landsat 4), designed to acquire data to categorize Earth’s surface. The first satellite, ERTS-1, was launched in 1972, and Landsat 4 was launched in 1982. Landsat is the longest running enterprise for the acquisition of imagery of the earth from space.
Bugos, Glenn E. Atmosphere of freedom: sixty years at the NASA Ames Research Center. Washington, D.C.: NASA SP4314, 2000.
Hartman, Edwin. Adventures in Research: A History of Ames Research Center, 1940-1965. Washington, D.C.: NASA SP-4302, 1970.
Landsat Program. http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/landsat/landsat.html (accessed November 2, 2009).
Muenger, Elizabeth A. Searching the Horizon: A History of Ames Research Center, 1940-1976. Washington, D.C.: NASA SP-4204,
1985.
NASA Ames History Office, NASA Ames Research Center. Moffett Field, California. AFS1030.39A, Ames Astrogram Collection. 1973-1988.
NASA Ames History Office, NASA Ames Research Center. Moffett Field, California. AFS1070.8A, Archives Reference Collection.
Telephone Directories. 1962-1983.
Tuyahov, Alex. Technology Transfer Program: Perspective. NASA Ames Research Center, Western Regional Remote Sensing Conference
Proceedings, 1981.
The following terms may be used to index this collection.
Ames Research Center
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Earth observations (from space)
Earth Resources Survey aircraft
Earth Resources Survey Program
Geographic information systems
Landsat satellites
Remote sensing
Technology transfer
Moffett Field (Calif.)
Pacific Northwest (U.S.)
The Donald E. Wilson Earth Resources Survey Program Papers (4 cubic feet) includes reports, project plans, proposals,
consortium agreements, meeting minutes, memos, correspondence, newsletters, maps, lithographs, photographs, and slides
documenting demonstrations of useful applications of remote sensing data to manage earth resources. The collection also
contains records that cover the transfer of computing technology to establish Landsat imagery analysis capabilities
within local and state agencies in the western United States, primarily in the Pacific Northwest region. The collection
is arranged in six series that record the administration and progress of the Landsat applications programs with a focus
on NASA’s role in research and the commercial potential for operational technology programs.
The first series documents the activities of the Applications Aircraft Support Programs Office in the early 1970s. An
earth resource survey cost benefit study presented to the Office of Management and Budget was vital to the national
decision to pursue an operational earth remote sensing system. Land use maps and classification systems are also included.
The second series, Pacific Northwest Region, contains records encompassing Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. With its
inception in 1972, the Pacific Northwest Regional Commission (PNRC), which consisted of the governors and a federal
co-chairman appointed by the President, was charged with setting priorities and approving projects that contributed
to the economic development of the region. The PNRC established Land Resources Inventory Demonstration Projects (LRIDP)
to demonstrate the utility of Landsat imagery analysis to earth resource management. The Landsat Application Program
(LAP) was later conceived as a three-year continuation of LRIDP to establish full in-state operational capability for
Landsat data analysis systems. In 1974, the PNRC formed the Technology Transfer Task Force, composed of representatives
from the three states, NASA, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to oversee LAP, specifically to make recommendations,
as well as monitor and coordinate technology transfer activities. NASA’s role was to provide technical consulting and
assistance in methodology for the users in state and local agencies. This included some support of the Western Regional
Applications Program (WRAP) and Application System Verification and Transfer (ASVT) projects, both of which comprise a
relatively small number of items in this collection.
The third series, Land Resources Inventory Demonstration Projects / Landsat Applications Program, represents the majority
of the collection. It contains project proposals, reports, letters, and consortium agreements with universities documenting
demonstrations of the use of Landsat data for applications to land use management, urban development planning, range surveys,
and inventories of forestry, game, and water resources. Documents associated with establishing image analysis systems are
also included.
The fourth series, Landsat imagery, contains lithographs of RBV (return beam vidicon) images, primarily illustrating the
classification of Tacoma land use intensity and Portland census tracts.
The fifth series contains the entire set of the Pixel Facts newsletter, which provided updates on Landsat project activities
from 1975 to 1979.
The sixth series includes miscellaneous papers not filed with specific programs.
Supplemental aids to the collection are available on the NASA Ames History Office website.
Note
Acronyms List
| AASPO | Applications Aircraft Support Program Office |
| APT | Application Pilot Test |
| ASVT | Application Systems Verification and Transfer |
| CCT | Computer Compatible Tape |
| CIRSS | California Integrated Remote Sensing System |
| EODMS | Earth Observation Data Management Systems |
| EOS | Earth Observing System |
| ERIM | Environmental Research Institute of Michigan |
| EROS | Earth Resources Observing System |
| ERSAL | Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory |
| ERSS | Earth Resources Survey Operational System |
| ERTS | Earth Resources Technology Satellite |
| ESL | Electromagnetic Systems Laboratory, Inc. |
| ESM | Earth Sensing Mechanisms |
| GES | Goddard Earth Science (NASA) |
| GIS | Geographic Information System |
| JPL | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| JSC | Johnson Space Center (NASA) |
| LAP | Landsat Applications Program |
| LRIDP | Land Resources Inventory Demonstration Project |
| LUMIS | Land Use Management Information System |
| MATE Van | Mobile Analysis and Training Extension Van |
| MSS | Multispectral Scanner System |
| NASA | National Aeronautical and Space Administration |
| NAPP | Northwest Agricultural Policy Project |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| OMB | Office of Management and Budget |
| OSU | Oregon State University |
| PNRC | Pacific Northwest Regional Commission |
| PNW | Pacific Northwest |
| RBV | Return Beam Vidicon |
| STC | Stanford Technology Corporation |
| T3F | Technology Transfer Task Force |
| TAP | Technology Advancement Program |
| TMS | Thematic Mapper Simulation |
| USGS | United States Geological Society |
| UW | University of Washington |
| VICAR/IBIS | Video Image Communication and Retrieval/Image Based Information System |
| WRAP | Western Regional Applications Program |
| WSU | Washington State University |
| WSUCSC | Washington State University Computing Service Center |
Arrangement of the Donald E. Wilson Earth Resources Survey Program Papers
The papers are arranged into six series, chronologically, by region and function:
- I. Applications Aircraft Support Programs Office (AASPO), 1972-1976
- Aircraft Earth Resources Technology Satellite Support, 1972-1976
- Land Use, 1973-1974
- II. Pacific Northwest (PNW) Region, 1975-1983
- Pacific Northwest Regional Commission Reviews, 1975-1981
- Technology Transfer Task Force, 1979-1981
- Reviews for NASA Headquarters, 1979-1983
- III. Land Resources Inventory Demonstration Projects (LRIDP) / Landsat Applications Program (LAP), 1976-1982
- Washington State, 1976-1981
- Oregon State, 1976-1980
- Idaho State, 1974-1981
- Consortium Agreements 1979-1982
- LAP Computing Systems, 1976-1981
- IV. Imagery, 1975-1980
- V. Pixel Facts Newsletter, 1975-1981
- VI. Miscellaneous Files, 1976-1982