No abstract

No abstract

[1] Within the renewed interest in the study of the Moon, in 2006 the European Space Agency approved a feasibility study for the European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) mission. In order to accomplish the ESMO mission objectives, a Microwave Radiometric Sounder (MiWaRS) was selected as a possible payload for flight on the ESMO satellite. This work summarizes the results of a numerical analysis of MiWaRS sounding capabilities. An (inhomogeneous) multilayer model of the microwave emission from the Moon's subsurface is presented, focusing the attention on the Moon's morphological, thermal, and dielectric properties. These properties have been determined and parameterized after a thorough investigation of available measurements and models. To this end, a radiative transfer numerical model, neglecting volume scattering, is coupled with a nonlinear thermal equation to simulate the microwave emission of the Moon's subsurface. Numerical simulations between L and Ka bands are performed to investigate the capability of MiWaRS to sound the characteristics of the Moon's regolith subsurface and detect the presence of rocks and ice under the near-surface regolith layer. Under these forward model assumptions, results show that the Moon's brightness temperature response allows the detection of discontinuities within regolith media down to 2 and 5 m depth when channels at 3 and 1 GHz are used, respectively. Lunar near-surface temperature may be also estimated within an accuracy less than a few kelvins. The discrimination of ice from rock by MiWaRS is hardly practicable and is limited to the presence of ice in the upper layers (with a depth less than 20 cm) beneath the lunar crust.Citation: Montopoli, M., A. Di Carlofelice, P. Tognolatti, and F. S. Marzano (2011), Remote sensing of the Moon's subsurface with multifrequency microwave radiometers: A numerical study, Radio Sci., 46, RS1012,

No abstract

The structural health monitoring (SHM) of large and complex infrastructures as well as laboratory tests of new structures and materials resorts to strain gauge measurements to check mechanical stress. A wireless measurement of the strain gauge response is desirable in many practical applications to avoid the cost and the difficulty of wiring, particularly in large structures requiring several sensors and in complex objects where the measurement points are difficult to access. In this paper, a wireless strain gauge which is a hybrid between an RFID tag and a usual thin-film resistive strain gauge is experimented. Installation and maintenance problems of the wireless sensor networks are overcome allowing a high level of measurement accuracy, comparable to that of wired strain sensors, together with a long measurement distance. A large set of measurements has been performed using reference specimens and readings in order to validate the sensor and to develop a calibration procedure that makes the sensor suitable for a large number of different applications in civil engineering.