Search Results (191)

The forthcoming joint NASA/ASI (National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Italian Space Agency) Surface Biology and Geology Thermal Infrared (SBG-TIR) mission will operate in a sun-synchronous polar orbit collecting data on a global scale. The mission will acquire thermal infrared observations together with limited visible and near-infrared (VNIR) observations, consisting of two spectral bands and one panchromatic channel. In this context, and particularly given the limited number of VNIR bands, accurate retrieval of Vegetation Fractional Cover (FC) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) is particularly relevant. This is because it enables the synergistic use of VNIR and TIR observations to support vegetation monitoring and surface energy flux estimation during the mission. This study evaluates different machine learning approaches under different configurations for the retrieval of FC and LAI using the VNIR observations expected from the SBG-TIR mission. Synthetic datasets generated with the Soil Canopy Observation, Photochemistry and Energy Fluxes (SCOPE) radiative transfer model were used for model training and validation. Different input configurations were tested, including VNIR bands, the panchromatic channel, vegetation indices, and observation geometry variables. Model performance was assessed on independent test data, including uncertainty quantification. The optimal configuration, using Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), achieved RMSE values of 0.046 for FC and 0.053 m²/m² for LAI using a seven-channel input set, while yielding R² values greater than 0.9 for both variables. These results are consistent with previous studies, supporting the validity of the proposed approach. The trained models were subsequently applied to Sentinel-2 and evaluated against GBOV (Ground-Based Observations for Validation) reference measurements and standard Sentinel-2 biophysical products. The results showed strong statistical agreement with the Biophysical Processor implemented in the ESA Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) toolbox, confirming the robustness of the proposed framework for operational estimation and mapping of FC and LAI in the context of the SBG-TIR space mission. Full article

Lunar lava tubes are subsurface cavities generated by volcanic activity and are regarded as promising targets for exploration because they can offer natural shielding and potentially support future lunar infrastructures as protected shelters and scientific laboratories. Autonomous navigation in these environments remains challenging due to the absence of illumination, sparse or repetitive geometric features, uneven terrain, and intermittent communications that limit teleoperation. In this framework, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is pursuing a dedicated mission, and OHB Italia has been appointed the prime contractor to perform a candidate system-architecture study for lava tube exploration. This paper presents the activities and results related to the definition of the subsurface Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) algorithm for a rover/hopper system. To address the above constraints, this study investigates the requirements for autonomous onboard navigation, focusing on sensor selection for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) as a fundamental prerequisite for mission success. A weighted-criteria evaluation framework is developed to assess various sensing modalities, considering mission-specific constraints. Based on this analysis, a sensor configuration optimized for GPS-denied and unilluminated environments is proposed. The effectiveness of the selected sensing architecture is validated through a simulation campaign conducted in simulation environments (CoppeliaSim v4.10.0/MATLAB 2025a), using two representative SLAM pipelines (ICP and LOAM) in LiDAR-only and LiDAR + IMU configurations. Finally, a modular Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) architecture incorporating frontier-based exploration is proposed. Full article

HyperCoreg is an automated, end-to-end pipeline for geometric co-registration of spaceborne hyperspectral imagery (PRISMA L2D and EnMAP L2A) to Sentinel-2 Level-2A reference data. The workflow addresses scene-dependent geolocation errors that hinder reliable data fusion and multi-temporal analyses, particularly in cloud-affected acquisitions. HyperCoreg builds on the AROSICS framework without replacing its image-matching engine and extends it at the workflow level through four operational functions: automated Sentinel-2 candidate selection, hyperspectral-to-multispectral band pairing, sequential alignment logic, and quality-controlled acceptance. The main output is a co-registered hyperspectral cube along with comprehensive metrics, per-scene reports, and optional diagnostic products that support accessible quality control. Performance is evaluated on a long time series of PRISMA images collected from 2019 to 2025 and an EnMAP test set acquired in 2025, over the Metropolitan City of Rome (Italy). The multi-sensor dataset encompasses heterogeneous acquisition conditions, including variable cloud cover, illumination, and seasonal variability. The results show systematic reductions in mean residual error compared with a controlled basic AROSICS-based pipeline configuration. The largest gains are achieved in challenging conditions where tie points are sparse or unevenly distributed. By improving geometric consistency, this pipeline facilitates spatial layering and integration of hyperspectral data with higher-resolution urban layers and supports a range of downstream applications where data integration and spatiotemporal consistency are cornerstones of further analysis. Full article

Remote sensing is widely used in archaeological prospection to detect surface anomalies (crop marks) indicating buried remains, typically through recognition of visual patterns in high- or very high-resolution imagery acquired by means of satellite, airborne, or drone sensors. In contrast, spectroscopic approaches focusing on variations in spectral signatures still remain rarely applied in archaeological research. This study proposes a technological barrier-free method addressed to archaeologists which is based on pixel-level analysis of the Reflectance Values (RV) and spectral shape variations in the visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared (VIS-NIR-SWIR) range derived from Sentinel-2 imagery. Spectral signatures are extracted through sampling polygons designed to account for the spatial resolution of the different Sentinel-2 bands and their spatial relationship with the location and size of the archaeological features. The RV method is tested on two Roman archaeological contexts: the ancient city of Telesia Vetere (San Salvatore Telesino, Benevento) and a Roman villa at Podere Colle Agnano (Labro, Rieti) using the full Sentinel-2 archive since 2017. While Telesia has previously been investigated through aerial photo interpretation and archaeological fieldwork, the Roman villa at Labro is documented here for the first time. Results show consistent seasonal repeated spectral separability between areas corresponding to known buried archaeological features and surrounding areas. Similar anomalies were also detected in areas without previously documented remains, thus suggesting the possible presence of buried structures and highlighting the predictive potential of the RV method. Owing to its easiness to use beyond image processing specialism and reliance on open-access data, the method can support archaeological decision-making and guide further investigation with higher-resolution remote sensing data or targeted field surveys, particularly in the framework of preventive archaeology. Full article

The Middle-Wave Infrared Imaging Spectrometer for Target Asteroids (MIST-A) will be launched in 2028 aboard the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid belt (EMA) and will operate in the 2–5 μm spectral range to study the asteroids’ surface composition and thermo-physical properties. MIST-A’s Optical Head (OH) design is inherited from the Jovian IR Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), from which the instrument also received two spare Hybrid-Thinned Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (MCT) photodetectors: the Engineering Model EM2 and the Flight Spare FS1. These are tested to assess their performance after a long period of storage. The laboratory setup for testing both detectors consists of a blackbody and a cryostat which houses the focal plane, maintained at temperatures of 85 K, its nominal operative temperature, and 90 K. Two sets of measurements are performed: (1) characterization of the dark current at different integration times (0 ms, 224 ms, 448 ms, 672 ms, 869 ms, 1120 ms); (2) verification of the detectors’ response linearity, measuring a blackbody at different temperatures (from 50 °C to 100 °C), including ambient temperature (25 °C, with the blackbody turned off). The results of these tests confirm that both models are fully operational and allow us to evaluate the consequences of the years of inactivity on their performance. Through a detailed analysis of the detectors’ properties and a comparison study with the results of the sensors’ first characterization performed by their producer in 2009, we come to the conclusion that both instruments are able to fulfill MIST-A’s scientific requirements. The FS1 displays a better performance with respect to the EM2 and for this has been selected as MIST-A’s Flight Model. Full article

Swarm is a three-satellite mission operated by the European Space Agency to monitor the Earth’s magnetic field. The China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) is a satellite dedicated to studying the possible seismo-induced effects of earthquake activity on the ionosphere, operated by the China National Space Administration in cooperation with the Italian Space Agency. Such satellites are placed in Low Earth Orbit at an altitude ranging from 460 km to 510 km. We selected orbital combinations with the Swarm satellite in one hemisphere and CSES-01 in the opposite one to study the impact of magnetic pulsations on the ionospheric environment. The data have been filtered in the frequency range of Pi2 pulsations (period between 40 s and 150 s). Similar oscillations of a few nanoTeslas of the magnetic field intensity were detected by both satellites, sometimes in phase and at other times in counterphase. Detected oscillations could be explained by interactions between the Sun’s and Earth’s magnetic fields or the effect of a satellite crossing the auroral ring currents at the Northern and Southern Poles. This work supports the cross-validation of magnetic data from multiple satellite missions in Low Earth Orbit, such as Swarm and CSES. Our results confirm the scientific reliability of magnetic data acquired from the above-cited satellite missions. Full article

The development of passive microwave sensors traces back to Robert Dicke’s pioneering experiments in the 1940s. Since then, microwave radiometry has evolved into a key tool for Earth observation, strengthened by data from multiple satellite missions operating across different wavelengths. This paper reviews the state of the art in microwave radiometry for monitoring land surfaces. After introducing the theoretical foundations underpinning current missions, we present an overview of major satellite instruments. We then examine early theoretical advances in retrieving soil moisture and snow properties, two applications that contributed to the future development of satellite microwave radiometry missions for the observation of surface variables. Particular attention is given to radiative transfer theory and its solutions, which model the effects of roughness, vegetation, and snow cover. These approaches form the basis of today’s retrieval algorithms and remain central to future missions. Subsequent sections highlight the use of passive microwave data for estimating a variety of surface variables, the role of passive microwave in data assimilation systems and forthcoming missions dedicated to land monitoring. The review concludes with key achievements, ongoing challenges, and open issues—such as soil moisture retrieval under dense vegetation or snow property retrieval in melting conditions. Addressing these limitations is critical to fully exploiting microwave radiometry in the context of climate research and mitigation strategies. Full article

Lunar meteorites provide access to a geographically unconstrained record of the Moon, offering key insights into crustal diversity and interior evolution beyond the Apollo and Luna landing sites. Among them, the feldspathic breccia NWA 11421 is of particular interest because of its complex mineralogy and the presence of a dunite clast interpreted as a fragment of the lunar mantle. We present a non-destructive, multi-scale characterization of NWA 11421 using VIS–IR spectroscopy, µ-FTIR mapping, and µ-EDXRF. Results identify a polymict feldspathic breccia dominated by an anorthite matrix, with significant low-Ca pyroxene and olivine occurring as discrete mafic microdomains at the micro-scale. Near-infrared pyroxene band positions and Christiansen Feature (CF) value further indicate relatively mafic and primitive components. In addition, NWA 11421 CF value match with lunar crater-ejecta regions observed by the Diviner radiometer (LRO). These findings are consistent with a deep crustal or shallow mantle origin for NWA 11421 and may provide useful constraints for the selection of future landing sites, particularly in the context of ISRU-oriented human exploration, where mafic components are key sources of Fe and Mg. Full article

Emerging landslides and severe floods highlight the urgent need to analyse and support predictive models and early warning systems. Soil moisture is a crucial parameter and it can now be determined from space with a resolution of a few tens of meters, potentially leading to the continuous global monitoring of landslide risk. We address this issue by determining the volumetric water content (VWC) of a testbed in Southern Italy (bare soil with significant flood and landslide hazard) through the comparison of two different satellite observations on the same day. In the first observation (Sentinel-1 mission of the European Space Agency, C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)), the back-scattered radar signal is used to determine the VWC from the dielectric constant in the microwave range, using a time-series approach to calibrate the algorithm. In the second observation (hyperspectral PRISMA mission of the Italian Space Agency), the short-wave infrared (SWIR) reflectance spectra are used to calculate the VWC from the spectral weight of a vibrational absorption line of liquid water (wavelengths 1800–1950 nm). As the main result, we obtained a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of $0.4$ between the VWC values measured with the two techniques and a separate ground-truth confirmation of absolute VWC values in the range of 0.10–0.30 within $\pm 0.05$. This overlap validates that both SAR and hyperspectral data can be well calibrated and mapped with 30 m ground resolution, given the absence of artifacts or anomalies in this particular testbed (e.g., vegetation canopy or cloud presence). If hyperspectral data in the SWIR range become more broadly available in the future, our systematic procedure to synchronise these two technologies in both space and time can be further adapted to cross-validate the global high-resolution soil moisture dataset. Ultimately, multi-mission data integration could lead to quasi-real-time hydrogeological risk monitoring from space. Full article

Antonio Basoli’s one hundred Picturesque views of the city of Bologna (1824–1836) include 95 preparatory drawings, 16 of which were executed on oil-impregnated lightweight paper now showing advanced degradation. This study aims to investigate the materials and techniques used by Basoli’s workshop and to develop an evidence-based conservation approach for these fragile works. An integrated analytical methodology combining non-invasive hyperspectral imaging (HSI), Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) with micro-invasive SEM-EDX and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy was applied on five drawings on lightweight impregnated paper to characterize both the paper supports and drawing media. Linseed oil containing lead-based drying agents was suggested to be the impregnating substance, while iron oxide (sanguine) over metalpoint (Cu, Sb, Pb) defined the graphic media. The detection of copper–lead residues suggests that Basoli employed a direct pressure transfer technique similar to James Watt’s copying machine. Conservation treatments resulted in significant pH stabilization (from 5.35 ± 0.20 to 6.45 ± 0.33) and reduced yellowing (ΔE* = 4.9 ± 1.8) while maintaining the paper’s translucency. The results elucidate the innovative practices of Basoli’s workshop and establish a reproducible analytical and conservation methodology applicable to the preservation of nineteenth-century graphic heritage. Full article

This paper presents the design and implementation of the Power Stage GAIA (PSG), a high-current digital bias board developed by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) to extend the capabilities of the GAIA bias system. The PSG was developed within the Advanced European THz Receiver Array (AETHRA) project to support next-generation cryogenic receivers for millimeter-wave astronomy. Specifically, the AETHRA Work Package 1 (WP1) W-band downconverter integrates Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) requiring currents significantly exceeding the 50 mA limit of standard bias boards. To address these requirements, the PSG introduces a modular extension providing ten independent channels, each capable of delivering up to 500 mA with a programmable output range of 0–5 V. A key feature of the design is the adoption of a fully linear architecture based on LT1970 power amplifiers and INA225 precision sensors managed via an I²C digital interface. This approach ensures the high current capability required by modern power amplifiers while strictly avoiding the spectral noise and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) typical of switching power supplies. Experimental validation confirms the system’s robustness and precision: the board demonstrated linear operation up to 460 mA and exceptional long-term stability, with a measured RMS voltage deviation below 50 µV. These results establish the PSG as a scalable, low-noise solution suitable for biasing high-power MMICs in future cryogenic receiver arrays. Full article

The accurate simulation of sub-GeV particle detectors is essential for interpreting experimental data and optimizing detector design. This work identifies and addresses several critical aspects in modeling such detectors, taking as a case study the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02), a space-borne instrument developed within the CSES-02 mission to measure electrons in the ∼3–100 MeV range, protons and light nuclei in the ∼30–200 MeV/n. The HEPD-02 instrument consists of a silicon tracker, plastic and LYSO scintillator calorimeters, and anticoincidence systems, making it a representative example of a complex low-energy particle detector operating in Low Earth Orbit. Key challenges arise from replicating intricate detector geometries derived from CAD models, selecting appropriate hadronic physics lists for low-energy interactions, and accurately describing the detector response—particularly quenching effects in scintillators and digitization in solid-state tracking planes. Particular attention is given to three critical aspects: the precise CAD-level geometry implementation, the impact of hadronic physics models on the detector response, and the parameterization of scintillation quenching. In this study, we present original solutions to these challenges and provide data–MC comparisons using data from HEPD-02 beam tests. Full article

We report the results achieved by the Experiment to Study Thunderstorm High-Energy Radiation (ESTHER), a small ground-based project devoted to the investigation of high-energy radiation in thunderstorms, installed on Mt. Etna (Italy), during the first observational campaign of summer 2024. The experimental setup was installed at high altitude, at the Citelli Refuge (1741 m a.s.l.) and at the Etnean Observatory (2818 m a.s.l.), and acquired data for more than 4 months, experiencing 22 days of thunderstorms and recording correlated variations in the gamma-ray background. The most interesting result encountered during these first data takes is the detection of a 6.3 min high-energy event that occurred during an intense thunderstorm, which was recorded at the first installation site, on 22 July 2024. The gamma-ray detection system revealed a high-energy emission consisting of several episodes: an initial weak gamma-ray glowing, a following shallow prolonged emission, and a final intense burst. The last two episodes exhibited a remarkable 511 keV emission, with the last burst releasing more than 12% of its total counts within $511\pm 25$ keV and exhibiting a count rate in that energy range five times higher than that typically encountered in the environmental background. We interpret this emission as the possible result of positron annihilation occurring inside the parent thundercloud. Several lightning discharges took place nearby the installation site, with the closest one occurring at less than 500 m from the detectors, just before the onset of the final burst dominated by positron annihilation. Full article

The study of astromaterials, including meteorites, provides essential insights into the origin and evolution of the Solar System. Their scientific value relies not only on analytical investigations but also on rigorous documentation and long-term preservation. In this context, standardized cataloging systems are not merely administrative acts but fundamental tools for ensuring data accessibility, safeguarding collection integrity, and facilitating knowledge dissemination within the planetary science community. Importantly, most meteorites are preserved in museum collections, making these institutions central to their conservation and study. This contribution examines the BN-PL (Beni Naturalistici–Planetologia) Italian national cataloging standard, developed by the Central Institute for Cataloging and Documentation (ICCD) under the Ministry of Culture. Specifically designed for meteorite museum collections, BNPL forms part of a legally recognized, interoperable, and open-access system. The standard comprises over 21 thematic sections, covering classification, sample availability, provenance, acquisition, analytical data, conservation policies, exhibition records, and bibliography. Each entry is complemented by high-resolution images and multimedia documentation, supporting both research and public engagement. This work outlines the state of cataloging Italian meteorite museum collections using BNPL, highlighting its strengths and limitations, while also considering the potential development of the standard for cataloging astromaterials within the national heritage framework. Full article

This paper critically examines the role of the concepts of agency and advocacy within contemporary social work, with specific reference to the integrated promotion of environmental justice. Agency is interpreted as a processual and relational dimension of human action, which social work professionals are called upon to recognize, support, and enhance within pathways of individual and collective empowerment. Advocacy is understood as a transformative practice oriented toward structural change. It activates spaces of mediation between community demands and institutional decision-making systems, particularly in contexts marked by environmental inequalities. Building on this theoretical framework, the paper addresses the following research question: How can social work help construct effective territorial alliances to counteract environmental injustices affecting vulnerable populations? To answer this, we developed a qualitative, two-phase study. It involved narrative interviews with Italian social workers and a participatory training and research program, organized with the Professional Association of Social Workers of the Veneto Region (Italy). The eco-social approach served as a key interpretative tool for integrating environmental and social justice dimensions. Full article