Having to sit through a Boeing 747 landing in foul weather has never been fun, but it need not be dangerous. A four-year endeavor between the University's Department of Computer Science and a NASA research center is trying to help by making pea-soup fog appear as clear as glass.

The University recently completed its part of the project -- software that converts images derived from low frequency passive millimeter waves back into images that are visible to the pilot. Cameras mounted on the aircraft will use passive millimeter waves to cut through the fog so the runway can be seen from inside the cockpit.

"Basically, NASA is working to provide systems which will assist the pilots to see things better," said Rangachar Kasturi, associate professor of computer science and engineering, who is in charge of the project.

"If the weather is not good, or for some reason the pilot cannot see out the window, they should be able to look at enhanced images. In addition to whatever they can make out, if you can provide them with a better picture, they can make a better decision," he said.

Octavia Camps, who assisted with the software development, said the only problem left in terms of system development is the construction of the sensor that will see the runway. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has not completed the hardware for the project, the passive millimeter camera, and has not estimated when it will.

"The problem is that the sensor is not ready," said Camps, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science. "We're still in the research stage."

Kasturi became involved with the project while he was a summer fellow at NASA in 1991. He stayed with the project until the imaging software was completed in August 1994.

In addition to allowing pilots to see the runway, the system also detects and tracks images that should not be on the runway. Pilots can then discern whether a runway is clear. Kasturi estimates that the system will detect objects as small as 5 feet in diameter.

"It already knows what should be there. Anything that shouldn't be there will be detected and the system will alert the pilot," Kasturi said.

The system will consist of a passive millimeter camera mounted in the nose of the aircraft and connected to an on-board computer. But the system camera will not produce the high-resolution images normal cameras produce because the quality of the image is sacrificed due to the low frequencies of passive millimeter waves.

"The resolution is lower because it uses a lower frequency," Kasturi said. "But it's better than not seeing anything at all."

Using lower frequency light is one method that may be used to see through low visibility, said Sadashiva Devadiga, assistant with the project. Other imaging techniques, such as infrared sensors, could be incorporated, said Devadiga (graduatecomputer engineering).

"Our final goal in this is to develop a system which can operate under all weather conditions," he said.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations specify minimum visibility conditions for an aircraft to take off and land. According to statistics, 64 percent of flight delays are because of bad weather.