SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Proposed composite cathode-ray tube consists of rectangular array of cathode-ray tubes joined at edges, sharing common vacuum. Each electron gun generates independent image on portion of screen. Composite tube operates most advantageously under digital control to make available several display modes. Brightness and resolution of large images increased. Useful for classroom presentations, conferences, and the like.
When technology developed for a specific purpose is used in another application, the process is called technology transfer--the application of an existing technology to a new use or user for purposes other than those for which the technology was originally intended. Using Bibliographical Databases in Technology Transfer deals with demand-pull transfer, technology transfer that arises from need recognition, and is a guide for conducting demand-pull technology transfer studies. It can be used by a researcher as a self-teaching manual or by an instructor as a classroom text. A major problem of technology transfer is finding applicable technology to transfer. Described in detail is the solution to this problem, the use of computerized, bibliographic databases, which currently contain virtually all documented technology of the past 15 years. A general framework for locating technology is described. NASA technology organizations and private technology transfer firms are listed for consultation.
A photovoltaic (PV) power system has been installed as an adjunct to an agricultural school at Wawatobi on the large northern island of the Republic of Indonesia. Its purpose is to provide power for a satellite earth station and a classroom. The renewable energy developed supports the video and audio teleconferencing systems as well as the facility at large. The ground station may later be used to provide telephone service. The installation was made in support of the Agency for International Development's Rural Satellite Program, whose purpose is to demonstrate the use of satellite communications for rural development assistance applications. The objective of this particular PV power system is to demonstrate the suitability of a hybrid PV engine-generator configuration for remote satellite earth stations.
The NASA Spacelink is an electronic information service operated by the Marshall Space Flight Center. The Spacelink contains extensive NASA news and educational resources that can be accessed by a computer and modem. Updates and information are provided on: current NASA news; aeronautics; space exploration: before the Shuttle; space exploration: the Shuttle and beyond; NASA installations; NASA educational services; materials for classroom use; and space program spinoffs.
A status review is presented for a generic blackboard-based distributed problem-solving environment in which multiple-agent cooperation can be effected. This environment is organized into a shared information panel, a chairman control panel, and a metaplanning panel. Each panel contains a number of embedded AI techniques that facilitate its operation and that provide heuristics for solving the underlying team-agent decision problem. The status of these panels and heuristics is described along with a number of robustness considerations. The techniques for each of the three panels and for four sets of paradigm-related advances are described, along with selected results from classroom teaching experiments and from three applications.
The Alabama A and M University Elementary and Middle School Science Improvement Project (Project SIP) was instituted to improve the science knowledge of elementary and middle school teachers using the experimental or hands-on approach. Summer workshops were conducted during the summers of 1986, 1987, and 1988 in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and electricity, and magnetism. Additionally, a manual containing 43 lessons which included background information, experiments and activities for classroom and home use was provided to each teacher. During the course of the project activities, the teachers interacted with various university faculty members, scientists, and NASA staff. The administrative aspects of the program, the delivery of the services to participating teachers, and the project outcome are addressed.
The magnetization process, hysteresis (the difference in the path of magnetization for an increasing and decreasing magnetic field), hysteresis loops, and hard magnetic materials are discussed. The fabrication of classroom projects for demonstrating hysteresis and the hysteresis of common magnetic materials is described in detail.
Paper discusses computer simulation as means of experiencing and learning to understand physical phenomena. Covers both present simulation capabilities and major advances expected in near future. Visual, aural, tactile, and kinesthetic effects used to teach such physical sciences as dynamics of fluids. Recommends classrooms in universities, government, and industry be linked to advanced computing centers so computer simulations integrated into education process.
This is the second aerospace education software bibliography to be published by the NASA Educational Technology Branch in Washington, DC. Unlike many software bibliographies, this bibliography does not evaluate and grade software according to its quality and value to the classroom, nor does it make any endorsements or warrant scientific accuracy. Rather, it describes software, its subject, approach, and technical details. This bibliography is intended as a convenience to educators. The specific software included represents replies to more than 300 queries to software producers for aerospace education programs.
NASA's Spacelink is a collection of NASA information and educational materials stored on a computer at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). It is provided by the NASA Education Affairs Division and is operated by the Public Services and Education Branch of the MFSC Public Affairs Office. It is designed to communicate with a wide variety of computers and modems, especially those most commonly found in classrooms and homes. The system may be accessed by the educators and the public over regular telephone lines. NASA Spacelink is free except for the cost of long distance calls. The material prepared for Spacelink was found to be widespread by teachers and others across the nation and is being used to stimulate students in their quest for excellence. A partial summary of Spacelinks usage is presented.
This cooperative endeavor of NASA Headquarters, the NASA Langley Research Center, and the George W. Park Seed Company, resulted in the distribution, by the end of March, 1990, of approximately 132,000 space exposed experiment developed for students (SEEDS) kits to 64,000 teachers representing 40,000 classrooms and 3.3 million kindergarden through university students. Kits were sent to every state, as well as to 30 foreign countries. Preliminary radiation data indicates that layer A received 725 rads, while layer D received 350 rads. Germination rate was reported to be 73.8 percent for space exposed seeds and 70.3 percent for earth based control seeds. Tests conducted within the first six months after retrieval indicated space exposed seeds germinated in an average of 8.0 days, while earth based control seeds' average germination rate was 8.3 days. Some mutations (assumed to be radiation induced) reported by students and Park Seed include plants that added a leaf instead of the usual flower at the end of the flower front and fruit produced from a flower with a variegated calyx bore seeds producing albino plants, while fruit from a flower with a green calyx from the same plant bore seeds produced green plants.
The role of NASA in developing a well-educated American work force is addressed. NASA educational programs aimed at precollege students are examined, including the NASA Spacemobile, Urban Community Enrichment Program, and Summer High School Apprenticeship Program. NASA workshops and programs aimed at helping teachers develop classroom curriculum materials are described. Programs aimed at college and graduate-level students are considered along with coordination efforts with other federal agencies and with corporations.
A committee of trained classroom teachers, backed by a volunteer team of technical experts and academic advisors has developed a program for earth science based on photographs obtained from low earth orbit. In selecting targeting objectives, immediate note was made of the fact nearly one generation (20 years) has passed since the United States' ambitious SKYLAB program was conducted. A critical part of those missions was the acquisition of earth photography using a six camera, multi-spectral camera system. This objective was systematically furthered through the term of three separate crew visits to the Space Station. Not merely an exercise in randomly photographing the Earth below, the purpose of the Earth Resource Experiment Package (EREP) was to determine what kind, and how much, photographic data could be acquired of the broad variety of Earth features witnessed on the mission's ground track. The collection of 35,000 photos produced by EREP represents the most complete coverage of Earth. However, it remains under used. GAS 324 intends to revisit, and to add a tier of relevancy to this inventory. The photography of GAS 324 should allow a direct examination and comparison of the changes in the globe in the last 20 years. format in both coverage and quality. The photogra phy acquired by CAN DO should allow a direct examination and comparison of the changes that have occured to the Globe in the last twenty years.
NASA Spacelink, a proven resource medium, may be accessed over telephone lines or via the Internet by teachers or anyone with a computer or modem. It is a collection of historical and current information on NASA programs and activities. Included in this library is information on a variety of NASA programs, updates on Shuttle status, news releases, aeronautics, space exploration, classroom materials, NASA Educational Services, and computer programs and graphics. The material stored in Spacelink has found widespread use by teachers and others, and is being used to stimulate students, particularly in the area of aerospace science.
The purpose of this paper is to present an update of an intelligent robotics simulator package, ROBOSIM, first introduced at Technology 2000 in 1990. ROBOSIM is used for three-dimensional geometrical modeling of robot manipulators and various objects in their workspace, and for the simulation of action sequences performed by the manipulators. Geometric modeling of robot manipulators has an expanding area of interest because it can aid the design and usage of robots in a number of ways, including: design and testing of manipulators, robot action planning, on-line control of robot manipulators, telerobotic user interface, and training and education. NASA developed ROBOSIM between 1985-88 to facilitate the development of robotics, and used the package to develop robotics for welding, coating, and space operations. ROBOSIM has been further developed for academic use by its co-developer Vanderbilt University, and has been in both classroom and laboratory environments for teaching complex robotic concepts. Plans are being formulated to make ROBOSIM available to all U.S. engineering/engineering technology schools (over three hundred total with an estimated 10,000+ users per year).
The objectives of the experiment are fourfold: to provide practical experience implementing the fundamental processes and technology associated with the science and art of integrated circuit (IC) fabrication; to afford the opportunity for the student to apply the theory associated with IC fabrication and semiconductor device operation; to motivate the student to exercise engineering decisions associated with fabricating integrated circuits; and to complement the theory of n-channel MOS and diffused devices that are presented in the classroom by actually fabricating and testing them. Therefore, a balance between theory and practice can be realized in the education of young engineers, whose education is often criticized as lacking sufficient design and practical content.
Some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Taguchi Method of experimental design as applied to Materials Science will be discussed. This is a fractional factorial method that employs the minimum number of experimental trials for the information obtained. The analysis is also very simple to use and teach, which is quite advantageous in the classroom. In addition, the Taguchi loss function can be easily incorporated to emphasize that improvements in reproducibility are often at least as important as optimization of the response. The disadvantages of the Taguchi Method include the fact that factor interactions are normally not accounted for, there are zero degrees of freedom if all of the possible factors are used, and randomization is normally not used to prevent environmental biasing. In spite of these disadvantages it is felt that the Taguchi Method is extremely useful for both teaching experimental design and as a research tool, as will be shown with a number of brief examples.
Traditional and nontraditional methods of training technical writers-editors are reviewed. Combining work experience with classroom instruction in the form of cooperative education provides a method of strengthening the Federal career service in professional occupations. The NASA Langley experience that successfully introduced students to the special demands of technical writing and editing is described.