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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

The insertion of human dynamics models in the flight control loops of V/STOL research aircraft. Appendix 2: The optimal control model of a pilot in V/STOL aircraft control loops

An overview is presented of research work focussed on the design and insertion of classical models of human pilot dynamics within the flight control loops of V/STOL aircraft. The pilots were designed and configured for use in integrated control system research and design. The models of human behavior that were considered are: McRuer-Krendel (a single variable transfer function model); and Optimal Control Model (a multi-variable approach based on optimal control and stochastic estimation theory). These models attempt to predict human control response characteristics when confronted with compensatory tracking and state regulation tasks. An overview, mathematical description, and discussion of predictive limitations of the pilot models is presented. Design strategies and closed loop insertion configurations are introduced and considered for various flight control scenarios. Models of aircraft dynamics (both transfer function and state space based) are developed and discussed for their use in pilot design and application. Pilot design and insertion are illustrated for various flight control objectives. Results of pilot insertion within the control loops of two V/STOL research aricraft (Sikorski Black Hawk UH-60A, McDonnell Douglas Harrier II AV-8B) are presented and compared against actual pilot flight data. Conclusions are reached on the ability of the pilot models to adequately predict human behavior when confronted with similar control objectives.

Zipf, Mark E.↗
NASA NTRS1984

In-trail dynamics of multiple CDTI-equipped aircraft queues

One of the potential problems of in-trail self-spacing with a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) is whether dynamic oscillations would occur in a queue of aircraft flying an approach, similar to the ""accordion'' effect seem with the queue of automobiles in stop-and-go traffic. In order to gain some insight into this potential problem, a brief experiment was conducted with the Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV) ground-based simulator equipped with CDTI which presented the position of other aircraft in the area. Three simulation sessions were conducted wherein queues of up to nine aircraft were built, each one self-spacing on the preceding aircraft. The aircraft crews were rotated to ensure that the pilots had no prior knowledge of the lead aircraft behavior they would be following. Two different spacing criteria were employed: a constant time predictor criterion and a constant time delay criterion. The experiment failed to uncover any dynamic oscillatory tendencies in queues of seven to nine aircraft.

Kelly, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Cognitive and affective components of mental workload: Understanding the effects of each on human decision making behavior

Human factors and ergonomics researchers have recognized for some time the increasing importance of understanding the role of the construct of mental workload in flight research. Current models of mental workload suggest that it is a multidimensional and complex construct, but one that has proved difficult to measure. Because of this difficulty, emphasis has usually been placed on using direct reports through subjective measures such as rating scales to assess levels of mental workload. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA/TLX, Hart and Staveland) has been shown to be a highly reliable and sensitive measure of perceived mental workload. But a problem with measures like TLX is that there is still considerable disagreement as to what it is about mental workload that these subjective measures are actually measuring. The empirical use of subjective workload measures has largely been to provide estimates of the cognitive components of the actual mental workload required for a task. However, my research suggests that these measures may, in fact have greater potential in accurately assessing the affective components of workload. That is, for example, TLX may be more likely to assess the positive and negative feelings associated with varying workload levels, which in turn may potentially influence the decision making behavior that directly bears on performance and safety issues. Pilots, for example, are often called upon to complete many complex tasks that are high in mental workload, stress, and frustration, and that have significant dynamic decision making components -- often ones that involve risk as well.

Nygren, Thomas E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Representation of Cultural Role-Play for Training

The Department of Defense (000) has successfully applied a number of methods for cultural familiarization training ranging from stand-up classroom training, to face-to-face live role-play, to so-called smart-cards. Recent interest has turned to the use of single and mUlti-player gaming technologies to augment these traditional methods of cultural familiarization. One such system, termed CulturePad, has been designed as a game-based role-play environment suitable for use in training and experimentation involving cultural roleplay scenarios. This paper describes the initial CulturePad effort focused on a literature review regarding the use of role-play for cultural training and a feasibility assessment of using a game-mediated environment for role-play. A small-scale pilot involving cultural experts was conducted to collect qualitative behavioral data comparing live role-play to game-mediated role-play in a multiplayer gaming engine.

Santarelli, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of historical and predictive information on ability of transport pilot to predict an alert

In the aviation community, the early detection of the development of a possible subsystem problem during a flight is potentially useful for increasing the safety of the flight. Commercial airlines are currently using twin-engine aircraft for extended transport operations over water, and the early detection of a possible problem might increase the flight crew's options for safely landing the aircraft. One method for decreasing the severity of a developing problem is to predict the behavior of the problem so that appropriate corrective actions can be taken. To investigate the pilots' ability to predict long-term events, a computer workstation experiment was conducted in which 18 airline pilots predicted the alert time (the time to an alert) using 3 different dial displays and 3 different parameter behavior complexity levels. The three dial displays were as follows: standard (resembling current aircraft round dial presentations); history (indicating the current value plus the value of the parameter 5 sec in the past); and predictive (indicating the current value plus the value of the parameter 5 sec into the future). The time profiles describing the behavior of the parameter consisted of constant rate-of-change profiles, decelerating profiles, and accelerating-then-decelerating profiles. Although the pilots indicated that they preferred the near term predictive dial, the objective data did not support its use. The objective data did show that the time profiles had the most significant effect on performance in estimating the time to an alert.

Trujillo, Anna C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The reliability and validity of flight task workload ratings

Twelve instrument-rated general aviation pilots each flew two scenarios in a motion-base simulator. During each flight, the pilots verbally estimated their workload every three minutes. Following each flight, they again estimated workload for each flight segment and also rated their overall workload, perceived performance, and 13 specific factors on a bipolar scale. The results indicate that time (a priori, inflight, or postflight) of eliciting ratings, period to be covered by the ratings (a specific moment in time or a longer period), type of rating scale, and rating method (verbal, written, or other) may be important variables. Overall workload ratings appear to be predicted by different specific scales depending upon the situation, with activity level the best predictor. Perceived performance seems to bear little relationship to observer-rated performance when pilots rate their overall performance and an observer rates specific behaviors. Perceived workload and performance also seem unrelated.

Childress, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS2014

2014 SRP Integration Transcript

HRP's mission is to reduce the risks to human health and performance during long-duration spaceflight. The HRP Integrated Research Plan (IRP) contains the research plans for the 32 risks that require research to characterize and mitigate. From its inception the "integrate" aspect of the IRP has denoted the integrated nature of risks to human health and performance. Even though each risk in the IRP has its own research plan and is tracked separately, the interrelated nature of health and performance requires that they be addressed in an integrative or holistic fashion so that the connectedness of physiological systems within the human body and the integrated response to spaceflight can be addressed. Common characteristics of the spaceflight environment include altered gravity, atmospheres, and light/dark cycles; space radiation; isolation; noise; and periods of high or low workload. Long-term exposure to this unique environment produces a suite of physiological effects such as stress; vision, neurocognitive, and anthropometric changes; circadian misalignment; fluid shifts; cardiovascular deconditioning; immune dysregulation; and altered nutritional requirements. Expanding cross-disciplinary integrative approaches that synthesize concepts or data from two or more disciplines would improve the identification and characterization risk factors, and enable the development of countermeasures relevant to multiple risks. Cross-disciplinary approaches might also help to illuminate problem areas that may arise when a countermeasure adversely impacts risks other than those which it was developed to mitigate, or to identify groupings of physiological changes that are likely to occur that may impact the overall risk posture. In 2014 HRP embarked on a pilot study that combined four SRPs (and 12 HRP risks) - Behavioral Health, Sensorimotor, Cardiovascular, and Bone/Muscle - specifically to discuss cross-disciplinary integration. The points outlined below were suggested to seed the discussion, within the bounding constraint that research plans must be feasible and relevant to the HRP mission. While these were suggested starting points, the overall guiding principle was to allow free discussion from panel members on any aspect of integrated research that they felt was important, Existing cross-disciplinary integration as documented in the IRP (HRR), Existing or needed integration already identified by HRP, but not yet well defined within the IRP, Areas of integration that are missing.

Steinberg, Susan↗
NASA NTRS1978

Perseveration effects in detection tasks with correlated decision intervals

An investigation of the behavior of the human decisionmaker is described for a task related to the problem of a pilot using a traffic situation display to avoid collisions. This sequential signal detection task is characterized by highly correlated signals with time varying strength. Experimental results are presented and the behavior of the observers is analyzed using the theory of Markov processes and classical signal detection theory. Mathematical models are developed which describe the main result of the experiment: that correlation in sequential signals induced perseveration in the observer response and a strong tendency to repeat their previous decision, even when they were wrong.

Gai, E. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Preliminary report on airline pilot scan patterns during simulated ILS approach

A series of ILS approaches using seven airline-rated Boeing 737 pilots in an FAA qualified simulator have been conducted. The test matrix included both manual and coupled approaches with and without atmospheric turbulence in Category II weather. A nonintrusive oculometer system was used to track the pilot's eye-point-of-regard throughout the approach. The results indicate that, in general, the pilots use a different scan technique for the manual and coupled conditions; however, the introduction of atmospheric turbulence does not greatly affect the scan behavior in either case. A comparison is made between the objective measures of the instrument scan (oculometer data) and the pilots' opinions of their instrument use. The data show a high degree of consistency among pilots for both the quantitative data and the qualitative data (pilots' opinions). However, there is a slightly lower agreement between the quantitative and qualitative measures.

Spady, A. A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Effects of Motion Cues on the Training of Multi-Axis Manual Control Skills

The study described in this paper investigated the effects of two different hexapod motion configurations on the training and transfer of training of a simultaneous roll and pitch control task. Pilots were divided between two groups which trained either under a baseline hexapod motion condition, with motion typically provided by current training simulators, or an optimized hexapod motion condition, with increased fidelity of the motion cues most relevant for the task. All pilots transferred to the same full-motion condition, representing motion experienced in flight. A cybernetic approach was used that gave insights into the development of pilots use of visual and motion cues over the course of training and after transfer. Based on the current results, neither of the hexapod motion conditions can unambiguously be chosen as providing the best motion for training and transfer of training of the used multi-axis control task. However, the optimized hexapod motion condition did allow pilots to generate less visual lead, control with higher gains, and have better disturbance-rejection performance at the end of the training session compared to the baseline hexapod motion condition. Significant adaptations in control behavior still occurred in the transfer phase under the full-motion condition for both groups. Pilots behaved less linearly compared to previous single-axis control-task experiments; however, this did not result in smaller motion or learning effects. Motion and learning effects were more pronounced in pitch compared to roll. Finally, valuable lessons were learned that allow us to improve the adopted approach for future transfer-of-training studies.

flight simulators↗
NASA NTRS1976

Handling qualities aspects of NASA YF-12 flight experience

The handling qualities of the YF-12 airplane as observed during NASA research flights over the past five years were reviewed. Aircraft behavior during takeoff, acceleration, climb, cruise, descent, and landing are discussed. Pilot comments on the various flight phases and tasks are presented. Handling qualities parameters such as period, damping, amplitude ratios, roll-yaw coupling, and flight path response sensitivity are compared to existing and proposed handling qualities criteria. The influence of the propulsion systems, stability augmentation, autopilot systems, atmospheric gusts, and temperature changes are also discussed. YF-12 experience correlates well with flying qualities criteria, except for longitudinal short period damping, where existing and proposed criteria appear to be more stringent than necessary.

Berry, D. T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Regional Climatology and Surface Radiation Budget

The climatology and surface radiation budget (SRB) of a region are intimately related. This paper presents a brief examination of this relationship. An 8-year surface radiation budget data set has been developed based on satellite measurements. In that data set and in this paper a region is defined as a quasi-square 2.5o in latitude and approximately the same physical distance in longitude. A pilot study by Wilber et al. (1998) showed a variety of behaviors of the annual cycles for selected regions. Selected desert regions form a loop in a specific part of the plot, with large NLW and large NSW. Tropical wet regions form much smaller loops in a different part of the plot, with small NLW and large NSW. For regions selected in high latitude the annual cycles form nearly linear figures in another part of the plot. The question arises as to whether these trajectories are characteristic of the climatology of the region or simply the behavior of the few regions selected from the set of 6596 regions. In order to address this question, it is necessary to classify the climatology of the each region, e.g. as classified by Koeppen (1936) or Trenwarthe and Horne (1980). This paper presents a method of classifying climate of the regions on the basis of the surface radiation behavior such that the results are very similar to the classification of Trenwarthe and Horne. The characteristics of the annual cycle of SRB components can then be investigated further, based on the climate classification of each region.

Wilber, Anne C.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Intelligent Engine Systems Work Element 1.2: Malfunction and Operator Error Reduction

Jet engines, although highly reliable and safe, do experience malfunctions that cause flight delays, passenger stress, and in some cases, in conjunction with inappropriate crew response, contribute to airplane accidents. On rare occasions, the anomalous engine behavior is not recognized until it is too late for the pilots to do anything to prevent or mitigate the resulting engine malfunction causing in-flight shutdowns (IFSDs), aborted takeoffs (ATOs), or loss of thrust control (LOTC). In some cases, the crew response to a myriad of external stimuli and existing training procedures is the source of the problem mentioned above. The problem is the reduction of jet engine malfunctions (IFSDs, ATOs, and LOTC) and inappropriate crew response (PSM+ICR) through the use of evolving and advanced technologies. The solution is to develop the overall system health maintenance architecture, detection and accommodation technologies, processes, and enhanced crew interfaces that would enable a significant reduction in IFSDs, ATOs, and LOTC. This program defines requirements and proposes a preliminary design concept of an architecture that enables the realization of the solution.

Wiseman, Matthew↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Gaseous By-Product of Thermal Vacuum Processing of Lunar Highland Simulant

Scientists at Kennedy Space Center are advancing technologies to achieve oxygen extraction on the Lunar surface. One such technology is Molten Regolith Electrolysis (MRE) in which regolith simulant is melted under high temperatures to perform oxygen extraction through electrolysis of the melt pool. A study was conducted to understand the molten formation and proper-ties of Lunar Highlands Simulants (LHS-1) under high vacuum environments ranging between 10-6 Torr. These studies include investigating the regolith melt behavior and by-product gas analysis systems to prepare for pilot plant development and operations. The off-gassing rates and pressure build-up, gaseous compounds, and material compatibility may be a risk to MRE systems. The KSC findings are reported here for inclusion into future mis-sion architecture and operational planning. The four stages of the experiment were vacuum, resistive heating, regolith melt and gas detection. The regolith mass of 70 g was melted in a 40 cm tall x 50 cm diameter vacuum chamber at temperature increase rate 47 ℃ /min and ramp rate of 1 ampere/3 min up to an 18-amp maximum. The test is conducted for about 60 minutes and the constituent gases produced during heating of regolith is monitored with a re-sidual gas analyzer. During the molten formation, primary off-gassing volatiles included water vapor (18 amu), a peak at 44 amu (FeO2 – expected), and atomic oxygen (16 amu), among a series of other compounds that could create compatibility issues such as magnesium, chlorine, and silicon oxide. These results add to the knowledge required for successful oxygen extraction on the moon.

Molten Regolith Electrolysis↗
NASA NTRS1999

Detecting Mode Confusion Through Formal Modeling and Analysis

Aircraft safety has improved steadily over the last few decades. While much of this improvement can be attributed to the introduction of advanced automation in the cockpit, the growing complexity of these systems also increases the potential for the pilots to become confused about what the automation is doing. This phenomenon, often referred to as mode confusion, has been involved in several accidents involving modern aircraft. This report describes an effort by Rockwell Collins and NASA Langley to identify potential sources of mode confusion through two complementary strategies. The first is to create a clear, executable model of the automation, connect it to a simulation of the flight deck, and use this combination to review of the behavior of the automation and the man-machine interface with the designers, pilots, and experts in human factors. The second strategy is to conduct mathematical analyses of the model by translating it into a formal specification suitable for analysis with automated tools. The approach is illustrated by applying it to a hypothetical, but still realistic, example of the mode logic of a Flight Guidance System.

Miller, Steven P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Methodology for Examining the Operator and the System Concurrently: Pilot Interaction with Automation

Complex system description is problematic when considering operator task activities interacting with system dynamics. Engineering languages have matured sufficiently to allow machine system description at various levels of depth and breadth but without operator synergy. Concurrently, Task Analysis methods have evolved along diverse lines enabling a description of the operator in the system from various paradigms but not describing the system. A void exists when attempting to view the system and the operator in the same plane. We propose a methodology employing descriptive languages from different domains viewed in a single dimension. Finite Automata (FA) languages describe the machine system in the proposed approach. Operator task specifications, a form of task analysis output, examine the operator activities within the system. Operator task specifications were then selected for discrete task activities and overlaid on the system description to examine operator inputs and subsequently view system responses. Unexpected (surprise) and undesirable system behavior was expected to emerge from this analysis. In this paper we shall first describe the methodology and show how the two perspectives, machine model and operator task specifications are integrated. Following we describe the process of doing such analysis using an example from cockpit automation. The methodology was employed in the analysis of a new function that was added to an existing automatic flight control system. We begin by defining a flight scenario involving all aspects of pilot interaction with the new function. Then, we proceed to develop a basic model of the machine behavior, in the context of pilot actions. Finally we superimpose the operator task specification on the machine model and perform the analysis. The proposed methodology may have broad appeal to system designers and human factors specialists. A common language for engineers of diverse domains is a strong point of this approach. Systems engineers may not fully understand operational considerations and human limitations, and human factors specialists may not be exposed to the full extent of system behavior. We hope the proposed methodology is adopted by both disciplines and in the process each assimilates a common language to address potential shortcomings of either approach separately.

Austin, David↗
NASA NTRS1984

Suppression of Biodynamic Interference by Adaptive Filtering

Preliminary experimental results obtained in moving base simulator tests are presented. Both for pursuit and compensatory tracking tasks, a strong deterioration in tracking performance due to biodynamic interference is found. The use of adaptive filtering is shown to substantially alleviate these effects, resulting in a markedly improved tracking performance and reduction in task difficulty. The effect of simulator motion and of adaptive filtering on human operator describing functions is investigated. Adaptive filtering is found to substantially increase pilot gain and cross-over frequency, implying a more tight tracking behavior. The adaptive filter is found to be effective in particular for high-gain proportional dynamics, low display forcing function power and for pursuit tracking task configurations.

Velger, M.↗
NASA NTRS1949

Ditching Investigation of a 1/18-Scale Model of the North American B-45 Airplane

An investigation of a 1/18-scale dynamically similar model of the North American B-45 airplane was made to observe the ditching behavior and determine the proper landing technique to be used in an emergency water landing. Various conditions of damage were simulated to determine the behavior which probably would occur in a full-scale ditching. The behavior of the model was determined from high-speed motion-picture records, time-history acceleration records, and visual observations. It was concluded that the airplane should be ditched at the maximum nose-high attitude with the landing flaps full down for minimum landing speed. During the ditching, the nose-wheel and bomb-bay doors probably will be torn away and the rear of the fuselage flooded. A violent dive will very likely occur. Longitudinal decelerations of approximately 5g and vertical accelerations of approximately -6g (including gravity) will be experienced near the pilots' compartment. Ditching braces installed in the bomb bay will tend to improve the behavior slightly but will be torn away along with the bomb-bay doors. A hydroflap installed ahead of the nose-wheel doors will eliminate the dive and failure of the nose-wheel doors, and substantially reduce the motions and accelerations.

Fisher, Lloyd J.↗