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At least 253 records · Page 14

Object-oriented Approach to High-level Network Monitoring and Management

An absolute prerequisite for the management of large investigating methods to build high-level monitoring computer networks is the ability to measure their systems that are built on top of existing monitoring performance. Unless we monitor a system, we cannot tools. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the hope to manage and control its performance. In this underlying systems at NASA Langley Research Center, paper, we describe a network monitoring system that we use an object-oriented approach for the design, we are currently designing and implementing. Keeping, first, we use UML (Unified Modeling Language) to in mind the complexity of the task and the required model users' requirements. Second, we identify the flexibility for future changes, we use an object-oriented existing capabilities of the underlying monitoring design methodology. The system is built using the system. Third, we try to map the former with the latter. APIs offered by the HP OpenView system.

Mukkamala, Ravi↗

Providing Affordable Access to the Lunar and Martian Gravity Environments for Conducting Scientific Research and Enabling Technology Development

NASA’s Artemis campaign aims to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars. Like the Moon, Mars is a rich destination for scientific discovery and a driver of technologies that will enable humans to travel and explore far from Earth. Conducting space research and validating gravity-dependent technologies in low-Earth orbit or on the surface of the Moon or Mars is expensive and typically requires long project life cycles. To achieve NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives, it will be necessary to have affordable, ground-based test platforms for carrying out this research and technology development in the relevant gravity environment. A proposed upgrade to NASA Glenn Research Center’s Zero Gravity Research Facility is presented that will provide more than 10 seconds of any prescribed gravity level between microgravity and Earth gravity, allowing users to rapidly conduct dozens of tests per day in a microgravity, Lunar, and Martian gravity environment. The design concept is described along with expected performance characteristics, and technologies and research areas that will benefit. The proposed ground-based variable gravity test capability will enable scientific breakthroughs and Moon to Mars technology and subsystem development while also providing a tool for educating and inspiring future scientists and engineers.

Variable Gravity↗

Mechanical Prototyping and Manufacturing Internship

The internship was located at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Innovation Design Center (IDC), which is a facility where the JSC workforce can meet and conduct hands-on innovative design, fabrication, evaluation, and testing of ideas and concepts relevant to NASA's mission. The tasks of the internship included mechanical prototyping design and manufacturing projects in service of research and development as well as assisting the users of the IDC in completing their manufacturing projects. The first project was to manufacture hatch mechanisms for a team in the Systems Engineering and Project Advancement Program (SETMAP) hexacopter competition. These mechanisms were intended to improve the performance of the servomotors and offer an access point that would also seal to prevent cross-contamination. I also assisted other teams as they were constructing and modifying their hexacopters. The success of this competition demonstrated a proof of concept for aerial reconnaissance and sample return to be potentially used in future NASA missions. I also worked with Dr. Kumar Krishen to prototype an improved thermos and a novel, portable solar array. Computer-aided design (CAD) software was used to model the parts for both of these projects. Then, 3D printing as well as conventional techniques were used to produce the parts. These prototypes were then subjected to trials to determine the success of the designs. The solar array is intended to work in a cluster that is easy to set up and take down and doesn't require powered servomechanisms. It could be used terrestrially in areas not serviced by power grids. Both projects improve planetary exploration capabilities to future astronauts. Other projects included manufacturing custom rail brackets for EG-2, assisting engineers working on underwater instrument and tool cases for the NEEMO project, and helping to create mock-up parts for Space Center Houston. The use of the IDC enabled efficient completion of these projects at significantly reduced cost. I acquired and improved manufacturing and prototyping skills during my tour including learning about a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) program called Creo (Creo Parametric; design software), gaining valuable conventional machining experience with lathes, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling machines and various other tools, and improving my engineering project communication and collaboration skills. The internship also allowed me to better understand operations at NASA. I plan to work in the aerospace industry or do academic research benefitting space science and exploration, and this internship experience will enable me to have insight into manufacturing processes for research and development.

Grenfell, Peter↗

Microprocessor user support at Langley Research Center

The use of microprocessors pose significant problems including: (1) a long learning process for proficient use of microprocessors; (2) the requirement for extensive support in both hardware and software; and (3) the need for coordination and sharing of the creative effort to avoid unnecessary duplication. To address these problems, Langley Research Center has established a microprocessor users committee to provide an advisory interface for management and users, and is training microprocessor users. A newsletter is published to disseminate information among microprocessor users. Both cross software on the central computer complex and microprocessor development systems are used to support the design of microprocessor based systems. Each of these activities is reviewed with special emphasis given to the microprocessor support available from the central computer complex. The effectiveness of the approach being taken at Langley is assessed and specific hardware and software development efforts that are targeted toward enhancing the existing microprocessing support are discussed.

Tucker, J. H.↗

Intraply Hybrid Composite Design

Several theoretical approaches combined in program. Intraply hybrid composites investigated theoretically and experimentally at Lewis Research Center. Theories developed during investigations and corroborated by attendant experiments used to develop computer program identified as INHYD (Intraply Hybrid Composite Design). INHYD includes several composites micromechanics theories, intraply hybrid composite theories, and integrated hygrothermomechanical theory. Equations from theories used by program as appropriate for user's specific applications.

Chamis, C. C.↗

Tracking and data relay satellite system (TDRSS) capabilities

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is the latest implementation to tracking and data acquisition network for near-earth orbiting satellite support designed to meet the requirements of the current and projected (to the year 2000) satellite user community. The TDRSS consists of a space segment (SS) and a ground segment (GS) that fit within NASA's Space Network (SN) complex controlled at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The SS currently employs a single satellite, TDRS-1, with two additional satellites to be deployed in January 1986 and July 1986. The GS contains the communications and equipment required to manage the three TDR satellites and to transmit and receive information to and from TDRSS user satellites. Diagrams and tables illustrating the TDRSS signal characteristics, the situation of TDRSS within the SN, the SN operations and element interrelationships, as well as future plans for new missions are included.

Spearing, R. E.↗

Multiple-access phased array antenna simulator for a digital beam forming system investigation

Future versions of data relay satellite systems are currently being planned by NASA. Being given consideration for implementation are on-board digital beamforming techniques which will allow multiple users to simultaneously access a single S-band phased array antenna system. To investigate the potential performance of such a system, a laboratory simulator has been developed at NASA's Lewis Research Center. This paper describes the system simulator, and in particular, the requirements, design, and performance of a key subsystem, the phased array antenna simulator, which provides realistic inputs to the digital processor including multiple signals, noise, and nonlinearities.

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗

Multiple-access phased array antenna simulator for a digital beam-forming system investigation

Future versions of data relay satellite systems are currently being planned by NASA. Being given consideration for implementation are on-board digital beamforming techniques which will allow multiple users to simultaneously access a single S-band phased array antenna system. To investigate the potential performance of such a system, a laboratory simulator has been developed at NASA's Lewis Research Center. This paper describes the system simulator, and in particular, the requirements, design and performance of a key subsystem, the phased array antenna simulator, which provides realistic inputs to the digital processor including multiple signals, noise, and nonlinearities.

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗

A Virtual Mission Operations Center: Collaborative Environment

The Virtual Mission Operations Center - Collaborative Environment (VMOC-CE) intent is to have a central access point for all the resources used in a collaborative mission operations environment to assist mission operators in communicating on-site and off-site in the investigation and resolution of anomalies. It is a framework that as a minimum incorporates online chat, realtime file sharing and remote application sharing components in one central location. The use of a collaborative environment in mission operations opens up the possibilities for a central framework for other project members to access and interact with mission operations staff remotely. The goal of the Virtual Mission Operations Center (VMOC) Project is to identify, develop, and infuse technology to enable mission control by on-call personnel in geographically dispersed locations. In order to achieve this goal, the following capabilities are needed: Autonomous mission control systems Automated systems to contact on-call personnel Synthesis and presentation of mission control status and history information Desktop tools for data and situation analysis Secure mechanism for remote collaboration commanding Collaborative environment for remote cooperative work The VMOC-CE is a collaborative environment that facilitates remote cooperative work. It is an application instance of the Virtual System Design Environment (VSDE), developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Systems Engineering Services & Advanced Concepts (SESAC) Branch. The VSDE is a web-based portal that includes a knowledge repository and collaborative environment to serve science and engineering teams in product development. It is a "one stop shop" for product design, providing users real-time access to product development data, engineering and management tools, and relevant design specifications and resources through the Internet. The initial focus of the VSDE has been to serve teams working in the early portion of the system/product lifecycle - concept development, proposal preparation, and formulation. The VMOC-CE expands the application of the VSDE into the operations portion of the system lifecycle. It will enable meaningful and real-time collaboration regardless of the geographical distribution of project team members. Team members will be able to interact in satellite operations, specifically for resolving anomalies, through access to a desktop computer and the Internet. Mission Operations Management will be able to participate and monitor up to the minute status of anomalies or other mission operations issues. In this paper we present the VMOC-CE project, system capabilities, and technologies.

Medina, Barbara↗

Java Mission Evaluation Workstation System

The Java Mission Evaluation Workstation System (JMEWS) is a collection of applications designed to retrieve, display, and analyze both real-time and recorded telemetry data. This software is currently being used by both the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) and the International Space Station (ISS) program. JMEWS was written in the Java programming language to satisfy the requirement of platform independence. An object-oriented design was used to satisfy additional requirements and to make the software easily extendable. By virtue of its platform independence, JMEWS can be used on the UNIX workstations in the Mission Control Center (MCC) and on office computers. JMEWS includes an interactive editor that allows users to easily develop displays that meet their specific needs. The displays can be developed and modified while viewing data. By simply selecting a data source, the user can view real-time, recorded, or test data.

Pettinger, Ross↗

Aeroelastic Optimization of Generalized Tube and Wing Aircraft Concepts Using HCDstruct Version 2.0

Major enhancements were made to the Higher-fidelity Conceptual Design and structural optimization (HCDstruct) tool developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). Whereas previous versions were limited to hybrid wing body (HWB) configurations, the current version of HCDstruct now supports the analysis of generalized tube and wing (TW) aircraft concepts. Along with significantly enhanced user input options for all air- craft configurations, these enhancements represent HCDstruct version 2.0. Validation was performed using a Boeing 737-200 aircraft model, for which primary structure weight estimates agreed well with available data. Additionally, preliminary analysis of the NASA D8 (ND8) aircraft concept was performed, highlighting several new features of the tool.

Quinlan, Jesse R.↗

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center's 14 by 14 Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel Technical Handbook

This report is a description of the 14 x l4-Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center and is published as a handbook for the potential user of the facility who is not otherwise familiar with its operation. The following items are presented to illustrate the capabilities and operation of the tunnel: (1) facility description, (2) performance and operational characteristics, (3) model design, (4) instrumentation and data recording equipment, (5) data processing and presentation, and (6) preliminary test information required.

Simon, Erwin↗

ERISTAR: Earth Resources Information Storage, Transformation, Analysis, and Retrieval

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) have sponsored faculty fellowship programs in systems engineering design for the past several years. During the summer of 1972 four such programs were conducted by NASA, with Auburn University cooperating with Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The subject for the Auburn-MSFC design group was ERISTAR, an acronym for Earth Resources Information Storage, Transformation, Analysis and Retrieval, which represents an earth resources information management network of state information centers administered by the respective states and linked to federally administered regional centers and a national center. The considerations for serving the users and the considerations that must be given to processing data from a variety of sources are described. The combination of these elements into a national network is discussed and an implementation plan is proposed for a prototype state information center. The compatibility of the proposed plan with the Department of Interior plan, RALI, is indicated.

Source record↗

The 1992 Seals Flow Code Development Workshop

A two-day meeting was conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center on August 5 and 6, 1992, to inform the technical community of the progress of NASA Contract NAS3-26544. This contract was established in 1990 to develop industrial and CFD codes for the design and analysis of seals. Codes were demonstrated and disseminated to the user community for evaluation. The peer review panel which was formed in 1991 provided recommendations on this effort. The technical community presented results of their activities in the area of seals, with particular emphasis on brush seal systems.

Flow↗

Computer-Based Tools for Evaluating Graphical User Interfaces

The user interface is the component of a software system that connects two very complex system: humans and computers. Each of these two systems impose certain requirements on the final product. The user is the judge of the usability and utility of the system; the computer software and hardware are the tools with which the interface is constructed. Mistakes are sometimes made in designing and developing user interfaces because the designers and developers have limited knowledge about human performance (e.g., problem solving, decision making, planning, and reasoning). Even those trained in user interface design make mistakes because they are unable to address all of the known requirements and constraints on design. Evaluation of the user inter-face is therefore a critical phase of the user interface development process. Evaluation should not be considered the final phase of design; but it should be part of an iterative design cycle with the output of evaluation being feed back into design. The goal of this research was to develop a set of computer-based tools for objectively evaluating graphical user interfaces. The research was organized into three phases. The first phase resulted in the development of an embedded evaluation tool which evaluates the usability of a graphical user interface based on a user's performance. An expert system to assist in the design and evaluation of user interfaces based upon rules and guidelines was developed during the second phase. During the final phase of the research an automatic layout tool to be used in the initial design of graphical inter- faces was developed. The research was coordinated with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Mission Operations Laboratory's efforts in developing onboard payload display specifications for the Space Station.

Moore, Loretta A.↗

SMART (Shop floor Modeling, Analysis and Reporting Tool Project

This document presents summarizes the design and prototype of the Shop floor Modeling, Analysis, and Reporting Tool (S.M.A.R.T.) A detailed description of it is found on the full documentation given to the NASA liaison. This documentation is also found on the A.R.I.S.E. Center web site, under a projected directory. Only authorized users can gain access to this site.

Centeno, Martha A.↗

ThermoBuild: Online Method Made Available for Accessing NASA Glenn Thermodynamic Data

The new Web site program "ThermoBuild" allows users to easily access and use the NASA Glenn Thermodynamic Database of over 2000 solid, liquid, and gaseous species. A convenient periodic table allows users to "build" the molecules of interest and designate the temperature range over which thermodynamic functions are to be displayed. ThermoBuild also allows users to build custom databases for use with NASA's Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) program or other programs that require the NASA format for thermodynamic properties. The NASA Glenn Research Center has long been a leader in the compilation and dissemination of up-to-date thermodynamic data, primarily for use with the NASA CEA program, but increasingly for use with other computer programs.

McBride, Bonnie↗

Newly Released TRMM Version 7 Products, Other Precipitation Datasets and Data Services at NASA GES DISC

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) is home of global precipitation product archives, in particular, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) products. TRMM is a joint U.S.-Japan satellite mission to monitor tropical and subtropical (40 S - 40 N) precipitation and to estimate its associated latent heating. The TRMM satellite provides the first detailed and comprehensive dataset on the four dimensional distribution of rainfall and latent heating over vastly undersampled tropical and subtropical oceans and continents. The TRMM satellite was launched on November 27, 1997. TRMM data products are archived at and distributed by GES DISC. The newly released TRMM Version 7 consists of several changes including new parameters, new products, meta data, data structures, etc. For example, hydrometeor profiles in 2A12 now have 28 layers (14 in V6). New parameters have been added to several popular Level-3 products, such as, 3B42, 3B43. Version 2.2 of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) dataset has been added to the TRMM Online Visualization and Analysis System (TOVAS; URL: http://disc2.nascom.nasa.gov/Giovanni/tovas/), allowing online analysis and visualization without downloading data and software. The GPCP dataset extends back to 1979. Version 3 of the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) monitoring product has been updated in TOVAS as well. The product provides global gauge-based monthly rainfall along with number of gauges per grid. The dataset begins in January 1986. To facilitate data and information access and support precipitation research and applications, we have developed a Precipitation Data and Information Services Center (PDISC; URL: http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/precipitation). In addition to TRMM, PDISC provides current and past observational precipitation data. Users can access precipitation data archives consisting of both remote sensing and in-situ observations. Users can use these data products to conduct a wide variety of activities, including case studies, model evaluation, uncertainty investigation, etc. To support Earth science applications, PDISC provides users near-real-time precipitation products over the Internet. At PDISC, users can access tools and software. Documentation, FAQ and assistance are also available. Other capabilities include: 1) Mirador (http://mirador.gsfc.nasa.gov/), a simplified interface for searching, browsing, and ordering Earth science data at NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). Mirador is designed to be fast and easy to learn; 2)TOVAS; 3) NetCDF data download for the GIS community; 4) Data via OPeNDAP (http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/services/opendap/). The OPeNDAP provides remote access to individual variables within datasets in a form usable by many tools, such as IDV, McIDAS-V, Panoply, Ferret and GrADS; 5) The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS) (http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/services/wxs_ogc.shtml). The WMS is an interface that allows the use of data and enables clients to build customized maps with data coming from a different network.

Liu, Zhong↗