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At least 271 records · Page 15

An Evaluation of Protocols for UAV Science Applications

This paper identifies data transport needs for current and future science payloads deployed on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aeronautical Vehicle (UAV). The NASA Global Hawk communication system and operational constrains are presented. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) mission is used to provide the baseline communication requirements as a variety of payloads were utilized in this mission. User needs and desires are addressed. Protocols are matched to the payload needs and an evaluation of various techniques and tradeoffs are presented. Such techniques include utilization rate-base selective negative acknowledgement protocols and possible use of protocol enhancing proxies. Tradeoffs of communication architectures that address ease-of-use and security considerations are also presented.

Ivancic, William D.↗

Exploration Laboratory Analysis FY13

The Exploration Laboratory Analysis (ELA) project supports the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) risk, which is stated as the Risk of Inability to Adequately Treat an Ill or Injured Crew Member, and ExMC Gap 4.05: Lack of minimally invasive in-flight laboratory capabilities with limited consumables required for diagnosing identified Exploration Medical Conditions. To mitigate this risk, the availability of inflight laboratory analysis instrumentation has been identified as an essential capability in future exploration missions. Mission architecture poses constraints on equipment and procedures that will be available to treat evidence-based medical conditions according to the Space Medicine Exploration Medical Conditions List (SMEMCL), and to perform human research studies on the International Space Station (ISS) that are supported by the Human Health and Countermeasures (HHC) element. Since there are significant similarities in the research and medical operational requirements, ELA hardware development has emerged as a joint effort between ExMC and HHC. In 2012, four significant accomplishments were achieved towards the development of exploration laboratory analysis for medical diagnostics. These achievements included (i) the development of high priority analytes for research and medical operations, (ii) the development of Level 1 functional requirements and concept of operations documentation, (iii) the selection and head-to-head competition of in-flight laboratory analysis instrumentation, and (iv) the phase one completion of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects under the topic Smart Phone Driven Blood-Based Diagnostics. To utilize resources efficiently, the associated documentation and advanced technologies were integrated into a single ELA plan that encompasses ExMC and HHC development efforts. The requirements and high priority analytes was used in the selection of the four in-flight laboratory analysis performers. Based upon the competition results, a down select process will be performed in the upcoming year. Looking ahead, this unified effort has positioned each element for an in-flight lab analysis demonstration of select diagnostics measurements in the 2015 timeframe.

Krihak, Michael↗

Tug fleet and ground operations schedules and controls. Volume 1: Executive summary

This study presents Tug Fleet and Ground Operations Schedules and Controls plan. This plan was developed and optimized out of a combination of individual Tug program phased subplans, special emphasis studies, contingency analyses and sensitivity analyses. The subplans cover the Tug program phases: (1) Tug operational, (2) Interim Upper Stage (IUS)/Tug fleet utilization, (3) and IUS/Tug payload integration, (4) Tug site activation, (5) IUS/Tug transition, (6) Tug acquisition. Resource requirements (facility, GSE, TSE, software, manpower, logistics) are provided in each subplan, as are appropriate Tug processing flows, active and total IUS and Tug fleet requirements, fleet management and Tug payload integration concepts, facility selection recommendations, site activation and IUS to Tug transition requirements. The impact of operational concepts on Tug acquisition is assessed and the impact of operating Tugs out of KSC and WTR is analyzed and presented showing WTR as a delta. Finally, cost estimates for fleet management and ground operations of the DDT&E and operational phases of the Tug program are given.

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Mariner 10 mission analysis - Application of a black art

A major accomplishment of the mission analysis performed for Mariner 10 was the selection of a trajectory which optimized science return from the mission. The analysis utilized simple, unweighted 'science value functions' which allowed the relative values of each candidate trajectory, for each of the seven science experiments, to be calculated. A total relative value for each trajectory was determined by a simple averaging process and sensitivities were revealed by multiplying individual values. This showed a clear scientific preference for launching in early November and was used to support deferral of the launch from early October to November 3, 1973.

Shirley, D. L.↗

Scientific Programming Using Java and C: A Remote Sensing Example

This paper presents results of a project to port code for processing remotely sensed data from the UNIX environment to Windows. Factors considered during this process include time schedule, cost, resource availability, reuse of existing code, rapid interface development, ease of integration, and platform independence. The approach selected for this project used both Java and C. By using Java for the graphical user interface and C for the domain model, the strengths of both languages were utilized and the resulting code can easily be ported to other platforms. The advantages of this approach are discussed in this paper.

Prados, Donald↗

MODIS Reflective Solar Band Calibration Improvements using Pseudo-Invariant Desert Targets

To provide the best science data quality, an accurate characterization of the response versus scan angle (RVS) function is critical for the MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB) on-orbit calibration. In every MODIS operational scan, the Earth’s surface, referred to here as Earth view (EV), the space view (SV) port, and the onboard calibrators are viewed via a two-sided scan mirror. The RVS is defined as the sensor’s relative response as a function the angle of incidence (AOI) to the scan mirror. Many different approaches have been developed to derive the time-dependent RVS and its look-up table (LUT) applied to MODIS Level 1B (L1B) products since calibration Collection 4. For most MODIS RSB, the on-board calibrators can reasonably track the RVS change with time. In practice, their RVS is derived using data from on-board calibrators and the EV mirror side ratio (for mirror side 2). For Terra bands 1-4, 8-10 and Aqua bands 1-4, 8-9, an enhancement has been employed in Collections 6 and 6.1 (C6/C6.1) by using Earth scene response trending from pseudo-invariant desert sites in addition to the onboard calibrators. The current C6/C6/1 RVS algorithm is focused on fitting the EV data at each AOI over time and then deriving the relative change at different AOI. The EV response trending is currently fitted with multiple segments over time. Alternatively, the EV responses can be fit first as a function of AOI before fitting temporally in order to reduce the dependence on the stability of the desert site. These pre-treatment methods on the EV data provide improvement in the derived calibration coefficients. However, evidence of insufficient calibration is still observed in the MODIS L1B reflectance data, especially in the form of differences between the mirror sides. In this paper, we review the current methodologies that utilize the EV response trends from the pseudo-invariant Libyan desert targets to supplement the gain derived from the onboard calibrators. An improvement is then proposed and investigated such that a sliding window average (SWA) is used to pre-process the raw EV data. The SWA parameters are carefully selected using trade-off studies to accurately track the Earth scene response trending in multiple cases to overcome the reflectance differences between two mirror sides. Calibration results show improvements for both Aqua and Terra MODIS RSB L1B data products. This new adjustment has been included in the recently delivered Collection 7 LUT that will be evident in the L1B products expected to be released in late 2021.

MODIS↗

Use of Assistive Technology to Augment API Capabilities

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) allow for access to data and capabilities of computer applications by developers or users with experience in computer programming. Recent development with both Thermal Desktop and ESATAN-TMS have provided APIs to allow users to develop their own capabilities that interface with the Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) or manipulate the thermal model data. However, these APIs are only as good as the breadth of features in the native code accessible through the API. If a particular code’s feature is not accessible through the API, then users have very limited options besides waiting for updates to the API that expose the necessary functionality, particularly if model data access or user action, such as a button click, is required. However, Assistive Technology features that allow for users with a disability to more fully experience a software’s capabilities may be creatively utilized to gain further access to data and capabilities not yet exposed by the API. This paper describes the process to augment the features of the OpenTD API via assistive technology and describes how to identify the application instance, navigate GUI elements, updates values on forms, and execute actions such as selecting a listbox item or clicking a button. It concludes with identifying some of the pitfalls to avoid and describes methods to best implement this approach.

Application Programming Interface↗

Use of Assistive Technology to Augment API Capabilities

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) allow for access to data and capabilities of computer applications by developers or users with experience in computer programming. Recent development with both Thermal Desktop and ESATAN-TMS have provided APIs to allow users to develop their own capabilities that interface with the Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) or manipulate the thermal model data. However, these APIs are only as good as the breadth of features in the native code accessible through the API; if a particular code’s feature is not accessible through the API, then users have very limited options besides waiting for updates to the API that expose the necessary functionality, particularly if model data access or user action, such as a button click, is required. However, Assistive Technology features that allow for differently-abled users to more fully experience a software’s capabilities may be creatively utilized to gain further access to data and capabilities not yet exposed by the API. This paper describes the process to augment the features of the OpenTD API via assistive technology and describes how to identify the application instance, navigate GUI elements, updates values on forms, and execute actions such as selecting a listbox item or clicking a button. It concludes with identifying some of the pitfalls to avoid and describes methods to best implement this approach.

Application Programming Interface↗

Software Reduces Radio-Interference Effects in Radar Data

A computer program suppresses the effects of narrow-band radio-frequency interference (RFI) on the data collected by a wide-band radar system. The need for this program arises because some advanced wide-band synthetic-aperture radar systems utilize frequency bands that include frequencies used by other radio services. In this program, the RFI environment is represented by an auto-regressive process, the frequency band of which is narrow relative to that of the radar. Most of the RFI signals, both narrow- and wide-band, are estimated in one pass of a least-mean-square (LMS) adaptive filter. The program implements three popular LMS algorithms: the time-domain LMS, the frequency-domain LMS, and the filter-bank LMS adaptive-filter algorithms. The program can be run in a manual or automatic mode. In the manual mode, the user selects the filter parameters prior to execution. In the automatic mode, the program utilizes median-filter and spectral-estimation techniques plus the variable-step-size LMS algorithm for automatic determination of filter parameters, and the parameters are adaptively changed as functions of the inputs, resulting in better overall performance.

Le, Charles T-C↗

Utilizing remote sensing of Thematic Mapper data to improve our understanding of estuarine processes and their influence on the productivity of estuarine-dependent fisheries

LANDSAT thematic mapper (TM) data are being used to refine and validate a stochastic spatial computer model to be applied to coastal resource management problems in Louisiana. Two major aspects of the research are: (1) the measurement of area of land (or emergent vegetation) and water and the length of the interface between land and water in TM imagery of selected coastal wetlands (sample marshes); and (2) the comparison of spatial patterns of land and water in the sample marshes of the imagery to that in marshes simulated by a computer model. In addition to activities in these two areas, the potential use of a published autocorrelation statistic is analyzed.

Browder, J. A.↗

Costs and benefits of lunar oxygen: Engineering, operations, and economics

Oxygen is the most commonly discussed lunar resource. It will certainly not be the easiest to retrieve, but oxygen's fundamental place in propulsion and life support guarantees it continued attention as a prime candidate for early in situ resource utilization (ISRU). The findings are reviewed of recent investigation, sponsored by NASA-Ames, into the kinds of technologies, equipment, and scenarios (the engineering and operations costs) that will be required even to initiate lunar oxygen production. The infrastructure necessary to surround and support a viable oxygen-processing operation is explained. Selected details are used to illustrate the depth of technology challenges, extent of operations burdens, and complexity of decision linkages. Basic assumptions, and resulting timelines and mass manifests, are listed. These findings are combined with state-of-the-art knowledge of lunar and Mars propulsion options in simple economic input/output and internal-rate-of-return models, to compare production costs with performance benefits. Implications for three realistic scales of exploration architecture - expeditionary, aggressive science, and industrialization/settlement - are discussed. Conclusions are reached regarding the contextual conditions within which production of lunar oxygen (LLOX) is a reasonable activity. LLOX appears less useful for Mars missions than previously hoped. Its economical use in low Earth orbit hinges on production of lunar hydrogen as well. LLOX shows promise for lunar ascent/descent use, but that depends strongly on the plant mass required.

Sherwood, Brent↗

Information Switching Processor (ISP) contention analysis and control

In designing a satellite system with on-board processing, the selection of a switching architecture is often critical. The on-board switching function can be implemented by circuit switching or packet switching. Destination-directed packet switching has several attractive features, such as self-routing without on-board switch reconfiguration, no switch control memory requirement, efficient bandwidth utilization for packet switched traffic, and accommodation of circuit switched traffic. Destination-directed packet switching, however, has two potential concerns: (1) contention and (2) congestion. And this report specifically deals with the first problem. It includes a description and analysis of various self-routing switch structures, the nature of contention problems, and contention and resolution techniques.

Inukai, Thomas↗

Analysis of the Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) Energy Bypass Engine for High-Speed Air-Breathing Propulsion

The performance of the MHD energy bypass air-breathing engine for high-speed propulsion is analyzed in this investigation. This engine is a specific type of the general class of inverse cycle engines. In this paper, the general relationship between engine performance (specific impulse and specific thrust) and the overall total pressure ratio through an engine (from inlet plane to exit plane) is first developed and illustrated. Engines with large total pressure decreases, regardless of cause or source, are seen to have exponentially decreasing performance. The ideal inverse cycle engine (of which the MHD engine is a sub-set) is then demonstrated to have a significant total pressure decrease across the engine; this total pressure decrease is cycle-driven, degrades rapidly with energy bypass ratio, and is independent of any irreversibility. The ideal MHD engine (inverse cycle engine with no irreversibility other than that inherent in the MHD work interaction processes) is next examined and is seen to have an additional large total pressure decrease due to MHD-generated irreversibility in the decelerator and the accelerator. This irreversibility mainly occurs in the deceleration process. Both inherent total pressure losses (inverse cycle and MHD irreversibility) result in a significant narrowing of the performance capability of the MHD bypass engine. The fundamental characteristics of MHD flow acceleration and flow deceleration from the standpoint of irreversibility and second-law constraints are next examined in order to clarify issues regarding flow losses and parameter selection in the MM modules. Severe constraints are seen to exist in the decelerator in terms of allowable deceleration Mach numbers and volumetric (length) required for meaningful energy bypass (work interaction). Considerable difficulties are also encountered and discussed due to thermal/work choking phenomena associated with the deceleration process. Lastly, full engine simulations utilizing inlet shock systems, finite-rate chemistry, wall cooling with thermally balanced engine (fuel heat sink), fuel injection and mixing, friction, etc. are shown and discussed for both the MHD engine and the conventional scramjet. The MHD bypass engine has significantly lower performance in all categories across the Mach number range (8 to 12.2). The lower performance is attributed to the combined effects of 1) additional irreversibility and cooling requirements associated with the MHD components and 2) the total pressure decrease associated with the inverse cycle itself.

Riggins, David W.↗

Comparison of Integrated Analysis Methods for Two Model Scenarios

Integrated analysis methods have the potential to substantially decrease the time required for analysis modeling. Integration with computer aided design (CAD) software can also allow a model to be more accurate by facilitating import of exact design geometry. However, the integrated method utilized must sometimes be tailored to the specific modeling situation, in order to make the process most efficient. Two cases are presented here that illustrate different processes used for thermal analysis on two different models. These examples are used to illustrate how the requirements, available input, expected output, and tools available all affect the process selected by the analyst for the most efficient and effective analysis.

Amundsen, Ruth M.↗

Manual Crew Override of Vehicle Landings Following G-Transitions

BACKGROUND Manual control during exploration spaceflight consists of both planned automated supervisory control and unplanned crew override. This crew override capability is critical to enable overall mission success during landing contingencies. However, the introduction of manual override capabilities must be implemented to enable crews to mitigate risks introduced by human error. Adaptive changes in the sensorimotor system can manifest during g-transitions as spatial disorientation. While training and landing aids enable successful landing through disorientation, these adaptive changes may increase cognitive demand that needs to be accounted for in the manual control strategy. It is important to characterize these effects as soon as possible following the G-transition to develop appropriate countermeasures. METHODS In this study, we will examine operational piloting tasks following International Space Station (ISS) missions in a simulated lunar landing using a six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) motion base. The motion-based simulation will be implemented in our laboratory at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and will be available within hours following the return from commercial crew landings. The primary goals of this study are (1) to understand the impact of spaceflight on crew ability to perform manual crew override tasks, (2) to examine how adaptive changes in vestibular and cognitive function relate to changes in manual crew override proficiency, and (3) compare performance during late “just-in-time” on-board training with early post-flight crew performance. The impact of spaceflight on piloting capability will be assessed from pre- versus post-flight changes in crewmembers assigned to either short duration (< 30 day) or long duration (~6- month) missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Individual differences in post-flight vestibular and cognitive changes include motion sickness reports, measures of tilt motion perception accuracy and precision, and dual-task tracking. During the 6DOF lunar simulation, the crew will manually takeover attitude and rate-of-descent to the nominal or re-designated landing aim point during the approach phase. The outcome measures for the lunar crew override tasks will be the percent time maintaining actual vehicle states, e.g., attitude and rate-of-descent, within recommended guidance during the landing approach, number and maximum deviation outside limits, and root mean square error (RMSE). Given that “just-in-time” (JIT) training is an operational expectation for the Human Landing System (HLS) program, all participants will perform late inflight JIT training for each manual crew override task in which they will participate. Crew proficiency will be captured inflight during JIT training that will be implemented on a laptop with hand controllers to allow the crewmember to practice the landing task procedures like the approach implemented for JIT training with Shuttle landing and ISS telerobotic tasks. COUNTERMEASURE UPDATES The lunar lander simulation has been implemented onto a two-laptop display system where subjects select from alternative landing points, based upon avoiding hazards that the on-board system identifies during the landing. The subject makes inputs using a rotational hand controller (i.e., joystick) and a translational hand controller, which are processed by simulated vehicle dynamics to update the vehicle attitude and rate of descent. Subjects will utilize a combination of flight, situation, and status displays to monitor the state of the simulated vehicle. The simulation exports tilt and translation movements to a 6DOF motion base synced to visual movements and provides representative vestibular cues to the subject while performing the task inside an enclosed cabin featuring a simulated lunar out-the-window view and a heads-down lander cockpit view. RELEVANCE This project will deliver an operational demonstration of crew override capability following spaceflight and identify potential deficits that may require remediation. Comparison of individual vestibular and cognitive changes with crew override performance will help better characterize the manual control risks associated with sensorimotor alterations. The inclusion of “just-in-time” on-board training will ensure we are characterizing changes in override proficiency with this expected countermeasure in place. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge contributions from Draper, HLS Joint Test Panel, Crew HLS Interfaces for Piloting Working Group, and Dynamic Skills Trainer (DST) Lab toward the development of the lunar landing simulation. This project is funded by the Human Health Countermeasures Element.

Austin M Bollinger↗

Technology Transfer Challenges: A Case Study of User-Centered Design in NASA's Systems Engineering Culture

The Upper Stage (US) section of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Ares I rocket will require internal access platforms for maintenance tasks performed by humans inside the vehicle. Tasks will occur during expensive critical path operations at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) including vehicle stacking and launch preparation activities. Platforms must be translated through a small human access hatch, installed in an enclosed worksite environment, support the weight of ground operators and be removed before flight - and their design must minimize additional vehicle mass at attachment points. This paper describes the application of a user-centered conceptual design process and the unique challenges encountered within NASA's systems engineering culture focused on requirements and "heritage hardware". The NASA design team at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) initiated the user-centered design process by studying heritage internal access kits and proposing new design concepts during brainstorming sessions. Simultaneously, they partnered with the Technology Transfer/Innovative Partnerships Program to research inflatable structures and dynamic scaffolding solutions that could enable ground operator access. While this creative, technology-oriented exploration was encouraged by upper management, some design stakeholders consistently opposed ideas utilizing novel, untested equipment. Subsequent collaboration with an engineering consulting firm improved the technical credibility of several options, however, there was continued resistance from team members focused on meeting system requirements with pre-certified hardware. After a six-month idea-generating phase, an intensive six-week effort produced viable design concepts that justified additional vehicle mass while optimizing the human factors of platform installation and use. Although these selected final concepts closely resemble heritage internal access platforms, challenges from the application of the user-centered process provided valuable lessons for improving future collaborative conceptual design efforts.

Quick, Jason↗

Composite materials. Volume 3 - Engineering applications of composites. Volume 4 - Metallic matrix composites. Volume 8 - Structural design and analysis, Part 2

This volume discusses a vaety of applications of both low- and high-cost composite materials in a number of selected engineering fields. The text stresses the use of fiber-reinforced composites, along with interesting material systems used in the electrical and nuclear industries. As to technology transfer, a similarity is noted between many of the reasons responsible for the utilization of composites and those problems requiring urgent solution, such as mechanized fabrication processes and design for production. Features topics include road transportation, rail transportation, civil aircraft, space vehicles, builing industry, chemical plants, and appliances and equipment. The laminate orientation code devised by Air Force materials laboratory is included. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Noton, B. R.↗

Development of flat-plate solar collectors for the heating and cooling of buildings: Executive summary

An efficient, low cost, flat-plate solar collector was developed. Computer aided mathematical models of the heat process in the collector were used in defining absorber panel configuration; determining insulation thickness; and in selecting the number, spacing, and material of the covers. Prototypes were built and performance tested. Data from simulated operation of the collector are compared with predicted loads from a number of locations to determine the degree of solar utilization.

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