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At least 37 records · Page 2

Design Analysis of Corridors-in-the-Sky

Corridors-in-the-sky or tubes is one of new concepts in dynamic airspace configuration. It accommodates high density traffic, which has similar trajectories. Less air traffic controllers workload is expected than classic airspaces, thus, corridors-in-the-sky may increase national airspace capacity and reduce flight delays. To design corridors-in-the-sky, besides identifying their locations, their utilization, altitudes, and impacts on remaining system need to be analyzed. This paper chooses one tube candidate and presents analyses of spatial and temporal utilization of the tube, the impact on the remaining traffic, and the potential benefit caused by off-loading the traffic from underlying sectors. Fundamental issues regarding to the benefits have been also clarified. Methods developed to assist the analysis are described. Analysis results suggest dynamic tubes in terms of varied utilizations during different time periods. And it is found that combined lane options would be a good choice to lower the impact on non-tube users. Finally, it shows significant reduction of peak aircraft count in underlying sectors with only one tube enabled.

Xue, Min↗

Definition ofthe Design Trajectory and Entry Flight Corridor for the NASA Orion Exploration Mission 1 Entry Trajectory Using an Integrated Approach and Optimization

One of the key design objectives of NASA's Orion Exploration Mission 1 (EM- 1) is to execute a guided entry trajectory demonstrating GN&C capability. The focus of this paper is defining the flyable entry corridor for EM-1 taking into account multiple subsystem constraints such as complex aerothermal heating constraints, aerothermal heating objectives, landing accuracy constraints, structural load limits, Human-System-Integration-Requirements, Service Module debris disposal limits and other flight test objectives. During the EM-1 Design Analysis Cycle 1 design challenges came up that made defining the flyable entry corridor for the EM-1 mission critical to mission success. This document details the optimization techniques that were explored to use with the 6-DOF ANTARES simulation to assist in defining the design entry interface state and entry corridor with respect to key flight test constraints and objectives.

McNamara, Luke W.↗

Abort-once-around entry corridor analysis program document

The abort once around entry target corridor analysis program (ABECAP) was studied. The allowable range of flight path angles at entry interface for acceptable entry trajectories from a shuttle abort once around (AOA) situation was established. The solutions thus determined may be shown as corridor plots of entry interface flight path angle versus range from entry interface (EI) to the target.

Kyle, H. C.↗

Prediction of corridor effect from the launching of the satellite power system

A diagnostic model is developed to define the parameters which control the corridor effect of contaminants deposited in a narrow latitudinal band of the earth's atmosphere by numerous launches of the STS and heavy lift launch vehicles for construction of satellite solar power systems. Identified factors included the pollution injection rate, the ambient background levels of the pollutant species, and the transport properties related to the dilution rate of the chemicals. If the chemical life of the pollutant was shorter or the same length of time as the transport time, alterations in the chemical production and loss rates were found to be parameters necessarily added to the model. A comparison with NASA Ames Research Center two-dimensional model results indicate that the corridor effect was possile with operations above 60 km in the case of H2O, H2, and NO production.

Borucki, W. J.↗

Preliminary design of four aircraft to service the California Corridor in the year 2010: The California Condor, California Sky-Hopper, high capacity short range transport tilt rotor aircraft needed to simplify intercity transportation

The major objective of this project was to design an aircraft for use in the California Corridor in the year 2010. The design process, completed by students in a senior design class at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, used a Class 1 airplane design analysis from Jan Roskam's Airplane Design. The California Condor (CC-38), a 38 passenger, 400 mph aircraft, was designed to meet the needs of tomorrow's passengers while conforming to the California Corridor's restrictions. Assumptions were made using today's technology with forecasts into 21st Century technology. Doubling today's commuter aircraft passenger capacity, travelling at Mach .57 with improved cruise efficiencies of over 10 percent, with the ability to land within field lengths of 4000 feet, are the CC-38's strongest points. The California Condor has a very promising future in helping to relieve the air traffic and airport congestion in the 21st Century.

Source record↗

Air transportation in the California Corridor of 2010

The topic of the 1988-1989 NASA/USRA Advanced Design Project at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, was the development of an air transportation system to meet the needs of the California Corridor for the year 2010. As aircraft design is taught by two instructors having different philosophies about the teaching process, the two classes took different approaches to address the problem. The first part of this summary (California Air Transit System) represents the work done by the students of Professor A. E. Andreoli, who followed a systems approach, emphasizing the determination of the proper mission. The second part of the summary (Four Aircraft to Service the California Corridor) contains the four aircraft designed by Dr. D. R. Sandlin's class based on specifications determined from work done in previous years.

Cameron, M.↗

The Effect of Lift on Entry Corridor Depth and Guidance Requirements for the Return Lunar Flight

Corridors for manned vehicles are defined consistent with requirements for avoiding radiation exposure and for limiting values of peak deceleration. Use of lift increases the depth of the entry corridor. Mid-course guidance requirements appear to be critical only for the flight-path angle. Increasing the energy of the transport orbit increases the required guidance accuracy for the flight-path angle. Corrective thrust applied essentially parallel to the local horizontal produces the maximum change in perigee altitude for a given increment of velocity. Energy required to effect a given change in perigee altitude varies inversely with range measured from the center of the earth.

Wong, Thomas J.↗

Monitoring the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor: A NASA/CCAD Cooperative Research Project

To foster scientific cooperation under a Memorandum of Understanding between NASA and the Central American countries, the research project developed regional databases to monitor forest condition and environmental change throughout the region. Of particular interest is the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), a chain of protected areas and proposed conservation areas that will link segments of natural habitats in Central America from the borders of northern Columbia to southern Mexico. The first and second year of the project focused on the development of regional satellite databases (JERS-IC, MODIS, and Landsat-TM), training of Central American cooperators and forest cover and change analysis. The three regional satellite mosaics were developed and distributed on CD-ROM to cooperators and regional outlets. Four regional remote sensing training courses were conducted in 3 countries including participants from all 7 Central American countries and Mexico. In year 3, regional forest change assessment in reference to Mesoamerican Biological Corridor was completed and land cover maps (from Landsat TM) were developed for 7 Landsat scenes and accuracy assessed. These maps are being used to support validation of MODIS forest/non forest maps and to examine forest fragmentation and forest cover change in selected study sites. A no-cost time extension (2003-2004) allowed the completion of an M.S. thesis by a Costa Rican student and preparation of manuscripts for future submission to peer-reviewed outlets. Proposals initiated at the end of the project have generated external funding from the U.S. Forest Service (to U. Maine), NASA-ESSF (Oregon State U.) and from USAID and EPA (to NASA-MSFC-GHCC) to test MODIS capabilities to detect forest change; conduct literature review on biomass estimation and carbon stocks and develop a regional remote sensing monitoring center in Central America. The success of the project has led to continued cooperation between NASA, other federal agencies, and scientists from all seven Central American Countries (see SERVIR web site for this ongoing work - servir.nsstc.nasa.gov).

Sever, Thomas↗

Oceanic Situational Awareness over the North Atlantic Corridor

Air traffic control (ATC) mandated, aircraft separations over the oceans impose a limitation on traffic capacity for a given corridor, given the projected traffic growth over the oceanic domain. The separations result from a lack of acceptable situational awareness over oceans where radar position updates are not available. This study considers the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) data transmitted over a commercial satellite communications system as an approach to provide ATC with the needed situational awareness and thusly allow for reduced aircraft separations. This study uses Federal Aviation Administration data from a single day for the North Atlantic Corridor to analyze traffic loading to be used as a benchmark against which to compare several approaches for coordinating data transmissions from the aircraft to the satellites.

Welch, Bryan↗

Oceanic Situational Awareness Over the Pacific Corridor

Air traffic control (ATC) mandated, aircraft separations over the oceans impose a limitation on traffic capacity for a given corridor, given the projected traffic growth over the Pacific Ocean. The separations result from a lack of acceptable situational awareness over oceans where radar position updates are not available. This study considers the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) data transmitted over a commercial satellite communications system as an approach to provide ATC with the needed situational awareness and thusly allow for reduced aircraft separations. This study uses Federal Aviation Administration data from a single day for the Pacific Corridor to analyze traffic loading to be used as a benchmark against which to compare several approaches for coordinating data transmissions from the aircraft to the satellites.

Welch, Bryan↗

An Analysis of the Corridor and Guidance Requirements for Supercircular Entry into Planetary Atmospheres

The analysis of super-circular entry is developed around a new dimensionless parameter which combines certain conditions at the conic perigee altitude with certain characteristics of the vehicle; this parameter conveniently determines either deceleration-limited or heating limited corridor widths for elliptic, parabolic, or hyperbolic approach trajectories. Illustrative calculations of corridor widths and the associated guidance problems are presented for Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Titan. Generalized curves are presented for application to various entry conditions.

Chapman, Dean R.↗

Mesoamerica Ecological Forecasting: Assessing Land Cover Change to Inform Management Planning for the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor

In 1992, Central America and Mexico drew up an agreement to establish the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) which defines natural corridors to connect nearly 600 protected areas. The MBC is home to 9% of the world's terrestrial species on 0.7% of the world's landmass, yet this biodiverse area has been impacted by great levels of deforestation. The MBC supports protected areas and the important conservation efforts that are tied into the area’s economic and sustainable development. The NASA DEVELOP team partnered with NASA SERVIR, Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA), Tropical Agriculture Research and High Education Center (CATIE), and Ministries of the Environment for Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala to assess forest cover change in the MBC. While the southern states of Mexico are included in the MBC, the team excluded Mexico in this study. The team acquired data from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Landsat 9 OLI-2 to develop a forest versus non-forest classification. This classification was used to create a Land Use Land Cover Change (LULC) trend map and Deforestation Detection Time Series analysis between 1992 and 2022. The team found that minimum distance classification was the most effective classifier for the project scope. Analysis showed that 6.18% of the study area experienced forest loss and 10.99% experienced forest growth. These observations will help partners visualize the evolution and severity of deforestation and allow decision making for future land management and transboundary conservation efforts.

Hanna Jung↗

Bandelier Ecological Conservation: Mapping Invasive Species Along the Rio Grande Corridor in Bandelier National Monument

The Southwest U.S. has experienced a growth of invasive riparian species, specifically Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive), Tamarix ramosissima (saltcedar), and Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm), which alter local soil chemistry and outcompete native species. Locating these exotic species is critical for ecological conservation; however, field identification can be resource intensive. NASA DEVELOP partnered with the National Park Service (NPS) at Bandelier National Monument (BAND) to assess the feasibility of using Earth observation data to map invasive species along the Rio Grande corridor of the park. The team used Landsat 8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and ISS DESIS imagery to compute principal components based on spectral bands, vegetation indices, and terrain indices. Using the first five principal components, the team created classification maps using both a k-means classification algorithm and a random forest algorithm to differentiate between native and non-native species. The team derived maps for the three invasive riparian species in the region for the last five years. The team found that invasive species covered 33% of the park's river corridor in 2023, and the invasive species extent has increased by 5.7% from 2019 to 2023. The methods will serve as a guide for aiding historic and present invasive species identification in riparian regions, and the NPS staff at BAND will use the results to inform local mitigation practices and advocate for invasive species removal.

Evan Barrett↗

Bridgeport Urban Development: Leveraging NASA Earth Observations and Sociodemographic Data to Assess Urban Heat Vulnerability and Inform Cool Corridors in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Urban environments face hotter temperatures than suburban and rural areas due to higher concentrations of impervious surfaces, heat-retaining buildings, and lack of green space. Bridgeport, Connecticut, which was formerly a national manufacturing hub, is now the densest and most populous city in the state. Bridgeport experiences hotter temperatures, exposing its residents to more extreme temperatures than the surrounding affluent suburbs. Extreme heat affects the health of those exposed to it and intensifies energy demands. Understanding temperature differences is the first step in effectively directing mitigation efforts. Our partner, Groundwork Bridgeport, along with the Yale Urban Design Workshop, are planning a “cool corridors” project, implementing cooling infrastructure to combat urban heat. We used Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared Sensor and Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 data to conduct a Land Surface Temperature analysis in Google Earth Engine for the county of Fairfield. A Principal Component Analysis was performed to identify indicators of social vulnerability in Bridgeport. We used the SOlar and LongWave Environmental Irradiance Geometry model to identify felt heat on the block level to inform where the partner should locate their cooling interventions to ensure they are most effective and equitable. We focused on the East Side of Bridgeport, which we found was 10 degrees hotter than other areas of Bridgeport and the neighboring town of Fairfield. We integrated our findings using Earth observations and additional sociodemographic and climate data into final communication products for our partners which will facilitate their selection of candidate locations for their Cool Corridors project.

Silas Kirsch↗

Distributed Vision Sensing of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems in Urban Traffic Corridors

The NASA Advanced Air Mobility mission will enable widespread low altitude passenger travel, cargo delivery, and a variety of public services through the development of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) operations. Ensuring safe, autonomous operations in densely populated environments requires careful consideration towards hazards including other aircraft, infrastructure, and evolving weather. Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (SUAS) present a unique hazard to UAS operations as they share airspace and may be readily operated in a non-cooperative fashion. This work investigates distributed sensing of SUAS traversing an air traffic corridor in an urban setting. This work develops a distributed vision detect and track strategy at NASA Langley Research Center. Three nodes, each with at least one global shutter camera, are distributed around a traffic corridor to surveil flight operations for two SUAS performing low altitude flight operations. Each node is equipped with a GPS and cellular modem to enable timestamping and remote control of acquisition. Node one faces a traffic roundabout with buildings in the background and achieves 99% surveillance coverage for two SUAS against building and tree backgrounds at ranges 50 to 130m. The second node points down Langley Boulevard with trees and buildings in the background and achieves 99% coverage at separation distances between 70 and 180m. The analysis for the second node is limited to ranges below 180m due to low contrast against dark, tree backgrounds. Finally, the third node points down Langley Boulevard from another perspective and achieves 99% coverage at ranges 60m to 200m against mostly building with a few sections of trees in the background.

Chester V Dolph↗