SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Origins NASA”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1993

Optimal design of composite hip implants using NASA technology

Using an adaptation of NASA software, we have investigated the use of numerical optimization techniques for the shape and material optimization of fiber composite hip implants. The original NASA inhouse codes, were originally developed for the optimization of aerospace structures. The adapted code, which was called OPORIM, couples numerical optimization algorithms with finite element analysis and composite laminate theory to perform design optimization using both shape and material design variables. The external and internal geometry of the implant and the surrounding bone is described with quintic spline curves. This geometric representation is then used to create an equivalent 2-D finite element model of the structure. Using laminate theory and the 3-D geometric information, equivalent stiffnesses are generated for each element of the 2-D finite element model, so that the 3-D stiffness of the structure can be approximated. The geometric information to construct the model of the femur was obtained from a CT scan. A variety of test cases were examined, incorporating several implant constructions and design variable sets. Typically the code was able to produce optimized shape and/or material parameters which substantially reduced stress concentrations in the bone adjacent of the implant. The results indicate that this technology can provide meaningful insight into the design of fiber composite hip implants.

Blake, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

NASA Strategic Roadmap: Origin, Evolution, Structure, and Destiny of the Universe

The NASA strategic roadmap on the Origin, Evolution, Structure and Destiny of the Universe is one of 13 roadmaps that outline NASA s approach to implement the vision for space exploration. The roadmap outlines a program to address the questions: What powered the Big Bang? What happens close to a Black Hole? What is Dark Energy? How did the infant universe grow into the galaxies, stars and planets, and set the stage for life? The roadmap builds upon the currently operating and successful missions such as HST, Chandra and Spitzer. The program contains two elements, Beyond Einstein and Pathways to Life, performed in three phases (2005-2015, 2015-2025 and >2025) with priorities set by inputs received from reviews undertaken by the National Academy of Sciences and technology readiness. The program includes the following missions: 2005-2015 GLAST, JWST and LISA; 2015-2025 Constellation-X and a series of Einstein Probes; and >2025 a number of ambitious vision missions which will be prioritized by results from the previous two phases.

White, Nicholas E.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Common Data Format (CDF) to store images

The original goal of this study was to allow free interchange of images between the HGS and other analytical tools available to NASA. Originally conceived as a collection of individual computer programs that could individually convert any format image to any other format and transfer images via several routes, NASA elected to adopt a Common Data Format (CDF) to store images. This allowed the storage of all images in one format on the NASA EADS. Most of the individual programs were then combined and placed in a user friendly menu-driven system that allows free interchange of image formats within EADS (Sun Workstation), HGS, and Omnicon systems. Additional software and hardware was supplied that allows physical transfer of the formatted images throughout these systems and to external systems.

Shreve, Loy W., II↗

NASA NTRS1978

Wall Covering

The attractive wall covering shown below is one of 132 styles in the Mirror Magic II line offered by The General Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio. The material is metallized plastic fabric, a spinoff from space programs. Wall coverings are one of many consumer applications of aluminized plastic film technology developed for NASA by a firm later bought by King-Seeley Thermos Company, Winchester, Massachusetts, which now produces the material. The original NASA use was in the Echo 1 passive communications satellite, a "space baloon" made of aluminized mylar; the high reflectivity of the metallized coating enabled relay of communications signals from one Earth station to another by "bouncing" them off the satellite. The reflectivity feature also made the material an extremely efficient insulator and it was subsequently widely used in the Apollo program for such purposes as temperature control of spacecraft components and insulation of tanks for fuels that must be maintained at very low temperatures. I Used as a wall covering, the aluminized material offers extra insulation, reflects light and I resists cracking. In addition to General Tire, King-Seeley also supplies wall covering material to Columbus Coated Fabrics Division of Borden, Incorporated, Columbus, Ohio, among others.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1985

Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility - A unique facility with new capabilities

The Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF), formerly called the Landing Loads Track, is described. The paper gives a historical overview of the original NASA Langley Research Center Landing Loads Track and discusses the unique features of this national test facility. Comparisons are made between the original track characteristics and the new capabilities of the Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility following the recently completed facility update. Details of the new propulsion and arresting gear systems are presented along with the novel features of the new high-speed carriage. The data acquisition system is described and the paper concludes with a review of future test programs.

Davis, P. A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA and Blue Origin Collaborative Assessment of Precision Landing Algorithms and Computing

NASA’s Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) project is developing sensor, algorithm, and compute technologies for precision landing and hazard avoidance. These technologies are being tested as an integrated Precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance (PL&HA) system on Blue Origin’s New Shephard suborbital vehicle. A key goal for the computing element of this technology development is to characterize the performance of the SPLICE software workloads on the project’s Descent and Landing Computer (DLC). The DLC is a multi-core processor designed as a surrogate for NASA’s High-Performance Space Computer (HPSC). Measurements of the SPLICE workload performance on the DLC provides NASA insight on how PL&HA capabilities will perform on the HPSC, and guidance on how the SPLICE algorithms can be implemented to best utilize the DLC platform. This insight can also be used to derive requirements to guide trade studies on candidate computing architectures, for use on platforms like Blue Moon. NASA and Blue Origin are collaborating under an agreement to pursue this mutual benefit. Performance metrics collected are based on measurement of common compute resources such as percentage used of memory bandwidth, I/O utilization, interrupt latency, and kernel vs. user space code residency. Where possible existing performance counters and metrics that are part of the operating system kernel are used. As the design has a significant FPGA component, performance counters are identified and instantiated in the fabric to measure DMA performance and interface metrics. Collection of metrics is performed on the DLC with a representative workload that simulates a full landing cycle of the Blue Origin New Shepard vehicle. Consideration is given to the other compute implementations and whether they can run SPLICE algorithms at the same rate and with the same latency as the DLC. One option being considered is the use of a RISC-V soft core instantiated in a radiation resilient FPGA fabric such as the Xilinx KU60. Select algorithms from the SPLICE code will be run for comparison with the DLC. This paper describes how the DLC is instrumented to collect performance measurements of the SPLICE workloads, preliminary results from these measurements, and their implications on SPLICE algorithm implementation. The results of experimentation to derive candidate requirements for architecture trades on a PL&HA computing system are also presented.

computer performance↗

NASA NTRS2015

Big Software for SmallSats: Adapting CFS to CubeSat Missions

Expanding capabilities and mission objectives for SmallSats and CubeSats is driving the need for reliable, reusable, and robust flight software. While missions are becoming more complicated and the scientific goals more ambitious, the level of acceptable risk has decreased. Design challenges are further compounded by budget and schedule constraints that have not kept pace. NASA's Core Flight Software System (cFS) is an open source solution which enables teams to build flagship satellite level flight software within a CubeSat schedule and budget. NASA originally developed cFS to reduce mission and schedule risk for flagship satellite missions by increasing code reuse and reliability. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched in 2009, was the first of a growing list of Class B rated missions to use cFS. Large parts of cFS are now open source, which has spurred adoption outside of NASA. This paper reports on the experiences of two teams using cFS for current CubeSat missions. The performance overheads of cFS are quantified, and the reusability of code between missions is discussed. The analysis shows that cFS is well suited to use on CubeSats and demonstrates the portability and modularity of cFS code.

Open Source↗

NASA NTRS2007

Portable Hyperspectral Imaging Broadens Sensing Horizons

Broadband multispectral imaging can be very helpful in showing differences in energy being radiated and is often employed by NASA satellites to monitor temperature and climate changes. In addition, hyperspectral imaging is ideal for advanced laboratory uses, biomedical imaging, forensics, counter-terrorism, skin health, food safety, and Earth imaging. Lextel Intelligence Systems, LLC, of Jackson, Mississippi purchased Photon Industries Inc., a spinoff company of NASA's Stennis Space Center and the Institute for Technology Development dedicated to developing new hyperspectral imaging technologies. Lextel has added new features to and expanded the applicability of the hyperspectral imaging systems. It has made advances in the size, usability, and cost of the instruments. The company now offers a suite of turnkey hyperspectral imaging systems based on the original NASA groundwork. It currently has four lines of hyperspectral imaging products: the EagleEye VNIR 100E, the EagleEye SWIR 100E, the EagleEye SWIR 200E, and the EagleEye UV 100E. These Lextel instruments are used worldwide for a wide variety of applications including medical, military, forensics, and food safety.

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Reconfiguring COSSIR for the Next Generation of Cloud and Precipitation Science

NASA originally developed the Compact Scanning Sub-millimeter Imaging Radiometer (CoSSIR) in the early 2000s, where it was own in the CRYSTAL-FACE and TC4 field experiments. With renewed interest in sub-millimeter remote sensing motivated by the upcoming launch of the EUMETSAT-sponsored Ice Cloud Imager (ICI), along with its potential for inclusion as part of the NASA Decadal Survey Aerosols, CLouds, Convection, and Precipitation (ACCP) observing architecture, CoSSIR is being refurbished to prepare for routine suborbital submillimeter measurements this decade. Upgrades include hardware (procurement of shared parts so that CoSMIR and CoSSIR can fly concurrently) and a change to the channels, with a focus on differential scattering and polarization at eight frequencies ranging from 170 to 640 GHz. As part of the refurbishment, the instrument name has been changed to Configurable Scanning Sub-millimeter Instrument/Radiometer, retaining the same acronym, in order to emphasize the science objectives that are enabled by CoSSIR's unique scanning geometry and channel set. These anticipated capabilities include two-dimensional pro ling of clouds and precipitation and characterization of the geometry (shape and orientation) of large cloud and precipitating ice particles.

Radiometry↗

NASA NTRS2004

Far-Infrared Space Interferometers: Future Windows on Star and Planet Formation

Far-IR space interferometers will provide observational access to a spectral region containing many important cooling and diagnostic spectral lines and the bulk of the thermal emission from dust at angular scales critical to advancing our understanding of the star and planet formation process. We will describe concepts for the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT) and the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS). Both of these candidate NASA missions are imaging and spectral Michelson interferometers operating in the wavelength range -40 - 800 microns. SPIRIT, which could be launched in a decade as a NASA Origins Probe, is built on a deployable boom and has a maximum baseline length of -30 - 50 m, yielding sub-arcsecond resolution in the far-IR. SPIRIT will thus provide far-IR/sub-mm measurements complementary to the near- and mid-IR measurements obtainable with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and well matched to JWST observations in angular resolution. Ultimately SPECS, a NASA Vision Mission, will use formation flying to attain baseline lengths up to 1 km, and thus angular resolution comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. We will report preliminary results of the NASA-sponsored SPIRIT and SPECS mission studies, which are now underway.

Leisawitz, David↗

NASA NTRS2007

Hybrid Modeling Improves Health and Performance Monitoring

Scientific Monitoring Inc. was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to create a new, simplified health-monitoring approach for flight vehicles and flight equipment. The project developed a hybrid physical model concept that provided a structured approach to simplifying complex design models for use in health monitoring, allowing the output or performance of the equipment to be compared to what the design models predicted, so that deterioration or impending failure could be detected before there would be an impact on the equipment's operational capability. Based on the original modeling technology, Scientific Monitoring released I-Trend, a commercial health- and performance-monitoring software product named for its intelligent trending, diagnostics, and prognostics capabilities, as part of the company's complete ICEMS (Intelligent Condition-based Equipment Management System) suite of monitoring and advanced alerting software. I-Trend uses the hybrid physical model to better characterize the nature of health or performance alarms that result in "no fault found" false alarms. Additionally, the use of physical principles helps I-Trend identify problems sooner. I-Trend technology is currently in use in several commercial aviation programs, and the U.S. Air Force recently tapped Scientific Monitoring to develop next-generation engine health-management software for monitoring its fleet of jet engines. Scientific Monitoring has continued the original NASA work, this time under a Phase III SBIR contract with a joint NASA-Pratt & Whitney aviation security program on propulsion-controlled aircraft under missile-damaged aircraft conditions.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2007

Development of a Tunable Electromechanical Acoustic Liner for Engine Nacelles

This report describes the development of a tunable electromechanical Helmholtz resonator (EMHR) for engine nacelles using smart materials technology. This effort addresses both near-term and long-term goals for tunable electromechanical acoustic liner technology for the Quiet Aircraft Technology (QAT) Program. Analytical models, i.e. lumped element model (LEM) and transfer matrix (TM) representation of the EMHR, have been developed to predict the acoustic behavior of the EMHR. The models have been implemented in a MATLAB program and used to compare with measurement results. Moreover, the prediction performance of models is further improved with the aid of parameter extraction of the piezoelectric backplate. The EMHR has been experimentally investigated using standard two-microphone method (TMM). The measurement results validated both the LEM and TM models of the EMHR. Good agreement between predicted and measured impedance is obtained. Short- and open circuit loads define the limits of the tuning range using resistive and capacitive loads. There is approximately a 9% tuning limit under these conditions for the non-optimized resonator configuration studied. Inductive shunt loads result in a 3 degree-of-freedom DOF) system and an enhanced tuning range of over 20% that is not restricted by the short- and open-circuit limits. Damping coefficient ' measurements for piezoelectric backplates in a vacuum chamber are also performed and indicate that the damping is dominated by the structural damping losses, such as compliant boundaries, and other intrinsic loss mechanisms. Based on models of the EMHR, a Pareto optimization design of the EMHR has been performed for the EMHR with non-inductive loads. The EMHR with non-inductive loads is a 2DOF system with two resonant fiequencies. The tuning ranges of the two resonant frequencies of the EMHR with non-inductive loads cannot be optimized simultaneously; a trade-off (i.e., a Pareto solution) must be reached. The Pareto solution provides the information for a designer that shows how design trade-offs can be used to satisfy specific design requirements. The optimization design of the EMHR with inductive loads aims at optimal tuning of these three resonant fiequencies. The results indicate that it is possible to keep the acoustic reactance of the resonator close to a constant over a given frequency range. An effort to mimic the second layer of the NASA 2DOF liner using a piezoelectric composite diaphragm has been made. The optimal acoustic reactance of the second layer of the NASA 2DOF liner is achieved using a thin PVDF composite diaphragm, but matching the acoustic resistance requires further investigation. Acoustic energy harvesting is achieved by connecting the EMHR to an energy reclamation circuit that converts the ac voltage signal across the piezoceramic to a conditioned dc signal. Energy harvesting experiment yields 16 m W continuous power for an incident SPL of 153 dB. Such a level is sufficient to power a variety of low power electronic devices. Finally, technology transfer has been achieved by converting the original NASA ZKTL FORTRAN code to a MATLAB code while incorporating the models of the EMHR. Initial studies indicate that the EMHR is a promising technology that may enable lowpower, light weight, tunable engine nacelle liners. This technology, however, is very immature, and additional developments are required. Recommendations for future work include testing of sample EMHR liner designs in NASA Langley s normal incidence dual-waveguide and the grazing-incidence flow facility to evaluating both the impedance characteristics as well as the energy reclamation abilities. Additional design work is required for more complex tuning circuits with greater performance. Poor electromechanical coupling limited the electromechanical tuning capabilities of the proof of concept EMHR. Different materials than those studies and perhaps novel composite material systems may dramatically improvehe electromechanical coupling. Such improvements are essential to improved mimicking of existing double layer liners.

Liu, Fei↗

NASA NTRS2004

Radial Velocity Detection of Extra-Solar Planetary Systems

This NASA Origins Program grant supported four closely related research programs at The University of Texas at Austin: 1) The McDonald Observatory Planetary Search (MOPS) Program, using the McDonald Observatory 2.7m Harlan Smith telescope and its 2dcoude spectrometer, 2) A high-precision radial-velocity survey of Hyades dwarfs, using the Keck telescope and its HIRES spectrograph, 3) A program at McDonald Observatory to obtain spectra of the parent stars of planetary systems at R = 210,000, and 4) the start of high precision radial velocity surveys using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The most important results from NASA support of these research programs are described. A list of all papers published under support of this grant is included at the end.

Cochran, William D.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Radial Velocity Detection of Extra-Solar Planetary Systems

This NASA Origins Program grant supported four closely related research programs at The University of Texas at Austin: 1) The McDonald Observatory Planetary Search (MOPS) Program, using the McDonald Observatory 2.7m Harlan Smith telescope and its 2dcoud6 spectrometer, 2) A high-precision radial-velocity survey of Hyades dwarfs, using the Keck telescope and its HIRES spectrograph, 3) A program at McDonald Observatory to obtain spectra of the parent stars of planetary systems at R = 210,000, and 4) the start of high precision radial velocity surveys using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The most important results from NASA support of these research programs are described below. A list of all papers published under support of this grant is included at the end.

Cochran, William D.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Examining the Conceptual Design Process for Future Hybrid-Electric Rotorcraft

Hybrid-electric propulsion systems introduce immense complexity and numerous design challenges not previously encountered in aircraft design. Traditional conceptual-level rotorcraft design approaches may not adequately capture the level of propulsion system detail desired for hybrid-electric vehicle conceptual design. As part of a NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II contract, Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) investigated the implementation of several hybrid-electric propulsion architectures onto three rotorcraft configurations. Unique hybrid-electric variants of these configurations were compared against their conventionally-powered counterparts using typical metrics such as payload, range, and energy efficiency. The feasibility and performance of these vehicles was also investigated in the +15 and +30-year timeframes based on third-party estimations for future component performance. Using the lessons learned during this trade study, ESAero then conducted a conceptual design effort for a hybrid-electric tiltrotor demonstrator based on the XV-15. A detailed integration of the hybrid-electric propulsion system into the vehicle airframe was also performed. The hybrid-electric XV-15 concept vehicle was estimated to achieve a 10% reduction in cruise fuel consumption compared to the original NASA XV-15 at the cost of increasing the vehicle empty weight by almost 25%. The success of this design effort suggests that the design of a manned, hybrid-electric tiltrotor is technically feasible at current technology levels.

Future↗

NASA NTRS2016

Final Report: Laser-Based Optical Trap for Remote Sampling of Interplanetary and Atmospheric Particulate Matter

Applicability to Early Stage Innovation NIAC Cutting edge and innovative technologies are needed to achieve the demanding requirements for NASA origin missions that require sample collection as laid out in the NRC Decadal Survey. This proposal focused on fully understanding the state of remote laser optical trapping techniques for capturing particles and returning them to a target site. In future missions, a laser-based optical trapping system could be deployed on a lander that would then target particles in the lower atmosphere and deliver them to the main instrument for analysis, providing remote access to otherwise inaccessible samples. Alternatively, for a planetary mission the laser could combine ablation and trapping capabilities on targets typically too far away or too hard for traditional drilling sampling systems. For an interstellar mission, a remote laser system could gather particles continuously at a safe distance; this would avoid the necessity of having a spacecraft fly through a target cloud such as a comet tail. If properly designed and implemented, a laser-based optical trapping system could fundamentally change the way scientists designand implement NASA missions that require mass spectroscopy and particle collection.

Laser↗

NASA NTRS1974

The Global Rescue Alarm Net (GRAN): Concept and approaches

The GRAN Experiment is designed to prove a world-wide search and rescue (SAR) system utilizing Omega navigation system signals and geo-synchronous satellites. In order to develop a SAR system, the original NASA Omega Position Locating Equipment (OPLE) experiments have been expanded by the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River. Specifically, a fourth frequency (10.880 KHz) has been added experimentally to two Omega transmitters. This will increase line of position (LOP) ambiguities from 72 nautical miles to 360 nmi apart. Algorithms have been developed to resolve the 360 nmi ambiguities. During September and October 1974, two series of tests were conducted with Lincoln Experimental Satellite 6 (LES-6) to demonstrate the position locating potential of the four-frequency Omega concept.

Calise, C. L.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Transfer research and impact studies program

Methods developed for stimulating interest in the transfer of NASA-originated technology are described. These include: new information packaging concepts; technology transfer via people transfer; information management systems; data bank operations; and professional communication activities.

Freeman, J. E.↗