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At least 37 records · Page 2

Diffraction hardware testbed and model validation

Optical systems, which operate over a wide range of Fresnel numbers, are often times performance-limited by diffraction effects. In order to characterize such effects at the 40-100 picometer level, a diffraction testbed has been built which has the capability of measuring diffraction effects at this level. Concurrently, mathematical diffraction modeling tools have been developed that propagate an input wavefront through an optical train, while retaining amplitude and phase information at a grid resolution sufficient for yielding picometer-resolution diffraction test data. This paper contains a description of this diffraction hardware testbed, the diffraction modeling approach, and a comparison of the modeled and hardware test results, which then serves as validation of the diffraction modeling methodology.

optical↗

2020 I.F._Wickizer_New CE Tool for MDC_Final Report

Our team surveyed available products and found no readily-available/U.S. commercial or Agency products which supported our envisioned workflow for the Mission Design Center and the concurrent engineering (CE) process we use. Therefore, we sought to create our own CE tool. Changes in agency policy during the performance period allowed us to shift direction and instead adapt our previous legacy tool (Atlas) to include the collaboration features we sorely needed. Atlas relied upon databases for its back-end data management. Poseidon, the work proposed under this effort, was also intended to leverage from that previous back end (in part). However, in May 2021, EUSO announced that “SBU/CUI Information Can Now Be Shared/Stored Within O365 Without Encryption.” Consequently, we made the decision to use O365 in place of our back end. This change provides for version history, collaborative simultaneous editing, and other collaboration tools agency-wide that were previously unavailable with the old database architecture. The new Atlas O365 has more flexibility and capability for users. It’s now easier for users to switch between using the tool for concurrent engineering and individual subsystem engineering. A version was delivered for concurrent engineering of small satellite missions; so far, it has been used successfully on the Aeolus MDC study. Atlas O365 will facilitate the design and assessment of Small Satellite Missions at low Concept Maturity Level at Ames. Feasibility assessments on mission concepts still at a low CML permit strategic planning and decision-making efforts at the center level about which concepts should be pursued and proposed.

concurrent engineering↗

Performance prediction of concurrent systems

Concurrent systems are computers that use multiple processors to solve a single problem. A means to predict the application performance on these systems is a useful tool in many areas of concurrent system research. A computationally efficient and accurate method to predict performance for a class of parallel computations on concurrent systems is described. A parallel computation is modeled as a task system with precedence relationships expressed as a series parallel directed acyclic graph. Resources in concurrent systems are modeled as service centers in queueing network models. Using these two models as inputs, the method outputs predictions of both the time to complete the computation and the concurrent system utilization. The algorithm used is based on the approximate Mean Value Analysis in queueing network modeling with extensions to model concurrency in the computation. The new algorithm was validated against both detailed simulation and actual execution on a commercial multiprocessor.

Mak, Victor W. K.↗

Deriving Tools from Real-Time Runs: A New CCMC Support for SEC and AFWA

The Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) is a US inter-agency activity aiming at research in support of the generation of advanced space weather models. As one of its main functions, the CCMC provides to researchers the use of space science models, even if they are not model owners themselves. In particular, the CCMC provides to the research community the execution of "runs-on-request" for specific events of interest to space science researchers. Through this activity and the concurrent development of advanced visualization tools, CCMC provides, to the general science community, unprecedented access to a large number of state-of-the-art research models. CCMC houses models that cover the entire domain from the Sun to the Earth. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of CCMC modeling services that are available to support activities at the Space Environment Center, or at the Air Force Weather Agency.

Hesse, Michael↗

ATAMM analysis tool

Diagnostics software for analyzing Algorithm to Architecture Mapping Model (ATAMM) based concurrent processing systems is presented. ATAMM is capable of modeling the execution of large grain algorithms on distributed data flow architectures. The tool graphically displays algorithm activities and processor activities for evaluation of the behavior and performance of an ATAMM based system. The tool's measurement capabilities indicate computing speed, throughput, concurrency, resource utilization, and overhead. Evaluations are performed on a simulated system using the software tool. The tool is used to estimate theoretical lower bound performance. Analysis results are shown to be comparable to the predictions.

Jones, Robert↗

Concurrent Runtime Verification of Data Rich Events

This paper presents the open source runtime verification tool MESA (MEssage-based System Analysis), implemented in Scala, which supports concurrent monitors using the Actor model. Furthermore, the tool supports indexing (slicing) on the data values occurring in data-carrying events, for each individual monitor. The tool is generic in the sense that any monitoring system can be used for creating monitors. In this paper, we use the internal Scala DSL Daut for programming such in data parameterized state machines and temporal logic. To illustrate MESA/Daut, we present a case study that monitors flights from live U.S. airspace data streams, verifying that they conform to planned routes. With base in the case study, we then perform an extensive empirical study of the potential benefits from monitoring slices of a single property in concurrently executing actors. Due to the overhead of scheduling “small” actors (one for each slice or a small number of slices), it is not obvious that concurrent execution of such is beneficial. However, as a main result, we demonstrate that concurrent monitoring of slices to handle data-carrying events can provide considerable speed gains.

finite state machines↗

The Raid distributed database system

Raid, a robust and adaptable distributed database system for transaction processing (TP), is described. Raid is a message-passing system, with server processes on each site to manage concurrent processing, consistent replicated copies during site failures, and atomic distributed commitment. A high-level layered communications package provides a clean location-independent interface between servers. The latest design of the package delivers messages via shared memory in a configuration with several servers linked into a single process. Raid provides the infrastructure to investigate various methods for supporting reliable distributed TP. Measurements on TP and server CPU time are presented, along with data from experiments on communications software, consistent replicated copy control during site failures, and concurrent distributed checkpointing. A software tool for evaluating the implementation of TP algorithms in an operating-system kernel is proposed.

Bhargava, Bharat↗

IHY Modeling Support at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center

The Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) is a US inter-agency activity aiming at research in support of the generation of advanced space weather models. As one of its main functions, the CCMC provides to researchers the use of space science models, even if they are not model owners themselves. In particular, the CCMC provides to the research community the execution of "runs-onrequest" for specific events of interest to space science researchers. Through this activity and the concurrent development of advanced visualization tools, CCMC provides, to the general science community, unprecedented access to a large number of state-of-the-art research models. CCMC houses models that cover the entire domain from the Sun to the Earth. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of CCMC modeling services that are available to support activities during the International Heliospheric Year. In order to tailor CCMC activities to IHY needs, we will also invite community input into our IHY planning activities.

Chulaki, A.↗

How Do You Go From a Concept Idea to a NASA Selected Mission? Formulating the Psyche Discovery Mission with JPL's Concurrent Engineering Teams

JPL’s Office of Formulation provides continuity of support and access to domain subject matter experts, as Principal Investigators mature their mission concepts from “cocktail napkin” ideas to Preliminary Design Reviews [1]. Using NASA’s Psyche mission as a case study, we describe JPL’s concurrent engineering A-Team and Team X support to the Psyche competed concept study team in the areas of 1) Initial Feasibility, 2) Trade Space Exploration, 3) Spacecraft Point Design and Cost Estimate, 4) Science, Technical, Management, and Cost Review, and 5) Strategy and Communication Development. NASA’s Psyche Discovery-class mission started as a grassroots idea from Principal Investigator L.T. ElkinsTanton. Is there a compelling Discovery mission to visit the interior of a body for the first time, by sending a mission to an iron metal asteroid? In less than five years the Psyche concept was selected as a mission under NASA’s Discovery Program. While Psyche had a dedicated concept development team [2], they utilized JPL’s concurrent engineering teams, methods, analysis tools, and subject matter experts throughout their mission concept formulation lifecycle

Ziemer, John↗

How Do You Go From a Concept Idea to a NASA Selected Mission? Formulating the Psyche Discovery Mission with JPL's Concurrent Engineering Teams

JPL’s Office of Formulation provides continuity of support and access to domain subject matter experts, as Principal Investigators mature their mission concepts from “cocktail napkin” ideas to Preliminary Design Reviews [1]. Using NASA’s Psyche mission as a case study, we will describe JPL’s concurrent engineering ATeam and Team X support to the Psyche competed concept study team in the areas of 1) Science Feasibility, 2) Trade Space Exploration, 3) Spacecraft Point Design and Cost Estimate, 4) Science, Technical, Management, and Cost Review, and 5) Strategy and Communication Development. NASA’s Psyche Discovery class mission started as a grassroots idea in our A-Team facility, and in less than five years was selected as a mission under NASA’s Discovery Program. While Psyche had a dedicated concept development team [2], they utilized JPL’s concurrent engineering teams, methods, analysis tools, and experts throughout their mission concept lifecycle.

Ziemer, John↗

Design of testbed and emulation tools

The research summarized was concerned with the design of testbed and emulation tools suitable to assist in projecting, with reasonable accuracy, the expected performance of highly concurrent computing systems on large, complete applications. Such testbed and emulation tools are intended for the eventual use of those exploring new concurrent system architectures and organizations, either as users or as designers of such systems. While a range of alternatives was considered, a software based set of hierarchical tools was chosen to provide maximum flexibility, to ease in moving to new computers as technology improves and to take advantage of the inherent reliability and availability of commercially available computing systems.

Lundstrom, S. F.↗

Discovery and New Frontiers Project Budget Analysis Tool

The Discovery and New Frontiers (D&NF) programs are multi-project, uncoupled programs that currently comprise 13 missions in phases A through F. The ability to fly frequent science missions to explore the solar system is the primary measure of program success. The program office uses a Budget Analysis Tool to perform "what-if" analyses and compare mission scenarios to the current program budget, and rapidly forecast the programs ability to meet their launch rate requirements. The tool allows the user to specify the total mission cost (fixed year), mission development and operations profile by phase (percent total mission cost and duration), launch vehicle, and launch date for multiple missions. The tool automatically applies inflation and rolls up the total program costs (in real year dollars) for comparison against available program budget. Thus, the tool allows the user to rapidly and easily explore a variety of launch rates and analyze the effect of changes in future mission or launch vehicle costs, the differing development profiles or operational durations of a future mission, or a replan of a current mission on the overall program budget. Because the tool also reports average monthly costs for the specified mission profile, the development or operations cost profile can easily be validate against program experience for similar missions. While specifically designed for predicting overall program budgets for programs that develop and operate multiple missions concurrently, the basic concept of the tool (rolling up multiple, independently-budget lines) could easily be adapted to other applications.

Newhouse, Marilyn E.↗

Numerical Model of Flame Spread Over Solids in Microgravity: A Supplementary Tool for Designing a Space Experiment

The recently developed numerical model of concurrent-flow flame spread over thin solids has been used as a simulation tool to help the designs of a space experiment. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional, steady form of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with chemical reactions are solved. With the coupled multi-dimensional solver of the radiative heat transfer, the model is capable of answering a number of questions regarding the experiment concept and the hardware designs. In this paper, the capabilities of the numerical model are demonstrated by providing the guidance for several experimental designing issues. The test matrix and operating conditions of the experiment are estimated through the modeling results. The three-dimensional calculations are made to simulate the flame-spreading experiment with realistic hardware configuration. The computed detailed flame structures provide the insight to the data collection. In addition, the heating load and the requirements of the product exhaust cleanup for the flow tunnel are estimated with the model. We anticipate that using this simulation tool will enable a more efficient and successful space experiment to be conducted.

Shih, Hsin-Yi↗

A Software Tool for Integrated Optical Design Analysis

Design of large precision optical systems requires multi-disciplinary analysis, modeling, and design. Thermal, structural and optical characteristics of the hardware must be accurately understood in order to design a system capable of accomplishing the performance requirements. The interactions between each of the disciplines become stronger as systems are designed lighter weight for space applications. This coupling dictates a concurrent engineering design approach. In the past, integrated modeling tools have been developed that attempt to integrate all of the complex analysis within the framework of a single model. This often results in modeling simplifications and it requires engineering specialist to learn new applications. The software described in this presentation addresses the concurrent engineering task using a different approach. The software tool, Integrated Optical Design Analysis (IODA), uses data fusion technology to enable a cross discipline team of engineering experts to concurrently design an optical system using their standard validated engineering design tools.

Moore, Jim↗

Sensitivity Analysis for the Component Design App: Analysis of Success Assured Data

A new tool has been developed to perform variance-based global sensitivity analysis (VBGSA) on data from a set-based concurrent engineering software called Success Assured (SA). The tool is part of a digital component design app, which is currently in production as an Accelerated Digital Engineering Pathfinder at Sandia National Laboratories. When working with complex digital models, it is important to understand relationships between inputs and outputs, i.e., how “sensitive” model outputs are to changes in model inputs. After extensive research and trials of various sensitivity analysis methods, it was determined that estimation of Sobol’ indices for VBGSA with Monte Carlo simulation, paired with simple surrogate models, produces the best results for SA data. This tool increases understanding of SA models and streamlines the creation of SA datasets. This report details the methodology and implementation of this sensitivity analysis tool so others can understand it and implement it.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Elements of Designing for Cost

During recent history in the United States, government systems development has been performance driven. As a result, systems within a class have experienced exponentially increasing cost over time in fixed year dollars. Moreover, little emphasis has been placed on reducing cost. This paper defines designing for cost and presents several tools which, if used in the engineering process, offer the promise of reducing cost. Although other potential tools exist for designing for cost, this paper focuses on rules of thumb, quality function deployment, Taguchi methods, concurrent engineering, and activity based costing. Each of these tools has been demonstrated to reduce cost if used within the engineering process.

Dean, Edwin B.↗

Simulink-Based Simulation Architecture for Evaluating Controls for Aerospace Vehicles (SAREC-ASV)

The Simulation Architecture for Evaluating Controls for Aerospace Vehicles (SAREC-ASV) is a Simulink-based approach to providing an engineering quality desktop simulation capability for finding trim solutions, extracting linear models for vehicle analysis and control law development, and generating open-loop and closed-loop time history responses for control system evaluation. It represents a useful level of maturity rather than a finished product. The layout is hierarchical and supports concurrent component development and validation, with support from the Concurrent Versions System (CVS) software management tool. Real Time Workshop (RTW) is used to generate pre-compiled code for substantial component modules, and templates permit switching seamlessly between original Simulink and code compiled for various platforms. Two previous limitations are addressed. Turn around time for incorporating tabular model components was improved through auto-generation of required Simulink diagrams based on data received in XML format. The layout was modified to exploit a Simulink "compile once, evaluate multiple times" capability for zero elapsed time for use in trimming and linearizing. Trim is achieved through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with a narrow, script definable interface to the vehicle model which facilitates incorporating new models.

Christhilf, David m.↗

A Machine-Checked Proof of A State-Space Construction Algorithm

This paper presents the correctness proof of Saturation, an algorithm for generating state spaces of concurrent systems, implemented in the SMART tool. Unlike the Breadth First Search exploration algorithm, which is easy to understand and formalise, Saturation is a complex algorithm, employing a mutually-recursive pair of procedures that compute a series of non-trivial, nested local fixed points, corresponding to a chaotic fixed point strategy. A pencil-and-paper proof of Saturation exists, but a machine checked proof had never been attempted. The key element of the proof is the characterisation theorem of saturated nodes in decision diagrams, stating that a saturated node represents a set of states encoding a local fixed-point with respect to firing all events affecting only the node s level and levels below. For our purpose, we have employed the Prototype Verification System (PVS) for formalising the Saturation algorithm, its data structures, and for conducting the proofs.

Catano, Nestor↗