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At least 379 records · Page 21

Some evidence for high energy gamma-ray sources at large galactic latitudes

The arrival directions of the gamma-quanta with energies of about 10 to 15th power eV which were registrated by Tien Shan experiment were compared with COS-B observations. On the basis of the Monte Carlo simulations it was shown with low probability that arrival directions of Tien Shan gamma-quanta initiated showers are not uniformly distributed. It is shown that in the region not seen by COS-B mission, the high energy gamma-ray sources should be located at position of 90 deg. 1 sup 11 130 deg and b sup 11 or = 50 deg. The integral intensity of these sources should be I ( 10 to the 15th power eV) = 4.8 + or - 1.7).10 to the 13th power/sq cm/s/str. There is no coincidence between the gamma-quanta registrated by Tien Shan experiment with Geminga intense COS-B gamma source. So it is shown that the integral photon spectrum of Geminga (I(e) approx E sup-Beta, where Beta = 0.8 for E 1 GeV) becomes steeper (Beta 1.2) in high energy region with probability 99.9.%.

Karakula, S.↗

A neuro-fuzzy architecture for real-time applications

Neural networks and fuzzy expert systems perform the same task of functional mapping using entirely different approaches. Each approach has certain unique features. The ability to learn specific input-output mappings from large input/output data possibly corrupted by noise and the ability to adapt or continue learning are some important features of neural networks. Fuzzy expert systems are known for their ability to deal with fuzzy information and incomplete/imprecise data in a structured, logical way. Since both of these techniques implement the same task (that of functional mapping--we regard 'inferencing' as one specific category under this class), a fusion of the two concepts that retains their unique features while overcoming their individual drawbacks will have excellent applications in the real world. In this paper, we arrive at a new architecture by fusing the two concepts. The architecture has the trainability/adaptibility (based on input/output observations) property of the neural networks and the architectural features that are unique to fuzzy expert systems. It also does not require specific information such as fuzzy rules, defuzzification procedure used, etc., though any such information can be integrated into the architecture. We show that this architecture can provide better performance than is possible from a single two or three layer feedforward neural network. Further, we show that this new architecture can be used as an efficient vehicle for hardware implementation of complex fuzzy expert systems for real-time applications. A numerical example is provided to show the potential of this approach.

Ramamoorthy, P. A.↗

Microbial Anomalies Encountered on the International Space Station

Microorganisms in our living environments are unavoidable. A community of microbes arrived in space with the delivery of the first element of the International Space Station (ISS), attached to hardware and on the bodies of the humans tasked with the initial assembly missions. The risk that microorganisms could cause adverse effects in the health of both the human occupants of the ISS as well as the physical integrity of the station environment and life support systems has been both a driver and a function of engineering and operational controls. Scientists and engineers at NASA have gone to extensive measures to control microbial growth at levels safe for the crewmembers and the spacecraft environment. Many of these measures were initiated with the design of the spacecraft and its systems. Materials used in the ISS were tested for resistance to fungi, such as mold and a paint with a fungus-killing chemical was also used. Controlling the humidity of the air in the Station is also an effective way of discouraging microbe growth. The breathing air is reconditioned by the Environmental Control Life Support System (ECLSS) prior to distribution, utilizing High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration. Requirements restricting the accumulation of water condensate in the air handlers and habitable volume of the ISS were other safeguards added. Water for drinking and food rehydration is disinfected or filtered. A robust in-flight housekeeping regimen for the ISS significantly reduces inappropriate growth of microorganisms and includes a regular cleaning of accessible surfaces with disinfectant wipes. Most of these requirements were suggested by microbiologists to mitigate and possibly prevent many microbiological risks. In addition to these controls, before flight monitoring and analyses of the cabin air, exposed surfaces, water and food, consumables, and crew members are conducted to mitigate microbial risk to the crew and spacecraft. Many microbial risks are much easier to identify and resolve before launch than during space flight. Although the focus has been on prevention of microbiologically related, not all problems can be anticipated. A number of microbial anomalies have occurred on ISS. This paper will discuss the occurrences, root-cause investigations, and mitigation steps taken to remediate the contamination.

Bruce, Rebekah J.↗

Adaptive Time Step Control for Multirate Infinitesimal Methods

Multirate methods have been used for decades to temporally evolve initial-value problems in which different components evolve on distinct time scales, and thus use of different step sizes for these components can result in increased computational efficiency. Generally, such methods select these different step sizes based on experimentation or stability considerations. For problems that evolve on a single time scale, adaptivity approaches that strive to control local temporal error are widely used to achieve numerical results of a desired accuracy with minimal computational effort, while alleviating the need for manual experimentation with different time step sizes. However, there is a notable gap in the publication record on the development of adaptive time step controllers for multirate methods. In this paper, we extend the single-rate controller work of Gustafsson [ACM Trans. Math. Software, 20 (1994), pp. 496-517] to the multirate method setting. Specifically, we develop controllers based on polynomial approximations to the principal error functions for both the "fast" and "slow" time scales within multirate infinitesimal (MRI) methods. We additionally investigate a variety of approaches for estimating the errors arising from each time scale within MRI methods. We then numerically evaluate the proposed multirate controllers and error estimation strategies on a range of multirate test problems, comparing their performance against an estimated optimal performance. Through this work, we combine the most performant of these approaches to arrive at a set of multirate adaptive time step controllers that robustly achieve desired solution accuracy with minimal computational effort.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Concept of Operations for Commercial and Business Aircraft Synthetic Vision Systems

A concept of operations (CONOPS) for the Commercial and Business (CaB) aircraft synthetic vision systems (SVS) is described. The CaB SVS is expected to provide increased safety and operational benefits in normal and low visibility conditions. Providing operational benefits will promote SVS implementation in the Net, improve aviation safety, and assist in meeting the national aviation safety goal. SVS will enhance safety and enable consistent gate-to-gate aircraft operations in normal and low visibility conditions. The goal for developing SVS is to support operational minima as low as Category 3b in a variety of environments. For departure and ground operations, the SVS goal is to enable operations with a runway visual range of 300 feet. The system is an integrated display concept that provides a virtual visual environment. The SVS virtual visual environment is composed of three components: an enhanced intuitive view of the flight environment, hazard and obstacle defection and display, and precision navigation guidance. The virtual visual environment will support enhanced operations procedures during all phases of flight - ground operations, departure, en route, and arrival. The applications selected for emphasis in this document include low visibility departures and arrivals including parallel runway operations, and low visibility airport surface operations. These particular applications were selected because of significant potential benefits afforded by SVS.

Williams Daniel M.↗

Robonaut 2 - The First Humanoid Robot in Space

NASA and General Motors have developed the second generation Robonaut, Robonaut 2 or R2, and it is scheduled to arrive on the International Space Station in late 2010 and undergo initial testing in early 2011. This state of the art, dexterous, anthropomorphic robotic torso has significant technical improvements over its predecessor making it a far more valuable tool for astronauts. Upgrades include: increased force sensing, greater range of motion, higher bandwidth and improved dexterity. R2 s integrated mechatronics design results in a more compact and robust distributed control system with a faction of the wiring of the original Robonaut. Modularity is prevalent throughout the hardware and software along with innovative and layered approaches for sensing and control. The most important aspects of the Robonaut philosophy are clearly present in this latest model s ability to allow comfortable human interaction and in its design to perform significant work using the same hardware and interfaces used by people. The following describes the mechanisms, integrated electronics, control strategies and user interface that make R2 a promising addition to the Space Station and other environments where humanoid robots can assist people.

Diftler, M. A.↗

Optimizing Perovskite Thin‐Film Parameter Spaces with Machine Learning‐Guided Robotic Platform for High‐Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract Simultaneously optimizing the processing parameters of functional thin films remains a challenge. The design and utilization of a fully automated platform called SPINBOT is presented for the engineering of solution‐processed functional thin films. The SPINBOT is capable of performing experiments with high sampling variability through the unsupervised processing of hundreds of substrates with exceptional experimental control. Through the iterative optimization process enabled by the Bayesian optimization (BO) algorithm, the SPINBOT explores an intricate parameter space, continuously improving the quality and reproducibility of the produced thin films. This machine learning (ML)‐guided reliable SPINBOT platform enables the acceleration of the optimization process of perovskite solar cells via a simple photoluminescence characterization of films. As a result, this study arrives at an optimal film that, when processed into a solar cell in an ambient atmosphere, immediately yields a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.6% with satisfactory performance reproducibility. The unsealed devices retain 90% of their initial efficiency after 1100 h of continuous operation at 60–65 °C under metal‐halide lamps. It is anticipated that the integration of robotic platforms with the intelligent algorithm will facilitate the widespread adoption of effective autonomous experimentation to address the evolving needs and constraints within the materials science research community.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Machine Committee Framework for Power Grid Disturbances Analysis Using Synchrophasors Data

Events detection is a key challenge in power grid frequency disturbances analysis. Accurate detection of events is crucial for situational awareness of the power system. In this paper, we study the problem of events detection in power grid frequency disturbance analysis using synchrophasors data streams. Current events detection approaches for power grid rely on individual detection algorithm. This study integrates some of the existing detection algorithms using the concept of machine committee to develop improved detection approaches for grid disturbance analysis. Specifically, we propose two algorithms—an Event Detection Machine Committee (EDMC) algorithm and a Change-Point Detection Machine Committee (CPDMC) algorithm. Both algorithms use parallel architecture to fuse detection knowledge of its individual methods to arrive at an overall output. The EDMC algorithm combines five individual event detection methods, while the CPDMC algorithm combines two change-point detection methods. Each method performs the detection task separately. The overall output of each algorithm is then computed using a voting strategy. The proposed algorithms are evaluated using three case studies of actual power grid disturbances. Compared with the individual results of the various detection methods, we found that the EDMC algorithm is a better fit for analyzing synchrophasors data; it improves the detection accuracy; and it is suitable for practical scenarios.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Piloted simulation of an air-ground profile negotiation process in a time-based Air Traffic Control environment

Historically, development of airborne flight management systems (FMS) and ground-based air traffic control (ATC) systems has tended to focus on different objectives with little consideration for operational integration. A joint program, between NASA's Ames Research Center (Ames) and Langley Research Center (Langley), is underway to investigate the issues of, and develop systems for, the integration of ATC and airborne automation systems. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate a profile negotiation process (PNP) between the Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) and an aircraft equipped with a four-dimensional flight management system (4D FMS). Prototype procedures were developed to support the functional implementation of this process. The PNP was designed to provide an arrival trajectory solution which satisfies the separation requirements of ATC while remaining as close as possible to the aircraft's preferred trajectory. Results from the experiment indicate the potential for successful incorporation of aircraft-preferred arrival trajectories in the CTAS automation environment. Fuel savings on the order of 2 percent to 8 percent, compared to fuel required for the baseline CTAS arrival speed strategy, were achieved in the test scenarios. The data link procedures and clearances developed for this experiment, while providing the necessary functionality, were found to be operationally unacceptable to the pilots. In particular, additional pilot control and understanding of the proposed aircraft-preferred trajectory, and a simplified clearance procedure were cited as necessary for operational implementation of the concept.

Williams, David H.↗

Lunar Prospecting Using Thermal Wadis and Compact Rovers: Infrastructure for Surviving the Lunar Night - Part A

Recent missions have confirmed the existence of water and other volatiles on the Moon, both in permanently-shadowed craters and elsewhere. Non-volatile lunar resources may represent significant additional value as infrastructure or manufacturing feedstock. Characterization of lunar resources in terms of abundance concentrations, distribution, and recoverability is limited to in-situ Apollo samples and the expanding remote-sensing database. This paper introduces an approach to lunar resource prospecting supported by a simple lunar surface infrastructure based on the Thermal Wadi concept of thermal energy storage and using compact rovers equipped with appropriate prospecting sensors and demonstration resource extraction capabilities. Thermal Wadis are engineered sources of heat and power based on the storage and retrieval of solar-thermal energy in modified lunar regolith. Because Thermal Wadis keep compact prospecting rovers warm during periods of lunar darkness, the rovers are able to survive months to years on the lunar surface rather than just weeks without being required to carry the burdensome capability to do so. The resulting lower-cost, long-lived rovers represent a potential paradigm breakthrough in extra-terrestrial prospecting productivity and will enable the production of detailed resource maps. Integrating resource processing and other technology demonstrations that are based on the content of the resource maps will inform engineering economic studies that can define the true resource potential of the Moon. Once this resource potential is understood quantitatively, humans might return to the Moon with an economically sound objective including where to go, what to do upon arrival, and what to bring along.

Sacksteder, Kurt R.↗

Development of a Safety Hazards Risk Assessment Tool for Uncrewed Aircraft System Traffic Management during Preflight Planning

Tremendous growth in the uncrewed and remotely piloted vehicle market is expected in low-altitude, uncontrolled airspace, resulting in potential decreases in safety without systems that support monitoring, assessing, and mitigating risk. At NASA, the System-Wide Safety (SWS) project has been developing a suite of data-driven tools to predict hazards so that the potential risks that these hazards pose can be mitigated. Services to predict various hazards have been developed, including battery capacity, proximity to static obstacles, population risks, global positioning system signal strength, radio frequency spectrum interference risk, and vertiport congestion. These services can monitor hazards along a flight path and if any risks posed by these hazards exceed a threshold, the uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) fleet manager can be alerted to mitigate the risk by modifying the flight path, changing the scheduled departure or arrival times, and/or diverting the vehicle to an alternate vertiport. These services were originally developed to monitor and assess risks during flight, but they have been adapted to assess hazard risks prior to departure so that a fleet manager can evaluate the potential risks for a fleet of UAS along their planned flight paths. These services have been integrated into a prototype tool called the Supplemental Data Service Provider-Consolidated Dashboard (SDSP-CD), developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The tool consists of a dashboard which provides a comprehensive overview for a number of risks and a map display that shows the details of the hazards along each flight’s path. Based on the findings from three previous studies, the SDSP-CD has been updated with new design elements and functions. In this paper, we describe lessons learned from the previous studies, changes made to the interface, and the feedback received during a follow-up usability study. Overall, participants reported that there is a substantial benefit of having a fleet manager use a consolidated dashboard to assess hazards for the vehicles in their fleet and to provide situational awareness to potential risks so that they can be mitigated prior to flight. Once the SDSP-CD matures, it will need to be integrated into flight and mission planning tools. Some initial thoughts on how this integration should be accomplished are shared in this paper. Finally, the functional differences between preflight vs. in-flight risk assessment and the differences in fleet manager vs. UAS pilot roles that may require different information and user interactions are discussed.

preflight↗

Impact of Thermal Scattering Law on Similarity Assessment in Light-Water or Polyethylene-Moderated Systems

A collaborative effort between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is underway to provide a technical basis and methodology for the criticality safety community to use the sum of fractions (SoF) method for generating limits for mixtures of “selected actinide nuclides” included in the ANSI/ANS 8.15 standard. The PNNL scope in this project is to define a range of mixtures of 233 U, 235 U, and 239 Pu moderated with either light water or polyethylene and to examine the critical masses for these mixtures. The ORNL scope is primarily to provide validation support for these studies. More complete discussion of the project and its validation aspects will be presented at the upcoming International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC) this Fall in Sendai, Japan. Clear differences in benchmark similarity to application systems as assessed by the integral parameter ck are noted in the validation studies performed as part of this project as a function of moderator. The c k value is a correlation coefficient that represents that amount of shared uncertainty in k eff due to cross sections between two systems. Individual nuclide-reaction contributions between the two systems can be simply summed to arrive at the total c k value. Specifically, the c k values for light-water–moderated solution experiments are higher for a water-moderated application than for a polyethylene-moderated application. This result is neither totally unexpected nor surprising, but the magnitude of the difference was difficult to anticipate. The TSUNAMI sequence, in the SCALE 6.2.4 code package developed by ORNL, was used to generate eigenvalues and reactivity effects with perturbation-theory based approach through sensitivity coefficients for all nuclides in the system with all reactions and energy groups. The TSUNAMI-Indices and Parameters (IP) sequence then uses the sensitivity data generated through TSUNAMI to generate relational parameters (i.e., c k ) to determine the degree of similarity between systems. One detail of the SCALE material and data implementation must be discussed at this point. Several thermal scattering laws (TSLs) are available for 1 H. SCALE uses a different nuclide ID number for each TSL; essentially, each version of 1 H is treated as a unique nuclide. For example, 1 H bound in water ( 1 H-H2O) is assigned the nuclide ID 1001, whereas 1 H bound in polyethylene (h-poly) is assigned the nuclide ID 9001001. The same cross section data are used for all reactions in 1 H, regardless of TSL, except for scattering below the TSL cutoff energy. TSUNAMI-IP treats different nuclide IDs as different nuclides; thus, no uncertainty is shared between 1 H-H2O and h-poly, despite much of the same data, including covariance data, being used for both nuclides. This presents a question: how much of the difference in assessed similarity between water- and polyethylene-moderated systems is due to the moderators, and how much is caused by the treatment of 1 H-H2O and h poly with cross section and covariance data. The extended edits generated by TSUANMI-IP allow for an investigation of this issue specifically, as well as a demonstration of the general techniques available within TSUNAMI to understand the results of the similarity assessment. This paper presents and analyzes the similarity assessment of both water- and polyethylene-moderated systems for a single benchmark: PST-002-001.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

A Fast-Time Simulation Environment for Airborne Merging and Spacing Research

As part of NASA's Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) effort, NASA Langley Research Center is developing concepts and algorithms for merging multiple aircraft arrival streams and precisely spacing aircraft over the runway threshold. An airborne tool has been created for this purpose, called Airborne Merging and Spacing for Terminal Arrivals (AMSTAR). To evaluate the performance of AMSTAR and complement human-in-the-loop experiments, a simulation environment has been developed that enables fast-time studies of AMSTAR operations. The environment is based on TMX, a multiple aircraft desktop simulation program created by the Netherlands National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR). This paper reviews the AMSTAR concept, discusses the integration of the AMSTAR algorithm into TMX and the enhancements added to TMX to support fast-time AMSTAR studies, and presents initial simulation results.

Bussink, Frank J. L.↗

Proceedings of the 20th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics

Topics include: Measuring Image Navigation and Registration Performance at the 3-Sigma Level Using Platinum Quality Landmarks; Flight Dynamics Performances of the MetOp A Satellite during the First Months of Operations; Visual Navigation - SARE Mission; Determining a Method of Enabling and Disabling the Integral Torque in the SDO Science and Inertial Mode Controllers; Guaranteeing Pointing Performance of the SDO Sun-Pointing Controllers in Light of Nonlinear Effects; SDO Delta H Mode Design and Analysis; Observing Mode Attitude Controller for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; Broken-Plane Maneuver Applications for Earth to Mars Trajectories; ExoMars Mission Analysis and Design - Launch, Cruise and Arrival Analyses; Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Aerobraking Daily Operations and Collision Avoidance; Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Interplanetary Cruise Navigation; Motion Parameters Determination of the SC and Phobos in the Project Phobos-Grunt; GRAS NRT Precise Orbit Determination: Operational Experience; Orbit Determination of LEO Satellites for a Single Pass through a Radar: Comparison of Methods; Orbit Determination System for Low Earth Orbit Satellites; Precise Orbit Determination for ALOS; Anti-Collision Function Design and Performances of the CNES Formation Flying Experiment on the PRISMA Mission; CNES Approaching Guidance Experiment within FFIORD; Maneuver Recovery Analysis for the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission; SIMBOL-X: A Formation Flying Mission on HEO for Exploring the Universe; Spaceborne Autonomous and Ground Based Relative Orbit Control for the TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X Formation; First In-Orbit Experience of TerraSAR-X Flight Dynamics Operations; Automated Target Planning for FUSE Using the SOVA Algorithm; Space Technology 5 Post-Launch Ground Attitude Estimation Experience; Standardizing Navigation Data: A Status Update; and A Study into the Method of Precise Orbit Determination of a HEO Orbiter by GPS and Accelerometer.

Woodard, Mark↗

The CMS Phase-2 Fast Beam Condition Monitor prototype test with beam

The Fast Beam Condition Monitor (FBCM) is a standalone luminometer for the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) program of the CMS Experiment at CERN. The detector is under development and features a new, radiation-hard, front-end application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed for beam monitoring applications. The achieved timing resolution of a few nanoseconds enables the measurement of both the luminosity and the beam-induced background. The ASIC, called FBCM23, features six channels with adjustable shaping times, enabling in-field fine-tuning. Each ASIC channel outputs a single binary asynchronous signal encoding time-of-arrival and time-over-threshold information. The FBCM is based on silicon-pad sensors, with two sensor designs presently being considered. This paper presents the results of tests of the FBCM detector prototype using both types of silicon sensors with hadron, muon, and electron beams. Irradiated FBCM23 ASICs and silicon-pad sensors were also tested to simulate the expected conditions near the end of the detector's lifetime in the HL-LHC radiation environment. Based on test results, direct bonding between the sensor and ASIC was chosen, and an optimal bias voltage and ASIC threshold for FBCM operation were proposed. The current design of the front-end test board was validated following the beam test and is now being used for the first front-end module, which is expected to be produced in summer 2025. These results represent a major step forward in validating the FBCM concept, first version of the firmware and establishing a reliable design path for the final detector.

Beam-line instrumentation (beam position and profi↗

STILGAR: Subsurface Models for Graymont Pleasant Gap Mine

The detection, location, and monitoring of underground structures are of great importance to national and global security. Tunnels and voids generate seismic signatures detectable at the surface, but using non-invasive seismic data to image near-surface presents several challenges in real-world applications. In this report, we describe the use of a dense surface seismic deployment to generate subsurface models of the Graymont Pleasant Gap mine - a single-layer mine with a complex structure embedded in a high-velocity P-wave limestone bedrock. Our approach consists of three key methods. We use P-wave arrival times from local blast events to perform a tomography inversion with the tomoTD method, constructing a P-wave velocity model of the subsurface. We model the layer above the mine using Rayleigh wave ellipticity and inversion techniques. We leverage ongoing anthropogenic activities to identify and locate noise sources both on the surface and within the subsurface. With this integrated approach we aim to overcome the challenges and enhance our ability to non-invasively characterize underground structures, contributing to improved seismic monitoring techniques.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Ultralow-Power Digital Correlator for Microwave Polarimetry

A recently developed high-speed digital correlator is especially well suited for processing readings of a passive microwave polarimeter. This circuit computes the autocorrelations of, and the cross-correlations among, data in four digital input streams representing samples of in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of two intermediate-frequency (IF) signals, denoted A and B, that are generated in heterodyne reception of two microwave signals. The IF signals arriving at the correlator input terminals have been digitized to three levels (-1,0,1) at a sampling rate up to 500 MHz. Two bits (representing sign and magnitude) are needed to represent the instantaneous datum in each input channel; hence, eight bits are needed to represent the four input signals during any given cycle of the sampling clock. The accumulation (integration) time for the correlation is programmable in increments of 2(exp 8) cycles of the sampling clock, up to a maximum of 2(exp 24) cycles. The basic functionality of the correlator is embodied in 16 correlation slices, each of which contains identical logic circuits and counters (see figure). The first stage of each correlation slice is a logic gate that computes one of the desired correlations (for example, the autocorrelation of the I component of A or the negative of the cross-correlation of the I component of A and the Q component of B). The sampling of the output of the logic gate output is controlled by the sampling-clock signal, and an 8-bit counter increments in every clock cycle when the logic gate generates output. The most significant bit of the 8-bit counter is sampled by a 16-bit counter with a clock signal at 2(exp 8) the frequency of the sampling clock. The 16-bit counter is incremented every time the 8-bit counter rolls over.

Piepmeier, Jeffrey R.↗

Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration - 3 (ATD-3) Dynamic Weather Routes Domestic En Route Concept of Operations Synopsis Version 1.0

NASA conducted a survey in 2015 of stakeholders in industry, flight operators, and others to collect data on the most pressing air traffic management (ATM) issues impacting en route operations. Weather related delays and interruptions were identified as the most significant and costly problem impacting en route operations in today's system. Additionally, future traffic demands will place greater demands on the FAA's air traffic control system, necessitate a more efficient and integrated traffic management system and provide controller tools to leverage human productivity. Consequently, NASA is assembling a suite of integrated ground and aircraft-based technologies and decision-making aids under the Airspace Technology Demonstrations 3 (ATD-3) project to continuously search for more efficient weather-avoidance routes and to rapidly respond to weather changes and associated traffic management initiatives. These route efficiency enhancements are targeted at en route airspace and will enable continued use of en route and arrival metering in the presence of weather. NASA's Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR) concept represents a subset of those technologies and focuses primarily on the cruise phase of flight. It leverages existing air traffic weather, airspace, and traffic data, as well as improvements in navigation, surveillance, communication and digital network technologies, and builds upon existing ATM automation to address the shortcomings associated with strategic traffic flow management initiatives and weather forecasting uncertainties. The potential benefits in the form of time, fuel, and cost savings are significant. This concept of operations synopsis provides a detailed description of DWR, its potential benefits and notional implementation paths.

DWR↗