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At least 397 records · Page 22

NASA GES DISC support of CO2 Data from OCO-2, ACOS, and AIRS

NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Centers (GES DISC) is the data center assigned to archive and distribute current AIRS, ACOS data and data from the upcoming OCO-2 mission. The GES DISC archives and supports data containing information on CO2 as well as other atmospheric composition, atmospheric dynamics, modeling and precipitation. Along with the data stewardship, an important mission of GES DISC is to facilitate access to and enhance the usability of data as well as to broaden the user base. GES DISC strives to promote the awareness of science content and novelty of the data by working with Science Team members and releasing news articles as appropriate. Analysis of events that are of interest to the general public, and that help in understanding the goals of NASA Earth Observing missions, have been among most popular practices.Users have unrestricted access to a user-friendly search interface, Mirador, that allows temporal, spatial, keyword and event searches, as well as an ontology-driven drill down. Variable subsetting, format conversion, quality screening, and quick browse, are among the services available in Mirador. The majority of the GES DISC data are also accessible through OPeNDAP (Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol) and WMS (Web Map Service). These services add more options for specialized subsetting, format conversion, image viewing and contributing to data interoperability.

Wei, Jennifer C↗

Aerospace energy systems laboratory: Requirements and design approach

The NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards, California, operates a mixed fleet of research aircraft employing nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries in a variety of flight-critical applications. Dryden's Battery Systems Laboratory (BSL), a computerized facility for battery maintenance servicing, has developed over two decades into one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world. Recently a major BSL upgrade was initiated with the goal of modernization to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of future advanced projects. The new facility will be called the Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory (AESL) and will employ distributed processing linked to a centralized data base. AESL will be both a multistation servicing facility and a research laboratory for the advancement of energy storage system maintenance techniques. This paper describes the baseline requirements for the AESL and the design approach being taken for its mechanization.

Glover, Richard D.↗

Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory - Requirements and design approach

The NASA Ames/Dryden Flight Research Facility operates a mixed fleet of research aircraft employing NiCd batteries in a variety of flight-critical applications. Dryden's Battery Systems Laboratory (BSL), a computerized facility for battery maintenance servicing, has evolved over two decades into one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world. Recently a major BSL upgrade was initiated with the goal of modernization to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of future advanced projects. The new facility will be called the Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory (AESL) and will employ distributed processing linked to a centralized data base. AESL will be both a multistation servicing facility and a research laboratory for the advancement of energy storage system maintenance techniques. This paper describes the baseline requirements for the AESL and the design approach being taken for its mechanization.

Glover, Richard D.↗

Applications of Power Spectral Analysis Methods to Maneuver Loads Obtained on Jet Fighter Airplanes During Service Operations

Power spectral densities of normal load factor have been obtained for two service operational training flights of a Republic F-84G airplane and three service operational training flights of a North American F-86A airplane in order to indicate the load-factor frequency content and possible uses of power spectral methods in analyzing maneuver load data. It was determined that the maneuvering load-factor time histories appeared to be described by a truncated normal distribution. The power spectral densities obtained were relatively level at frequencies below 0.03 cycle per second and varied inversely with approximately the cube of the frequency at the higher frequencies. In general, the frequency content was very low above 0.2 cycle per second. The load-factor peak distributions were estimated fairly well from the spectrum analysis. In addition, peak load data obtained during service operations of fighter-type airplanes with flight time totaling about 24,000 hours were examined and appeared to agree reasonably well with the type of equations obtained from spectrum peak-load distributions.

Mayer, John P.↗

Assimilated Hydrological Data at NASA GES DISC with Examples of Extreme Events

Extreme weather and climate events, such as heavy rainfall, heatwave, floods and droughts, and strong wind, can have devastating impacts on society. NASA and NOAA, based on independent analyses, recently announced that global surface temperatures in 2018 are the fourth warmest since 1880, behind only those of 2016, 2017, and 2015 (nasa.gov). Also in 2018, the United States experienced 14 billion-dollar disasters, ranking as the fourth highest total number of such events, behind only the years 2017, 2011, and 2016 (climate.gov). Many research studies have focused on acquiring observational and modeling data, to reveal linkages between increasing extreme events, global water and energy cycle, and global climate change. However, draw conclusions is still a challenge. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center is one of twelve NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) data centers that process, archive, document, and distribute data from Earth science missions and related projects. The GES DISC hosts a wide range of remotely-sensed and model data and provides reliable and robust data access and services to users worldwide. This presentation provides a few examples of extreme event study that use Land Surface Model (LSM) assimilated, quality-controlled, and spatially and temporally consistent, hydrological data from the GES DISC. Also provided is a summary table for the hydrological data holdings, along with discussions of recent updates to data and data services.

Rui, Hualan↗

HYDRA : High-speed simulation architecture for precision spacecraft formation simulation

e Hierarchical Distributed Reconfigurable Architecture- is a scalable simulation architecture that provides flexibility and ease-of-use which take advantage of modern computation and communication hardware. It also provides the ability to implement distributed - or workstation - based simulations and high-fidelity real-time simulation from a common core. Originally designed to serve as a research platform for examining fundamental challenges in formation flying simulation for future space missions, it is also finding use in other missions and applications, all of which can take advantage of the underlying Object-Oriented structure to easily produce distributed simulations. Hydra automates the process of connecting disparate simulation components (Hydra Clients) through a client server architecture that uses high-level descriptions of data associated with each client to find and forge desirable connections (Hydra Services) at run time. Services communicate through the use of Connectors, which abstract messaging to provide single-interface access to any desired communication protocol, such as from shared-memory message passing to TCP/IP to ACE and COBRA. Hydra shares many features with the HLA, although providing more flexibility in connectivity services and behavior overriding.

formation flying↗

Hail Size Distribution Mapping

A 3-D weather radar visualization software program was developed and implemented as part of an experimental Launch Pad 39 Hail Monitor System. 3DRadPlot, a radar plotting program, is one of several software modules that form building blocks of the hail data processing and analysis system (the complete software processing system under development). The spatial and temporal mapping algorithms were originally developed through research at the University of Central Florida, funded by NASA s Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM), where the goal was to merge National Weather Service (NWS) Next-Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) volume reflectivity data with drop size distribution data acquired from a cluster of raindrop disdrometers. In this current work, we adapted these algorithms to process data from a cluster of hail disdrometers positioned around Launch Pads 39A or 39B, along with the corresponding NWS radar data. Radar data from all NWS NEXRAD sites is archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). That data can be readily accessed at . 3DRadPlot plots Level III reflectivity data at four scan elevations (this software is available at Open Channel Software, ). By using spatial and temporal interpolation/extrapolation based on hydrometeor fall dynamics, we can merge the hail disdrometer array data coupled with local Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) radial velocity and reflectivity data into a 4-D (3-D space and time) picture of hail size distributions. Hail flux maps can then be generated and used for damage prediction and assessment over specific surfaces corresponding to structures within the disdrometer array volume. Immediately following a hail storm, specific damage areas and degree of damage can be identified for inspection crews.

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CCSDS Mission Operations Action Service Core Capabilities

This slide presentation reviews the operations concepts of the command (action) services. Since the consequences of sending the wrong command are unacceptable, the command system provides a collaborative and distributed work environment for flight controllers and operators. The system prescribes a review and approval process where each command is viewed by other individuals before being sent to the vehicle. The action service needs additional capabilities to support he operations concepts of manned space flight. These are : (1) Action Service methods (2) Action attributes (3) Action parameter/argument attributes (4 ) Support for dynamically maintained action data. (5) Publish subscri be capabilities.

Reynolds, Walter F.↗

User-Friendly Interface Developed for a Web-Based Service for SpaceCAL Emulations

A team at the NASA Glenn Research Center is developing a Space Communications Architecture Laboratory (SpaceCAL) for protocol development activities for coordinated satellite missions. SpaceCAL will provide a multiuser, distributed system to emulate space-based Internet architectures, backbone networks, formation clusters, and constellations. As part of a new effort in 2003, building blocks are being defined for an open distributed system to make the satellite emulation test bed accessible through an Internet connection. The first step in creating a Web-based service to control the emulation remotely is providing a user-friendly interface for encoding the data into a well-formed and complete Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. XML provides coding that allows data to be transferred between dissimilar systems. Scenario specifications include control parameters, network routes, interface bandwidths, delay, and bit error rate. Specifications for all satellite, instruments, and ground stations in a given scenario are also included in the XML document. For the SpaceCAL emulation, the XML document can be created using XForms, a Webbased forms language for data collection. Contrary to older forms technology, the interactive user interface makes the science prevalent, not the data representation. Required versus optional input fields, default values, automatic calculations, data validation, and reuse will help researchers quickly and accurately define missions. XForms can apply any XML schema defined for the test mission to validate data before forwarding it to the emulation facility. New instrument definitions, facilities, and mission types can be added to the existing schema. The first prototype user interface incorporates components for interactive input and form processing. Internet address, data rate, and the location of the facility are implemented with basic form controls with default values provided for convenience and efficiency using basic XForms operations. Because different emulation scenarios will vary widely in their component structure, more complex operations are used to add and delete facilities.

Liszka, Kathy J.↗

Modular High-Energy Systems for Solar Power Satellites

Modular High-Energy Systems are Stepping Stones to provide capabilities for energy-rich infrastructure located in space to support a variety of exploration scenarios as well as provide a supplemental source of energy during peak demands to ground grid systems. Abundant renewable energy at lunar or other locations could support propellant production and storage in refueling scenarios that enable affordable exploration. Renewable energy platforms in geosynchronous Earth orbits can collect and transmit power to satellites, or to Earth-surface locations. Energy-rich space technologies also enable the use of electric-powered propulsion systems that could efficiently deliver cargo and exploration facilities to remote locations. A first step to an energy-rich space infrastructure is a 100-kWe class solar-powered platform in Earth orbit. The platform would utilize advanced technologies in solar power collection and generation, power management and distribution, thermal management, electric propulsion, wireless avionics, autonomous in space rendezvous and docking, servicing, and robotic assembly. It would also provide an energy-rich free-flying platform to demonstrate in space a portfolio of technology flight experiments. This paper summary a preliminary design concept for a 100-kWe solar-powered satellite system to demonstrate in-flight a variety of advanced technologies, each as a separate payload. These technologies include, but are not limited to state-of-the-art solar concentrators, highly efficient multi-junction solar cells, integrated thermal management on the arrays, and innovative deployable structure design and packaging to enable the 100-kW satellite feasible to launch on one existing launch vehicle. Higher voltage arrays and power distribution systems (PDS) reduce or eliminate the need for massive power converters, and could enable direct-drive of high-voltage solar electric thrusters.

Howell, Joe T.↗

SPS Energy Conversion Power Management Workshop

Energy technology concerning photovoltaic conversion, solar thermal conversion systems, and electrical power distribution processing is discussed. The manufacturing processes involving solar cells and solar array production are summarized. Resource issues concerning gallium arsenides and silicon alternatives are reported. Collector structures for solar construction are described and estimates in their service life, failure rates, and capabilities are presented. Theories of advanced thermal power cycles are summarized. Power distribution system configurations and processing components are presented.

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NASA Global Satellite and Model Data Products and Services for Tropical Cyclone Research

The lack of observations over vast tropical oceans is a major challenge for tropical cyclone research. Satellite observations and model reanalysis data play an important role in filling these- gaps. Established in the mid-1980's, the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), as one of the 12 NASA data centers, archives and distributes data from several Earth science disciplines such as precipitation, atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric composition, hydrology, including well-known NASA satellite missions (e.g. TRMM, GPM) and model assimilation projects (MERRA-2). Acquiring datasets suitable for tropical cyclone research in a large data archive is a challenge for many, especially for those who are not familiar with satellite or model data. Over the years, the GES DISC has developed user-friendly data services. For example, Giovanni is an online visualization and analysis tool, allowing users to visualize and analyze over 2000 satellite- and model-based variables with a Web browser, without downloading data and software. In this chapter, we will describe data and services at the GES DISC with emphasis on tropical cyclone research. We will also present two case studies and discuss future plans.

Liu, Zhong↗

Defining Services, Functions, and Capabilities for an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) In-time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS)

NASA’s vision for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Mission is to help emerging aviation markets to safely develop an air transportation system that moves people and cargo between places previously not served or underserved by aviation. The integration of new operational paradigms and vehicle classes in this system requires a transformation of the National Airspace System (NAS) that includes substantive changes critical for assuring safety. These changes are compelled by unique challenges posed by AAM to the safety management system (SMS). These challenges were assessed by committees of the National Academies in their reports on a vision for an In-time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) and a blueprint for AAM [1,2]. In their description of an IASMS, the top recommendation was development of a concept of operations (ConOps) for IASMS. This paper describes the high-priority recommendations from the National Academies for its IASMS vision and how they are addressed through a distributed system-of-systems architecture. The IASMS architecture is structured on the services, functions, and capabilities (SFCs) necessary for In-time System-wide Safety Assurance (ISSA)initially developed for urban air mobility (UAM). The paper then posits where these SFCs would reside across vehicles, airspace, or service suppliers such as Supplemental Data Service Providers (SDSPs), and how SFCs scale with increasing complexity in design and operations of AAM. SFCs are foundational building blocks for a system that targets an individual or family of risks using a Monitor-Assess-Mitigate risk paradigm for anomalies, precursors and trends. An IASMS could be conceived that uses a portfolio of SFCs for AAM in general or prioritizes SFCs for a specific domain or operation.

K Ellis↗

A Software Architecture for Intelligent Synthesis Environments

The NASA's Intelligent Synthesis Environment (ISE) program is a grand attempt to develop a system to transform the way complex artifacts are engineered. This paper discusses a "middleware" architecture for enabling the development of ISE. Desirable elements of such an Intelligent Synthesis Architecture (ISA) include remote invocation; plug-and-play applications; scripting of applications; management of design artifacts, tools, and artifact and tool attributes; common system services; system management; and systematic enforcement of policies. This paper argues that the ISA extend conventional distributed object technology (DOT) such as CORBA and Product Data Managers with flexible repositories of product and tool annotations and "plug-and-play" mechanisms for inserting "ility" or orthogonal concerns into the system. I describe the Object Infrastructure Framework, an Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP) environment for developing distributed systems that provides utility insertion and enables consistent annotation maintenance. This technology can be used to enforce policies such as maintaining the annotations of artifacts, particularly the provenance and access control rules of artifacts-, performing automatic datatype transformations between representations; supplying alternative servers of the same service; reporting on the status of jobs and the system; conveying privileges throughout an application; supporting long-lived transactions; maintaining version consistency; and providing software redundancy and mobility.

Filman, Robert E.↗

Delineation of vulnerable areas to water erosion in a mountain region using SDR-InVEST model: A case study of the Ourika watershed, Morocco

The Ourika watershed is characterized by higher than average flood flows, a rugged topography, a sparse vegetation cover and a friable substrate that makes it vulnerable to soil erosion. Soil is an important non-renewable asset capital, providing several ecosystem services that sustain life through physical and biological regulation processes. The loss, or otherwise, redistribution of biota by soil erosion in the Ourika watershed has received little attention and thus constitutes a key knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. This study quantifies the level of erosion and maps its spatial distribution in the watershed using the Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model (InVEST3.6.0). The SDR maps the overland sediment generation and delivery to the stream at the watershed level using rainfall, soil properties, topography, cover management and cropping practices as predefined set of input variables. Recommended internal model calibration was used and results were compared to similar studies carried out in different parts of Morocco for validation. The results reveal that 93% of the watershed is subject to a strong rainfall aggressiveness greater than 50 MJ mm ha–1 h–1 yr1 under an average rainfall intensity of 541 mm/year, rainfall capacity to initiate the detachment and transport of soil particles by runoff, and only 11.5% of the watershed area is protected with vegetative cover. We find that overall, the Ourika watershed is losing its soil to erosion at an alarming average rate of 258.48 ton.ha–1.yr–1, a rate well above the tolerable threshold of 7ton.ha–1.yr–1. The spatial distribution of this loss shows areas that need to be urgently remedied. The primary factors for soil erosion in the Ourika watershed appear to be related to the aggressive nature of local rainfall and the inherent susceptibility of soils, which can be costly to this cash-crop region. Because rainfall intensity, soil properties, and topography are intrinsic characteristics of the watershed, we suggest that seasonally adapted cropping rotations that maintains conservative practices with a high cover management may reduce soil erosion in the Ourika watershed.

Erosion↗

Combustion technology overview

An overview of combustor technology developments required for use of broadened property fuels in jet aircraft is presented. The intent of current investigations is to determine the extent to which fuel properties can be varied, to obtain a data base of combustion - fuel quality effects, and to determine the trade-offs associated with broadened property fuels. Subcomponents of in-service combustors such as fuel injectors and liners, as well as air distributions and stoichiometry, are being altered to determine the extent to which fuel flexibility can be extended. Finally, very advanced technology consisting of new combustor concepts is being evolved to optimize the fuel flexibility of gas turbine combustors.

Niedzwiecki, R. W.↗

An analysis of the Seasat Satellite Data Distribution System

A computerized data distribution network for remote accessing of Seasat generated data is described. The service is intended as an experiment to determine user needs and operational abilities for utilizing on-line satellite generated oceanographic data. Synoptic weather observations are input to the U.S. Fleet Numerical Oceanographic Central for preparation and transfer to a PDP 11/60 central computer, from which all access trunks originate. The data available includes meteorological and sea-state information in the form of analyses and forecasts, and users are being monitored for reactions to the system design, data products, system operation, and performance evaluation. The system provides data on sea level and upper atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, wind magnitude and direction, significant wave heights, direction, and periods, and spectral wave data. Transmissions have a maximum rate of 1.1 kbit/sec over the telephone line.

Ferrari, A. J.↗

Communications platform payload definition study

Large geostationary communications platforms were investigated in a number of studies since 1974 as a possible means to more effectively utilize the geostationary arc and electromagnetic spectrum and to reduce overall satellite communications system costs. The commercial feasibility of various communications platform payload concepts circa 1998 was addressed. Promising payload concepts were defined, recurring costs were estimated, and critical technologies needed to enable eventual commercialization were identified. Ten communications service aggregation scenarios describing potential groupings of service were developed for a range of conditions. Payload concepts were defined for four of these scenarios: (1) Land Mobile Satellite Service (LMSS) meets 100% of Contiguous United States (CONUS) plus Canada demand with a single platform; (2) Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) (trunking + Customer Premises Service (CPS)), meet 20% of CONUS demand;(3) FSS (trunking + CPS + video distribution), 10 to 13% of CONUS demand; and (4) FSS (20% of demand) + Inter Satellite Links (ISL) + Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)/Tracking and Data Acquisition System (TDAS) Data Distribution.

Clopp, H. W.↗