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At least 397 records · Page 22

Power management and distribution technology

Power management and distribution (PMAD) technology is discussed in the context of developing working systems for a piloted Mars nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) vehicle. The discussion is presented in vugraph form. The following topics are covered: applications and systems definitions; high performance components; the Civilian Space Technology Initiative (CSTI) high capacity power program; fiber optic sensors for power diagnostics; high temperature power electronics; 200 C baseplate electronics; high temperature component characterization; a high temperature coaxial transformer; and a silicon carbide mosfet.

Dickman, John Ellis↗

Atmospheric Torques on the Solid Earth and Oceans Based on the GEOS-1 General Circulation Model

The GEOS-1 general circulation model has been used to compute atmospheric torques on the oceans and solid Earth for the period 1980-1995. The time series for the various torque components have been analyzed by means of Fourier transform techniques. It was determined that the wind stress torque over land is more powerful than the wind stress torque over water by 55%, 42%, and 80% for the x, y, and z components respectively. This is mainly the result of power in the high frequency range. The pressure torques due to polar flattening, equatorial ellipticity, marine geoid, and continental orography were computed. The orographic or "mountain torque" components are more powerful than their wind stress counterparts (land plus ocean) by 231% (x), 191% (y), and 77% (z). The marine pressure torques due to geoidal undulations are much smaller than the orographic ones, as expected. They are only 3% (x), 4% (y), and 5% (z) of the corresponding mountain torques. The geoidal pressure torques are approximately equal in magnitude to those produced by the equatorial ellipticity of the Earth. The pressure torque due to polar flattening makes the largest contributions to the atmospheric torque budget. It has no zonal component, only equatorial ones. Most of the power of the latter, between 68% and 69%, is found in modes with periods under 15 days. The single most powerful mode has a period of 361 days. The gravitational torque ranks second in power only to the polar flattening pressure torque. Unlike the former, it does produce a zonal component, albeit much smaller (1%) than the equatorial ones. The gravitational and pressure torques have opposite signs, therefore, the gravitational torque nullifies 42% of the total pressure torque. Zonally, however, the gravitational torque amounts to only 6% of the total pressure torque. The power budget for the total atmospheric torque yields 7595 and 7120 Hadleys for the equatorial components and 966 Hadleys for the zonal. The x-component exhibits a large mean value (1811 H), mainly the result of polar flattening pressure torque acting on the ocean surfaces. Atmospheric torque modes with periods of 408, 440, and 476 days appear in the spectrum of the equatorial components.

Sanchez, Braulio V.↗

Atmospheric Torques on the Solid Earth and Oceans Based on the GEOS-1 General Circulation Model

The GEOS-1 general circulation model has been used to compute atmospheric torques on the oceans and solid Earth for the period 1980-1995. The time series for the various torque components have been analyzed by means of Fourier transform techniques. It was determined that the wind stress torque over land is more powerful than the wind stress torque over water by 55\%, 42\%, and 80\t for the x, y, and z components respectively. This is mainly the result of power in the high frequency range. The pressure torques due to polar flattening, equatorial ellipticity, marine geoid, and continental orography were computed. The orographic or "mountain torque" components are more powerful than their wind stress counterparts (land plus ocean) by 231\% (x), 191\% (y), and 77\% (z). The marine pressure torques due to geoidal undulations are much smaller than the orographic ones, as expected. They are only 3\% (x), 4\% (y), and 5\% (z) of the corresponding mountain torques. The geoidal pressure torques are approximately equal in magnitude to those produced by the equatorial ellipticity of the Earth. The pressure torque due to polar flattening makes the largest contributions to the atmospheric'torque budget. It has no zonal component, only equatorial ones. Most of the power of the latter, between 68\% and 69 %, is found in modes with periods under 15 days. The single most powerful mode has a period of 361 days. The gravitational torque ranks second in power only to the polar flattening pressure torque. Unlike the former, it does produce a zonal component, albeit much smaller (1\ ) than the equatorial ones. The gravitational and pressure torques have opposite signs, therefore, the gravitational torque nullifies 42\% of the total pressure torque. Zonally, however, the gravitational torque amounts to only 6\% of the total pressure torque. The power budget for the total atmospheric torque yields 7595 and 7120 Hadleys for the equatorial components and 966 Hadleys for the zonal. The x-component exhibits a large mean value (1811 H), mainly the result of polar flattening pressure torque acting on the ocean surfaces. Atmospheric torque modes with periods of 408, 440, and 476 days appear in the spectrum of the equatorial components.

Sanchez, Braulio↗

Next Space Race is in IT

The next Space Race will be in the economic applications from space and science technology. As NASA science and technology has global application; IT is global, economics is global; surely there are great untapped potentials in finding the IT links of commonality among these three. The Economics of IT will continue to depend upon solution providers creating new methods that capitalize on linking information and information centers with the applications community for business and economic functions.. New and innovative IT vendors whose increased efforts to apply evolving technologies and principles that power the e-business revolution are now seeing the business of government being transformed in a similar fashion. NASA will be a prime example of IT transformation. Potential benefits of e-government are identical to the benefits of e-commerce, which start from value derived from capabilities and assets. The capability and asset wealth of NASA technology and data mass scattered through hundreds of archives will one day provide incredible economic benefit across international and corporate boundaries. Yet the ability to economically benefit from bridging the gap between capability to billable service has yet to find it's first major market. Ultimately the role of government, science, and technology linking to the business world will find greater dependence from this increasingly common ground of IT solutions and technologies. Therefore the future role of the IT industry may be as much administrative as technical, ultimately of critical importance furthering the role of science into application.

Alger, George↗

X-ray Spectroscopy of Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei with XMM

The measurement of black hole masses in nearby galaxies has transformed our understanding of these systems, allowing us to quantify the relevant scales of power, length and time and explore how the activity of black holes is linked to their environments and to the evolution of their host galaxies. In this project, Dr. Tiziana Di Matteo has the primary responsibility for developing and investigating theoretical models for the origin of the X-ray emission observed in low-luminosity AGN. Dr. Di Matteo has been involved in interpreting X-ray data and assessing accretion models throughout the project.

DiMatteo, Tiziana↗

A New Definition for Ground Control

LandForm(R) VisualFlight(R) blends the power of a geographic information system with the speed of a flight simulator to transform a user's desktop computer into a "virtual cockpit." The software product, which is fully compatible with all Microsoft(R) Windows(R) operating systems, provides distributed, real-time three-dimensional flight visualization over a host of networks. From a desktop, a user can immediately obtain a cockpit view, a chase-plane view, or an airborne tracker view. A customizable display also allows the user to overlay various flight parameters, including latitude, longitude, altitude, pitch, roll, and heading information. Rapid Imaging Software sought assistance from NASA, and the VisualFlight technology came to fruition under a Phase II SBIR contract with Johnson Space Center in 1998. Three years later, on December 13, 2001, Ken Ham successfully flew NASA's X-38 spacecraft from a remote, ground-based cockpit using LandForm VisualFlight as part of his primary situation awareness display in a flight test at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Source record↗

Design, Calibration, and Application of A Cryogenic Low-Background Infrared Radiometer for Spectral Irradiance and Radiance Measurements From 4- to 20-μm Wavelength

We have constructed, calibrated, and tested a cryogenic low-background infrared (IR) radiometer for both spectral radiance and irradiance measurements over the 4- to 20-μm wavelength range. The primary purpose of the Missile Defense Transfer Radiometer (MDXR) is to measure absolute irradiance or radiance from cryogenic IR test chamber sources using a photoconductive Si:As blocked-impurity band (BIB) detector and a set of spectral filters. The MDXR also includes an absolute cryogenic radiometer (ACR) and a Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS). For irradiance measurements, the ACR is used to provide the primary power scale for the BIB detector in conjunction with spectral filters, whereas the FTS/BIB configuration derives its scale from an internal blackbody source. The two measurement scales show agreement for the irradiance of highly collimated (<1 mrad) IR beams from 10 -13 to 10 -8 W / μm / cm 2 within the combined relative uncertainties of 2.6% (coverage factor k = 1.) We have also calibrated the radiometer for radiance measurements using a large cavity fluid bath blackbody that overfills the spatial and angular extent of the radiometer entrance pupil. The radiometric calibration uncertainty analysis of the radiometer and its maintenance and stability are discussed.

radiometry↗

Laser power beams obtained by the dynamic selection of emitting elements in an array

A method for partially correcting the spatial coherence of an array of laser beams is discussed. The method trades far-field intensity for simplistic implementation and array lifetime extension, resulting in a quasi-coherent array with features of adaptive optics. An algorithm for implementing the method is described and feasible options for improvement are presented. A computer experiment used the algorithm and fast Fourier transforms to calculate typical far-field intensity distributions of such arrays. The far-field distributions illustrate beam power concentration, beam steering, and (indirectly) extended lifetime of the array.

Williams, M. D.↗

Zonal wave number variance spectra of stratospheric microwave brightness temperatures

Well-known theoretical predictions suggest that variances of large-scale atmospheric fluctuations, for scales somewhat shorter than those of the forcing mechanisms, should obey a power law, k exp -b, where k is the horizontal wave number. The invariance of the exponent b with season, hemisphere, and latitude is tested using satellite-measured brightness temperatures. Global grids of Tiros-N Microwave Sounding Unit channel 4 measurements, which closely approximate the 30- to 150-mbar layer mean temperature, are constructed for January, March, and August 1979. These grids are zonally Fourier-transformed, and the resulting spectra are averaged over four 18 deg-wide latitude bands. Fits of a power law to these spectra over wave numbers 10-36 and 10-26 give values of b which are independent of season, hemisphere, and latitude band, to within statistical uncertainties. The observed values of b are about 3.6, as compared to theoretical predictions of 3.

Martin, Russell L.↗

Clinical Decision Support - Concepts of Operation

We are entering a new era in space exploration to return to the moon and explore Mars. These ambitious goals will require significant changes to in-flight and habitat medical care due to constraints on mass, volume, power, crew time and medical evacuation capabilities. These constraints make it absolutely necessary to develop transformative solutions using new technologies. The Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element of the Human Research Program (HRP) pushes the boundary of space medical systems to advance the care of astronauts on future exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit by identifying and testing next-generation medical care and crew health maintenance technologies. The Clinical Decision Support (CDS) project addresses the gap Medical-701 within the Inflight Medical Conditions risk: Enhance medical capabilities within an exploration medical system. For long-duration, deep space missions, computational and data resources will play an important role in maintaining crew health, wellness and performance where the crew will need to be more self-reliant. The aim of the CDS project is to develop and provide recommended requirements for an in-vehicle CDSS that acts as an assistant for delivering optimal health and performance and medical care during exploration missions. The CDSS is envisioned as a software-based tool that will augment a crewmembers’ knowledge, skills and abilities to assist in decision-making and crew health and performance (CHP) management thus increasing CHP systems capabilities. The human interface will be context aware and lessen the cognitive load to assimilate and use information as well as combine large disparate data sets in such a manner that provides the crew with actionable insight to decisions related to crew medical, health and performance management. Crew autonomy will be provided through a CDS that presents knowledge and data in a context aware manner to augment a crew members’ knowledge, skills and abilities during the process of observation, orientation, decisions and action. The CDS project addresses the need for crew members to operate independently during long duration space exploration missions that require medical Levels of Care (LoC) V, the highest level specified by NASA-STD-3001 and described in more detail by the ExMC interpretation of LoC document (NASA/TM-2017-219290), where significant changes to in-flight and habitat medical care necessitate increasing crew autonomy in decision making and task performance. The CDS project will develop and test a series of iterative and increasingly more complex system prototypes. These annual demonstrations of the data system integration with the crew health and performance domain will inform exploration medical system requirements for an on-board Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) through a series of use cases that guide CDS prototype functionality. CDS concepts are based on ExMC Concept of Operations documents (presented separately) and will highlight architecture extensibility to other more complex analyses and tests using core crew health and performance integrated data management, processing and visualization capabilities. This approach also establishes how externally developed analyses and approaches could be added to expand a clinical decision support system and thus highlight how a comprehensive system can be commercially and/or globally developed. The CDS project will build upon the concept of an integrated data management approach based on the Medical Data Architecture (MDA) project to more fully address challenges associated with in-flight and habitat medical, health and performance care due to constraints on mass, volume, power, crew time and medical evacuation capabilities required for medical LoC V. These requirements will be derived through systems engineering approaches and software prototype developments over the course of the multi-year CDS project to address crew health and performance decision-making and task performance, often autonomously executed by the crew, in a manner that is consistent with the appropriate medical level of care for the mission. This presentation will provide an overview of the vision for the CDS project and highlight the initial accomplishments in project planning, implementation and requirements identification in fiscal year 2020.

clinical decision support↗

Clinical Decision Support - Overview and Update

We are entering a new era in space exploration to return to the moon and explore Mars. These ambitious goals will require significant changes to in-flight and habitat medical care due to constraints on mass, volume, power, crew time and medical evacuation capabilities. These constraints make it absolutely necessary to develop transformative solutions using new technologies. The Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element of the Human Research Program (HRP) pushes the boundary of space medical systems to advance the care of astronauts on future exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit by identifying and testing next-generation medical care and crew health maintenance technologies. The Clinical Decision Support (CDS) project addresses the gap Medical-701 within the Inflight Medical Conditions risk: Enhance medical capabilities within an exploration medical system. For long-duration, deep space missions, computational and data resources will play an important role in maintaining crew health, wellness and performance where the crew will need to be more self-reliant. The aim of the CDS project is to develop and provide recommended requirements for an in-vehicle CDSS that acts as an assistant for delivering optimal health and performance and medical care during exploration missions. The CDSS is envisioned as a software-based tool that will augment a crewmembers’ knowledge, skills and abilities to assist in decision-making and crew health and performance (CHP) management thus increasing CHP systems capabilities. The human interface will be context aware and lessen the cognitive load to assimilate and use information as well as combine large disparate data sets in such a manner that provides the crew with actionable insight to decisions related to crew medical, health and performance management. Crew autonomy will be provided through a CDS that presents knowledge and data in a context aware manner to augment a crew members’ knowledge, skills and abilities during the process of observation, orientation, decisions and action. The CDS project addresses the need for crew members to operate independently during long duration space exploration missions that require medical Levels of Care (LoC) V, the highest level specified by NASA-STD-3001 and described in more detail by the ExMC interpretation of LoC document (NASA/TM-2017-219290), where significant changes to in-flight and habitat medical care necessitate increasing crew autonomy in decision making and task performance. The CDS project will develop and test a series of iterative and increasingly more complex system prototypes. These annual demonstrations of the data system integration with the crew health and performance domain will inform exploration medical system requirements for an on-board Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) through a series of use cases that guide CDS prototype functionality. CDS concepts are based on ExMC Concept of Operations documents (presented separately) and will highlight architecture extensibility to other more complex analyses and tests using core crew health and performance integrated data management, processing and visualization capabilities. This approach also establishes how externally developed analyses and approaches could be added to expand a clinical decision support system and thus highlight how a comprehensive system can be commercially and/or globally developed. The CDS project will build upon the concept of an integrated data management approach based on the Medical Data Architecture (MDA) project to more fully address challenges associated with in-flight and habitat medical, health and performance care due to constraints on mass, volume, power, crew time and medical evacuation capabilities required for medical LoC V. These requirements will be derived through systems engineering approaches and software prototype developments over the course of the multi-year CDS project to address crew health and performance decision-making and task performance, often autonomously executed by the crew, in a manner that is consistent with the appropriate medical level of care for the mission. This presentation will provide an overview of the vision for the CDS project and highlight the initial accomplishments in project planning, implementation and requirements identification in fiscal year 2020.

clinical decision support system↗

Neural learning of constrained nonlinear transformations

Two issues that are fundamental to developing autonomous intelligent robots, namely, rudimentary learning capability and dexterous manipulation, are examined. A powerful neural learning formalism is introduced for addressing a large class of nonlinear mapping problems, including redundant manipulator inverse kinematics, commonly encountered during the design of real-time adaptive control mechanisms. Artificial neural networks with terminal attractor dynamics are used. The rapid network convergence resulting from the infinite local stability of these attractors allows the development of fast neural learning algorithms. Approaches to manipulator inverse kinematics are reviewed, the neurodynamics model is discussed, and the neural learning algorithm is presented.

Barhen, Jacob↗

The Power of Self-Skepticism in Astrobiology

Any claims for evidence of life on other worlds have the potential to be transformative events in human history. Accordingly, any such claims will be met with intense scrutiny from the scientific community. This will be particularly true for claims for evidence of life on exoplanets--planets around other stars--for which we will only have remote-sensing data and no ability to grab a piece of that world and put it under both literal and figurative microscopes. The data upon which these claims will be made will be the integrated product of the entire careers of some of the world's greatest scientists and engineers, paid for by considerable taxpayer expense. This presents astrobiologists with a paradox: How can such investments be justified if the end goal is destined to be a highly scrutinized discovery?

Shawn Domagal-Goldman↗

The Power of Self-Skepticism in Astrobiology

Any claims for evidence of life on other worlds have the potential to be transformative events in human history. ccordingly, any such claims will be met with intense scrutiny from the scientific community. This will be particularly true for claims for evidence of life on exoplanets-planets around other stars-for which we will only have remote-sensing data and no ability to grab a piece of that world and put it under both literal and figurative microscopes. The data upon which these claims will be made will be the integrated product of the entire careers of some of the world's greatest scientists and engineers, paid for by considerable taxpayer expense. This presents astrobiologists with a paradox: How can such investments be justified if the end goal is destined to be a highly scrutinized discovery?

Biosignature↗

Solid-state ac-to-dc converter

Converter uses solid-state ac-to-dc rectification circuitry, filter circuitry, a tuned transformer, ac chopper circuitry, and an automatic current-control network. It has a dc power source which operates from 5 to 100 percent load at a 72 to 94 input to output efficiency.

Monroe, C. M.↗

Coordinate generation with precise controls over mesh properties

Powerful local controls have been developed for mesh generation with the class of multisurface coordinate transformations. The controls come from local piecewise linear interpolants, and the resulting coordinates have continuous first derivatives. At the boundaries, the mesh controls provide the capability of joining distinct coordinate systems together with continuous derivatives. Away from boundaries, a local region can be given a particular mesh form to model internal objects or to simplify a problem. Applications of the controls are illustrated with a sequence of two-dimensional examples. For simplicity, each is generated about a NACA0012 airfoil which is of unit length and with leading edge pointed in a negative x-direction.

Eiseman, P. R.↗

Quantile Vocoder

Parameters of spectral envelope obtained statistically. Algorithm for digital compression of speech signals encodes power spectral density of each short interval of speech by use of quantiles or order statistics. Purpose to reduce bit rate and bandwidth required for transmission. When fully developed, quantile vocoder - speech-encoding system based on new algorithm - expected moderately complicated compared with other speech-encoding systems and reproduce high-quality speech from code transmitted at relatively low bit rates. Speech signal treated mathematically as though amplitude spectrum stationary during short coding intervals, called "windows". Window duration of 20 or 35 ms, chosen as compromise between frequency resolution and time resolution. During each window, short-time amplitude and power spectra found by sampling at high rate (typically 10 kHz) and taking fast Fourier transforms (FFT's).

Swaminathan, Kumar↗

Laboratory-Model Integrated-System FARAD Thruster

Pulsed inductive plasma accelerators are spacecraft propulsion devices in which energy is stored in a capacitor and then discharged through an inductive coil. The device is electrodeless, inducing a plasma current sheet in propellant located near the face of the coil. The propellant is accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity (order of 10 km/s) through the interaction of the plasma current with an induced magnetic field. The Faraday Accelerator with RF-Assisted Discharge (FARAD) thruster [1,2] is a type of pulsed inductive plasma accelerator in which the plasma is preionized by a mechanism separate from that used to form the current sheet and accelerate the gas. Employing a separate preionization mechanism in this manner allows for the formation of an inductive current sheet at much lower discharge energies and voltages than those found in previous pulsed inductive accelerators like the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT). In a previous paper [3], the authors presented a basic design for a 100 J/pulse FARAD laboratory-version thruster. The design was based upon guidelines and performance scaling parameters presented in Refs. [4, 5]. In this paper, we expand upon the design presented in Ref. [3] by presenting a fully-assembled and operational FARAD laboratory-model thruster and addressing system and subsystem-integration issues (concerning mass injection, preionization, and acceleration) that arose during assembly. Experimental data quantifying the operation of this thruster, including detailed internal plasma measurements, are presented by the authors in a companion paper [6]. The thruster operates by first injecting neutral gas over the face of a flat, inductive acceleration coil and at some later time preionizing the gas. Once the gas is preionized current is passed through the acceleration coil, inducing a plasma current sheet in the propellant that is accelerated away from the coil through electromagnetic interaction with the time-varying magnetic field. Neutral gas is injected over the face of the acceleration coil through a fast-acting valve that feeds a central distribution manifold. The thruster is designed to preionize the gas using an RF-frequency ringing signal produced by a discharging Vector Inversion Generator (VIG). The acceleration stage consists of a multiple-turn, multiple-strand spiral induction coil (see Fig. 1, left panel) and is designed for operation at discharge energies on the order of 100 J/pulse. Several different pulsed power train modules can be used to drive current through the acceleration coil. One such power train is based upon the Bernardes and Merryman circuit topology, which restricts voltage reversal on the capacitor banks and can be clamped to eliminate current reversal in the coil. A second option is a pulse-compression-ring power train (see Fig. 1, right panel), which takesa temporally broad, low current pulse and transforms it into a short, high current pulse.

Polzin, K.A.↗