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At least 415 records · Page 23

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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flight Test Evaluation of Automation-Induced Oscillations

Flight-test systems analysis techniques are applied to the case of aircraft automation-induced oscillations(AIO). Emerging technological advancements in flight control automation and artificial intelligence have created a need for evaluating the age-old aerial phenomenon of undesired aircraft oscillations. This paper is an overview on the study of AIO as interactions between human pilot, software engineer, and vehicle dynamics(e.g., latency) with the presence of winds aloft. Flight-test evaluation included a broad, non-comprehensive theory on cyclical and non-cyclical oscillations and a preliminary evaluation of the ecosystem from software engineer, airspace architect, and human test pilot.

David Zahn↗

NASA NTRS1994

Lessons learned in transitioning to an open systems environment

Software development organizations, both commercial and governmental, are undergoing rapid change spurred by developments in the computing industry. To stay competitive, these organizations must adopt new technologies, skills, and practices quickly. Yet even for an organization with a well-developed set of software engineering models and processes, transitioning to a new technology can be expensive and risky. Current industry trends are leading away from traditional mainframe environments and toward the workstation-based, open systems world. This paper presents the experiences of software engineers on three recent projects that pioneered open systems development for NASA's Flight Dynamics Division of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Boland, Dillard E.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Key ingredients needed when building large data processing systems for scientists

Why is building a large science software system so painful? Weren't teams of software engineers supposed to make life easier for scientists? Does it sometimes feel as if it would be easier to write the million lines of code in Fortran 77 yourself? The cause of this dissatisfaction is that many of the needs of the science customer remain hidden in discussions with software engineers until after a system has already been built. In fact, many of the hidden needs of the science customer conflict with stated needs and are therefore very difficult to meet unless they are addressed from the outset in a system's architectural requirements. What's missing is the consideration of a small set of key software properties in initial agreements about the requirements, the design and the cost of the system.

Earth Observing System EOS↗

NASA NTRS1995

Goal-Driven Definition of Product Metrics Based on Properties

Defining product metrics requires a rigorous and disciplined approach, because useful metrics depend, to a very large extent, on one's goals and assumptions about the studied software process. Unlike in more mature scientific fields, it appears difficult to devise a "universal" set of metrics in software engineering, that can be used across application environments. We propose an approach for the definition of product metrics which is driven by the experimental goals of measurement, expressed via the Goal/Question/Metric (GQM) paradigm, and is based on the mathematical properties of the metrics. This approach integrates several research contributions from the literature into a consistent, practical and rigorous approach. The approach we outline should not be considered as a complete and definitive solution, but as a starting point for discussion about a product metric definition approach widely accepted in the software engineering community. At this point, we intend to provide an intellectual process that we think is necessary to define sound software product metrics. A precise and complete documentation of such an approach will provide the information needed to make the assessment and reuse of a new metric possible. Thus, product metrics are supported by a solid theory which facilitates their review and refinement. Moreover, their definition is made less exploratory and, as a consequence, one is less likely to identify spurious correlations between process and product metrics.

Briand, Lionel↗

NASA NTRS1990

General purpose optimization software for engineering design

The author has developed several general purpose optimization programs over the past twenty years. The earlier programs were developed as research codes and served that purpose reasonably well. However, in taking the formal step from research to industrial application programs, several important lessons have been learned. Among these are the importance of clear documentation, immediate user support, and consistent maintenance. Most important has been the issue of providing software that gives a good, or at least acceptable, design at minimum computational cost. Here, the basic issues developing optimization software for industrial applications are outlined and issues of convergence rate, reliability, and relative minima are discussed. Considerable feedback has been received from users, and new software is being developed to respond to identified needs. The basic capabilities of this software are outlined. A major motivation for the development of commercial grade software is ease of use and flexibility, and these issues are discussed with reference to general multidisciplinary applications. It is concluded that design productivity can be significantly enhanced by the more widespread use of optimization as an everyday design tool.

Vanderplaats, G. N.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Toward Intelligent Software Defect Detection

Source code level software defect detection has gone from state of the art to a software engineering best practice. Automated code analysis tools streamline many of the aspects of formal code inspections but have the drawback of being difficult to construct and either prone to false positives or severely limited in the set of defects that can be detected. Machine learning technology provides the promise of learning software defects by example, easing construction of detectors and broadening the range of defects that can be found. Pinpointing software defects with the same level of granularity as prominent source code analysis tools distinguishes this research from past efforts, which focused on analyzing software engineering metrics data with granularity limited to that of a particular function rather than a line of code.

Benson, Markland J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Software for Engineering Simulations of a Spacecraft

Spacecraft Engineering Simulation II (SES II) is a C-language computer program for simulating diverse aspects of operation of a spacecraft characterized by either three or six degrees of freedom. A functional model in SES can include a trajectory flight plan; a submodel of a flight computer running navigational and flight-control software; and submodels of the environment, the dynamics of the spacecraft, and sensor inputs and outputs. SES II features a modular, object-oriented programming style. SES II supports event-based simulations, which, in turn, create an easily adaptable simulation environment in which many different types of trajectories can be simulated by use of the same software. The simulation output consists largely of flight data. SES II can be used to perform optimization and Monte Carlo dispersion simulations. It can also be used to perform simulations for multiple spacecraft. In addition to its generic simulation capabilities, SES offers special capabilities for space-shuttle simulations: for this purpose, it incorporates submodels of the space-shuttle dynamics and a C-language version of the guidance, navigation, and control components of the space-shuttle flight software.

Shireman, Kirk↗

NASA NTRS1987

RICIS research

The principle focus of one of the RICIS (Research Institute for Computing and Information Systems) components is computer systems and software engineering in-the-large of the lifecycle of large, complex, distributed systems which: (1) evolve incrementally over a long time; (2) contain non-stop components; and (3) must simultaneously satisfy a prioritized balance of mission and safety critical requirements at run time. This focus is extremely important because of the contribution of the scaling direction problem to the current software crisis. The Computer Systems and Software Engineering (CSSE) component addresses the lifestyle issues of three environments: host, integration, and target.

Mckay, Charles W.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Web Design for Space Operations: An Overview of the Challenges and New Technologies Used in Developing and Operating Web-Based Applications in Real-Time Operational Support Onboard the International Space Station, in Astronaut Mission Planning and Mission Control Operations

The International Space Station (ISS) Operations Planning Team, Mission Control Centre and Mission Automation Support Network (MAS) have all evolved over the years to use commercial web-based technologies to create a configurable electronic infrastructure to manage the complex network of real-time planning, crew scheduling, resource and activity management as well as onboard document and procedure management required to co-ordinate ISS assembly, daily operations and mission support. While these Web technologies are classified as non-critical in nature, their use is part of an essential backbone of daily operations on the ISS and allows the crew to operate the ISS as a functioning science laboratory. The rapid evolution of the internet from 1998 (when ISS assembly began) to today, along with the nature of continuous manned operations in space, have presented a unique challenge in terms of software engineering and system development. In addition, the use of a wide array of competing internet technologies (including commercial technologies such as .NET and JAVA ) and the special requirements of having to support this network, both nationally among various control centres for International Partners (IPs), as well as onboard the station itself, have created special challenges for the MCC Web Tools Development Team, software engineers and flight controllers, who implement and maintain this system. This paper presents an overview of some of these operational challenges, and the evolving nature of the solutions and the future use of COTS based rich internet technologies in manned space flight operations. In particular this paper will focus on the use of Microsoft.s .NET API to develop Web-Based Operational tools, the use of XML based service oriented architectures (SOA) that needed to be customized to support Mission operations, the maintenance of a Microsoft IIS web server onboard the ISS, The OpsLan, functional-oriented Web Design with AJAX

Khan, Ahmed↗

DOE OSTI2026

Cooperative Education

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary national laboratory that conducts research and development in national security, engineering, materials science, computational modeling, and advanced manufacturing. The laboratory develops innovative technologies to address complex scientific and engineering challenges. This project focuses on the development and evaluation of high-performance absorbing structures through computational design, simulation, and engineering analysis. Absorbing structures are used in applications where damage mitigation, structural protection, and material efficiency are critical performance requirements. The increasing demand for lightweight, high-strength, and highly efficient structural systems has created a need for improved design methodologies capable of maximizing absorption while minimizing weight and material usage. The project utilizes advanced engineering software, including 3D CAD software and FEA, to generate and optimize structural concepts. Computational simulations are performed to evaluate structural behavior under loading conditions, while mathematical analyses are conducted using Python-based tools as well as established analytical equations from material and structural mechanics. The project benefits LANL by supporting the development of advanced design methodologies and improving the understanding of material and structural performance. During the internship term, a significant portion of the design development, simulation, and data analysis activities will be completed. Success of the project depends on collaboration among engineering mentors and technical staff members. Work will be conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory using laboratory computing resources and engineering software.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1991

Feasibility of using a knowledge-based system concept for in-flight primary flight display research

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using knowledge-based systems architectures for inflight research of primary flight display information management issues. The feasibility relied on the ability to integrate knowledge-based systems with existing onboard aircraft systems. And, given the hardware and software platforms available, the feasibility also depended on the ability to use interpreted LISP software with the real time operation of the primary flight display. In addition to evaluating these feasibility issues, the study determined whether the software engineering advantages of knowledge-based systems found for this application in the earlier workstation study extended to the inflight research environment. To study these issues, two integrated knowledge-based systems were designed to control the primary flight display according to pre-existing specifications of an ongoing primary flight display information management research effort. These two systems were implemented to assess the feasibility and software engineering issues listed. Flight test results were successful in showing the feasibility of using knowledge-based systems inflight with actual aircraft data.

Ricks, Wendell R.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Candidate Formulary Development for Exploration Missions

An interdisciplinary team of clinician, pharmacist, and system engineer subject matter experts (SMEs) collaborated to match pharmaceutical resources to the medical conditions anticipated to occur during exploration class missions. This effort began by using a SME generated Exploration Medical Conditions List and the associated medical system capabilities necessary to treat them. Using the systems engineering software MagicDraw™ and knowledge of pharmaceutical use and efficacy in spaceflight, the team traced appropriate medications to the medical conditions. These traces were used to pilot the process for generating a candidate formulary for level of care 4 and level of care 5 medical systems. This presentation will discuss the collaborative efforts of the team as they developed the content, detail the challenges of utilizing systems engineering software to describe clinical resources, and provide an overview of how the candidate medication formulary for exploration class missions was developed. It will also discuss how the lessons learned from this pilot effort can be applied to streamline future work.

S. Kurian↗

NASA NTRS1988

Automatic programming for critical applications

The important phases of a software life cycle include verification and maintenance. Usually, the execution performance is an expected requirement in a software development process. Unfortunately, the verification and the maintenance of programs are the time consuming and the frustrating aspects of software engineering. The verification cannot be waived for the programs used for critical applications such as, military, space, and nuclear plants. As a consequence, synthesis of programs from specifications, an alternative way of developing correct programs, is becoming popular. The definition, or what is understood by automatic programming, has been changed with our expectations. At present, the goal of automatic programming is the automation of programming process. Specifically, it means the application of artificial intelligence to software engineering in order to define techniques and create environments that help in the creation of high level programs. The automatic programming process may be divided into two phases: the problem acquisition phase and the program synthesis phase. In the problem acquisition phase, an informal specification of the problem is transformed into an unambiguous specification while in the program synthesis phase such a specification is further transformed into a concrete, executable program.

Loganantharaj, Raj L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The methodology of multi-viewpoint clustering analysis

One of the greatest challenges facing the software engineering community is the ability to produce large and complex computer systems, such as ground support systems for unmanned scientific missions, that are reliable and cost effective. In order to build and maintain these systems, it is important that the knowledge in the system be suitably abstracted, structured, and otherwise clustered in a manner which facilitates its understanding, manipulation, testing, and utilization. Development of complex mission-critical systems will require the ability to abstract overall concepts in the system at various levels of detail and to consider the system from different points of view. Multi-ViewPoint - Clustering Analysis MVP-CA methodology has been developed to provide multiple views of large, complicated systems. MVP-CA provides an ability to discover significant structures by providing an automated mechanism to structure both hierarchically (from detail to abstract) and orthogonally (from different perspectives). We propose to integrate MVP/CA into an overall software engineering life cycle to support the development and evolution of complex mission critical systems.

Mehrotra, Mala↗

NASA NTRS1997

Demonstration of a Safety Analysis on a Complex System

For the past 17 years, Professor Leveson and her graduate students have been developing a theoretical foundation for safety in complex systems and building a methodology upon that foundation. The methodology includes special management structures and procedures, system hazard analyses, software hazard analysis, requirements modeling and analysis for completeness and safety, special software design techniques including the design of human-machine interaction, verification, operational feedback, and change analysis. The Safeware methodology is based on system safety techniques that are extended to deal with software and human error. Automation is used to enhance our ability to cope with complex systems. Identification, classification, and evaluation of hazards is done using modeling and analysis. To be effective, the models and analysis tools must consider the hardware, software, and human components in these systems. They also need to include a variety of analysis techniques and orthogonal approaches: There exists no single safety analysis or evaluation technique that can handle all aspects of complex systems. Applying only one or two may make us feel satisfied, but will produce limited results. We report here on a demonstration, performed as part of a contract with NASA Langley Research Center, of the Safeware methodology on the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS) portion of the air traffic control (ATC) system and procedures currently employed at the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol). CTAS is an automated system to assist controllers in handling arrival traffic in the DFW area. Safety is a system property, not a component property, so our safety analysis considers the entire system and not simply the automated components. Because safety analysis of a complex system is an interdisciplinary effort, our team included system engineers, software engineers, human factors experts, and cognitive psychologists.

Leveson, Nancy↗

NASA NTRS1999

Using Experiments to Build a Body of Knowledge

Experimentation in software engineering is important but difficult. One reason it is so difficult is that there are a large number of context variables, and so creating a cohesive understanding of experimental results requires a mechanism for motivating studies and integrating results. This paper argues for the necessity of a framework for organizing sets of related studies. With such a framework, experiments can be viewed as part of common families of studies, rather than being isolated events. Common families of studies can contribute to important and relevant hypotheses that may not be suggested by individual experiments. A framework also facilitates building knowledge in an incremental manner through the replication of experiments within families of studies. Building knowledge in this way requires a community of researchers that can replicate studies, vary context variables, and build abstract models that represent the common observations about the discipline. This paper also presents guidelines for lab packages, meant to encourage and support replications, that encapsulate materials, methods, and experiences concerning software engineering experiments.

Basili, Victor↗

NASA NTRS1983

Data collection and evaluation for experimental computer science research

The Software Engineering Laboratory was monitoring software development at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center since 1976. The data collection activities of the Laboratory and some of the difficulties of obtaining reliable data are described. In addition, the application of this data collection process to a current prototyping experiment is reviewed.

Zelkowitz, Marvin V.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Reuse at the Software Productivity Consortium

The Software Productivity Consortium is sponsored by 14 aerospace companies as a developer of software engineering methods and tools. Software reuse and prototyping are currently the major emphasis areas. The Methodology and Measurement Project in the Software Technology Exploration Division has developed some concepts for reuse which they intend to develop into a synthesis process. They have identified two approaches to software reuse: opportunistic and systematic. The assumptions underlying the systematic approach, phrased as hypotheses, are the following: the redevelopment hypothesis, i.e., software developers solve the same problems repeatedly; the oracle hypothesis, i.e., developers are able to predict variations from one redevelopment to others; and the organizational hypothesis, i.e., software must be organized according to behavior and structure to take advantage of the predictions that the developers make. The conceptual basis for reuse includes: program families, information hiding, abstract interfaces, uses and information hiding hierarchies, and process structure. The primary reusable software characteristics are black-box descriptions, structural descriptions, and composition and decomposition based on program families. Automated support can be provided for systematic reuse, and the Consortium is developing a prototype reuse library and guidebook. The software synthesis process that the Consortium is aiming toward includes modeling, refinement, prototyping, reuse, assessment, and new construction.

Weiss, David M.↗