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At least 451 records · Page 25
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NASA NTRS2006

Compact, Engineered, 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Prototype for Field and Airborne Validation: Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN). Interim Review #1 (6 months)

A new project, selected in 2005 by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), under the Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), will be described. The 3-year effort is intended to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a packaged, rugged, compact, space-qualifiable coherent Doppler wind lidar (DWL) transceiver capable of future validation in an aircraft and/or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The state-of-the-art 2-micron coherent DWL breadboard at NASA/LaRC will be engineered and compactly packaged consistent with future aircraft flights. The packaged transceiver will be integrated into a coherent DWL system test bed at LaRC. Atmospheric wind measurements will be made to validate the packaged technology. This will greatly advance the coherent part of the hybrid DWL solution to the need for global tropospheric wind measurements.

Kavaya, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

NASA Dryden Status

This viewgraph document reviews the status of several Dryden projects. They are: the Ikhana Project, development of the F-15 Intelligent Flight Control System, the development of a C-20A Precision Autopilot for use in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), the development of the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, and development of Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

Cox, Timothy H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Common Operating Picture: UAV Security Study

This initial communication security study is a top-level assessment of basic security issues related to the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the National Airspace System (NAS). Security considerations will include information relating to the use of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) protocols and applications identifying their maturity, as well as the use of IPV4 and a version of mobile IPV6. The purpose of this assessment is to provide an initial analysis of the security implications of introducing UAVs into the NAS.

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NASA NTRS2008

Recent NASA Dryden COA Experience

This viewgraph presentation concerns the experience that Dryden has had with Certificate of Authorization (COA) in reference to unmanned aerial systems (UAS). It reviews recent Certificate of Authorization UAS's i.e., 2005 Altair NOAA Mission, 2006 Altair Western States Fire Mission, and 2007 Ikhana. The priorities for the safety process is reviewed, as are typical UAS hazards. Slides also review the common COA provisions, best practices and lessons learned, the 2005 NOAA/NASA Science Demonstration Flights and the use of the UAS systems during fire emergencies.

Cobleigh, Brent↗
NASA NTRS2008

Proceedings of the Sixth NASA Langley Formal Methods (LFM) Workshop

Today's verification techniques are hard-pressed to scale with the ever-increasing complexity of safety critical systems. Within the field of aeronautics alone, we find the need for verification of algorithms for separation assurance, air traffic control, auto-pilot, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), adaptive avionics, automated decision authority, and much more. Recent advances in formal methods have made verifying more of these problems realistic. Thus we need to continually re-assess what we can solve now and identify the next barriers to overcome. Only through an exchange of ideas between theoreticians and practitioners from academia to industry can we extend formal methods for the verification of ever more challenging problem domains. This volume contains the extended abstracts of the talks presented at LFM 2008: The Sixth NASA Langley Formal Methods Workshop held on April 30 - May 2, 2008 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. The topics of interest that were listed in the call for abstracts were: advances in formal verification techniques; formal models of distributed computing; planning and scheduling; automated air traffic management; fault tolerance; hybrid systems/hybrid automata; embedded systems; safety critical applications; safety cases; accident/safety analysis.

Rozier, Kristin Yvonne↗
NASA NTRS2008

NASA 2007 Western States Fire Missions (WSFM)

This presentation describes the objectives of the 2007 Western States Fire Mission (WSFM), which included demonstrating capabilities of the Ikhana unmanned aerial system (UAS) to overfly and collect sensor data on widespread fires throughout the Western United States, demonstrating long-endurance (20+ hours) mission capabilities, and delivering real-time imagery within 10 minutes of acquisition. Additionally, the operations concept, operational zones, and landing sites are highlighted. Provisions of the certificate of authorization are also addressed. Imagery obtained from the WSFM are included.

Posada, Herman A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Joint Aerosol-Monsoon Experiment: A New Challenge to Monsoon Climate Research

Aerosol and monsoon related droughts and floods are two of the most serious environmental hazards confronting more than 60% of the population of the world living in the Asian monsoon countries. In recent years, thanks to improved satellite and in-situ observations, and better models, great strides have been made in aerosol, and monsoon research respectively. There is now a growing body of evidence suggesting that interaction of aerosol forcing with water cycle dynamics in monsoon regions may substantially alter the redistribution of energy at the earth surface and in the atmosphere, and therefore significantly impact monsoon rainfall variability and long term trends. In this talk, I will describe issues related to societal needs, scientific background, and challenges in studies of aerosol-water cycle interaction in Asian monsoon regions. As a first step towards addressing these issues, the authors call for an integrated observation and modeling research approach aimed at the interactions between aerosol chemistry and radiative effects and monsoon dynamics of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-land system. A Joint Aerosol-Monsoon Experiment (JAMEX) is proposed for 2007-2011, with an enhanced observation period during 2008-09, encompassing diverse arrays of observations from surface, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and satellites of physical and chemical properties of aerosols, long range aerosol transport as well as meteorological and oceanographic parameters in the Indo-Pacific Asian monsoon region. JAMEX will leverage on coordination among many ongoing and planned national programs on aerosols and monsoon research in China, India, Japan, Nepal, Italy, US, as well as international research programs of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Lau, William K. M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Ikhana: A NASA UAS Supporting Long Duration Earth Science Missions

The NASA Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (San Diego, California) MQ-9 Predator-B modified to support the conduct of Earth science missions for the NASA Science Mission Directorate and, through partnerships, other government agencies and universities. It can carry over 2000 lb of experiment payloads in the avionics bay and external pods and is capable of mission durations in excess of 24 hours at altitudes above 40,000 ft. The aircraft is remotely piloted from a mobile ground control station (GCS) that is designed to be deployable by air, land, or sea. On-board support capabilities include an instrumentation system and an Airborne Research Test System (ARTS). The Ikhana project will complete GCS development, science support systems integration, external pod integration and flight clearance, and operations crew training in early 2007. A large-area remote sensing mission is currently scheduled for Summer 2007.

Cobleigh, Brent R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Advanced Control System Increases Helicopter Safety

With support and funding from a Phase II NASA SBIR project from Ames Research Center, Hoh Aeronautics Inc. (HAI), of Lomita, California, produced HeliSAS, a low-cost, lightweight, attitude-command-attitude-hold stability augmentation system (SAS) for civil helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. HeliSAS proved itself in over 160 hours of flight testing and demonstrations in a Robinson R44 Raven helicopter, a commercial helicopter popular with news broadcasting and police operations. Chelton Flight Systems, of Boise, Idaho, negotiated with HAI to develop, market, and manufacture HeliSAS, now available as the Chelton HeliSAS Digital Helicopter Autopilot.

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NASA NTRS2008

Software Simulates Sight: Flat Panel Mura Detection

In the increasingly sophisticated world of high-definition flat screen monitors and television screens, image clarity and the elimination of distortion are paramount concerns. As the devices that reproduce images become more and more sophisticated, so do the technologies that verify their accuracy. By simulating the manner in which a human eye perceives and interprets a visual stimulus, NASA scientists have found ways to automatically and accurately test new monitors and displays. The Spatial Standard Observer (SSO) software metric, developed by Dr. Andrew B. Watson at Ames Research Center, measures visibility and defects in screens, displays, and interfaces. In the design of such a software tool, a central challenge is determining which aspects of visual function to include while accuracy and generality are important, relative simplicity of the software module is also a key virtue. Based on data collected in ModelFest, a large cooperative multi-lab project hosted by the Optical Society of America, the SSO simulates a simplified model of human spatial vision, operating on a pair of images that are viewed at a specific viewing distance with pixels having a known relation to luminance. The SSO measures the visibility of foveal spatial patterns, or the discriminability of two patterns, by incorporating only a few essential components of vision. These components include local contrast transformation, a contrast sensitivity function, local masking, and local pooling. By this construction, the SSO provides output in units of "just noticeable differences" (JND) a unit of measure based on the assumed smallest difference of sensory input detectable by a human being. Herein is the truly amazing ability of the SSO, while conventional methods can manipulate images, the SSO models human perception. This set of equations actually defines a mathematical way of working with an image that accurately reflects the way in which the human eye and mind behold a stimulus. The SSO is intended for a wide variety of applications, such as evaluating vision from unmanned aerial vehicles, measuring visibility of damage to aircraft and to the space shuttles, predicting outcomes of corrective laser eye surgery, inspecting displays during the manufacturing process, estimating the quality of compressed digital video, evaluating legibility of text, and predicting discriminability of icons or symbols in a graphical user interface.

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NASA NTRS2006

Ikhana: A NASA UAS Supporting Long Duration Earth Science Missions

NASA's Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a General Atomics MQ-9 Predator-B modified to support the conduct of Earth science missions for the NASA Science Mission Directorate through partnerships, other government agencies and universities. Ikhana, a Native American word meaning 'intelligence', can carry over 2000 lbs of atmospheric and remote sensing instruments in the payload bay and external pods. The aircraft is capable of mission durations in excess of 24 hours at altitudes above 40,000 ft. Redundant flight control, avionics, power, and network systems increase the system reliability and allow easier access to public airspace. The aircraft is remotely piloted from a mobile ground control station (GCS) using both C-band line-of-sight and Ku-band over-the-horizon satellite datalinks. NASA's GCS has been modified to support on-site science monitoring, or the downlink data can be networked to remote sites. All ground support systems are designed to be deployable to support global Eart science investigations. On-board support capabilities include an instrumentation system and an Airborne Research Test System (ARTS). The ARTS can host research algorithms that will autonomously command and control on-board sensors, perform sensor health monitoring, conduct data analysis, and request changes to the flight plan to maximize data collection. The ARTS also has the ability to host algorithms that will autonomously control the aircraft trajectory based on sensor needs, (e.g. precision trajectory for repeat pass interferometry) or to optimize mission objectives (e.g. search for specific atmospheric conditions). Standard on-board networks will collect science data for recording and for inclusion in the aircraft's high bandwidth downlink. The Ikhana project will complete GCS development, science support systems integration, external pod integration and flight clearance, and operations crew training in early 2007. A large-area remote sensing mission is currently scheduled for the Summer 2007.

Cobleigh, Brent R.↗
NASA NTRS2007

C-20A/GIII Precision Autopilot Development in Support of NASA's UAVSAR Program

The NASA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) program is developing a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for ground measurements. A key element for the success of this program is a Platform Precision Autopilot (PPA). An interim vehicle (NASA C-20AJGlll) was selected to carry the radar pod and develop the PPA. The PPA interfaces with the C- 20AIG Ill aircraft by imitating the output of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach. This technique retains the safeguards in the aircraft's autopilot. The PPA entered initial flight testing in early 2007. The PPA uses a Kalman filter to generate a real-time position solution with information from the C-20AIGIII and a real-time differential GPS unit designed by JPL. The real-time navigation solution is used to compute commands (Guidance and Control subsystems) which in turn drive two modified ILS testers. The ILS tester units produce modulated RF signals fed to the onboard navigation receiver. These correction signals allow the C-20NGIII autopilot to fly a simulated ILS approach that meets the PPA requirements for UAVSAR applications. The PPA requirement is to make repeat pass flights within a ten meter tube over a 200 kilometer course in conditions of cairn to light turbulence. Flight test results are expected to be available at the time of the NASA Science Technology Conference 2007

Lee, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Regenerative Performance of the NASA Symmetrical Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Design

The NASA Glenn Research Center is developing both a novel cell design (BSC) and a novel ceramic fabrication technique to produce fuel cells predicted to exceed a specific power density of 1.0 kW/kg. The NASA Glenn cell design has taken a completely different approach among planar designs by removing the metal interconnect and returning to the use of a thin, doped LaCrO3 interconnect. The cell is structurally symmetrical. Both electrodes support the thin electrolyte and contain micro-channels for gas flow-- a geometry referred to as a bi-electrode supported cell or BSC. The cell characteristics have been demonstrated under both SOFC and SOE conditions. Electrolysis tests verify that this cell design operates at very high electrochemical voltage efficiencies (EVE) and high H2O conversion percentages, even at the low flow rates predicted for closed loop systems encountered in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. For UAVs the volume, weight and the efficiency are critical as they determine the size of the water tank, the solar panel size, and other system requirements. For UAVs, regenerative solid oxide fuel cell stacks (RSOFC) use solar panels during daylight to generate power for electrolysis and then operate in fuel cell mode during the night to power the UAV and electronics. Recent studies, performed by NASA for a more electric commercial aircraft, evaluated SOFCs for auxiliary power units (APUs). System studies were also conducted for regenerative RSOFC systems. One common requirement for aerospace SOFCs and RSOFCs, determined independently in each application study, was the need for high specific power density and volume density, on the order of 1.0 kW/kg and greater than 1.0 kW/L. Until recently the best reported performance for SOFCs was 0.2 kW/kg or less for stacks. NASA Glenn is working to prototype the light weight, low volume BSC design for such high specific power aerospace applications.

Cable, Thomas L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

UAVSAR - A New Airborne L-Band Radar for Repeat Pass Interferometry

NASA/JPL has developed a new airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which has become available for use by the scientific community in January, 2009. Pod mounted, the UAVSAR was designed to be portable among a variety of aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The instrument operates in the L-Band, has a resolution under 2m from a GPS altitude of 12Km and a swath width of approximately 20Km. UAVSAR currently flies on a modified Gulfstream-III aircraft, operated by NASA s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The G-III platform enables repeat-pass interferometric measurements, by using a modified autopilot and precise kinematic differential GPS to repeatedly fly the aircraft within a specified 10m tube. The antenna is electronically steered along track to assure that the antenna beam can be directed independently, regardless of speed and wind direction. The instrument can be controlled remotely, AS AN OPTION, using the Research Environment for Vehicle Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL). This allows simulation of the telepresence environment necessary for flight on UAS. Potential earth science research and applications include surface deformation, volcano studies, ice sheet dynamics, and vegetation structure.

Mace, Thomas H.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Advanced Command Destruct System (ACDS) Enhanced Flight Termination System (EFTS)

NASA Dryden started working towards a single vehicle enhanced flight termination system (EFTS) in January 2008. NASA and AFFTC combined their efforts to work towards final operating capability for multiple vehicle and multiple missions simultaneously, to be completed by the end of 2011. Initially, the system was developed to support one vehicle and one frequency per mission for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at NASA Dryden. By May 2008 95% of design and hardware builds were completed, however, NASA Dryden's change of software safety scope and requirements caused delays after May 2008. This presentation reviews the initial and final operating capabilities for the Advanced Command Destruct System (ACDS), including command controller and configuration software development. A requirements summary is also provided.

Tow, David↗
NASA NTRS2009

NASA Global Hawk: A New Tool for Earth Science Research

This slide presentation reviews the Global Hawk, a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that NASA plans to use for Earth Sciences research. The Global Hawk is the world's first fully autonomous high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, and is capable of conducting long duration missions. Plans are being made for the use of the aircraft on missions in the Arctic, Pacific and Western Atlantic Oceans. There are slides showing the Global Hawk Operations Center (GHOC), Flight Control and Air Traffic Control Communications Architecture, and Payload Integration and Accommodations on the Global Hawk. The first science campaign, planned for a study of the Pacific Ocean, is reviewed.

Hall, Phill↗
NASA NTRS2009

Wrap-Around Out-the-Window Sensor Fusion System

The Advanced Cockpit Evaluation System (ACES) includes communication, computing, and display subsystems, mounted in a van, that synthesize out-the-window views to approximate the views of the outside world as it would be seen from the cockpit of a crewed spacecraft, aircraft, or remote control of a ground vehicle or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). The system includes five flat-panel display units arranged approximately in a semicircle around an operator, like cockpit windows. The scene displayed on each panel represents the view through the corresponding cockpit window. Each display unit is driven by a personal computer equipped with a video-capture card that accepts live input from any of a variety of sensors (typically, visible and/or infrared video cameras). Software running in the computers blends the live video images with synthetic images that could be generated, for example, from heads-up-display outputs, waypoints, corridors, or from satellite photographs of the same geographic region. Data from a Global Positioning System receiver and an inertial navigation system aboard the remote vehicle are used by the ACES software to keep the synthetic and live views in registration. If the live image were to fail, the synthetic scenes could still be displayed to maintain situational awareness.

Fox, Jeffrey↗
NASA NTRS2009

Platform Precision Autopilot Overview and Mission Performance

The Platform Precision Autopilot is an instrument landing system-interfaced autopilot system, developed to enable an aircraft to repeatedly fly nearly the same trajectory hours, days, or weeks later. The Platform Precision Autopilot uses a novel design to interface with a NASA Gulfstream III jet by imitating the output of an instrument landing system approach. This technique minimizes, as much as possible, modifications to the baseline Gulfstream III jet and retains the safety features of the aircraft autopilot. The Platform Precision Autopilot requirement is to fly within a 5-m (16.4-ft) radius tube for distances to 200 km (108 nmi) in the presence of light turbulence for at least 90 percent of the time. This capability allows precise repeat-pass interferometry for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar program, whose primary objective is to develop a miniaturized, polarimetric, L-band synthetic aperture radar. Precise navigation is achieved using an accurate differential global positioning system developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Flight-testing has demonstrated the ability of the Platform Precision Autopilot to control the aircraft within the specified tolerance greater than 90 percent of the time in the presence of aircraft system noise and nonlinearities, constant pilot throttle adjustments, and light turbulence.

Strovers, Brian K.↗