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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 469 records · Page 26

Modeling of video traffic in packet networks, low rate video compression, and the development of a lossy+lossless image compression algorithm

During this reporting period we have worked on three somewhat different problems. These are modeling of video traffic in packet networks, low rate video compression, and the development of a lossy + lossless image compression algorithm, which might have some application in browsing algorithms. The lossy + lossless scheme is an extension of work previously done under this grant. It provides a simple technique for incorporating browsing capability. The low rate coding scheme is also a simple variation on the standard discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding approach. In spite of its simplicity, the approach provides surprisingly high quality reconstructions. The modeling approach is borrowed from the speech recognition literature, and seems to be promising in that it provides a simple way of obtaining an idea about the second order behavior of a particular coding scheme. Details about these are presented.

Sayood, K.↗

Real-Time Minimization of Tracking Error for Aircraft Systems

This technology presents a novel, stable, discrete-time adaptive law for flight control in a Direct adaptive control (DAC) framework. Where errors are not present, the original control design has been tuned for optimal performance. Adaptive control works towards achieving nominal performance whenever the design has modeling uncertainties/errors or when the vehicle suffers substantial flight configuration change. The baseline controller uses dynamic inversion with proportional-integral augmentation. On-line adaptation of this control law is achieved by providing a parameterized augmentation signal to a dynamic inversion block. The parameters of this augmentation signal are updated to achieve the nominal desired error dynamics. If the system senses that at least one aircraft component is experiencing an excursion and the return of this component value toward its reference value is not proceeding according to the expected controller characteristics, then the neural network (NN) modeling of aircraft operation may be changed.

Garud, Sumedha↗

An Adaptive Critic Approach to Reference Model Adaptation

Neural networks have been successfully used for implementing control architectures for different applications. In this work, we examine a neural network augmented adaptive critic as a Level 2 intelligent controller for a C- 17 aircraft. This intelligent control architecture utilizes an adaptive critic to tune the parameters of a reference model, which is then used to define the angular rate command for a Level 1 intelligent controller. The present architecture is implemented on a high-fidelity non-linear model of a C-17 aircraft. The goal of this research is to improve the performance of the C-17 under degraded conditions such as control failures and battle damage. Pilot ratings using a motion based simulation facility are included in this paper. The benefits of using an adaptive critic are documented using time response comparisons for severe damage situations.

Krishnakumar, K.↗

Satellite provided customer premises services: A forecast of potential domestic demand through the year 2000. Volume 1: Executive summary

Development of a forecast of the total domestic telecommunications demand, identification of that portion of the telecommunications demand suitable for transmission by satellite systems, identification of that portion of the satellite market addressable by CPS systems, identification of that portion of the satellite market addressable by Ka-band CPS system, and postulation of a Ka-band CPS network on a nationwide and local level were achieved. The approach employed included the use of a variety of forecasting models, a parametric cost model, a market distribution model and a network optimization model. Forecasts were developed for: 1980, 1990, 2000; voice, data and video services; terrestrial and satellite delivery modes; and C, Ku and Ka-bands.

Kratochvil, D.↗

Water Hammer Simulations of Monomethylhydrazine Propellant

Fluid Transient analysis is important for the design of spacecraft propulsion system to ensure structural stability of the system in the event of sudden closing or opening of the valve. Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), a general purpose flow network code developed at NASA/MSFC is capable of simulating pressure surge due to sudden opening or closing of valve when thermodynamic properties of real fluid are available for the entire range of simulation. Specifically GFSSP needs an accurate representation of pressure density relationship in order to predict pressure surge during a fluid transient. Unfortunately, the available thermodynamic property programs such as REFPROP, GASP or GASPAK do not provide the thermodynamic properties of Monomethylhydrazine(MMH). This work illustrates the process used for building a customized table of properties of state variables from available properties and speed of sound that is required by GFSSP for simulation. Good agreement was found between the simulations and measured data. This method can be adopted for modeling flow networks and systems with other fluids whose properties are not known in detail in order to obtain general technical insight.

Burkhardt, Zachary↗

Water Hammer Simulations of MMH Propellant - New Capability Demonstration of the Generalized Fluid Flow Simulation Program

Fluid Transient analysis is important for the design of spacecraft propulsion system to ensure structural stability of the system in the event of sudden closing or opening of the valve. Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), a general purpose flow network code developed at NASA/MSFC is capable of simulating pressure surge due to sudden opening or closing of valve when thermodynamic properties of real fluid are available for the entire range of simulation. Specifically GFSSP needs an accurate representation of pressure-density relationship in order to predict pressure surge during a fluid transient. Unfortunately, the available thermodynamic property programs such as REFPROP, GASP or GASPAK does not provide the thermodynamic properties of Monomethylhydrazine (MMH). This paper will illustrate the process used for building a customized table of properties of state variables from available properties and speed of sound that is required by GFSSP for simulation. Good agreement was found between the simulations and measured data. This method can be adopted for modeling flow networks and systems with other fluids whose properties are not known in detail in order to obtain general technical insight. Rigorous code validation of this approach will be done and reported at a future date.

Burkhardt, Z.↗

Passive Microwave Spectral Imaging of Amospheric Structure

The primary objective of this research was to improve the scientific foundation necessary to full realization of the meteorological potential of the NOAA Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) recently first launched on the NOAA-15 satellite in May, 1998. These advances were made in four main areas: (1) improvements, based on aircraft observations, in the atmospheric transmittance expressions used for interpreting AMSU and similar data; (2) development of neural network retrieval methods for cloud top altitude estimates of approximately 1-km accuracy under cirrus shields--the altitude is that of the larger ice particles aloft, which is related to precipitation rate; (3) analysis of early AMSU flight data with respect to its precipitation sensitivity and fine-scale thermal structure; and (4) improvements to the 54-GHz and 118-GHz MTS aircraft imaging spectrometer now operating on the NASA ER-2 aircraft. More specifically, the oxygen transmittance expressions near 118 GHz were in better agreement with aircraft data when the temperature dependence exponent of the 118.75-GHz linewidth was increased from the MPM92 value (Liebe et al., 1992) of 0.8 to 0.97+/-0.03. In contrast, the observations 52.5-55.8 GHz were consistent with the MPM92 model. Neural networks trained on comparisons of 118-GHz spectral data and coincident stereoscopic video images of convective cells observed from 20-km altitude yielded agreement in their peak altitudes within as little as 1.36 km rms, much of which is stereoscopic error. Imagery using these methods produced useful characterizations for Cyclone Oliver in 1993 and other storms (Schwartz et al., 1996; Spina et al., 1998). Similar neural network techniques yielded simulated rms errors in relative humidity retrievals of 6-14 percent over ocean and 6-15 percent over land at pressure levels from 1013 to 131 mbar (Cabrera-Mercader and Staelin, 1995).

Staelin, David H.↗

Lunar Navigation Performance Using the Deep Space Network and Alternate Solutions to Support Precision Landing

As human exploration once again targets the surface of the Moon, questions continue to emerge regarding the necessity of Earth-based tracking systems, such as the Deep Space Network, for spacecraft navigation in support of lunar descent and landing. This paper will derive an extensive Deep Space Network sensor model for use in linear covariance analysis and demonstrate the resulting trajectory dispersions and navigation performance in comparison with alternate solutions, such as terrain relative navigation. An in-depth trade study with considerations for various trajectory profiles, time allocated to ground tracking, number of active ground stations, and interaction with other sensors will be conducted to shed significant insight into sensor suite requirements to ensure safe and precise landing on the Moon.

Navigation↗

The Role of Margin in Link Design and Optimization

Link analysis is a system engineering process in the design, development, and operation of communication systems and networks. Link models that are mathematical abstractions representing the useful signal power and the undesirable noise and attenuation effects (including weather effects if the signal path transverses through the atmosphere) that are integrated into the link budget calculation that provides the estimates of signal power and noise power at the receiver. Then the link margin is applied which attempts to counteract the fluctuations of the signal and noise power to ensure reliable data delivery from transmitter to receiver. (Link margin is dictated by the link margin policy or requirements.) A simple link budgeting approach assumes link parameters to be deterministic values typically adopted a rule-of-thumb policy of 3 dB link margin. This policy works for most S- and X-band links due to their insensitivity to weather effects. But for higher frequency links like Ka-band, Ku-band, and optical communication links, it is unclear if a 3 dB link margin would guarantee link closure. Statistical link analysis that adopted the 2-sigma or 3-sigma link margin incorporates link uncertainties in the sigma calculation. (The Deep Space Network (DSN) link margin policies are 2-sigma for downlink and 3-sigma for uplink.) The link reliability can therefore be quantified statistically even for higher frequency links. However in the current statistical link analysis approach, link reliability is only expressed as the likelihood of exceeding the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold that corresponds to a given bit-error-rate (BER) or frame-error-rate (FER) requirement. The method does not provide the true BER or FER estimate of the link with margin, or the required signalto-noise ratio (SNR) that would meet the BER or FER requirement in the statistical sense. In this paper, we perform in-depth analysis on the relationship between BER/FER requirement, operating SNR, and coding performance curve, in the case when the channel coherence time of link fluctuation is comparable or larger than the time duration of a codeword. We compute the "true" SNR design point that would meet the BER/FER requirement by taking into account the fluctuation of signal power and noise power at the receiver, and the shape of the coding performance curve. This analysis yields a number of valuable insights on the design choices of coding scheme and link margin for the reliable data delivery of a communication system - space and ground. We illustrate the aforementioned analysis using a number of standard NASA error-correcting codes.

Cheung, K.↗

A compendium of millimeter wave propagation studies performed by NASA

Key millimeter wave propagation experiments and analytical results were summarized. The experiments were performed with the Ats-5, Ats-6 and Comstar satellites, radars, radiometers and rain gage networks. Analytic models were developed for extrapolation of experimental results to frequencies, locations, and communications systems.

Kaul, R.↗

A travelling wave approach to the dynamic analysis of large space structures

This paper investigates the dynamic analysis of certain large space structures via travelling wave mathematics. It is assumed that large space structures may be modelled as networks of interconnected one-dimensional structural members. Bodies with a finite number of internal dynamic degrees of freedom may be scattered throughout the network. The wave propagation behavior of one-dimensional continuous and periodic structural elements is investigated. A scattering matrix description of junctions and discontinuities is proposed. A time domain method of calculating network transient response using the wave propagation characteristics of the elements is briefly described.

Von Flotow, A. H.↗

Neural nets on the MPP

The Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) is an ideal machine for computer experiments with simulated neural nets as well as more general cellular automata. Experiments using the MPP with a formal model neural network are described. The results on problem mapping and computational efficiency apply equally well to the neural nets of Hopfield, Hinton et al., and Geman and Geman.

Hastings, Harold M.↗

Reconstructing irregularly sampled images by neural networks

Neural-network-like models of receptor position learning and interpolation function learning are being developed as models of how the human nervous system might handle the problems of keeping track of the receptor positions and interpolating the image between receptors. These models may also be of interest to designers of image processing systems desiring the advantages of a retina-like image sampling array.

Ahumada, Albert J., Jr.↗

Real-time fault diagnosis for propulsion systems

Current research toward real time fault diagnosis for propulsion systems at NASA-Lewis is described. The research is being applied to both air breathing and rocket propulsion systems. Topics include fault detection methods including neural networks, system modeling, and real time implementations.

Merrill, Walter C.↗

Fuzzy modeling based on generalized neural networks and fuzzy clustering objective functions

An approach to the formulation of fuzzy if-then rules based on clustering objective functions is proposed. The membership functions are then calibrated with the generalized neural networks technique to achieve a desired input-output mapping. The learning procedure is basically a gradient-descent algorithm. A Kalman filter algorithm is used to improve the overall performance.

Sun, Chuen-Tsai↗

Efficient massively parallel simulation of dynamic channel assignment schemes for wireless cellular communications

Fast, efficient parallel algorithms are presented for discrete event simulations of dynamic channel assignment schemes for wireless cellular communication networks. The driving events are call arrivals and departures, in continuous time, to cells geographically distributed across the service area. A dynamic channel assignment scheme decides which call arrivals to accept, and which channels to allocate to the accepted calls, attempting to minimize call blocking while ensuring co-channel interference is tolerably low. Specifically, the scheme ensures that the same channel is used concurrently at different cells only if the pairwise distances between those cells are sufficiently large. Much of the complexity of the system comes from ensuring this separation. The network is modeled as a system of interacting continuous time automata, each corresponding to a cell. To simulate the model, conservative methods are used; i.e., methods in which no errors occur in the course of the simulation and so no rollback or relaxation is needed. Implemented on a 16K processor MasPar MP-1, an elegant and simple technique provides speedups of about 15 times over an optimized serial simulation running on a high speed workstation. A drawback of this technique, typical of conservative methods, is that processor utilization is rather low. To overcome this, new methods were developed that exploit slackness in event dependencies over short intervals of time, thereby raising the utilization to above 50 percent and the speedup over the optimized serial code to about 120 times.

Greenberg, Albert G.↗