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NASA NTRS2018

Climatespark: an In-Memory Distributed Computing Framework for Big Climate Data Analytics

The unprecedented growth of climate data creates new opportunities for climate studies, and yet big climate data pose a grand challenge to climatologists to efficiently manage and analyze big data. The complexity of climate data content and analytical algorithms increases the difficulty of implementing algorithms on high performance computing systems. This paper proposes an in-memory, distributed computing framework, ClimateSpark, to facilitate complex big data analytics and time-consuming computational tasks. Chunking data structure improves parallel I/O efficiency, while a spatiotemporal index is built for the chunks to avoid unnecessary data reading and preprocessing. An integrated, multi-dimensional, array-based data model (ClimateRDD) and ETL operations are developed to address big climate data variety by integrating the processing components of the climate data lifecycle. ClimateSpark utilizes Spark SQL and Apache Zeppelin to develop a web portal to facilitate the interaction among climatologists, climate data, analytic operations and computing resources (e.g., using SQL query and Scala/Python notebook). Experimental results show that ClimateSpark conducts different spatiotemporal data queries/analytics with high efficiency and data locality. ClimateSpark is easily adaptable to other big multiple- dimensional, array-based datasets in various geoscience domains.

Hu, Fei↗
NASA NTRS2017

Improvements in the On-Orbit Response Versus Scan Angle Characterization of the Aqua MODIS Reflective Solar Bands

The Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has been chosen by the Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System operational community as the reference sensor in cross-sensor calibration. A number of geostationary orbit and low-earth orbit sensors use the 0.64-μm band from Aqua MODIS as a calibration reference. After over 15 years on-orbit, the performance characteristics of the MODIS instrument have changed, with effects evident at short wavelengths. MODIS employs a reflectance-based calibration using the solar diffuser measurements with the monthly lunar observations facilitating a response versus scan angle characterization on-orbit. As the instrument continues to operate beyond its design lifetime of 6 years, the on-board calibrators alone are insufficient to accurately characterize the instrument's response at all scan angles. This results in a long-term reflectance drift, particularly observed in the 0.64- and 0.85-μm bands, while observing the temporally invariant desert sites. Long-term reflectance drifts of up to 2% and 3% are observed at the beginning of scan for the 0.64- and 0.85-μm bands, respectively. An approach using earth-view response to supplement the on-board calibrator measurements has been shown to overcome these inadequacies and is now implemented for the 0.64-, 0.85-, 0.46-, and 0.55-μm land bands of Aqua MODIS. This paper presents the details related to the algorithm implementation and an independent evaluation using the Dome Concordia site and deep-convective clouds. This approach has been reviewed, tested, and approved by the MODIS science team and has been implemented in the forward production of the MODIS L1B Collection 6 starting July 9, 2016. This enhanced approach has also been adopted in the MODIS L1B Collection 6.1 reprocess for the entire mission to facilitate an improved quality of downstream science products. The results with the enhanced approach reduce the reflectance drifts to within 0.5% for most cases.

Angal, Amit↗
NASA NTRS2015

Normalizing Resource Identifiers using Lexicons in the Global Change Information System: Linking Earth Science Identifiers, Concepts, and Communities

Earth Science informatics involves collaboration between multiple groups of people with diverse specializations and goals,often using variations in terminology to refer to common resources. The uniformity of the resource identifiers often does not cross organizational boundaries. Because of this, permanent, widely used, unambiguous identifiers for resources are elusive. We examine real world cases of changing and inconsistent identifiers which inherently work against persistence and uniformity. We also present a solution which mediates factors in these situations; namely the creation of lexicons:mappings of sets of terms to URIs which are curated within the Global Change Information System (GCIS). We discuss aspects of the GCIS which facilitate the use of lexicons: an information model which disambiguates resources, a RESTful API which provides metadata through content-negotiation, and a strategy for long term curation of URIs, including mechanisms for handling changes to URIs and variations in terms used by different communities while providing persistent URIs and preserving relationships between resources We provide working definitions of terms,contexts, and lexicons, and relate them to the practical challenges of disambiguation and curation. We also discuss the mechanisms employed and architecture of the GCIS, and how these choices facilitate representation of persistent identifiers and mappings of them to identifiers used colloquially within various earth science communities of practice.

Linkded Data↗
NASA NTRS2018

Probabilistic Sensitivity Analyses Incorporating Surrogate Models for the Structural Response of a Representative Inflatable Space Structure

This study concentrates on results from probabilistic analysis and numerical simulation tools to identify parameter sensitivities and assess surrogate model suitability for a novel inflatable airlock concept, specifically the Non-Axisymmetric Inflatable Pressure Structure (NAIPS) under NASA's Minimalistic Advanced Softgoods Hatch (MASH) Program. The current studies extended the demonstration of probabilistic analysis tools to identify parameter sensitivities by: incorporating nonlinear material load-strain property curves and orthotropic representation of the fabric; and exploring the use of surrogate models to facilitate rapid evaluations as new information becomes available, as well as enable optimizations. The airlock model has been simplified to focus on the end dome section. Brief overviews of the finite element model and associated surrogate models are provided along with the probabilistic sensitivity analysis approaches. Responses of interest include the sensitivities of various loads in the structural elements of the NAIPS to material properties, cord lengths, inflation pressure and friction between softgoods components. The use of surrogate models was explored to facilitate rapid sensitivity evaluations as parameter ranges change. The completion of the sensitivity studies improved understanding of the dependence of load responses to several uncertain parameters and confidence in the ability to use surrogate models to represent the finite element simulations.

Lyle, Karen H.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Developing a Cas9-Based Tool to Engineer Native Plasmids in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The oxygenic photosynthetic bacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (S6803) is a model cyanobacterium widely used for fundamental research and biotechnology applications. Due to its polyploidy, existing methods for genome engineering of S6803 require multiple rounds of selection to modify all genome copies, which is time consuming and inefficient. In this study, we engineered the Cas9 tool for onestep, segregationfree genome engineering. We further used our Cas9 tool to delete three of seven S6803 native plasmids. Our results show that all three smallsize native plasmids, but not the largesize native plasmids, can be deleted with this tool. To further facilitate heterologous gene expression in S6803, a shuttle vector based on the native plasmid pCC5.2 was created. The shuttle vector can be introduced into Cas9containing S6803 in one step without requiring segregation and can be stably maintained without antibiotic pressure for at least 30 days. Moreover, genes encoded on the shuttle vector remain functional after 30 days of continuous cultivation without selective pressure. Thus, this study provides a set of new tools for rapid modification of the S6803 genome and for stable expression of heterologous genes, potentially facilitating both fundamental research and biotechnology applications using S6803.

biotechnology↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Land Surface Data Toolkit (LDT v7.2) - A Data Fusion Environment for Land Data Assimilation Systems

The effective applications of land surface models (LSMs) and hydrologic models pose a varied set of data input and processing needs, ranging from ensuring consistency checks to more derived data processing and analytics. This article describes the development of the Land surface Data Toolkit (LDT), which is an integrated framework designed specifically for processing input data to execute LSMs and hydrological models. LDT not only serves as a preprocessor to the NASA Land Information System (LIS), which is an integrated framework designed for multi-model LSM simulations and data assimilation (DA) integrations, but also as a land-surface-based observation and DA input processor. It offers a variety of user options and inputs to processing datasets for use within LIS and stand-alone models. The LDT design facilitates the use of common data formats and conventions. LDT is also capable of processing LSM initial conditions and meteorological boundary conditions and ensuring data quality for inputs to LSMs and DA routines. The machine learning layer in LDT facilitates the use of modern data science algorithms for developing data-driven predictive models. Through the use of an object-oriented framework design, LDT provides extensible features for the continued development of support for different types of observational datasets and data analytics algorithms to aid land surface modeling and data assimilation.

droughts and floods↗
NASA NTRS2018

Challenges in Development of Online Visualization and Analysis Tools for Satellite Data

Over the years, various online visualization and analysis tools have been developed to facilitate satellite data access and help scientific users around the world to conduct research and develop applications (e.g., data product evaluation, what-if questions, etc.). For those who are new to satellite data products, using them can be a daunting task due to many obstacles in data processing such as data formats, complex data structures, special software packages, unfamiliar terminology, etc., especially when one is not sure whether a dataset is suitable for his/er research project. Even for experienced users, developing software for data processing and analysis can be a costly and time-consuming task. Online visualization tools can overcome many of these difficulties and allow users to focus on scientific questions. For example, Giovanni (the Geospatial Interactive Online Visualization and Analysis Infrastructure, https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov), developed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), allows access over 1900 satellite and model variables in 82 measurement groups of 8 disciplines without downloading data and software. Main features include basic functions for data analysis and visualization, data provenance, output data in different formats (ASCII, NetCDF, GeoTIFF), and more. Over the years, ~1700 peer-reviewed publications in different disciplines have been benefited from Giovanni in research activities (e.g. initial investigation, what-if questions, product evaluation). Despite the success of online visualization and analysis tools, challenges and new opportunities still exist and more can be done with new requirements and technology. Examples are: a) how to increase the efficiency of dataset search by enhancing intuitive aspects; b) how to facilitate interdisciplinary research; c) how to provide data quality information; d) how to engage users to participate in data quality assessment; and more. NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) satellite-based data products are processed at various levels ranging from Level 0 to Level 4. While most users use data products at higher levels (Level-3 and 4), products at lower levels are still important for case studies, algorithm development, ground validation, etc. In this presentation, we will use Giovanni as an example to present and discuss challenges and near-future opportunities for satellite data online visualization and analysis tools.

Liu, Zhong↗
NASA NTRS2016

Storage of Physical Sample Metadata in the Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database (AHED)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has begun an effort to store, curate, and publish information about physical samples collected and analyzed in conjunction with NASA-funded astrobiology research. Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary area of scientific research being conducted by collaborating teams of biologists, chemists, geologists, atmospheric scientists, oceanographers, astrophysicists, astronomers, and other specialists. Astrobiology studies the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the Universe. NASA uses the results of astrobiology research to focus its future missions on targets of opportunity for the discovery of life off Earth. Astrobiology researchers conduct both field-based and laboratory-based research, during which physical samples are collected, processed, and catalogued. The cataloguing practices employed by different teams of astrobiologists vary widely, and there are no specific standards available to guide the collection and recording of astrobiology sample data. The disparity in data collection approaches and the lack of a centralized sample repository makes it difficult for astrobiology teams to share data and benefit from resultant synergies.To facilitate data sharing within the astrobiology community, NASA is developing a prototype database the Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database (AHED) and an associated set of data collection templates. The database will store information about samples, along with associated measurements and analyses, including information about biological cultures enriched or isolated from samples, and the results of analyses performed on the samples (e.g., via spectrography, microscopy, etc.). In addition, the system will store contextual information about field sites where samples were collected, the instruments or equipment used for analysis, and people and institutions involved in their collection. AHED is being implemented on top of Open Data Repository's Data Publisher [1], an open source software platform for the publication of scientific datasets. The data collection templates under development represent an initial attempt to propose a set of metadata for capture and storage within AHED. The design of these templates is being conducted by a consolidated group of astrobiologists from active research teams at NASA Ames Research Center, assisted by data science and software engineering specialists. These initial templates must be vetted with the broader astrobiology community through a defined process to ensure that they meet community needs. Each template captures a different type of data collection record. For each template, we are developing a list of fields to be captured, including a set of required entry fields, a set of recommended but optional fields, and a set of discretionary fields. A datatype selected from a variety of text and numeric types is specified for each field. Included is a 'choice' type that restricts user input to an enumerated list of values. Many of the fields and field values capture information of particular interest to the astrobiology community, and are intended to facilitate search and retrieval of relevant data across multiple datasets.

Keller, Rich↗
NASA NTRS2018

The SPASE Data Model: A Metadata Standard for Registering, Finding, Accessing, and Using Heliophysics Data Obtained from Observations and Modeling

The Space Physics Archive Search and Extract Consortium has developed and implemented the SPASE Data Model that provides a common language for registering a wide range of Heliophysics data and other products. The Data Model enables discovery and access tools such that any researcher can obtain data easily, thereby facilitating research, including on space weather. The Data Model includes descriptions of Simulation Models and Numerical Output, pioneered by the Integrated Medium for Planetary Exploration (IMPEx) group in Europe, and subsequently adopted by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). The SPASE group intends to register all relevant Heliophysics data resources, including space-, ground-, and model-based. Substantial progress has been made, especially for space-based observational data and associated observatories, instruments, and display data. Legacy product registrations and access go back more than 50 years. Real-time data will be included. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) portion of the SPASE group has funding that assures continuity in the upkeep of the Data Model and aids with adding new products. Tools are being developed for making and editing data descriptions. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for Data Products can now be included in the descriptions. The data access that SPASE facilitates is becoming more uniform, and work is progressing on Web Service access via a standard Application Programming Interface. The SPASE Data Model is stable; changes over the past 9 years were additions of terms and capabilities that are backward compatible. This paper provides a summary of the history, structure, use, and future of the SPASE Data Model.

Roberts, D. Aaron↗
NASA NTRS2018

Human Exploration of Mars: Preliminary Lists of Crew Tasks

This is a preliminary report of ongoing research that has identified 1,125 tasks that are likely to be performed during initial human expeditions to Mars. The purpose of the report is to facilitate immediate access to the task inventory by researchers whose efforts might benefit from concrete examples of the work that will likely be performed by the first human explorers of Mars and the tasks for which crew members must be prepared to perform in response to emergencies. The research that led to the task lists is being conducted under Cooperative Agreement NNX15AW34G / NNX16AQ86G for the Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Element, Human Performance Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The study is ongoing and will conclude with a final report that documents all research activities and presents the results of task and ability analyses and the implications of study results to crew size and composition, personnel selection and training, and design of equipment and procedures. The research addresses the Risk of Inadequate Mission, Process, and Task Design and the Risk of Performance Errors Due to Training Deficiencies by identifying the work that will be performed during an expedition to Mars and the abilities, skills, and knowledge that will be required of crew members. The study began by developing the comprehensive inventory of 1,125 tasks that are likely to be performed during the 12 phases of initial human expeditions to Mars, from launch to landing 30 months later. This full-mission task inventory was generated by a comprehensive review of documentation and concepts of operations with the understanding that plans and tasks might change in response to continuing technological development. Note: This interim report includes no discussion of analyses and has been prepared solely to facilitate dissemination of the task lists to others whose research might benefit from detailed information about the work and other activities that are likely to be performed during the human exploration of Mars.

Stuster, Jack W.↗
NASA NTRS2019

2018 NISAR Applications Workshop: Forest and Disturbance; Workshop Report

Forest lands cover the globe and are important sources for providing ecosystem services including: carbon sequestration, biodiversity, timber, air and water quality. As such, counties around the world have dedicated programs for managing them. Accurate and timely information concerning the status of these forests (moisture, biomass, disturbance type, etc.) is essential to those Nations’ human and ecological health as well as economy. The joint NASA/US Forest Service workshop focused on arming forest land managers with observations and remote sensing information from the upcoming NASA-ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) (NISAR) satellite mission (expected to launch early 2022). Participants included representatives from different US Federal Agencies, private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGO) that are key players in facilitating integration of Earth Observations (EO) into forest management and decision support workflows. They included scientists, technicians, and program managers with a responsibility for data acquisition and exploitation such as product development, delivery, and use, and capacity building. Discussions were held over two days to convey the broader forest and disturbance community information needs for various representative participants and programs and to facilitate the delivery of NISAR mission geospatial products and observational capabilities. Case studies were presented to demonstrate the current state of practice in the use of SAR remote sensing for applications of direct importance to forest and disturbance land management community. Eleven organizations presented their information requirements in response to a set of questions provided by the NASA team, then the NASA team responded by describing the degree to which NISAR could meet these requirements. Discussion ensued about needed data product specifications to increase utility (e.g., projection, latency, etc.), tools and capacity building. The general findings of this workshop were that (a) NISAR observations will be particularly useful to the global forest carbon and disturbance monitoring applications, but that certain data product design decisions (projections and radiometric and terrain corrections) need to be considered to increase utility; b) the biomass and disturbance detection algorithms meet many of the community needs, however there are other information products of value (e.g., soil moisture or disturbance classification, not just detection) and all products should be compliant with existing community standards for reporting uncertainty; c) providing SAR education to the community will be key specifically thinking about putting the information first and the SAR theory second, providing a simple guide of standard data processing steps (e.g., dB (decibel) to power conversion and speckle filtering); d) the community needs a user-friendly interface for finding free, archived data over their geographic regions of interest; e) user-friendly tools that connect to open-sources GIS (Global Information System) software (e.g., QGIS (Quantum GIS)) that include a graphical user interface (GUI) for SAR processing that enables both download and cloud processing. To integrate these findings and prepare the community before NISAR launches, it was suggested that there be a dedicated NISAR Forest and Disturbance Applications Working Group (as per the specifications in the NISAR Utilization Plan). After launch, it was decided that the community continue capacity building activities.

Stavros, Natasha↗
NASA NTRS2016

Nisar L-band Digital Electronics Subsystem

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) L-band SAR instrument employs multiple digital channels to optimize resolution while keeping a large swath on a single pass. High-speed digitization with fine synchronization and digital beam forming are necessary in order to facilitate this new technique called SweepSAR. An architecture employing multiple FPGA based digital signal processors has been conceived to facilitate digital calibration on an individual channel basis as well as digital signal processing to optimize the receive signal. On-board processing and data compression has been implemented to reduce the volume of data in order to satisfy the operational requirements of near global coverage for the desired science targets. A novel command and timing architecture was developed to manage this complex system to meet the challenging project requirements. The NISAR L-band Digital Electronics Subsystem is the combination of the hardware, firmware and software components architected and implemented to operate this radar and return the desired quantity and quality of data for the science community.

SweepSAR↗
NASA NTRS2016

Exploring the Science Trade Space with the JPL Innovation Foundry A-Team

The JPL Innovation Foundry has established a new approach for exploring, developing, and evaluating early concepts with a group called the Architecture Team (A-Team). The A-Team combines innovative collaborative methods and facilitated sessions with subject matter experts and analysis tools to help mature mission concepts. Science, implementation, and programmatic elements are all considered during an ATeam study. In these studies, Concept Maturity Levels (CML) are used to group methods. These levels include idea generation and capture (CML 1), initial feasibility assessment (CML 2), and trade space exploration (CML 3). Methods used for exploring the science objectives, feasibility, and scope will be described including use of a new technique for understanding the most compelling science, called a Science Return Diagram (SRD). In the process of developing the SRD, gradients in the science trade space are uncovered along with their implications for implementation and mission architecture. Special attention is paid towards developing complete investigations, establishing a series of logical claims that lead to the natural selection of a measurement approach. Over 20 science-focused A-Team studies have used these techniques to help science teams refine their mission objectives, make implementation decisions and reveal the mission concept’s most compelling science. This paper will describe the A-Team process for exploring the mission concept's science trade space and the Science Return Diagram technique.In June of 2011 a new collaborative engineering approach forearly concept formulation began in the JPL InnovationFoundry [1], six months later becoming the “A-Team” [2].Responding to a need for exploring mission architecturelevel trades [3], the A-Team precedes Team X [4,5] in asequence of concurrent engineering teams at JPL that can beused to mature a concept from a “cocktail napkin” level ideato a complete mission point design. The A-Team efficientlyexplores the science, implementation, and programmatictrade space in early concept formulation. Small, facilitatedgroups of experts generate innovative ideas, quantitativelyassess feasibility, and discover key sensitivities in the tradespace through collaborative analysis and use of advancedmethods and tools. The A-Team process builds off theexperience within JPL and other recent approaches to earlyconcept formulation [6] including best practices of the JPLInnovation Foundry, Project Systems Engineering &Formulation Section, Team Eureka and the Rapid MissionArchitecture Team[7].The A-Team is a focal point for innovative formulationapproaches and people within JPL. It relies on a largebackground of study resources, creative thinkers and “greybeard” scrutinizers, advanced tools, and subject matterexperts with both breadth and depth in experience andexpertise that are all available at JPL. The A-Team isdesigned to be a rapid and efficient process takingapproximately 6 weeks (the entire process can be as short asjust a few days or as long as up to three months) and costingthe equivalent of a work-month of a full-time employee orless. Studies begin with detailed planning and client reviewfollowed by study sessions, analysis work, and reporting.The staffing on each study is customized to the study goalsand objectives, and it is addressed early in the A-Teamprocess. Sessions are generally half-day or whole-day eventsand conducted over a series of days with focused agendas thatare moderated by a trained facilitator. Preliminary results andknowledge capture are available within hours of each session,and a final report is generally available two weeks later.One of the biggest challenges facing early conceptdevelopment is understanding the gradient in science returnversus various available mission scenarios and payload options. Often times, major areas of scientific inquiry havealready been prioritized by science groups, including throughthe National Research Council’s Decadal Studies inAstronomy, Planetary, and Earth Science. Yet science teamscontinue to struggle, especially in competitive missionsolicitations, to capture the right amount of scope that’sachievable within the cost constraints of the opportunity.Often the desire to completely and comprehensively study ascience area in just one mission (after all, true missionopportunities are rare) drives teams to take on too much,providing requirements that are unachievable within theresources of the opportunity without inducing unacceptableimplementation risk. Alternatively, science teams can seekto reduce risk by using an established instrument, but havenot thought through the traceability and key aspects of thescience question to justify its use. Both scenarios lead to badassumptions at the beginning of the concept development thatcan then ripple through implementation option choices,potentially preventing what would have been a good scienceinvestigation from being selected.The purpose of this paper is first to provide some additionalbackground and summary of the A-Team process, tools,people, and facilities. We then focus on the A-Teammethodology for overcoming the barriers of defining thescience scope well at the early concept development stage.This includes understanding the science story andtraceability, and then examining the gradient in science returnversus key characteristics of observables, developing theright payload and mission requirement specification throughexamining the science and implementation trade space.

Ziemer, John K.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Internship at the Office of the Chief Scientist

The NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) is part of the Center Management. The OCS adds value to the organization by encouraging and facilitating innovation and value to the Agency, Nation, and the scientific community through its well-developed, diverse, and strategically formed charter. The OCS provides the Center with the oversight and advice by facilitating and evaluating the Scientific Innovation Fund (SIF) and promoting science-based research partnerships. Additionally, the Office contributes to to the Agency by organizing annual Summer Series Colloquia, Workshops, and support to the Early Career Network, which allows for international and inter-agency collaborations. Working at the OCS allowed me to further learn about the working of the Office and how the Office engages and provides guidance with rest of the Center and the Agency. As part of my internship, I am working on developing the initial infrastructure required for the organization of the Standardized Distributed Workshop and further developing the layout for the Hibernation Workshop. The Standardized Distributed System workshop will investigate the scope of developing and using standardized distributed systems for a wide range of applications including satellite systems, aerospace-oriented systems, water-based systems, automobiles, and various other robotics applications. The goal of this workshop is to determine the feasibility of developing a standardized distributed system that can be customized for different technological applications, which will enable resource sharing, openness, robustness, and fault tolerance. This workshop will bring together experts from different fields, including satellite operations, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft operation and management, and artificial intelligence to provide a global evaluation of the aspects associated with the development and adoption of distributed systems. The workshop will also guide the participants through state of the art distributed systems, discuss some of the challenges in designing control systems with a distributed structure, and consider the future of distributed system based technologies for future applications. Additionally, I am also working on finalizing the details and documentation for the proposed Hibernation Workshop. This workshop will address the phenomenon of hibernation through three major aspects: hibernation on Earth, hibernation in space, and knowledge gaps in the approaches to future deep space exploration. The primary objective of the workshop is to explore the current state of science in the area of hibernation, and as a scientific community, explore the gaps and challenges preventing this scientific field from advancing to the next level. This workshop will consist of presentations, panel discussions, and breakout sessions focused on addressing this scientific field, and bringing experts from educational and commercial sectors together. As a part of my internship report, I will be document the process of planning these workshops and further provide a brief summary of my experience with the 2016 NASA Ames Summer Series and various professional visits.

ISU↗
NASA NTRS2019

Visualization and Analysis of Solar System Small Bodies with NASA's Solar System Treks Project

In its investigations of Vesta and Ceres, NASA’s Dawn mission has returned spectacular data detailing the surfaces of these two prominent small bodies in our Solar System’s asteroid belt. In order to greatly facilitate dissemination, visualization, and analysis of this data, and public understanding of the mission, the Dawn mission has partnered with NASA’s Solar System Treks Project (SSTP). SSTP has recently released an update to the Vesta Trek online portal (https://trek.nasa.gov/vesta/) and has released a new Ceres Trek portal (https://trek.nasa.gov/ceres/). This presentation will showcase the use of the Ceres Trek and Vesta Trek portals and demonstrate how they can be used to visualize and analyze particularly interesting landforms such as the pitted terrain on Vesta and relic cryovolcanoes on Ceres. We will also demonstrate the new VR capability that has been added to the portals, allowing users to generate their own virtual reality flyovers for any user-defined paths along the bodies’ surfaces. In addition to highlighting the portals for Ceres and Vesta, the presentation will preview additional portals being planned/developed for other small bodies. NASA and JAXA have requested the development of a portal for the asteroid Ryugu to facilitate dissemination, visualization, and analysis of data from Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, and a portal for Mars’ moon Phobos in support of mission planning for Japan’s MMX mission. We are also planning a portal for the asteroid Bennu with data from the OSIRIS-Rex mission. All of these products are efforts in the NASA Solar System Treks Project (SSTP), available at https://trek.nasa.gov. NASA's Solar System Trek online portals provide web-based suites of interactive data visualization and analysis tools to enable mission planners, planetary scientists, students, and the general public to access mapped data products from past and current missions for a growing number of planetary bodies including the Moon, Mars, Vesta, etc. These portals are being used for site selection and analysis by NASA and a number of its international partners, supporting upcoming missions. In addition to demonstrating the capabilities of selected portals in this presentation, we will solicit input from the community for ideas for future enhancements to the portals.

Day, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2019

Space Traffic Management with a NASA UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Inspired Architecture

Space is becoming increasingly congested as the number of on-orbit satellites and debris objects continues to grow. Space traffic management (STM) is critical for ensuring that the expanding orbital population operates safely and efficiently, avoiding collisions and radio-frequency interference while still facilitating widespread space operations. Recent events such as the FCC approval of SpaceX’s ~12,000 satellite constellation, the signing of Space Policy Directive 3 (which moves Space Situational Awareness responsibilities away from the Department of Defense and to a civil agency), and the growth in rideshare and small launch vehicles illustrate the rapidly changing nature of this domain. This paper will describe the concept of operations (ConOps) for a civilian STM research initiative, which has been developed from previous NASA work to enable safe operation of small unmanned aircraft systems. The STM ConOps proposes an architecture to enable efficient data sharing and coordination between participants to facilitate safe spaceflight operations. It is designed to utilize and promote the emerging field of commercial STM services, as a complement to existing government-provided STM services. The concept envisions a phased evolution that would gradually integrate additional capabilities, proposing a first phase architecture and tentative plans for a broader system. Work towards developing an STM research and prototyping platform is also discussed.

UTM↗
NASA NTRS2017

NISAR L-SAR Digital Electronics Subsystem - A Multichannel Distributed Processing System with Synchronous Timing Control for Digital Beam Forming and Multiple Echo Tracking

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) L-band SAR instrument employs multiple digital channels to optimize resolution while keeping a large swath on a single pass. High-speed digitization with fine synchronization and digital beam forming are necessary in order to facilitate this new technique called SweepSAR. An architecture employing multiple FPGA based digital signal processors has been conceived to facilitate digital calibration on an individual channel basis as well as digital signal processing to optimize the receive signal. On-board processing and data compression has been implemented to reduce the volume of data in order to satisfy the operational requirements of near global coverage for the desired science targets. A novel command and timing architecture was developed to manage this complex system while providing detailed control of individual channel receive window timing required for digital beam forming. The NISAR L-band Digital Electronics Subsystem is the combination of the hardware, firmware and software components architected and implemented to operate this radar and return the desired quantity and quality of data for the science community.

Chuang, Chung-Lun↗
NASA NTRS2015

Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSS)

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (or NextGen) is being designed to support the predicted increases in traffic volume and to increase the capacity, efficiency and safety of the National Airspace System (NAS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identifies Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) as a key enabling capability of NextGen and is actively publishing PBN procedures at major airports throughout the United States. Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs), procedures, and approaches are designed to facilitate fuel-efficient continuous descent operations. However, their use is limited during periods of high traffic demand due to the complexity of merging multiple streams of aircraft to the same airport. As a result, most arrivals in the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) area continue to be controlled using radar vectoring and step-down descents, resulting in high workload for controllers and diverting aircraft from efficient PBN trajectories. To address this issue, NASA developed the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSS) system, an advanced arrival management technology that combines time-based scheduling and controller-based precision spacing tools. TSS is a ground-based controller automation tool that facilitates sequencing and merging arrivals on Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) routes, especially during highly congested demand periods. The two main components of TSS are: 1) a scheduler that de-conflicts merging arrivals in the terminal area by computing appropriate arrival times to the runway threshold and upstream terminal merge points, and 2) a set of Controller-Managed Spacing (CMS) decision support tools to efficiently assist schedule conformance. Sixteen high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulations involving more than five hundred hours of evaluation time, were conducted to mature TSS from proof-of-concept design to a fully functional prototype. Results indicate high controller use and acceptability of the CMS tools as well as improved PBN route conformance (Figure 2). The TSS technology was transferred to the FAA in 2014, and it is targeted for deployment to several busy airports in the U.S. starting in 2018. Potential enhancements to TSS using DataComm will also be presented.

controller-managed spacing↗