Single-event effects in advanced CMOS devices
This paper discusses single-event upset in memories and microprocessors, along with the mechanisms that cause SEU effects.
single-event upset CMOS space radiation↗
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Design, processing, and testing of LSI arrays for space station
At wafer probe, units of the TA6567 circuit, a beam leaded COS/MOS/SOS 256-bit RAM, were demonstrated to be functionally perfect. An aluminum gate current-sense version and a silicon-gate voltage-sense version of this memory were developed. Initial base line data for the beam lead SOS process using the TA5388 circuit show the stability of the dc device characteristics through the beam lead processing.
Schneider, W. C.↗
Molecular Nanotechnology and Space Settlement
Atomically precise manipulation of matter is becoming increasingly common in laboratories around the world. As this control moves into aerospace systems, huge improvements in computers, high-strength materials, and other systems are expected. For example, studies suggest that it may be possible to build: 10(exp 18) MIPS computers, 10(exp 15) bytes/sq cm write once memory, $153-412/kg-of-cargo single- stage-to-orbit launch vehicles and active materials which sense their environment and react intelligently. All of NASA's enterprises should benefit significantly from molecular nanotechnology. Although the time may be measured in decades and the precise path to molecular nanotechnology is unclear, all paths (diamondoid, fullerene, self-assembly, biomolecular, etc.) will require very substantial computation. This talk will discuss fullerene nanotechnology and early work on hypothetical active materials consisting of large numbers of identical machines. The speaker will also discuss aerospace applications, particularly missions leading to widespread space settlement (e.g., small near-Earth - object retrieval). It is interesting to note that control of the tiny - individual atoms and molecules - may lead to colonization of the huge -first the solar system, then the galaxy.
Globus, Al↗
C-MOS array design techniques: SUMC multiprocessor system study
The current capabilities of LSI techniques for speed and reliability, plus the possibilities of assembling large configurations of LSI logic and storage elements, have demanded the study of multiprocessors and multiprocessing techniques, problems, and potentialities. Evaluated are three previous systems studies for a space ultrareliable modular computer multiprocessing system, and a new multiprocessing system is proposed that is flexibly configured with up to four central processors, four 1/0 processors, and 16 main memory units, plus auxiliary memory and peripheral devices. This multiprocessor system features a multilevel interrupt, qualified S/360 compatibility for ground-based generation of programs, virtual memory management of a storage hierarchy through 1/0 processors, and multiport access to multiple and shared memory units.
Clapp, W. A.↗
Intermediate memory devices
Several methods of transfer and processing of data whose practical implementation requires operational memory devices are described. Devices incorporating multistable elements are proposed and their main parameters are given. The possibility of using the proposed devices for storing information for transmission in space radio communications channels is examined.
Basalayev, G. V.↗
Suggested architecture for a specialized fluid dynamics computer
Future flow simulations in 3-D will require computers with extremely large main memories and an advantageous ratio between computer cost and arithmetic speed. Since random access memories are very expensive, a pipeline design is proposed which allows the use of much cheaper sequential devices without any sacrifice in speed for vector references (even with arbitrary spacing between successive elements). Also scalar arithmetic can be performed efficiently. The comparatively low speed of the proposed machine (about 10 to the 7th power operations per second) would be offset by a very low price per unit, making mass production possible.
Fornberg, B.↗
Single event upset vulnerability of selected 4K and 16K CMOS static RAM's
Upset thresholds for bulk CMOS and CMOS/SOS RAMS were deduced after bombardment of the devices with 140 MeV Kr, 160 MeV Ar, and 33 MeV O beams in a cyclotron. The trials were performed to test prototype devices intended for space applications, to relate feature size to the critical upset charge, and to check the validity of computer simulation models. The tests were run on 4 and 1 K memory cells with 6 transistors, in either hardened or unhardened configurations. The upset cross sections were calculated to determine the critical charge for upset from the soft errors observed in the irradiated cells. Computer simulations of the critical charge were found to deviate from the experimentally observed variation of the critical charge as the square of the feature size. Modeled values of series resistors decoupling the inverter pairs of memory cells showed that above some minimum resistance value a small increase in resistance produces a large increase in the critical charge, which the experimental data showed to be of questionable validity unless the value is made dependent on the maximum allowed read-write time.
Kolasinski, W. A.↗
Parallel Simulation of Unsteady Turbulent Flames
Time-accurate simulation of turbulent flames in high Reynolds number flows is a challenging task since both fluid dynamics and combustion must be modeled accurately. To numerically simulate this phenomenon, very large computer resources (both time and memory) are required. Although current vector supercomputers are capable of providing adequate resources for simulations of this nature, the high cost and their limited availability, makes practical use of such machines less than satisfactory. At the same time, the explicit time integration algorithms used in unsteady flow simulations often possess a very high degree of parallelism, making them very amenable to efficient implementation on large-scale parallel computers. Under these circumstances, distributed memory parallel computers offer an excellent near-term solution for greatly increased computational speed and memory, at a cost that may render the unsteady simulations of the type discussed above more feasible and affordable.This paper discusses the study of unsteady turbulent flames using a simulation algorithm that is capable of retaining high parallel efficiency on distributed memory parallel architectures. Numerical studies are carried out using large-eddy simulation (LES). In LES, the scales larger than the grid are computed using a time- and space-accurate scheme, while the unresolved small scales are modeled using eddy viscosity based subgrid models. This is acceptable for the moment/energy closure since the small scales primarily provide a dissipative mechanism for the energy transferred from the large scales. However, for combustion to occur, the species must first undergo mixing at the small scales and then come into molecular contact. Therefore, global models cannot be used. Recently, a new model for turbulent combustion was developed, in which the combustion is modeled, within the subgrid (small-scales) using a methodology that simulates the mixing and the molecular transport and the chemical kinetics within each LES grid cell. Finite-rate kinetics can be included without any closure and this approach actually provides a means to predict the turbulent rates and the turbulent flame speed. The subgrid combustion model requires resolution of the local time scales associated with small-scale mixing, molecular diffusion and chemical kinetics and, therefore, within each grid cell, a significant amount of computations must be carried out before the large-scale (LES resolved) effects are incorporated. Therefore, this approach is uniquely suited for parallel processing and has been implemented on various systems such as: Intel Paragon, IBM SP-2, Cray T3D and SGI Power Challenge (PC) using the system independent Message Passing Interface (MPI) compiler. In this paper, timing data on these machines is reported along with some characteristic results.
Menon, Suresh↗
RACE and Calculations of Three-dimensional Distributed Cavity Phase Shifts
The design for RACE, a Rb-clock flight experiment for the ISS, is described. The cold collision shift and multiple launching (juggling) have important implications for the design and the resulting clock accuracy and stability. We present and discuss the double clock design for RACE. This design reduces the noise contributions of the local oscillator and simplifies and enhances an accuracy evaluation of the clock. As we try to push beyond the current accuracies of clocks, new systematic errors become important. The best fountain clocks are using cylindrical TE(sub 011) microwave cavities. We recently pointed out that many atoms pass through a node of the standing wave microwave field in these cavities. Previous studies have shown potentially large frequency shifts for atoms passing through nodes in a TE(sub 013) cavity. The shift occurs because there is a small traveling wave component due to the absorption of the copper cavity walls. The small traveling wave component leads to position dependent phase shifts. To study these effects, we perform Finite Element calculations. Three-dimensional Finite Element calculations require significant computer resources. Here we show that the cylindrical boundary condition can be Fourier decomposed to a short series of two-dimensional problems. This dramatically reduces the time and memory required and we obtain (3D) phase distributions for a variety of cavities. With these results, we will be able to analyze this frequency shift in fountain and future space clocks.
Li, Ruoxin↗
Preface to the Special Collection: Recollections in Space Physics
Space Physics is a comparatively young scientific discipline, tightly linked to the era of satellite based investigations and the discoveries that came with it. As such, we as a community are fortunate to have met, been taught and mentored by, and even become friends with, many of those who were around to witness the birth of, and in many cases establish, our field. Each of these "Pioneers" have remarkable stories to tell. These accounts from the dawn of the space age provide a glimpse into that era of scientific discovery and are an important part of our collective history that deserve to be shared and commemorated. These are stories of perseverance, ingenuity, luck, and sometimes failure. We are fortunate to live in an era in which these distinguished scientists are still with us and able to share their experiences.To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), we have solicited a special collection of recollection papers to memorialize these experiences. This is not the first such effort to capture these stories. In 1994 (Vol. 99, No. A10, pp. 19,099-19,212) and again in 1996 (Vol. 101, No. A5, pp. 10,477-10,585) JGRSpace Physics published special sections entitled, "Pioneers of Space Physics," in celebration of AGU's 75th anniversary. Later, in 1997, Gilmore and Spreiter (1997) added a set of recollection papers on the discovery of the magnetosphere. Together, these papers containing personal accounts from the pioneers of the space age covered the period of roughly 1958-1967.It is our great honor to present retrospective papers from several of our distinguished colleagues who contributed significantly to the explosion in understanding of space physics and aeronomy that occurred from roughly 1967-1980. We chose to start at the end of the previous set of recollections and cover the decade of the 1970s, during which our field greatly expanded. It is also a time in which the second generation of space scientists entered the field and made foundational discoveries that continue to define our discipline.As with the previous papers, we asked the authors to "recount some of the events leading to the emergence of space physics and to put the events into a professional as well as personal perspective." (Gombosi et al.,1994). The authors of this special collection of recollections were selected following the same guidelines as the previous efforts. We started from a long list of senior colleagues and narrowed the list to roughly two dozen distinguished scientists based on discipline and geographic balance. Some of our colleagues, when asked, felt they would be unable to devote the time or energy to such a recollection and declined. Sadly,in the intervening 25 years since the original effort, some of our colleagues who were most active during the early years of the space age have passed. Therefore, this new special collection, 25 years after the first one, is timely with the AGU centennial celebrations, but late in fully capturing the stories of the pioneers of space physics. This is unfortunate and we encourage future editors of this journal to commission specialsections of legacy perspectives with a faster cadence than a quarter of a century.
Kepko, Emil L.↗
Accurate low-cost methods for performance evaluation of cache memory systems
Methods of simulation based on statistical techniques are proposed to decrease the need for large trace measurements and for predicting true program behavior. Sampling techniques are applied while the address trace is collected from a workload. This drastically reduces the space and time needed to collect the trace. Simulation techniques are developed to use the sampled data not only to predict the mean miss rate of the cache, but also to provide an empirical estimate of its actual distribution. Finally, a concept of primed cache is introduced to simulate large caches by the sampling-based method.
Laha, Subhasis↗
Self-Deployable Membrane Structures
Currently existing approaches for deployment of large, ultra-lightweight gossamer structures in space rely typically upon electromechanical mechanisms and mechanically expandable or inflatable booms for deployment and to maintain them in a fully deployed, operational configuration. These support structures, with the associated deployment mechanisms, launch restraints, inflation systems, and controls, can comprise more than 90 percent of the total mass budget. In addition, they significantly increase the stowage volume, cost, and complexity. A CHEM (cold hibernated elastic memory) membrane structure without any deployable mechanism and support booms/structure is deployed by using shape memory and elastic recovery. The use of CHEM micro-foams reinforced with carbon nanotubes is considered for thin-membrane structure applications. In this advanced structural concept, the CHEM membrane structure is warmed up to allow packaging and stowing prior to launch, and then cooled to induce hibernation of the internal restoring forces. In space, the membrane remembers its original shape and size when warmed up. After the internal restoring forces deploy the structure, it is then cooled to achieve rigidization. For this type of structure, the solar radiation could be utilized as the heat energy used for deployment and space ambient temperature for rigidization. The overall simplicity of the CHEM self-deployable membrane is one of its greatest assets. In present approaches to space-deployable structures, the stow age and deployment are difficult and challenging, and introduce a significant risk, heavy mass, and high cost. Simple procedures provided by CHEM membrane greatly simplify the overall end-to-end process for designing, fabricating, deploying, and rigidizing large structures. The CHEM membrane avoids the complexities associated with other methods for deploying and rigidizing structures by eliminating deployable booms, deployment mechanisms, and inflation and control systems that can use up the majority of the mass budget
Sokolowski, Witold M.↗
A method for overcoming the velocity space filamentation problem in collisionless plasma model solutions
The solution of filtered Vlasov-Maxwell equations, rather than the Vlasov-Maxwell equations themselves, is shown to ameliorate the velocity space filamentation problem in collisionless plasma models. Exact field solutions and filtered velocity distribution functions are obtained without introducing errors. Proper selection of the filter width is demonstrated to inhibit development of velocity space filamentation and, it is conjectured, position space filamentation. The results of sample calculations of both filtered and nonfiltered field solutions illustrate a high degree of agreement between both solutions, with significant savings in computational time and memory requirements with the filtered solutions.
Klimas, Alexander J.↗
Parallel algorithms for mapping pipelined and parallel computations
Many computational problems in image processing, signal processing, and scientific computing are naturally structured for either pipelined or parallel computation. When mapping such problems onto a parallel architecture it is often necessary to aggregate an obvious problem decomposition. Even in this context the general mapping problem is known to be computationally intractable, but recent advances have been made in identifying classes of problems and architectures for which optimal solutions can be found in polynomial time. Among these, the mapping of pipelined or parallel computations onto linear array, shared memory, and host-satellite systems figures prominently. This paper extends that work first by showing how to improve existing serial mapping algorithms. These improvements have significantly lower time and space complexities: in one case a published O(nm sup 3) time algorithm for mapping m modules onto n processors is reduced to an O(nm log m) time complexity, and its space requirements reduced from O(nm sup 2) to O(m). Run time complexity is further reduced with parallel mapping algorithms based on these improvements, which run on the architecture for which they create the mappings.
Nicol, David M.↗
Compact Translating-Head Magnetic Memories
Stationary magnetic media stores information at densities up to 6.5 Gb/cm(Sup 2). High-density memory devices combine features of advanced rotating-disk magnetic recording and playback systems with compact two-axis high-acceleration linear actuators. New devices weigh less, occupy less space, and consume less power than disk and tape recorders.
Katti, Romney R.↗
Low power signal processing research at Stanford
This paper gives an overview of the research being conducted at Stanford University's Space, Telecommunications, and Radioscience Laboratory in the area of low energy computation. It discusses the work we are doing in large scale digital VLSI neural networks, interleaved processor and pipelined memory architectures, energy estimation and optimization, multichip module packaging, and low voltage digital logic.
Burr, J.↗
Springback in root gravitropism
Conditions under which a gravistimulus of Merit corn roots (Zea mays L.) is withdrawn result in a subsequent loss of gravitropic curvature, an effect which we refer to as springback.' This loss of curvature begins within 1 to 10 minutes after removal of the gravistimulus. It occurs regardless of the presence or absence of the root cap. It is insensitive to inhibitors of auxin transport (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, naphthylphthalamic [correction of naphthylphthalmaic] acid) or to added auxin (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Springback is prevented if a clinostat treatment is interjected to neutralize gravistimulation during germination, which suggests that the change in curvature is a response to a memory' effect carried over from a prior gravistimulation.
NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
Bioavailability and Pharmacodynamics of Promethazine in Human Subjects
The acute effects of exposure to microgravity include the development of space motion sickness, which usually requires therapeutic intervention. The current drug of choice, promethazine (PMZ), is available to astronauts in three different dosage forms during space flight; its side effects include nausea, dizziness, sedation and impaired psychomotor performance. This ground-based study is designed to validate flight-suitable methods for pharmacodynamic evaluation of PMZ and to estimate bioavailability and pharmacodynamics of PMZ. Experimental design consists of intramuscular administration of three doses of PMZ (12.5,25 and 50 mg) and placebo in a randomized double blind fashion to human subjects and collecting blood, urine and saliva samples for 72 h. Subjects also complete cognitive performance test batteries, WinSCAT (Windows based Space Cognitive Assessment Test) and ARES (ANAM Readiness Evaluation System). Preliminary results indicate a significant relationship (p=9.88e-05) between circulating PMZ levels and cognitive performance parameters. Time to accurately complete memory tasks increases significantly with concentrations; higher concentrations also increase response time and decrease accuracy of substitution and matching tasks. AUC and half-life estimates for PMZ ranged between 0.12 and 1.7 mg.h/L and 15 and 50 h, respectively. These preliminary results indicate that PMZ may exhibit dose-dependent pharmacokinetics in humans; also, WinSCAT and ARES are sensitive for pharmacodynamic assessment of PMZ, and may be applicable for assessing the pharmacodynamics of other neurocognitive drugs.
Boyd, J. L.↗