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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Exploiting parallel computing with limited program changes using a network of microcomputers

Network computing and multiprocessor computers are two discernible trends in parallel processing. The computational behavior of an iterative distributed process in which some subtasks are completed later than others because of an imbalance in computational requirements is of significant interest. The effects of asynchronus processing was studied. A small existing program was converted to perform finite element analysis by distributing substructure analysis over a network of four Apple IIe microcomputers connected to a shared disk, simulating a parallel computer. The substructure analysis uses an iterative, fully stressed, structural resizing procedure. A framework of beams divided into three substructures is used as the finite element model. The effects of asynchronous processing on the convergence of the design variables are determined by not resizing particular substructures on various iterations.

Rogers, J. L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Design of object-oriented distributed simulation classes

Distributed simulation of aircraft engines as part of a computer aided design package is being developed by NASA Lewis Research Center for the aircraft industry. The project is called NPSS, an acronym for 'Numerical Propulsion Simulation System'. NPSS is a flexible object-oriented simulation of aircraft engines requiring high computing speed. It is desirable to run the simulation on a distributed computer system with multiple processors executing portions of the simulation in parallel. The purpose of this research was to investigate object-oriented structures such that individual objects could be distributed. The set of classes used in the simulation must be designed to facilitate parallel computation. Since the portions of the simulation carried out in parallel are not independent of one another, there is the need for communication among the parallel executing processors which in turn implies need for their synchronization. Communication and synchronization can lead to decreased throughput as parallel processors wait for data or synchronization signals from other processors. As a result of this research, the following have been accomplished. The design and implementation of a set of simulation classes which result in a distributed simulation control program have been completed. The design is based upon MIT 'Actor' model of a concurrent object and uses 'connectors' to structure dynamic connections between simulation components. Connectors may be dynamically created according to the distribution of objects among machines at execution time without any programming changes. Measurements of the basic performance have been carried out with the result that communication overhead of the distributed design is swamped by the computation time of modules unless modules have very short execution times per iteration or time step. An analytical performance model based upon queuing network theory has been designed and implemented. Its application to realistic configurations has not been carried out.

Schoeffler, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Design of Object-Oriented Distributed Simulation Classes

Distributed simulation of aircraft engines as part of a computer aided design package being developed by NASA Lewis Research Center for the aircraft industry. The project is called NPSS, an acronym for "Numerical Propulsion Simulation System". NPSS is a flexible object-oriented simulation of aircraft engines requiring high computing speed. It is desirable to run the simulation on a distributed computer system with multiple processors executing portions of the simulation in parallel. The purpose of this research was to investigate object-oriented structures such that individual objects could be distributed. The set of classes used in the simulation must be designed to facilitate parallel computation. Since the portions of the simulation carried out in parallel are not independent of one another, there is the need for communication among the parallel executing processors which in turn implies need for their synchronization. Communication and synchronization can lead to decreased throughput as parallel processors wait for data or synchronization signals from other processors. As a result of this research, the following have been accomplished. The design and implementation of a set of simulation classes which result in a distributed simulation control program have been completed. The design is based upon MIT "Actor" model of a concurrent object and uses "connectors" to structure dynamic connections between simulation components. Connectors may be dynamically created according to the distribution of objects among machines at execution time without any programming changes. Measurements of the basic performance have been carried out with the result that communication overhead of the distributed design is swamped by the computation time of modules unless modules have very short execution times per iteration or time step. An analytical performance model based upon queuing network theory has been designed and implemented. Its application to realistic configurations has not been carried out.

Schoeffler, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sea ice classification using fast learning neural networks

A first learning neural network approach to the classification of sea ice is presented. The fast learning (FL) neural network and a multilayer perceptron (MLP) trained with backpropagation learning (BP network) were tested on simulated data sets based on the known dominant scattering characteristics of the target class. Four classes were used in the data simulation: open water, thick lossy saline ice, thin saline ice, and multiyear ice. The BP network was unable to consistently converge to less than 25 percent error while the FL method yielded an average error of approximately 1 percent on the first iteration of training. The fast learning method presented can significantly reduce the CPU time necessary to train a neural network as well as consistently yield higher classification accuracy than BP networks.

Dawson, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

30 years of adaptive neural networks - Perceptron, Madaline, and backpropagation

Fundamental developments in feedforward artificial neural networks from the past thirty years are reviewed. The history, origination, operating characteristics, and basic theory of several supervised neural-network training algorithms (including the perceptron rule, the least-mean-square algorithm, three Madaline rules, and the backpropagation technique) are described. The concept underlying these iterative adaptation algorithms is the minimal disturbance principle, which suggests that during training it is advisable to inject new information into a network in a manner that disturbs stored information to the smallest extent possible. The two principal kinds of online rules that have developed for altering the weights of a network are examined for both single-threshold elements and multielement networks. They are error-correction rules, which alter the weights of a network to correct error in the output response to the present input pattern, and gradient rules, which alter the weights of a network during each pattern presentation by gradient descent with the objective of reducing mean-square error (averaged over all training patterns).

Widrow, Bernard↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Proposed Approach to Studying Urban Air Mobility Missions Including an Initial Exploration of Mission Requirements

Urban air mobility (UAM) is an emerging aviation market that seeks to revolutionize mobility around metropolitan areas via a safe, efficient, and accessible on-demand air transportation system for passengers and cargo. In this paper we describe our three-pronged approach to studying passenger-carrying UAM missions, and we detail the first phase of this approach, which consists of defining an initial set of requirements for multiple exemplar UAM missions. The development of these mission requirements provides justifiable assumptions that feed the second phase of the approach, which is performing aircraft conceptual design studies. Vehicle design is not included in this paper, but the work described here will define sizing missions for follow-on design and sizing studies. The aircraft that emerge from the design studies can then feed the third phase of our UAM analysis approach, which involves simulating an entire UAM network over a metropolitan area to study transportation-system level characteristics. Iteration between each of the three phases of the UAM analysis approach will be necessary to propagate lessons learned as our research progresses and as the UAM community coalesces on a more unified vision for UAM. Therefore, we anticipate that the mission requirements set forth in this paper will be modified over time as the urban air mobility concept matures.

Patterson, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Version 7 Near-Real-Time Product and Imagery Released by NASA GES DISC

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) has been the home of data processing, archive, and distribution services for data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) mission since its launch in 2002. The GES DISC provides service to both AIRS routine and Near Real-Time (NRT) products. The AIRS NRT products are an important element in the Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). In collaboration with AIRS Project, the GES DISC has just released products from the Version 7 algorithm. The new version algorithm provides significant improvements over the previous version. The most substantial advances are: improved consistency between day and night water vapor; improved total column ozone and temperature; improved infrared-only (IR-only) retrievals, especially in high latitude regions; an improved Stochastic Cloud Clearing Neural Network used as a first guess at the initial value in the iterative retrieval process; and removal of ambiguity in surface classification in the IR-only retrieval algorithm. In addition, the GES DISC produces AIRS NRT imagery. The AIRS NRT imagery are generated by mosaicking and mapping the available AIRS 6-minute retrieval granules to a global projection. The images are constantly refreshed when new granules are produced. The AIRS NRT Viewer and LANCE Worldview provide visualization services to online users for AIRS NRT imagery. The data products used to generate this imagery include atmospheric temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloud, Dust Score, CO, and SO2. In this presentation, we will demonstrate visualization of the AIRS NRT imagery from the new Version 7, and demonstrate some improvements over the previous version. Progress on improving the AIRS NRT imagery, a collaboration project with the AIRS Applications Development Team at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), will also be presented.

Feng Ding↗
NASA NTRS1990

Statistical methods and neural network approaches for classification of data from multiple sources

Statistical methods for classification of data from multiple data sources are investigated and compared to neural network models. A problem with using conventional multivariate statistical approaches for classification of data of multiple types is in general that a multivariate distribution cannot be assumed for the classes in the data sources. Another common problem with statistical classification methods is that the data sources are not equally reliable. This means that the data sources need to be weighted according to their reliability but most statistical classification methods do not have a mechanism for this. This research focuses on statistical methods which can overcome these problems: a method of statistical multisource analysis and consensus theory. Reliability measures for weighting the data sources in these methods are suggested and investigated. Secondly, this research focuses on neural network models. The neural networks are distribution free since no prior knowledge of the statistical distribution of the data is needed. This is an obvious advantage over most statistical classification methods. The neural networks also automatically take care of the problem involving how much weight each data source should have. On the other hand, their training process is iterative and can take a very long time. Methods to speed up the training procedure are introduced and investigated. Experimental results of classification using both neural network models and statistical methods are given, and the approaches are compared based on these results.

Benediktsson, Jon Atli↗
NASA NTRS1992

A mean field neural network for hierarchical module placement

This paper proposes a mean field neural network for the two-dimensional module placement problem. An efficient coding scheme with only O(N log N) neurons is employed where N is the number of modules. The neurons are evolved in groups of N in log N iteration steps such that the circuit is recursively partitioned in alternating vertical and horizontal directions. In our simulations, the network was able to find optimal solutions to all test problems with up to 128 modules.

Unaltuna, M. Kemal↗
NASA NTRS2017

Intelligent multi-spectral IR image segmentation

We present a neural network based multi-­‐spectral image segmentation method. A neural network is trained on the selected features of both the objects and background in the longwave (LW) Infrared (IR) images. Multiple iterations of training are performed until the accuracy of the segmentation reaches satisfactory level. The segmentation boundary of the LW image is used to segment the midwave (MW) and shortwave (SW) IR images. A second neural network detects the local discontinuities and refines the accuracy of the local boundaries. The neural net based segmentation method is compared with Wavelet-­‐threshold and Grab-­‐Cut methods. Test results have shown increased accuracy and robustness of this segmentation scheme for multi-­‐spectral IR images.

Torres, Gilbert↗
NASA NTRS1992

Neural network error correction for solving coupled ordinary differential equations

A neural network is presented to learn errors generated by a numerical algorithm for solving coupled nonlinear differential equations. The method is based on using a neural network to correctly learn the error generated by, for example, Runge-Kutta on a model molecular dynamics (MD) problem. The neural network programs used in this study were developed by NASA. Comparisons are made for training the neural network using backpropagation and a new method which was found to converge with fewer iterations. The neural net programs, the MD model and the calculations are discussed.

Shelton, R. O.↗
NASA NTRS2001

A Global Optimization Methodology for Rocket Propulsion Applications

While the response surface method is an effective method in engineering optimization, its accuracy is often affected by the use of limited amount of data points for model construction. In this chapter, the issues related to the accuracy of the RS approximations and possible ways of improving the RS model using appropriate treatments, including the iteratively re-weighted least square (IRLS) technique and the radial-basis neural networks, are investigated. A main interest is to identify ways to offer added capabilities for the RS method to be able to at least selectively improve the accuracy in regions of importance. An example is to target the high efficiency region of a fluid machinery design space so that the predictive power of the RS can be maximized when it matters most. Analytical models based on polynomials, with controlled level of noise, are used to assess the performance of these techniques.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Monte Carlo simulations of the diurnal variation in seismic detection rate of sporadic meteoroid impacts on the moon

The rate of detection of meteoroid impacts on the moon by the lunar seismic network shows a characteristic diurnal variation. Assuming that these meteoroids have a flux and a preimpact orbital distribution similar to that of fireballs observed by terrestrial camera networks, one can compute the expected diurnal variation for a given set of parameters that describe the seismic wave generation and transmission on the moon. An iterative process to match the theoretical variation with the observed one has led us to the following results: (1) the majority of the detected impact events occur within a closer range of the network than was believed earlier. This results in higher meteoroid flux estimates from lunar seismic data that agree with the terrestrially measured flux. (2) For meteoroid masses smaller than 1000 g, seismic amplitude is approximately proportional to the one-fifth power of the impact speed; for larger masses it is approximately proportional to the eight-fifth power, provided that the terrestrial meteor data used for analysis are not biased. (3) Seismic efficiency of meteoroids smaller than 1000 g is significantly less than that of large meteoroids. (4) Using orbits of fireballs that represent meteorites, we predict that the share of meteorites among the detected impacts is approximately 15 percent assuming that seismic efficiency of the high-density meteorites is the same as that of average meteoroids. A greatly increased seismic efficiency for these high-density objects is not likely.

Oberst, J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Accelerating Learning By Neural Networks

Electronic neural networks made to learn faster by use of terminal teacher forcing. Method of supervised learning involves addition of teacher forcing functions to excitations fed as inputs to output neurons. Initially, teacher forcing functions are strong enough to force outputs to desired values; subsequently, these functions decay with time. When learning successfully completed, terminal teacher forcing vanishes, and dynamics or neural network become equivalent to those of conventional neural network. Simulated neural network with terminal teacher forcing learned to produce close approximation of circular trajectory in 400 iterations.

Toomarian, Nikzad↗
NASA NTRS2004

Aerodynamic Optimization of Rocket Control Surface Geometry Using Cartesian Methods and CAD Geometry

Aerodynamic design is an iterative process involving geometry manipulation and complex computational analysis subject to physical constraints and aerodynamic objectives. A design cycle consists of first establishing the performance of a baseline design, which is usually created with low-fidelity engineering tools, and then progressively optimizing the design to maximize its performance. Optimization techniques have evolved from relying exclusively on designer intuition and insight in traditional trial and error methods, to sophisticated local and global search methods. Recent attempts at automating the search through a large design space with formal optimization methods include both database driven and direct evaluation schemes. Databases are being used in conjunction with surrogate and neural network models as a basis on which to run optimization algorithms. Optimization algorithms are also being driven by the direct evaluation of objectives and constraints using high-fidelity simulations. Surrogate methods use data points obtained from simulations, and possibly gradients evaluated at the data points, to create mathematical approximations of a database. Neural network models work in a similar fashion, using a number of high-fidelity database calculations as training iterations to create a database model. Optimal designs are obtained by coupling an optimization algorithm to the database model. Evaluation of the current best design then gives either a new local optima and/or increases the fidelity of the approximation model for the next iteration. Surrogate methods have also been developed that iterate on the selection of data points to decrease the uncertainty of the approximation model prior to searching for an optimal design. The database approximation models for each of these cases, however, become computationally expensive with increase in dimensionality. Thus the method of using optimization algorithms to search a database model becomes problematic as the number of design variables is increased.

Nelson, Andrea↗
NASA NTRS1973

Dynamic power load simulator

Two independent models simulate dynamic and steady-state responses of electrical and electronic equipment under power load. One is resistance/capacitance/inductance network, and the other is variable resistance analog device. Resistance, inductance, and/or capacitance are selected by iterative process; time-domain response is compared with that of real equipment to select optimal values.

Joncas, K. P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Design of nonlinear resistive networks with prescribed input-output behavior.

This paper considers the problem of designing nonlinear multiport resistive networks for prescribed driving point and transfer characteristics. It is shown that, if the topology of the desired network is given, then the i-v characteristics of the nonlinear elements can be obtained iteratively. This is achieved by implementation of a newly developed steepest descent criterion.

Peikari, B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Methods for design and evaluation of integrated hardware-software systems for concurrent computation

Research activities and publications are briefly summarized. The major tasks reviewed are: (1) VAX implementation of the PISCES parallel programming environment; (2) Apollo workstation network implementation of the PISCES environment; (3) FLEX implementation of the PISCES environment; (4) sparse matrix iterative solver in PSICES Fortran; (5) image processing application of PISCES; and (6) a formal model of concurrent computation being developed.

Pratt, T. W.↗