Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Jobs”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

Evaluation report for toggle switches: Texas Instruments, Inc., Apollo-type, and Daven Measurements part number 45000-XXX, job order 32-139

A preliminary evaluation of environmental capabilities was undertaken on toggle switches and on Apollo-type toggle switches. The purpose of this evaluation was to take a first look at their tested capabilities for the purpose of determining whether the candidate hardware appears to have a good chance of successfully completing a detailed envrionmental qualification test program.

Labberton, D.↗

Big Comsats for big jobs at low user cost

Three examples are used to illustrate what is possible with large space systems: (1) personal communications using wrist telephones, (2) electronic transmission of mail, and (3) wide dissemination of educational TV. Design concepts and costs are explored and compared to alternative ground-based concepts.

Bekey, I.↗

Sealing scientific probes against deep space and the Venusian environment A tough job

The Pioneer Venus mission evolved from studies conducted during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was found that a need existed for low cost orbiters and landers to explore the planet. The considered mission was to be accomplished with six separate vehicles arriving at Venus nearly simultaneously in mid-December 1978. The probes are designed to survive entry and descent into the atmosphere. A description is presented of the approaches used to maintain sealing integrity for the large and small probes under the constraints imposed by the harsh Venusian environment. Attention is given to probe vehicle configuration, pressure vessel sealing requirements, material and configuration considerations, permanent seals, separable seals, development problems, and aspects of seal testing.

Pokras, J.↗

A case study in R and D productivity: Helping the program manager cope with job stress and improve communication effectiveness

Certain structural changes in the Naval Material Command which resulted from a comparison of its operations to those of selected large-scale private sector companies are described. Central to the change was a reduction in the number of formal reports from systems commands to headquarters, and the provision of Program Management Assistance Teams (at the request of the program manager) to help resolve project problems. It is believed that these changes improved communication and information-processing, reduced program manager stress, and resulted in improved productivity.

Bodensteiner, W. D.↗

Fire and Ice - Safety, Comfort, and Getting the Firefighters' Job Done

Daily life for firefighters consists of working with life-threatening hazards in hostile environments. A major hazard is excessive ambient heat. New hazards have arisen from protective gear that was intended to increase survival time of firefighters while finding and rescuing victims. The insulation is so good now that a firefighter's metabolic heat buildup cannot escape. This forces body core temperatures to life threatening levels in about 20 minutes of moderate activity. Using NASA space suit technology, Oceaneering Space Systems developed a liquid cooling garment prototype that will remove up to 250 watts of metabolic heat. After testing and certification as an approved accessory for firefighter use, this garment will be available for use by any individual encapsulated in protective clothing. This demonstration will present a high surface area circulated liquid cooling garment displayed on a mannequin and available for attendees to try on to experience the effects of active cooling.

Foley, Tico↗

Constructing the "Best" Reliability Data for the Job

Modern business and technical decisions are based on the results of analyses. When considering assessments using "reliability data", the concern is how long a system will continue to operate as designed. Generally, the results are only as good as the data used. Ideally, a large set of pass/fail tests or observations to estimate the probability of failure of the item under test would produce the best data. However, this is a costly endeavor if used for every analysis and design. Developing specific data is costly and time consuming. Instead, analysts rely on available data to assess reliability. Finding data relevant to the specific use and environment for any project is difficult, if not impossible. Instead, we attempt to develop the "best" or composite analog data to support our assessments. One method used incorporates processes for reviewing existing data sources and identifying the available information based on similar equipment, then using that generic data to derive an analog composite. Dissimilarities in equipment descriptions, environment of intended use, quality and even failure modes impact the "best" data incorporated in an analog composite. Once developed, this composite analog data provides a "better" representation of the reliability of the equipment or component can be used to support early risk or reliability trade studies, or analytical models to establish the predicted reliability data points. Data that is more representative of reality and more project specific would provide more accurate analysis, and hopefully a better final decision.

DeMott, D. L.↗

Constructing the Best Reliability Data for the Job

Modern business and technical decisions are based on the results of analyses. When considering assessments using "reliability data", the concern is how long a system will continue to operate as designed. Generally, the results are only as good as the data used. Ideally, a large set of pass/fail tests or observations to estimate the probability of failure of the item under test would produce the best data. However, this is a costly endeavor if used for every analysis and design. Developing specific data is costly and time consuming. Instead, analysts rely on available data to assess reliability. Finding data relevant to the specific use and environment for any project is difficult, if not impossible. Instead, we attempt to develop the "best" or composite analog data to support our assessments. One method used incorporates processes for reviewing existing data sources and identifying the available information based on similar equipment, then using that generic data to derive an analog composite. Dissimilarities in equipment descriptions, environment of intended use, quality and even failure modes impact the "best" data incorporated in an analog composite. Once developed, this composite analog data provides a "better" representation of the reliability of the equipment or component can be used to support early risk or reliability trade studies, or analytical models to establish the predicted reliability data points. Data that is more representative of reality and more project specific would provide more accurate analysis, and hopefully a better final decision.

Kleinhammer, R. K.↗

Ruggedized Spectrometers Are Built for Tough Jobs

The Mars Curiosity Chemistry and Camera instrument, or ChemCam, analyzes the elemental composition of materials on the Red Planet by using a spectrometer to measure the wavelengths of light they emit. Principal investigator Roger Wiens worked with Ocean Optics, out of Dunedin, Florida, to rework the company's spectrometer to operate in cold and rowdy conditions and also during the stresses of liftoff. Those improvements have been incorporated into the firm's commercial product line.

Source record↗

Constructing the 'Best' Reliability Data for the Job - Developing Generic Reliability Data from Alternative Sources Early in a Product's Development Phase

Reliability practitioners advocate getting reliability involved early in a product development process. However, when assigned to estimate or assess the (potential) reliability of a product or system early in the design and development phase, they are faced with lack of reasonable models or methods for useful reliability estimation. Developing specific data is costly and time consuming. Instead, analysts rely on available data to assess reliability. Finding data relevant to the specific use and environment for any project is difficult, if not impossible. Instead, analysts attempt to develop the "best" or composite analog data to support the assessments. Industries, consortia and vendors across many areas have spent decades collecting, analyzing and tabulating fielded item and component reliability performance in terms of observed failures and operational use. This data resource provides a huge compendium of information for potential use, but can also be compartmented by industry, difficult to find out about, access, or manipulate. One method used incorporates processes for reviewing these existing data sources and identifying the available information based on similar equipment, then using that generic data to derive an analog composite. Dissimilarities in equipment descriptions, environment of intended use, quality and even failure modes impact the "best" data incorporated in an analog composite. Once developed, this composite analog data provides a "better" representation of the reliability of the equipment or component. It can be used to support early risk or reliability trade studies, or analytical models to establish the predicted reliability data points. It also establishes a baseline prior that may updated based on test data or observed operational constraints and failures, i.e., using Bayesian techniques. This tutorial presents a descriptive compilation of historical data sources across numerous industries and disciplines, along with examples of contents and data characteristics. It then presents methods for combining failure information from different sources and mathematical use of this data in early reliability estimation and analyses.

Kleinhammer, Roger K.↗