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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

A Neural Network Aero Design System for Advanced Turbo-Engines

An inverse design method calculates the blade shape that produces a prescribed input pressure distribution. By controlling this input pressure distribution the aerodynamic design objectives can easily be met. Because of the intrinsic relationship between pressure distribution and airfoil physical properties, a neural network can be trained to choose the optimal pressure distribution that would meet a set of physical requirements. The neural network technique works well not only as an interpolating device but also as an extrapolating device to achieve blade designs from a given database. Two validating test cases are discussed.

Sanz, Jose M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Alternative multiple-access techniques for mobile satellite systems

The use of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to satisfy the diverse requirements of a generic (land, maritime, aeronautical) mobile satellite system (MSS) network design is discussed. Comparisons between CDMA and Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) show that a CDMA network design can support significantly more voice channel allocations than FDMA when relatively simple CDMA correlation receivers are employed, provided that there is sufficient space segment equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP). The use of more advanced CDMA receivers can improve the spectral and power efficiency. Although the use of CDMA may not gain immediate and widespread support in the international MSS community, provision for the use of CDMA for a domestic system in the U.S., and possibly for a regional system throughout North America, is likely.

Smith, Patrick O.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Multiobjective optimization of hybrid regenerative life support technologies. Topic D: Technology Assessment

We developed simple mathematical models for many of the technologies constituting the water reclamation system in a space station. These models were employed for subsystem optimization and for the evaluation of the performance of individual water reclamation technologies, by quantifying their operational 'cost' as a linear function of weight, volume, and power consumption. Then we performed preliminary investigations on the performance improvements attainable by simple hybrid systems involving parallel combinations of technologies. We are developing a software tool for synthesizing a hybrid water recovery system (WRS) for long term space missions. As conceptual framework, we are employing the state space approach. Given a number of available technologies and the mission specifications, the state space approach would help design flowsheets featuring optimal process configurations, including those that feature stream connections in parallel, series, or recycles. We visualize this software tool to function as follows: given the mission duration, the crew size, water quality specifications, and the cost coefficients, the software will synthesize a water recovery system for the space station. It should require minimal user intervention. The following tasks need to be solved for achieving this goal: (1) formulate a problem statement that will be used to evaluate the advantages of a hybrid WRS over a single technology WBS; (2) model several WRS technologies that can be employed in the space station; (3) propose a recycling network design methodology (since the WRS synthesis task is a recycling network design problem, it is essential to employ a systematic method in synthesizing this network); (4) develop a software implementation for this design methodology, design a hybrid system using this software, and compare the resulting WRS with a base-case WRS; and (5) create a user-friendly interface for this software tool.

Manousiouthakis, Vasilios↗
NASA NTRS1984

LaRC local area networks to support distributed computing

The Langley Research Center's (LaRC) Local Area Network (LAN) effort is discussed. LaRC initiated the development of a LAN to support a growing distributed computing environment at the Center. The purpose of the network is to provide an improved capability (over inteactive and RJE terminal access) for sharing multivendor computer resources. Specifically, the network will provide a data highway for the transfer of files between mainframe computers, minicomputers, work stations, and personal computers. An important influence on the overall network design was the vital need of LaRC researchers to efficiently utilize the large CDC mainframe computers in the central scientific computing facility. Although there was a steady migration from a centralized to a distributed computing environment at LaRC in recent years, the work load on the central resources increased. Major emphasis in the network design was on communication with the central resources within the distributed environment. The network to be implemented will allow researchers to utilize the central resources, distributed minicomputers, work stations, and personal computers to obtain the proper level of computing power to efficiently perform their jobs.

Riddle, E. P.↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA's Next Generation Space Geodesy Program

Requirements for the ITRF have increased dramatically since the 1980s. The most stringent requirement comes from critical sea level monitoring programs: a global accuracy of 1.0 mm, and 0.1mm/yr stability, a factor of 10 to 20 beyond current capability. Other requirements for the ITRF coming from ice mass change, ground motion, and mass transport studies are similar. Current and future satellite missions will have ever-increasing measurement capability and will lead to increasingly sophisticated models of these and other changes in the Earth system. Ground space geodesy networks with enhanced measurement capability will be essential to meeting the ITRF requirements and properly interpreting the satellite data. These networks must be globally distributed and built for longevity, to provide the robust data necessary to generate improved models for proper interpretation of the observed geophysical signals. NASA has embarked on a Space Geodesy Program with a long-range goal to build, deploy and operate a next generation NASA Space Geodetic Network (SGN). The plan is to build integrated, multi-technique next-generation space geodetic observing systems as the core contribution to a global network designed to produce the higher quality data required to maintain the Terrestrial Reference Frame and provide information essential for fully realizing the measurement potential of the current and coming generation of Earth Observing spacecraft. Phase 1 of this project has been funded to (1) Establish and demonstrate a next-generation prototype integrated Space Geodetic Station at Goddard's Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory (GGAO), including next-generation SLR and VLBI systems along with modern GNSS and DORIS; (2) Complete ongoing Network Design Studies that describe the appropriate number and distribution of next-generation Space Geodetic Stations for an improved global network; (3) Upgrade analysis capability to handle the next-generation data; (4) Implement a modern survey system to measure inter-technique vectors for co-location; and (5) Develop an Implementation Plan to build, deploy and operate a next-generation integrated NASA SGN that will serve as NASA's contribution to the international global geodetic network. An envisioned Phase 2 (which is not currently funded) would include the replication of up to ten such stations to be deployed either as integrated units or as a complement to already in-place components provided by other organizations. This talk will give an update on the activities underway and the plans for completion.

Merkowitz, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA's Next Generation Space Geodesy Program

Requirements for the ITRF have increased dramatically since the 1980s. The most stringent requirement comes from critical sea level monitoring programs: a global accuracy of 1.0 mm, and 0.1mm/yr stability, a factor of 10 to 20 beyond current capability. Other requirements for the ITRF coming from ice mass change, ground motion, and mass transport studies are similar. Current and future satellite missions will have ever-increasing measurement capability and will lead to increasingly sophisticated models of these and other changes in the Earth system. Ground space geodesy networks with enhanced measurement capability will be essential to meeting the ITRF requirements and properly interpreting the satellite data. These networks must be globally distributed and built for longevity, to provide the robust data necessary to generate improved models for proper interpretation of the observed geophysical signals. NASA has embarked on a Space Geodesy Program with a long-range goal to build, deploy and operate a next generation NASA Space Geodetic Network (SGN). The plan is to build integrated, multi-technique next-generation space geodetic observing systems as the core contribution to a global network designed to produce the higher quality data required to maintain the Terrestrial Reference Frame and provide information essential for fully realizing the measurement potential of the current and coming generation of Earth Observing spacecraft. Phase 1 of this project has been funded to (1) Establish and demonstrate a next-generation prototype integrated Space Geodetic Station at Goddard s Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory (GGAO), including next-generation SLR and VLBI systems along with modern GNSS and DORIS; (2) Complete ongoing Network Design Studies that describe the appropriate number and distribution of next-generation Space Geodetic Stations for an improved global network; (3) Upgrade analysis capability to handle the next-generation data; (4) Implement a modern survey system to measure inter-technique vectors for co-location; and (5) Develop an Implementation Plan to build, deploy and operate a next-generation integrated NASA SGN that will serve as NASA s contribution to the international global geodetic network. An envisioned Phase 2 (which is not currently funded) would include the replication of up to ten such stations to be deployed either as integrated units or as a complement to already in-place components provided by other organizations. This talk will give an update on the activities underway and the plans for completion.

Pearlman, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Electrooptical adaptive switching network for the hypercube computer

An all-optical network design for the hyperswitch network using regular free-space interconnects between electronic processor nodes is presented. The adaptive routing model used is described, and an adaptive routing control example is presented. The design demonstrates that existing electrooptical techniques are sufficient for implementing efficient parallel architectures without the need for more complex means of implementing arbitrary interconnection schemes. The electrooptical hyperswitch network significantly improves the communication performance of the hypercube computer.

Chow, E.↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA's Next Generation Space Geodesy Network

NASA's Space Geodesy Project (SGP) is developing a prototype core site for a next generation Space Geodetic Network (SGN). Each of the sites in this planned network co-locate current state-of-the-art stations from all four space geodetic observing systems, GNSS, SLR, VLBI, and DORIS, with the goal of achieving modern requirements for the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). In particular, the driving ITRF requirements for this network are 1.0 mm in accuracy and 0.1 mm/yr in stability, a factor of 10-20 beyond current capabilities. Development of the prototype core site, located at NASA's Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory at the Goddard Space Flight Center, started in 2011 and will be completed by the end of 2013. In January 2012, two operational GNSS stations, GODS and GOON, were established at the prototype site within 100 m of each other. Both stations are being proposed for inclusion into the IGS network. In addition, work is underway for the inclusion of next generation SLR and VLBI stations along with a modern DORIS station. An automated survey system is being developed to measure inter-technique vectorties, and network design studies are being performed to define the appropriate number and distribution of these next generation space geodetic core sites that are required to achieve the driving ITRF requirements. We present the status of this prototype next generation space geodetic core site, results from the analysis of data from the established geodetic stations, and results from the ongoing network design studies.

Desai, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Neural Networks for Rapid Design and Analysis

Artificial neural networks have been employed for rapid and efficient dynamics and control analysis of flexible systems. Specifically, feedforward neural networks are designed to approximate nonlinear dynamic components over prescribed input ranges, and are used in simulations as a means to speed up the overall time response analysis process. To capture the recursive nature of dynamic components with artificial neural networks, recurrent networks, which use state feedback with the appropriate number of time delays, as inputs to the networks, are employed. Once properly trained, neural networks can give very good approximations to nonlinear dynamic components, and by their judicious use in simulations, allow the analyst the potential to speed up the analysis process considerably. To illustrate this potential speed up, an existing simulation model of a spacecraft reaction wheel system is executed, first conventionally, and then with an artificial neural network in place.

Sparks, Dean W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Using satellite communications for a mobile computer network

The topics discussed include the following: patrol car automation, mobile computer network, network requirements, network design overview, MCN mobile network software, MCN hub operation, mobile satellite software, hub satellite software, the benefits of patrol car automation, the benefits of satellite mobile computing, and national law enforcement satellite.

Wyman, Douglas J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

An executable specification for the message processor in a simple combining network

While the primary function of the network in a parallel computer is to communicate data between processors, it is often useful if the network can also perform rudimentary calculations. That is, some simple processing ability in the network itself, particularly for performing parallel prefix computations, can reduce both the volume of data being communicated and the computational load on the processors proper. Unfortunately, typical implementations of such networks require a large fraction of the hardware budget, and so combining networks are viewed as being impractical. The FFP Machine has such a combining network, and various characteristics of the machine allow a good deal of simplification in the network design. Despite being simple in construction however, the network relies on many subtle details to work correctly. This paper describes an executable model of the network which will serve several purposes. It provides a complete and detailed description of the network which can substantiate its ability to support necessary functions. It provides an environment in which algorithms to be run on the network can be designed and debugged more easily than they would on physical hardware. Finally, it provides the foundation for exploring the design of the message receiving facility which connects the network to the individual processors.

Middleton, David↗
NASA NTRS1995

Dissipative rendering and neural network control system design

Model-based control system designs are limited by the accuracy of the models of the plant, plant uncertainty, and exogenous signals. Although better models can be obtained with system identification, the models and control designs still have limitations. One approach to reduce the dependency on particular models is to design a set of compensators that will guarantee robust stability to a set of plants. Optimization over the compensator parameters can then be used to get the desired performance. Conservativeness of this approach can be reduced by integrating fundamental properties of the plant models. This is the approach of dissipative control design. Dissipative control designs are based on several variations of the Passivity Theorem, which have been proven for nonlinear/linear and continuous-time/discrete-time systems. These theorems depend not on a specific model of a plant, but on its general dissipative properties. Dissipative control design has found wide applicability in flexible space structures and robotic systems that can be configured to be dissipative. Currently, there is ongoing research to improve the performance of dissipative control designs. For aircraft systems that are not dissipative active control may be used to make them dissipative and then a dissipative control design technique can be used. It is also possible that rendering a system dissipative and dissipative control design may be combined into one step. Furthermore, the transformation of a non-dissipative system to dissipative can be done robustly. One sequential design procedure for finite dimensional linear time-invariant systems has been developed. For nonlinear plants that cannot be controlled adequately with a single linear controller, model-based techniques have additional problems. Nonlinear system identification is still a research topic. Lacking analytical models for model-based design, artificial neural network algorithms have recently received considerable attention. Using their universal approximation property, neural networks have been introduced into nonlinear control designs in several ways. Unfortunately, little work has appeared that analyzes neural network control systems and establishes margins for stability and performance. One approach for this analysis is to set up neural network control systems in the framework presented above. For example, one neural network could be used to render a system to be dissipative, a second strictly dissipative neural network controller could be used to guarantee robust stability.

Gonzalez, Oscar R.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Application of Artificial Neural Networks to the Design of Turbomachinery Airfoils

Artificial neural networks are widely used in engineering applications, such as control, pattern recognition, plant modeling and condition monitoring to name just a few. In this seminar we will explore the possibility of applying neural networks to aerodynamic design, in particular, the design of turbomachinery airfoils. The principle idea behind this effort is to represent the design space using a neural network (within some parameter limits), and then to employ an optimization procedure to search this space for a solution that exhibits optimal performance characteristics. Results obtained for design problems in two spatial dimensions will be presented.

Rai, Man Mohan↗
NASA NTRS1979

Development of Integrated Programs for Aerospace-vehicle design (IPAD): Reference design process

The airplane design process and its interfaces with manufacturing and customer operations are documented to be used as criteria for the development of integrated programs for the analysis, design, and testing of aerospace vehicles. Topics cover: design process management, general purpose support requirements, design networks, and technical program elements. Design activity sequences are given for both supersonic and subsonic commercial transports, naval hydrofoils, and military aircraft.

Meyer, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

TRUSS: An intelligent design system for aircraft wings

Competitive leadership in the international marketplace, superiority in national defense, excellence in productivity, and safety of both private and public systems are all national defense goals which are dependent on superior engineering design. In recent years, it has become more evident that early design decisions are critical, and when only based on performance often result in products which are too expensive, hard to manufacture, or unsupportable. Better use of computer-aided design tools and information-based technologies is required to produce better quality United States products. A program is outlined here to explore the use of knowledge based expert systems coupled with numerical optimization, database management techniques, and designer interface methods in a networked design environment to improve and assess design changes due to changing emphasis or requirements. The initial structural design of a tiltrotor aircraft wing is used as a representative example to demonstrate the approach being followed.

Bates, Preston R.↗