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At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1970

Views on computer program documentation and automation

Various aspects of the problem of program documentation and description are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the problem of semantics. It is pointed out that the information produced by documentation of a program, if presented to several different groups, may mean entirely different things to these groups. Recognition of the fact that people look at problems differently is proposed as a more practical approach to the problem of documentation rather than extensive use of standards or strict formatting. The difficulties involved in searching for ways to provide a common ground for the transmission and use of information are discussed.

Grosch, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Automated image processing of LANDSAT 2 digital data for watershed runoff prediction

The U.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) model for watershed runoff prediction uses soil and land cover information as its major drivers. Kern County Water Agency is implementing the SCS model to predict runoff for 10,400 sq cm of mountainous watershed in Kern County, California. The Remote Sensing Unit, University of California, Santa Barbara, was commissioned by KCWA to conduct a 230 sq cm feasibility study in the Lake Isabella, California region to evaluate remote sensing methodologies which could be ultimately extrapolated to the entire 10,400 sq cm Kern County watershed. Digital results indicate that digital image processing of Landsat 2 data will provide usable land cover required by KCWA for input to the SCS runoff model.

Sasso, R. R.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Automating Surface Attitude Positioning and Pointing Operations for Mars 2020

The Surface Attitude Positioning and Pointing (SAPP) subsystem of the Mars Perseverance rover keeps track of the rover’s position and attitude on the surface of Mars. The SAPP Downlink Engineering Operations team members receive data from the rover on a daily basis. They must interpret the data to make sure the rover is staying safe and to support uplink planning. The SAPP team keeps track of the error growth in the rover’s attitude estimate due to noise in the Rover Inertial Measurement Unit’s (RIMU) gyroscopes used to propagate that attitude estimate whenever the rover is moving. Whenever this error grows to a particular threshold, SAPP is responsible for updating the onboard attitude knowledge using the RIMU’s accelerometers to estimate rover roll and pitch and sun imaging to estimate rover yaw, thereby reducing this attitude estimation error. Accurate attitude estimation is required so that the rover can successfully point its High Gain Antenna (HGA) to receive information from Earth and as a backup to the Mars orbiters used for sending data from the rover to Earth, point instruments on its Remote Sensing Mast (RSM), and support safe movement and placement of instruments by the rover’s ARM relative to the Martian surface. The Mars 2020 Engineering Operations team has been working to increase the operational efficiency of the mission and eventually move to a five-hour timeline for daily operations. In pursuit of this goal, the SAPP Engineering Operations team has automated their downlink process by developing a centralized Jupyter notebook to analyze the data received daily from the rover. The SAPP downlink Jupyter notebook automatically collects the data relevant to the SAPP subsystem and visualizes this information in plots and tables that can be easily read by downlink operators to aid them in assessing the status of the subsystem. Various Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) have been incorporated into the downlink daily notebook to automate the collection and posting of data, such as gathering and posting data products to the cloud. The SAPP team has also developed a SAPP downlink software library that includes functions to aid the notebook in processing data. In addition to assessing the SAPP subsystem on a daily basis, operators need to assess the long-term trending behavior of the subsystem over time. An automated trending process has been developed to collect information from the daily notebooks in order to plot and analyze that data in a centralized place. These daily and trending processes have expedited the SAPP downlink assessment and laid the groundwork to completely automate the SAPP downlink process so that SAPP operators are unnecessary unless something unexpected occurs. This paper will provide an overview of the functions that the SAPP subsystem carries out on a daily basis, and will then dive into the automations that have been developed for daily and trending downlink assessment. An assessment of the downlink efficiency will be provided, along with a summary of lessons learned and work to go. Finally, the authors will discuss how these types of automated spacecraft health assessments could be more broadly used within mission operations.

Zarifian, Anais↗
NASA NTRS1992

Microwave landing system modeling with application to air traffic control automation

Compared to the current instrument landing system, the microwave landing system (MLS), which is in the advanced stage of implementation, can potentially provide significant fuel and time savings as well as more flexibility in approach and landing functions. However, the expanded coverage and increased accuracy requirements of the MLS make it more susceptible to the features of the site in which it is located. An analytical approach is presented for evaluating the multipath effects of scatterers that are commonly found in airport environments. The approach combines a multiplane model with a ray-tracing technique and a formulation for estimating the electromagnetic fields caused by the antenna array in the presence of scatterers. The model is applied to several airport scenarios. The reduced computational burden enables the scattering effects on MLS position information to be evaluated in near real time. Evaluation in near real time would permit the incorporation of the modeling scheme into air traffic control automation; it would adaptively delineate zones of reduced accuracy within the MLS coverage volume, and help establish safe approach and takeoff trajectories in the presence of uneven terrain and other scatterers.

Poulose, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Automated Fluid Feature Extraction from Transient Simulations

In the past, feature extraction and identification were interesting concepts, but not required in understanding the physics of a steady flow field. This is because the results of the more traditional tools like iso-surfaces, cuts and streamlines, were more interactive and easily abstracted so they could be represented to the investigator. These tools worked and properly conveyed the collected information at the expense of a great deal of interaction. For unsteady flow-fields, the investigator does not have the luxury of spending time scanning only one 'snap-shot' of the simulation. Automated assistance is required in pointing out areas of potential interest contained within the flow. This must not require a heavy compute burden (the visualization should not significantly slow down the solution procedure for co-processing environments like pV3). And methods must be developed to abstract the feature and display it in a manner that physically makes sense.

Haimes, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1998

Formal Aspects of Human-Automation Interaction

While new versions of automated control systems such as flight guidance systems are introduced at a rapid pace, it is widely recognized that user interaction with these machines is increasingly problematic. One cause for this difficulty that is commonly cited in the literature, is the discrepancy between the machine's behavior and the operator's (e.g., pilot) expectations. This paper discusses a formal approach to the analysis of operator's interaction with complex automated control systems. We focus attention on the issue of interface correctness; that is, on the question whether the display provides adequate information about the machine's configurations (states, modes, and associated parameters) and transitions, so as to enable the operator to successfully perform the specified set of tasks. To perform the analysis several assumptions are made: (1) A complete formal model of the machine's behavior is available (e.g., as a state transition system, or as a hybrid-machine); (2) A specification of operator's tasks is available and can be formally described (e.g., the reliable and predictable transition between activities involved in executing a climb to a new altitude); (3) The pilot is well trained and has a correct 'mental' model of the machine's response-map. By 'comparing' the machine's model with the set of operator's tasks we formally (i.e., mathematically) evaluate two questions: 1) does the machine's output interface (display) enable the operator to determine, unambiguously, what the current configuration (e.g., mode) of the machine is, and 2) does the display enable the operator to determine, unambiguously, what the next configuration of the machine will be, in response to a specified interaction by the operator (e.g., engaging a mode or changing a parameter such as a speed or target altitude). This paper describes a methodology for conducting such an evaluation using examples from automated flight control systems of modem 'glass cockpit' jetliners. Taxonomy of the different types of discrepancies that lead to pilot inability to resolve the current and next configuration of the machine is suggested. Data from incident reports involving 'mode confusion' is used to corroborate these discrepancies. Finally, means for compensating, either by augmenting the display and/or the operator's 'mental model' are briefly mentioned.

Degani, Asaf↗
NASA NTRS1975

Study to evaluate the effect of EVA on payload systems. Volume 1: Executive summary

Programmatic benefits to payloads are examined which can result from the routine use of extravehicular activity (EVA) during space missions. Design and operations costs were compared for 13 representative baseline payloads to the costs of those payloads adapted for EVA operations. The EVA-oriented concepts developed in the study were derived from these baseline concepts and maintained mission and program objectives as well as basic configurations. This permitted isolation of cost saving factors associated specifically with incorporation of EVA in a variety of payload designs and operations. The study results were extrapolated to a total of 74 payload programs. Using appropriate complexity and learning factors, net EVA savings were extrapolated to over $551M for NASA and U.S. civil payloads for routine operations. Adding DOD and ESRO payloads increases the net estimated savings of $776M. Planned maintenance by EVA indicated an estimated $168M savings due to elimination of automated service equipment. Contingency problems of payloads were also analyzed to establish expected failure rates for shuttle payloads. The failure information resulted in an estimated potential for EVA savings of $1.9 B.

Patrick, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Geographic information systems

Information and activities are provided to: (1) enhance the ability to distinguish between a Geographic Information System (GIS) and a data management system; (2) develop understanding of spatial data handling by conventional methods versus the automated approach; (3) promote awareness of GIS design and capabilities; (4) foster understanding of the concepts and problems of data base development and management; (5) facilitate recognition of how a computerized GIS can model conditions in the present "real world" to project conditions in the future; and (6) appreciate the utility of integrating LANDSAT and other remotely sensed data into the GIS.

Campbell, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Space applications of Automation, Robotics and Machine Intelligence Systems (ARAMIS). Volume 2: Space projects overview

Applications of automation, robotics, and machine intelligence systems (ARAMIS) to space activities, and their related ground support functions are studied so that informed decisions can be made on which aspects of ARAMIS to develop. The space project breakdowns, which are used to identify tasks ('functional elements'), are described. The study method concentrates on the production of a matrix relating space project tasks to pieces of ARAMIS.

Miller, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Space applications of Automation, Robotics and Machine Intelligence Systems (ARAMIS). Volume 4: Application of ARAMIS capabilities to space project functional elements

Applications of automation, robotics, and machine intelligence systems (ARAMIS) to space activities and their related ground support functions are studied, so that informed decisions can be made on which aspects of ARAMIS to develop. The specific tasks which will be required by future space project tasks are identified and the relative merits of these options are evaluated. The ARAMIS options defined and researched span the range from fully human to fully machine, including a number of intermediate options (e.g., humans assisted by computers, and various levels of teleoperation). By including this spectrum, the study searches for the optimum mix of humans and machines for space project tasks.

Miller, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Precursors and adjuncts of a lunar base

The automated, teleoperated, robotic and human-tended subsystems which will precede and accompany a lunar base program are discussed. The information about lunar conditions that can be provided by such precursors and adjuncts is addressed. The use of precursors and adjuncts for communications and navigation, for safety and survival, for lunar archives, and for entertainment and leisure is examined.

Burke, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

NASA Uniform Files Index

This handbook is a guide for the use of all personnel engaged in handling NASA files. It is issued in accordance with the regulations of the National Archives and Records Administration, in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 36, Part 1224, Files Management; and the Federal Information Resources Management Regulation, Subpart 201-45.108, Files Management. It is intended to provide a standardized classification and filing scheme to achieve maximum uniformity and ease in maintaining and using agency records. It is a framework for consistent organization of information in an arrangement that will be useful to current and future researchers. The NASA Uniform Files Index coding structure is composed of the subject classification table used for NASA management directives and the subject groups in the NASA scientific and technical information system. It is designed to correlate files throughout NASA and it is anticipated that it may be useful with automated filing systems. It is expected that in the conversion of current files to this arrangement it will be necessary to add tertiary subjects and make further subdivisions under the existing categories. Established primary and secondary subject categories may not be changed arbitrarily. Proposals for additional subject categories of NASA-wide applicability, and suggestions for improvement in this handbook, should be addressed to the Records Program Manager at the pertinent installation who will forward it to the NASA Records Management Office, Code NTR, for approval. This handbook is issued in loose-leaf form and will be revised by page changes.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

Monitoring Java Programs with Java PathExplorer

We present recent work on the development Java PathExplorer (JPAX), a tool for monitoring the execution of Java programs. JPAX can be used during program testing to gain increased information about program executions, and can potentially furthermore be applied during operation to survey safety critical systems. The tool facilitates automated instrumentation of a program's late code which will then omit events to an observer during its execution. The observer checks the events against user provided high level requirement specifications, for example temporal logic formulae, and against lower level error detection procedures, for example concurrency related such as deadlock and data race algorithms. High level requirement specifications together with their underlying logics are defined in the Maude rewriting logic, and then can either be directly checked using the Maude rewriting engine, or be first translated to efficient data structures and then checked in Java.

Havelund, Klaus↗
NASA NTRS2003

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2003

Topics covered include: Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Polymer/Clay Nanocomposites; Less-Toxic Coatings for Inhibiting Corrosion of Aluminum; Liquid Coatings for Reducing Corrosion of Steel in Concrete; Processable Polyimides Containing APB and Reactive End Caps; Rod/Coil Block Copolyimides for Ion-Conducting Membranes; Techniques for Characterizing Microwave Printed Antennas; Cylindrical Antenna With Partly Adaptive Phased-Array Feed; Command Interface ASIC - Analog Interface ASIC Chip Set; Predicting Accumulations of Ice on Aerodynamic Surfaces; Analyzing Aeroelasticity in Turbomachines; Software for Allocating Resources in the Deep Space Network; Expert Seeker; High-Speed Recording of Test Data on Hard Disks; Functionally Graded Nanophase Beryllium/Carbon Composites; Thin Thermal-Insulation Blankets for Very High Temperatures; Aerostructures Test Wing; Flight-Test Evaluation of Flutter-Prediction Methods; Piezoelectrically Actuated Microvalve for Liquid Effluents; Larger-Stroke Piezoelectrically Actuated Microvalve; Innovative, High-Pressure, Cryogenic Control Valve: Short Face-to-Face, Reduced Cost; Safer Roadside Crash Walls Would Limit Deceleration; Improved Interactive Medical-Imaging System; Scanning Microscopes Using X Rays and Microchannels; Slotting Fins of Heat Exchangers to Provide Thermal Breaks; Methane Clathrate Hydrate Prospecting; Automated Monitoring with a BSP Fault-Detection Test; Automated Monitoring with a BCP Fault-Decision Test; Vector-Ordering Filter Procedure for Data Reduction; Remote Sensing and Information Technology for Large Farms; Developments at the Advanced Design Technologies Testbed; Spore-Forming Bacteria that Resist Sterilization; and Acoustical Applications of the HHT Method.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2008

Communicating Navigation Data Inside the Cassini-Huygens Project: Visualizations and Tools

The Cassini-Huygens Saturn tour poses an interesting navigation challenge. From July 2004 through June 2008, the Cassini orbiter performed 112 of 161 planned maneuvers. This demanding schedule, where maneuvers are often separated by just a few days, motivated the development of maneuver design/analysis automation software tools. Besides generating maneuver designs and presentations, these tools are the mechanism to producing other types of navigation information; information used to facilitate operational decisions on such issues as maneuver cancellation and alternate maneuver strategies. This paper will discuss the navigation data that are communicated inside the Cassini-Huygens Project, as well as the maneuver software tools behind the processing of the data.

maneuver↗
NASA NTRS2016

Creating Systems Engineering Products with Executable Models in a Model-Based Engineering Environment

Applying systems engineering across the life-cycle results in a number of products built from interdependent sources of information using different kinds of system level analysis. This paper focuses on leveraging the Executable System Engineering Method (ESEM) which automates requirements verification (e.g. power and mass budget margins and duration analysis of operational modes) using executable SysML models. The particular value proposition is to integrate requirements, and executable behavior and performance models for certain types of system level analysis. The models are created with modeling patterns that involve structural, behavioral and parametric diagrams, and are managed by an open source Model Based Engineering Environment (named OpenMBEE). This paper demonstrates how the ESEM is applied in conjunction with OpenMBEE to create key engineering products (e.g. operational concept document) for the Alignment and Phasing System (APS) within the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project, which is under development by the TMT International Observatory (TIO).

MBSE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Artemis Flight Plan Evolution

Current capabilities and processes are insufficient to confidently meet mission objectives given the complexity of humans on the ground and on-orbit working with different automated vehicles. This research aims to reduce risk of human error by providing a consolidated, human-digestible, source of information that can be used in pre-mission through mission execution by all team members involved in spaceflight.

Mission Control↗
NASA NTRS2013

Investigating the Complexity of Transitioning Separation Assurance Tools into NextGen Air Traffic Control

In a study, that introduced ground-based separation assurance automation through a series of envisioned transitional phases of concept maturity, it was found that subjective responses to scales of workload, situation awareness, and acceptability in a post run questionnaire revealed as-predicted results for three of the four study conditions but not for the third, Moderate condition. The trend continued for losses of separation (LOS) where the number of LOS events were far greater than expected in the Moderate condition. To offer an account of why the Moderate condition was perceived to be more difficult to manage than predicted, researchers examined the increase in amount and complexity of traffic, increase in communication load, and increased complexities as a result of the simulation's mix of aircraft equipage. Further analysis compared the tools presented through the phases, finding that controllers took advantage of the informational properties of the tools presented but shied away from using their decision support capabilities. Taking into account similar findings from other studies, it is suggested that the Moderate condition represented the first step into a "shared control" environment, which requires the controller to use the automation as a decision making partner rather than just a provider of information. Viewed in this light, the combination of tools offered in the Moderate condition was reviewed and some tradeoffs that may offset the identified complexities were suggested.

separation assurance↗