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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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At least 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Vehicle management and mission planning in support of shuttle operations.

An operational approach to shuttle mission planning during high flight frequency years (20 or more flights per year) is described wherein diverse mission planning functions interface via an interactive computer system and common data base. The Vehicle Management and Mission Planning System (VMMPS) is proposed as a means of helping to accomplish the mission planning function. The VMMPS will link together into an interactive system the major mission planning areas such as trajectory, crew, vehicle performance, and launch operations. A common data base will be an integral part of the system and the concept of standard mission types and phases will be used to minimize mission to mission uniqueness. The use of this system will eliminate much redundancy and replanning, shorten interface times between functions, and provide a means to evaluate unplanned events and modify schedules.

Pruett, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

EPS analysis of nominal STS-1 flight

The results of electrical power system (EPS) analysis of the planned Shuttle Transportation System Flight 1 mission are presented. The capability of the orbiter EPS to support the planned flight and to provide program tape information and supplementary data specifically requested by the flight operations directorate was assessed. The analysis was accomplished using the orbiter version of the spacecraft electrical power simulator program, operating from a modified version of orbiter electrical equipment utilization baseline revision four. The results indicate that the nominal flight, as analyzed, is within the capabilities of the orbiter power generation system, but that a brief, and minimal, current overload may exist between main distributor 1 and mid power controlled 1, and that inverter 9 may the overloaded for extended periods of time. A comparison of results with launch commit criteria also indicated that some of the presently existing launch redlines may be violated during the terminal countdown.

Wolfgram, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Blackboard architectures and their relationship to autonomous space systems

The blackboard architecture provides a powerful paradigm for the autonomy expected in future spaceborne systems, especially SDI and Space Station. Autonomous systems will require skill in both the classic task of information analysis and the newer tasks of decision making, planning and system control. Successful blackboard systems have been built to deal with each of these tasks separately. The blackboard paradigm achieves success in difficult domains through its ability to integrate several uncertain sources of knowledge. In addition to flexible behavior during autonomous operation, the system must also be capable of incrementally growing from semiautonomy to full autonomy. The blackboard structure allows this development. The blackboard's ability to handle error, its flexible execution, and variants of this paradigm are discussed as they apply to specific problems of the space environment.

Thornbrugh, Allison↗
NASA NTRS2005

Autonomous Medical Care for Exploration

The goal of Autonomous Medical Care (AMC) is to ensure a healthy, well-performing crew which is a primary need for exploration. The end result of this effort will be the requirements and design for medical systems for the CEV, lunar operations, and Martian operations as well as a ground-based crew health optimization plan. Without such systems, we increase the risk of medical events occurring during a mission and we risk being unable to deal with contingencies of illness and injury, potentially threatening mission success. AMC has two major components: 1) pre-flight crew health optimization and 2) in-flight medical care. The goal of pre-flight crew health optimization is to reduce the risk of illness occurring during a mission by primary prevention and prophylactic measures. In-flight autonomous medical care is the capability to provide medical care during a mission with little or no real-time support from Earth. Crew medical officers or other crew members provide routine medical care as well as medical care to ill or injured crew members using resources available in their location. Ground support becomes telemedical consultation on-board systems/people collect relevant data for ground support to review. The AMC system provides capabilities to incorporate new procedures and training and advice as required. The on-board resources in an autonomous system should be as intelligent and integrated as is feasible, but autonomous does not mean that no human will be involved. The medical field is changing rapidly, and so a challenge is to determine which items to pursue now, which to leverage other efforts (e.g. military), and which to wait for commercial forces to mature. Given that what is used for the CEV or the Moon will likely be updated before going to Mars, a critical piece of the system design will be an architecture that provides for easy incorporation of new technologies into the system. Another challenge is to determine the level of care to provide for each mission type. The level of care refers to the amount and type of care one will render based on perceived need and ability. This is in contrast to the standard of care which is the benchmark by which that care is provided. There are certainly some devices and procedures that have unique microgravity or partial gravity requirements such that terrestrial methods will not work. For example, performing CPR on Mars cannot be done in exactly the same way as on Earth because the reduced gravity causes too large a reduction in the forces available for effective compression of the chest. Likewise, fluid behavior in microgravity may require a specialized water filtration and mixing system for the creation of intravenous fluids. This paper will outline the drivers for the design of the medical care systems, prioritization and planning techniques, key system components, and long term goals.

Johnson-Throop, Kathy A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Mission planning for an Earth observation low Earth orbiter: ERS-1

ERS-1, the first European Remote Sensing satellite, has a payload which consists primarily of microwave instruments and is in a polar sun-synchronous orbit. All ground and on-board activities from user requests to delivery of data products are combined into one integrated system. In view of the high number of products which can be generated by ERS-1, the Mission Planning System (MPS), which plans the on-board activities of ERS-1, is an essential tool for operations since manual planning of the large number of daily operations is out of the question. In addition the MPS, in line with the integrated nature of the ERS-1 system, also plans activities at the prime ground station, including among others, the operation of the payload data processing systems there. This paper outlines the operations concepts for ERS-1 mission planning, and describes the Mission Planning System used at the ERS-1 Control Center. Novel functionalities, such as automatic resource clash resolution, are described. A critical discussion gives lessons learned for future mission planning systems.

Lockyer, Paul↗
NASA NTRS1966

Logic system aids in evaluation of project readiness

Measurement Operational Readiness Requirements /MORR/ assignments logic is used for determining the readiness of a complex project to go forward as planned. The system used logic network which assigns qualities to all important criteria in a project and establishes a logical sequence of measurements to determine what the conditions are.

Maris, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

HMMR (High-Resolution Multifrequency Microwave Radiometer) Earth observing system, volume 2e. Instrument panel report

Recommendations and background are provided for a passive microwave remote sensing system of the future designed to meet the observational needs of Earth scientist in the next decade. This system, called the High Resolution Multifrequency Microwave Radiometer (HMMR), is to be part of a complement of instruments in polar orbit. Working together, these instruments will form an Earth Observing System (EOS) to provide the information needed to better understand the fundamental, global scale processes which govern the Earth's environment. Measurements are identified in detail which passive observations in the microwave portion of the spectrum could contribute to an Earth Observing System in polar orbit. Requirements are established, e.g., spatial and temporal resolution, for these measurements so that, when combined with the other instruments in the Earth Observing System, they would yield a data set suitable for understanding the fundamental processes governing the Earth's environment. Existing and/or planned sensor systems are assessed in the light of these requirements, and additional sensor hardware needed to meet these observational requirements are defined.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Phase III integrated water recovery testing at MSFC - Design, plans, and protocols

A series of tests is being conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to evaluate the performance of a closed-loop water recovery system. Testing will be conducted at various levels of integration and loop-closure, culminating in complete closure of the water system with man-in-the-loop. This paper summarizes the test goals and objectives as well as the system design, plans, and protocols which have been established.

Bagdigian, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A decision support system for technology R&D planning: connecting the dots from information to innovation

This paper describes an information technology innovation developed to assist decision makers faced with complex R&D tasks. The decision support system (DSS) was developed and applied to the analysis of a 10-year, 700 million dollar technology program for the exploration of Mars. The technologies were to enable a 4.8 billion dollar portfolio of exploration flight missions to Mars.

DSS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Solar System Exploration Technology Requirements and Planning Process

The NASA Office of Space Science, in alliance with the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology, has developed an Integrated Technology Strategy to guide its investment in technology for space science missions. This strategy establishes goals and strategic objectives that ensure that NASA and the nation derive the greatest possible scientific and economic benefits from investments in space science missions and technologies. Within the Office of Space Science, the Solar System Exploration Division in collaboration with the Office of Space Access and Technology, is developing a Technology Plan to implement these goals and to identify specific goals and to identify specific technology needs for solar system missions. This paper describes the philosophy, processes, and preliminary results of the systematic process being established for the identification and prioritization of solar system exploration technology needs.

space↗
NASA NTRS1988

Towards a knowledge-based system to assist the Brazilian data-collecting system operation

A study is reported which was carried out to show how a knowledge-based approach would lead to a flexible tool to assist the operation task in a satellite-based environmental data collection system. Some characteristics of a hypothesized system comprised of a satellite and a network of Interrogable Data Collecting Platforms (IDCPs) are pointed out. The Knowledge-Based Planning Assistant System (KBPAS) and some aspects about how knowledge is organized in the IDCP's domain are briefly described.

Rodrigues, Valter↗
NASA NTRS2003

Lockheed Martin Response to the OSP Challenge

The Lockheed Martin Orbital Space Plane System provides crew transfer and rescue for the International Space Station more safely and affordably than current human space transportation systems. Through planned upgrades and spiral development, it is also capable of satisfying the Nation's evolving space transportation requirements and enabling the national vision for human space flight. The OSP System, formulated through rigorous requirements definition and decomposition, consists of spacecraft and launch vehicle flight elements, ground processing facilities and existing transportation, launch complex, range, mission control, weather, navigation, communication and tracking infrastructure. The concept of operations, including procurement, mission planning, launch preparation, launch and mission operations and vehicle maintenance, repair and turnaround, is structured to maximize flexibility and mission availability and minimize program life cycle cost. The approach to human rating and crew safety utilizes simplicity, performance margin, redundancy, abort modes and escape modes to mitigate credible hazards that cannot be designed out of the system.

Sullivan, Robert T.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Structural stability augmentation system design using BODEDIRECT: A quick and accurate approach

A methodology is presented for a modal suppression control law design using flight test data instead of mathematical models to obtain the required gain and phase information about the flexible airplane. This approach is referred to as BODEDIRECT. The purpose of the BODEDIRECT program is to provide a method of analyzing the modal phase relationships measured directly from the airplane. These measurements can be achieved with a frequency sweep at the control surface input while measuring the outputs of interest. The measured Bode-models can be used directly for analysis in the frequency domain, and for control law design. Besides providing a more accurate representation for the system inputs and outputs of interest, this method is quick and relatively inexpensive. To date, the BODEDIRECT program has been tested and verified for computational integrity. Its capabilities include calculation of series, parallel and loop closure connections between Bode-model representations. System PSD, together with gain and phase margins of stability may be calculated for successive loop closures of multi-input/multi-output systems. Current plans include extensive flight testing to obtain a Bode-model representation of a commercial aircraft for design of a structural stability augmentation system.

Goslin, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Reflective Focused Schlieren System Improved for Use in 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel

The reflective focused schlieren system that was developed for use in the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (10x10 SWT) at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field as part of the Unstart Test Program was improved this past year. In April 1999, the development and use of the system was presented at the Supersonic Tunnel Association International in Bedford, England. A focused schlieren system is similar to a standard schlieren system in that shock waves coming from an object in supersonic flow can be seen using a standard video camera. Unlike the standard schlieren system, which produces a two-dimensional schlieren image, a focused schlieren system can produce a threedimensional image. The preceding drawing shows the components of the reflective focused schlieren system being developed for use in the 10x10 SWT. Although the system worked well for the Unstart Test Program, it was not sensitive enough to be classified as a facility capability. Therefore, a program was implemented to improve the sensitivity of the reflective focused schlieren system so that it could be a facility capability for Glenn's 10x10 SWT. Several techniques were implemented to increase the sensitivity and to improve the overall operation of the system. These included refinement of the source grid, improvement in the cutoff grid production, improvement of the source grid and cutoff grid alignment, installation of an improved light source, and incorporation of an image-enhancing system. These changes are being implemented with the system set up in the laboratory. A checkout test of the system is planned in the 10x10 SWT in March 2000. Of these techniques, the most developed is the refinement of the source grid. The original system had a pattern of -in. by -in. squares on -in. centers (distance between the center points of adjacent squares). This gave a ratio of light to dark (reflective to nonreflective area) of 3:1. The recommended ratio is 1:1. In order to accomplish this, a pattern of -in.-diameter dots on 3/8-in. centers was developed. Preliminary tests with this pattern showed an increase in system sensitivity and image clarity. Further testing and refinement are scheduled. The former and improved dot patterns are shown. The use of glass plates to produce the cutoff grid improved the cutoff grid's quality and helped to align it with the source grid. The cutoff grid, which is the negative of the source grid, is made by exposing photography film (or glass plates) to the proper light while it is installed in the focused schlieren system. The exposed film or plate is removed from the system and then developed as a photograph negative. Because the glass plates are rigid, they eliminate the risk of distortion when the negative is reinstalled in the system and realigned with the source grid.

Williamson, Gary Scott↗
NASA NTRS2000

Iterative Repair Planning for Spacecraft Operations Using the Aspen System

This paper describes the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment (ASPEN). ASPEN encodes complex spacecraft knowledge of operability constraints, flight rules, spacecraft hardware, science experiments and operations procedures to allow for automated generation of low level spacecraft sequences. Using a technique called iterative repair, ASPEN classifies constraint violations (i.e., conflicts) and attempts to repair each by performing a planning or scheduling operation. It must reason about which conflict to resolve first and what repair method to try for the given conflict. ASPEN is currently being utilized in the development of automated planner/scheduler systems for several spacecraft, including the UFO-1 naval communications satellite and the Citizen Explorer (CX1) satellite, as well as for planetary rover operations and antenna ground systems automation. This paper focuses on the algorithm and search strategies employed by ASPEN to resolve spacecraft operations constraints, as well as the data structures for representing these constraints.

Rabideau, G.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The foundations of reusability: Successful experience and important conclusions from planning and scheduling of space operations

NASA's Office of Space Communications is sponsoring a combined technical and management initiative to dramatically decrease the cost of preparing for and conducting space operations. The authors present their successful experience and important conclusions from producing generalized and readily reusable solutions and systems for planning and scheduling applications. While generality by itself should enable reuse, generality alone may not produce the desired cost savings. Generality achieved by accumulating numerous special cases within a software system often increases the complexity of the software to the extent that maintenance costs overtake development savings. Because of this phenomenon, the authors have insisted on simplicity, as well as generality, to achieve cost-effective operation reusability. Simplicity and generality can be accomplished simultaneously when the basic 'Building Blocks' for a problem domain, in this paper, planning and scheduling, are discovered and implemented with reuse in mind. The Building Blocks for planning and scheduling are described. The authors also present examples of how these Building Blocks have accommodated various scenarios that were previously treated as mission-peculiar. Two case histories are presented to demonstrate operational reusability and cost effectiveness.

Hornstein, Rhoda Shaller↗