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NASA NTRS1989

Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programming Techniques to Tactical Guidance for Fighter Aircraft

A research program investigating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to aid in the development of a Tactical Decision Generator (TDG) for Within-Visual-Range (WVR) air combat engagements is discussed. The application of AI methods for development and implementation of the TDG is presented. The history of the Adaptive Maneuvering Logic (AML) program is traced and current versions of the AML program are compared and contrasted with the TDG system. The Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS) used by the TDG to aid in the decision-making process are outlined in detail and example rules are presented. The results of tests to evaluate the performance of the TDG versus a version of AML and versus human pilots in the Langley Differential Maneuvering Simulator (DMS) are presented. To date, these results have shown significant performance gains in one-versus-one air combat engagements, and the AI-based TDG software has proven to be much easier to modify than the updated FORTRAN AML programs.

McManus, John W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Dynamic visual acuity using "far" and "near" targets

CONCLUSIONS: DVA may be useful for assessing the functional consequences of an impaired gaze stabilization mechanism or for testing the effectiveness of a rehabilitation paradigm. Because target distance influences the relative contributions of canal and otolith inputs, the ability to measure DVA at near and far viewing distances may also lead to tests that will independently assess canal and otolith function. OBJECTIVE: To present and test a methodology that uses dynamic visual acuity (DVA) to assess the efficacy of compensatory gaze mechanisms during a functionally relevant activity that differentially measures canal and otolith function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The effect of treadmill walking at a velocity of 1.79 m/s on subjects' visual acuity was assessed at each of two viewing distances. A custom-written threshold determination program was used to display Landolt C optotypes on a laptop computer screen during a "far" (4 m) target condition and on a micro-display for a "near" (50 cm) target condition. The walking acuity scores for each target distance were normalized by subtracting a corresponding acuity measure obtained while standing still on the treadmill belt. RESULTS: As predicted by subjective reports of relative target motion, the decrease in visual acuity was significantly greater (p < 0.00001) for the near compared to the far condition.

Pattern Recognition, Visual/physiology↗

NASA NTRS1993

Future directions in flight simulation: A user perspective

Langley Research Center was an early leader in simulation technology, including a special emphasis in space vehicle simulations such as the rendezvous and docking simulator for the Gemini program and the lunar landing simulator used before Apollo. In more recent times, Langley operated the first synergistic six degree of freedom motion platform (the Visual Motion Simulator, or VMS) and developed the first dual-dome air combat simulator, the Differential Maneuvering Simulator (DMS). Each Langley simulator was developed more or less independently from one another with different programming support. At present time, the various simulation cockpits, while supported by the same host computer system, run dissimilar software. The majority of recent investments in Langley's simulation facilities have been hardware procurements: host processors, visual systems, and most recently, an improved motion system. Investments in software improvements, however, have not been of the same order.

Jackson, Bruce↗

NASA NTRS1994

Debris/ice/TPS assessment and integrated photographic analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-59

A debris/ice/thermal protection system assessment and integrated photographic analysis was conducted for shuttle mission STS-59. Debris inspections of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Icing conditions on the external tank were assessed by the use of computer programs, nomographs, and infrared scanner data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle followed by an on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography of the launch was analyzed to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flight anomalies. This report documents the ice/debris/ thermal protection system conditions and integrated photographic analysis of shuttle mission STS-59, and the resulting effect on the Space Shuttle Program.

Katnik, Gregory N.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Technology Assessment of High Capacity Data Storage Systems: Can We Avoid a Data Survivability Crisis?

In a recent address at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Vice President Al Gore articulated a Digital Earth Vision. That vision spoke to developing a multi-resolution, three-dimensional visual representation of the planet into which we can roam and zoom into vast quantities of embedded geo-referenced data. The vision was not limited to moving through space, but also allowing travel over a time-line, which can be set for days, years, centuries, or even geological epochs. A working group of Federal Agencies, developing a coordinated program to implement the Vice President's vision, developed the definition of the Digital Earth as a visual representation of our planet that enables a person to explore and interact with the vast amounts of natural and cultural geo-referenced information gathered about the Earth. One of the challenges identified by the agencies was whether the technology existed that would be available to permanently store and deliver all the digital data that enterprises might want to save for decades and centuries. Satellite digital data is growing by Moore's Law as is the growth of computer generated data. Similarly, the density of digital storage media in our information-intensive society is also increasing by a factor of four every three years. The technological bottleneck is that the bandwidth for transferring data is only growing at a factor of four every nine years. This implies that the migration of data to viable long-term storage is growing more slowly. The implication is that older data stored on increasingly obsolete media are at considerable risk if they cannot be continuously migrated to media with longer life times. Another problem occurs when the software and hardware systems for which the media were designed are no longer serviced by their manufacturers. Many instances exist where support for these systems are phased out after mergers or even in going out of business. In addition, survivability of older media can suffer from physical breakdown of components (e.g. tapes simply lose their magnetic properties after a long time in storage). As a result, a potential data survivability crisis is emerging. The scale of the crisis is comparable to that facing the Social Security System. Sometime in one or two decades, the exponential growth of data will become so great that many enterprises will not be able to migrate through their data to more permanent media during the lifetime of the media on which it resides. This will result in significant losses of data and their resultant impacts. To avoid this crisis, we need to plan and devote greater financial and intellectual resources are needed for the development and refinement of new storage media and migration technologies in order to preserve all data any organization determines worth saving permanently. This talk will explore technological solutions and suggested recommendations to address this technological data crisis.

Halem, Milton↗

NASA NTRS2003

Three-dimensional visual guidance improves the accuracy of calculating right ventricular volume with two-dimensional echocardiography

Three-dimensional guidance programs have been shown to increase the reproducibility of 2-dimensional (2D) left ventricular volume calculations, but these systems have not been tested in 2D measurements of the right ventricle. Using magnetic fields to identify the probe location, we developed a new 3-dimensional guidance system that displays the line of intersection, the plane of intersection, and the numeric angle of intersection between the current image plane and previously saved scout views. When used by both an experienced and an inexperienced sonographer, this guidance system increases the accuracy of the 2D right ventricular volume measurements using a monoplane pyramidal model. Furthermore, a reconstruction of the right ventricle, with a computed volume similar to the calculated 2D volume, can be displayed quickly by tracing a few anatomic structures on 2D scans.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

RadLab: A Comprehensive Database and Analysis Toolkit for Space Radiation Measurements Relevant to Space Radiation Biology

RadLab, a new addition to the NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR), is a public platform for space radiation data relevant to human space exploration. RadLab consists of a database, a submission portal, and user-friendly visualization and data analysis tools, including a graphical user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). Investigators from ISS partners including Germany, Italy, Canada, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Russia, Japan have committed to providing data from their instruments. RadLab will also include data from other spacecraft in LEO: the Space Shuttle, the Mir space station, biosatellites; and beyond LEO: the lunar and the Martian surface, the heliocentric orbit at 1 AU, Mars orbit, and Earth-Mars space. Once fully operational, RadLab will provide open, centralized access to space radiation physics data relevant to human space exploration; a platform for submission of data by agencies and research institutions responsible for radiation detectors deployed in space; analysis tools to facilitate detector and dataset intercomparison to better understand space habitat radiation environments; capabilities for space biology investigators to determine the radiation environment to which samples were exposed. A RadLab Working Group (RLWG) has been formed, modeled on the GeneLab Analysis Working Groups and comprised of data contributors and users. RLWG tasks include identifying data sources, normalizing data from diverse detectors, expanding the analysis toolkit and, perhaps most importantly, sharing ideas for research exploiting capabilities of RadLab. We will provide an overview of RadLab data and capabilities and discuss examples of its potential as a resource for open science.

radiation↗

NASA NTRS1967

Visual aspects of trans-stellar space flight.

Visual aspects of transstellar space flight

COMPUTER PROGRAM↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Global 3D Data Visualization and Analysis Platform with Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities in Support of Lunar Exploration

Introduction: The science goals for NASA’s Artemis program include: a) Understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles, b) Conducting experimental science in the lunar environment and c) Investigating and mitigating exploration risks. The permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) on the Lunar south pole are expected to host large quantities of water-ice and volatiles that are important for sustainable Lunar exploration. There are several missions such as onboard Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO: Korean name Danuri) with onboard ShadowCam camera, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One [4], and other efforts underway to obtain high resolution topographic, minerals, volatiles and other information on the moon. We envision a need in immediate future for platforms to integrate these data sets, provide rendering and visualization capabilities in the context of a 3D Lunar globe for easier information access and analysis. NASA's Celestial Mapping System (CMS) is developed to address the need for 3D tools for planetary science investigations, mission planning, in-situ operations, in a 3D-first design constructed around a unified view of a planetary globe. At present CMS provides many critical functionalities that include: 1) equipment planning and optimized placement on Lunar surface 2) line-of-sight (LOS) analysis 3) powerful measurement tools based on 3D terrain with realistic 3D models to represent rovers, astronauts and equipment 4) visualization of derived mapping products (e.g. resource maps), and 5) a data engine for hosting new observations that are not available in other contemporary lunar data tools. Planetary Data Ingestion: CMS can consume and analyze data from locally hosted and external third party sources. It is compatible with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) data and file standards and currently integrates datasets from the Astrogeology Science Center of USGS. This includes global and local data acquired from NASA (LRO, Clementine, Lunar Orbiter) and JAXA (SELENE/Kaguya), with capability of integrating more datasets. In addition, users can specify other WMS-hosted data endpoints, which CMS can then query and stream data from automatically. To set-up an automated process for ingestion and accurate rendering, visualization and analysis of external 3rd party planetary datasets within CMS, we initiated the process of ingesting unique dataset of super-enhanced images of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles which were produced by the Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software (HORUS) tool. This tool was developed to enhance the extremely low-light images of the interior of PSRs and provide the ability to see within these regions at and discern surface features (i.e. boulders and craters) down to 3 meters in size. We focused on the Nobile region on the Lunar south pole, selected site for VIPER mission and stitched several images to create a high-resolution map within one of the PSR of Nobile crater. Figure 1 shows the dark PSR zone form the original NAC layer of LRO as the base layer (left image) and the illuminated areas within that crater (center) which was created by ingesting and merging several of HORUS generated images. At present we employ a semi-automated process to ensure spatial accuracy and merger of several overlapping zones. However, we are in the process of completely automating this process by employing AI based techniques that would rank, sort, and stack the images based on their information density. The georectification of the images would employ selected features. Analysis on Ingested Planetary Datasets: Once an external planetary data-set is successfully ingested, georectified and merged seamlessly as a data-layer; CMS’ numerous analysis tools can be used on this data. A Line of Sight (LOS) tool has been developed for CMS which analyzes terrain profiles and obstructions to determine visibility for remote observers. Figure 1 (right image) shows the viewshed analysis on the same PSR in the Nobile region. The yellow pin shows the observer location outside the PSR. The yellow area shows the visible part of PSR. The obstructed area with no visibility for the observer is shown in red. The Measurements tool allows the user to take area and distance measurements of features on the terrain using various shapes. Measurement type can be specified in a number of ways: Line, Path, Polygon, Circle, Ellipse, Square, Rectangle or Freehand. Once the shape is specified, elevation information can then be extracted along each of these shapes. Figure 2 (left) shows the measurements performed on a crater n illuminated PSR in Nobile region. The equipment placement tool allows the user to place a 3D equipment model at a desired location and analyze its coverage area. The equipment placement tool is coupled with LOS to determine the coverage. Figure 2 (right) shows an equipment placed on the Lunar terrain and it’s coverage area. The red rays are blocked sight lines and the green rays are non-obstructed sight lines with the cyan lines showing the point of intersection with the terrain. More details are provided in the video demonstrations in Reference 5. Overcoming Polar Distortions: 3D geospatial applications exhibit significant distortions in polar imagery due to several reasons: 1) distortions in the source imagery, 2) incompatible tessellation algorithms at the poles, and 3) map projections. We are leveraging new tessellation algorithms and reprojecting data using projections that are better suited for Lunar poles. The goal is to seamlessly switch to polar projections while maintaining 3D view and navigation.

Maps↗

NASA NTRS1997

Development of a Space Radiation Monte Carlo Computer Simulation

The ultimate purpose of this effort is to undertake the development of a computer simulation of the radiation environment encountered in spacecraft which is based upon the Monte Carlo technique. The current plan is to adapt and modify a Monte Carlo calculation code known as FLUKA, which is presently used in high energy and heavy ion physics, to simulate the radiation environment present in spacecraft during missions. The initial effort would be directed towards modeling the MIR and Space Shuttle environments, but the long range goal is to develop a program for the accurate prediction of the radiation environment likely to be encountered on future planned endeavors such as the Space Station, a Lunar Return Mission, or a Mars Mission. The longer the mission, especially those which will not have the shielding protection of the earth's magnetic field, the more critical the radiation threat will be. The ultimate goal of this research is to produce a code that will be useful to mission planners and engineers who need to have detailed projections of radiation exposures at specified locations within the spacecraft and for either specific times during the mission or integrated over the entire mission. In concert with the development of the simulation, it is desired to integrate it with a state-of-the-art interactive 3-D graphics-capable analysis package known as ROOT, to allow easy investigation and visualization of the results. The efforts reported on here include the initial development of the program and the demonstration of the efficacy of the technique through a model simulation of the MIR environment. This information was used to write a proposal to obtain follow-on permanent funding for this project.

Pinsky, Lawrence S.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Global 3D Data Visualization and Analysis Platform With Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities in Support of Lunar Exploration

Introduction: The science goals for NASA’s Artemis program include: a) Understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles, b) Conducting experimental science in the lunar environment and c) Investigating and mitigating exploration risks [1]. The permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) on the Lunar south pole are expected to host large quantities of water-ice and volatiles that are important for sustainable Lunar exploration [2]. There are several missions such as onboard Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO: Korean name Danuri) with onboard ShadowCam camera [3], Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One [4], and other efforts underway to obtain high resolution topographic, minerals, volatiles and other information on the moon. We envision a need in immediate future for platforms to integrate these data sets, provide rendering and visualization capabilities in the context of a 3D Lunar globe for easier information access and analysis. NASA's Celestial Mapping System (CMS) [5] is developed to address the need for 3D tools for planetary science investigations, mission planning, in-situ operations, in a 3D-first design constructed around a unified view of a planetary globe. At present CMS provides many critical functionalities that include: 1) equipment planning and optimized placement on Lunar surface 2) line-of-sight (LOS) analysis 3) powerful measurement tools based on 3D terrain with realistic 3D models to represent rovers, astronauts and equipment 4) visualization of derived mapping products (e.g. resource maps), and 5) a data engine for hosting new observations that are not available in other contemporary lunar data tools [5, 7]. Planetary Data Ingestion: CMS can consume and analyze data from locally hosted and external third party sources. It is compatible with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) data and file standards and currently integrates datasets from the Astrogeology Science Center of USGS. This includes global and local data acquired from NASA (LRO, Clementine, Lunar Orbiter) and JAXA (SELENE/Kaguya), with capability of integrating more datasets. In addition, users can specify other WMS-hosted data endpoints, which CMS can then query and stream data from automatically. To set-up an automated process for ingestion and accurate rendering, visualization and analysis of external 3rd party planetary datasets within CMS, we initiated the process of ingesting unique dataset of super-enhanced images of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles which were produced by the Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software (HORUS) tool [8]. This tool was developed to enhance the extremely low-light images of the interior of PSRs and provide the ability to see within these regions at and discern surface features (i.e. boulders and craters) down to 3 meters in size. We focused on the Nobile region on the Lunar south pole, selected site for VIPER mission and stitched several images to create a high-resolution map within one of the PSR of Nobile crater. Figure 1 shows the dark PSR zone form the original NAC layer of LRO as the base layer (left image) and the illuminated areas within that crater (center) which was created by ingesting and merging several of HORUS generated images. At present we employ a semi-automated process to ensure spatial accuracy and merger of several overlapping zones. However, we are in the process of completely automating this process by employing AI based techniques that would rank, sort, and stack the images based on their information density. The georectification of the images would employ selected features. Analysis on Ingested Planetary Datasets: Once an external planetary data-set is successfully ingested, georectified and merged seamlessly as a data-layer; CMS’ numerous analysis tools can be used on this data. A Line of Sight (LOS) tool has been developed for CMS which analyzes terrain profiles and obstructions to determine visibility for remote observers [5,6]. Figure 1 (right image) shows the viewshed analysis on the same PSR in the Nobile region. The yellow pin shows the observer location outside the PSR. The yellow area shows the visible part of PSR. The obstructed area with no visibility for the observer is shown in red. The Measurements tool allows the user to take area and distance measurements of features on the terrain using various shapes. Measurement type can be specified in a number of ways: Line, Path, Polygon, Circle, Ellipse, Square, Rectangle or Freehand. Once the shape is specified, elevation information can then be extracted along each of these shapes. Figure 2 (left) shows the measurements performed on a crater n illuminated PSR in Nobile region. The equipment placement tool allows the user to place a 3D equipment model at a desired location and analyze its coverage area. The equipment placement tool is coupled with LOS to determine the coverage. Figure 2 (right) shows an equipment placed on the Lunar terrain and it’s coverage area. The red rays are blocked sight lines and the green rays are non-obstructed sight lines with the cyan lines showing the point of intersection with the terrain. More details are provided in the video demonstrations in Reference 5. Overcoming Polar Distortions: 3D geospatial applications exhibit significant distortions in polar imagery due to several reasons: 1) distortions in the source imagery, 2) incompatible tessellation algorithms at the poles, and 3) map projections. We are leveraging new tessellation algorithms and reprojecting data using projections that are better suited for Lunar poles. The goal is to seamlessly switch to polar projections while maintaining 3D view and navigation.

Maps↗

NASA NTRS1986

A laser-induced-fluorescence visualization study of transverse, sonic fuel injection in a nonreacting supersonic combustor

The present paper reports work which has been conducted in the first phase of a research program which is to provide a data base of spatially-resolved measurements in nonreacting supersonic combustors. In the measurements, a nonintrusive diagnostic technique based on the utilization of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is employed. The reported work had the objective to conduct LIF visualization studies of the injection of a simulated fuel into a Mach 2.07 airstream for comparison with corresponding numerical calculations. Attention is given to injection from a single orifice into a constant-area duct, injection from a single orifice behind a rearward-facing step, and injection from staged orifices behind a rearward-facing step.

Mcdaniel, J. C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

RadLab: A Comprehensive Database and Graphical and Programming Interfaces for Space Radiation Data

RadLab, a component of the NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR), is a database of radiation measurements from multiple instruments and spacecraft that provides visual and programmatic interfaces for interrogation and retrieval of these data. The attributes of data available through RadLab include spacecraft, types of radiation sensing instruments, locations within the spacecraft (e.g. ISS modules), associated celestial bodies, trajectories, and spacecraft coordinates; the primary type of data is the absorbed dose rate, as well as flux and dose equivalent rate where available. The application programming interface (API) implements a request syntax for retrieval of timestamped data filtered by various combinations of such attributes; the graphical user interface (GUI) extends this functionality with visualizations (time series plots, comparison plots, geospatial visualizations) which provide easy means to assess data availability, iteratively refine search parameters, interactively inspect the data, and export target data subsets. Datasets are continuously being added to the RadLab database as part of the rolling release process. Investigators from multiple countries, including the US, Canada, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Russia and the Czech Republic, have committed to provide data from their instruments in and beyond low Earth orbit. The current release contains datasets provided by US and international collaborators and includes readings from multiple modules of the ISS, the BioSentinel CubeSat, Chang’e 4, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the ExoMars Orbiter, and the Curiosity rover. Datasets are associated with respective RadLab knowledgebase articles which include instrument descriptions and provide bibliographical references. RadLab aims to provide a comprehensive, dynamic compendium of space radiation data, enabling the scientific community to perform analyses of data from multiple detectors and to determine the radiation environment of research missions and experiments. Some of its applications include inference of absorbed radiation dose for NASA GeneLab payloads, and training predictive models as part of the 2024 FDL-X challenge. The platform is actively expanding and seeking additional data, with plans to also cover past (e.g. Shuttle, Mir) and future (e.g. Artemis) missions. The RadLab Working Group has been created to aid in this process as well as to foster collaborations among data contributors and users, to develop standards for data harmonization, and to guide the development of the platform, with the goal to establish the use of RadLab in space radiation research and to advance our understanding of the radiation environment in outer space.

Kirill Grigorev↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

RadLab: A Comprehensive Database and Graphical and Programming Interfaces for Space Radiation Data

Kirill Grigorev↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Upping the TEMPO on Air Pollution Observations from Space for Enhanced Science Applications

The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) mission was launched into Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) to 91°W longitude on April 7, 2023, and had a successful First Light period from July 31 – August 2 where the first hourly daytime scans across the TEMPO Field of Regard (FoR) covering greater North America were performed. First light images of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were released to the public on August 24. In addition to NO2, TEMPO will provide hourly daytime observations of formaldehyde (HCHO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), bromine (BrO), water vapor (H2O), and aerosols, at high spatial resolution (~2.0 x 4.75 km2) across the FoR. The hyperspectral ultraviolet-to-visible measurements from the TEMPO imaging grating spectrometer will permit an ozone profile retrieval capable of monitoring the diurnal evolution of ozone in the planetary boundary layer. The non-standard or special scan operations of TEMPO at sub-hourly frequency (e.g., 2-10 minutes) over selected slices of the FoR will further enhance monitoring capabilities during air quality disasters (e.g., wildfires, volcanic eruptions, dust storms, industrial accidents), research studies, and field campaign operations. A large diversity of stakeholders and end-users have been engaged in the TEMPO Early Adopters Program, supported by the NASA Applied Sciences Program, which aims to enhance health and air quality applications and maximize the societal benefit of TEMPO data when operational data becomes publicly available in the spring of 2024. Key outcomes from the Early Adopters Program include the pre-launch use of TEMPO proxy data to prepare the community for operational data, tailoring the data dissemination and visualization tools for the mission based on user needs, and enhancing the TEMPO special operations component of the mission through early adopter studies. This presentation will provide the latest TEMPO mission and Early Adopters Program updates, initiatives from the TEMPO special operations, and early demonstrations of science applications enabled through TEMPO data, while also showcasing the First Light imagery.

Air Quality↗

NASA NTRS1977

Simulation replay - Implementation and flight simulation applications

Throughout the aircraft development process flight simulators are used to evaluate design concepts, 'handling' qualities, and operational procedures. A modern flight research simulator comprises a cockpit equipped with flight instruments and controls, subsystems to provide visual, motion, and other flight cues, and a digital computer. REPLAY is a computer program which enables a user to reproduce the multidimensional flight cues for an entire simulation 'run'. Attention is given to simulation fidelity improvement, simulation data recovery, simulation quality assurance, and aircraft systems research. It is pointed out that each of the applications discussed supports aircraft systems research by improving the realism, efficiency, or reliability of the simulation facility.

Crane, D. F.↗

NASA NTRS1987

NASA-Langley Research Center shapes tomorrow through innovative research

NASA-Langley is the home of the world's most advanced wind tunnel, the National Transonic Facility, which uses crygenic nitrogen vapor to test models of advanced aircraft and spacecraft. Langley also employs hundreds of computers of every type and capacity in order both to gather and analyze wind tunnel data and to undertake mathematical visualizations of complex flow phenomena. Langley has been involved in every major NASA space program, and had primary responsibility for the development of the Viking Mars probes. Currently, Langley is involved in the National Aerospace Plane Program and in the development of erectable space structures.

Clough, Jean Drummond↗

NASA NTRS1989

PLAID as a maintainability tool

PLAID is a computer-aided design tool for human factors engineering which has been used successfully in the Space Shuttle program and for design analysis of Space Station Freedom. PLAID capability includes analysis of visual fields of view, of the ability to reach a specified point, and of spatial conflicts. It enables the creation of animations which depict whole sequences of motions of astronauts and equipment. The PLAID graphics capability is described and its application to man-systems integration is briefly examined. The use of PLAID for maintainability is addressed, and future plans for PLAID are discussed.

Woolford, Barbara J.↗