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At least 829 records · Page 46

Constitutive Theory Developed for Monolithic Ceramic Materials

With the increasing use of advanced ceramic materials in high-temperature structural applications such as advanced heat engine components, the need arises to accurately predict thermomechanical behavior that is inherently time-dependent and that is hereditary in the sense that the current behavior depends not only on current conditions but also on the material's thermomechanical history. Most current analytical life prediction methods for both subcritical crack growth and creep models use elastic stress fields to predict the time-dependent reliability response of components subjected to elevated service temperatures. Inelastic response at high temperatures has been well documented in the materials science literature for these material systems, but this issue has been ignored by the engineering design community. From a design engineer's perspective, it is imperative to emphasize that accurate predictions of time-dependent reliability demand accurate stress field information. Ceramic materials exhibit different time-dependent behavior in tension and compression. Thus, inelastic deformation models for ceramics must be constructed in a fashion that admits both sensitivity to hydrostatic stress and differing behavior in tension and compression. A number of constitutive theories for materials that exhibit sensitivity to the hydrostatic component of stress have been proposed that characterize deformation using time-independent classical plasticity as a foundation. However, none of these theories allow different behavior in tension and compression. In addition, these theories are somewhat lacking in that they are unable to capture the creep, relaxation, and rate-sensitive phenomena exhibited by ceramic materials at high temperatures. The objective of this effort at the NASA Lewis Research Center has been to formulate a macroscopic continuum theory that captures these time-dependent phenomena. Specifically, the effort has focused on inelastic deformation behavior associated with these service conditions by developing a multiaxial viscoplastic constitutive model that accounts for time-dependent hereditary material deformation (such as creep and stress relaxation) in monolithic structural ceramics. Using continuum principles of engineering mechanics, we derived the complete viscoplastic theory from a scalar dissipative potential function.

Janosik, Lesley A.↗

Pan and Tilt Platform for a Thermal Vacuum Video Camera

The purpose of the Space Simulation Test Engineering (SSTE) Section at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is "to provide full service test support, engineering expertise, and state-of-the-art facilities to perform simulated space and thermal cycle testing of Earth orbit and deep space flight hardware"(ref. 1). During the Integration & Testing phase of space flight projects, flight hardware must successfully demonstrate its functionality under conditions similar to the actual environment experienced in space. When testing hardware with mechanical components, such as antenna extensions, door openings, or solar panel deployments, visual observation would allow test personnel to verify mechanical operations in real-time. A video camera can supply data that the usual sensors inside a TV chamber cannot provide. Since mechanical functional testing could affect multiple regions of a test item, a camera with a fixed position may not be able to monitor and record the performance of different components of a mechanism, especially for large test items. By mounting the camera to a Pan and Tilt Platform, the camera can cover a larger area and its field-of-view (FOV) will increase significantly. This paper details the design process for the Pan and Tilt Platform.

Lui, Yan↗

FAILSAFE Health Management for Embedded Systems

The FAILSAFE project is developing concepts and prototype implementations for software health management in mission- critical, real-time embedded systems. The project unites features of the industry-standard ARINC 653 Avionics Application Software Standard Interface and JPL s Mission Data System (MDS) technology (see figure). The ARINC 653 standard establishes requirements for the services provided by partitioned, real-time operating systems. The MDS technology provides a state analysis method, canonical architecture, and software framework that facilitates the design and implementation of software-intensive complex systems. The MDS technology has been used to provide the health management function for an ARINC 653 application implementation. In particular, the focus is on showing how this combination enables reasoning about, and recovering from, application software problems.

Horvath, Gregory A.↗

Space Link Extension Protocol Emulation for High-Throughput, High-Latency Network Connections

New space missions require higher data rates and new protocols to meet these requirements. These high data rate space communication links push the limitations of not only the space communication links, but of the ground communication networks and protocols which forward user data to remote ground stations (GS) for transmission. The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems, (CCSDS) Space Link Extension (SLE) standard protocol is one protocol that has been proposed for use by the NASA Space Network (SN) Ground Segment Sustainment (SGSS) program. New protocol implementations must be carefully tested to ensure that they provide the required functionality, especially because of the remote nature of spacecraft. The SLE protocol standard has been tested in the NASA Glenn Research Center's SCENIC Emulation Lab in order to observe its operation under realistic network delay conditions. More specifically, the delay between then NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN) and spacecraft has been emulated. The round trip time (RTT) delay for the continental NISN network has been shown to be up to 120ms; as such the SLE protocol was tested with network delays ranging from 0ms to 200ms. Both a base network condition and an SLE connection were tested with these RTT delays, and the reaction of both network tests to the delay conditions were recorded. Throughput for both of these links was set at 1.2Gbps. The results will show that, in the presence of realistic network delay, the SLE link throughput is significantly reduced while the base network throughput however remained at the 1.2Gbps specification. The decrease in SLE throughput has been attributed to the implementation's use of blocking calls. The decrease in throughput is not acceptable for high data rate links, as the link requires constant data a flow in order for spacecraft and ground radios to stay synchronized, unless significant data is queued a the ground station. In cases where queuing the data is not an option, such as during real time transmissions, the SLE implementation cannot support high data rate communication.

Computer Networking↗

Restore-L Intern Final Report

Every year, approximately 20 satellites are retired because their propellants are exhausted. Primarily limited by fuel, the satellites are usually fully functioning otherwise. The lifetimes of satellites can be extended with the capability of refueling. Not only would refueling extend satellite lifetime, it would also provide future satellites flexibility to prioritize other elements of their missions. Restore-L is a Goddard Space Flight Center Satellite Servicing Projects Division mission with the primary objectives of developing tools, technologies, and techniques to extend the lifetime of satellites - even if they were not designed to be serviced in or- bit. Equipped with five key servicing technology elements, the Restore-L Servicing Vehicle will demonstrate industry-changing satellite servicing technologies. The primary goal of the Restore-L mission is to rendezvous with, grasp, refuel, and relocate a government-owned satellite to extend its lifetime. The Propellant Transfer Subsystem (PTS) is required to deliver measured amounts of fuel to the client satellite in a safe manner.

Negi, Abhay↗

Cost and Reliability Study for a Large Array of Small Reflector Antennas for JPL/NASA Deep Space Network (DSN)

A study is performed to estimate the cost of an array of small aperture reflector antennas to be used instead or in conjunction with the current large reflector antennas of the JPL/NASA Deep Space Network (DSN), for servicing present and future NASA missions which involve smaller spacecraft with limited power and smaller, lower gain antennas. The advantages of the array configuration in terms of cost and reliability are studied. A probabilistic determination of the reliability and availability of the array as a function of the number of array elements and the availability of individual array elements is made. The impact of additional marginal elements on the operational availability of the array is studied. Parametric cost and reliability plots are presented and directions for further investigation are outlined.

Resch, G.↗

Interoperability Review of Wireless Hardware in Emergency Air-To-Ground Mesh Networks

The air-to-ground network has the goal of advancing the capabilities and versatility of communications in wildfire and emergency scenarios. To ensure compatibility and keep costs low for emergency services interoperability between hardware is an important step in development of the mesh network. For the purposes of this evaluation interoperability of hardware is described as the ability for hardware from different vendors to be interchangeable within the network with minimal initial setup and no functional change from an operator’s viewpoint. This report will also focus on the features and limitations in addition to the interoperability of the major wireless hardware systems core to the function of the proposed air-to-ground mesh network. The hardware systems involved are ADS-B receivers, 3GPP Sidelink devices, mesh radios, and commercial ISM band radios. For early testing the mesh radios will be in the 900 MHz frequency range using the DoodleLabs RM-1700-22W Mesh Rider Radio as the lab reference. This report will consider and categorize desirability of features, the amount of setup required before deployment, the effect on performance characteristics from nominal and maximum load, and the ability to interface with other vender devices.

Mesh Radio↗

National Campaign (NC)-1 Strategic Conflict Management Simulation (X4) Community Based Rules

Projected demand for transportation services in the urban environment has led to the development of several Concepts of Operation for Urban Air Mobility, or UAM. UAM is a concept for the transportation of people and goods in the metropolitan environment using small, efficient aircraft over short distances as part of an expanding multimodal transportation network. UAM will leverage emerging technologies including electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, increasing levels of automation and a new operational paradigm in dense airspace where a set of agreed-upon rules govern the procedures and interactions defining a cooperative environment in which operators are entrusted with a range of functions typically conducted by Air Traffic Control (ATC). These rules, proposed in the FAA NextGen Office’s UAM Concept of Operations [1], were originally termed Community Based Rules or Community Business Rules (CBRs), and will in the future termed Cooperative Operating Practices (COPs); this document uses the original term, CBR. CBRs are a set of rules, developed by the UAM community and (where necessary) approved by the FAA that govern the interactions between UAM entities and limit the need for ATC services including, but not limited to, separation control by ATC, addressing a fundamental challenge to scaling UAM operations. UAM community development of CBRs is anticipated to accelerate the adoption of new practices while retaining the regulatory authority of the FAA within required domains (e.g., NAS safety, security and equal access). However, there currently exists no agreed industry forum or defined procedures for CBR development. Investigation of best practices for the development of UAM CBRs was identified by NASA and the FAA NextGen Office as a research need. In collaboration with seven industry partners, NASA participated in a series of simulations that investigated elements of the envisioned UAM operations, with a primary focus on Strategic Conflict Management (SCM). The development and conduct of cooperative UAM simulations with seven industry partners provided a unique opportunity to investigate CBR development practices. Development of CBRs for the UAM SCM simulations was conducted in parallel with simulation capability development and was closely related to requirements definition for the simulations. As such, the CBR development effort presented herein had two objectives: explore CBR development practices in collaboration with the industry partners and develop an initial set of UAM CBRs to support simulation requirements definition and development. Consensus was achieved among NASA and the industry partners on 24 CBRs that were developed to support the cooperative simulation operations across five topic areas: General (related to test requirements), Operational Intent, Conformance Monitoring, Demand Capacity Balancing, and Airspace Constraint Management. Additional topic areas and CBRs were discussed but were deemed outside the scope of the simulation; these are included in the appendices. A collaborative, iterative process was employed for developing the CBRs engaging both NASA and Industry; because CBR development is envisioned to be community-driven, opportunities were sought that provided industry partners leadership roles in developing CBRs. The following key observations and recommendations may aid the UAM industry in future CBR development efforts: - The lack of a defined process proved challenging initially. Stakeholder engagement in the early stages of CBR development was intermittent and may have been due to the lack of a clear definition of roles and responsibilities of those involved in the effort. - Industry leadership of CBR topic areas proved successful. Discussions in these topic areas were engaging, with alternate viewpoints freely discussed and detailed CBRs resulting. This points to the importance of identifying the best-suited leadership in technical areas for CBR development. - Discussions within a CBR topic area were typically dominated by only a few participants. Whereas all industry partners contributed to CBR development, within each topic area, technical leadership was evident even when not formally established. This observation may indicate that smaller, focused groups may be more effective in initial CBR development than an open forum or large standards development effort (although both maybe required prior to FAA review and approval for some CBRs). - Identifying suitable forums for initial UAM CBR development and identifying the most effective industry participants and leadership will be crucial for successful CBR development. Although the operational need for UAM CBRs may not be immediate, establishing the forums and leadership to define the processes for CBR development is a prudent early step to UAM realization.

Community Based Rules↗

Coordination and establishment of centralized facilities and services of the University of Alaska ERTS survey of the Alaskan environment

The author has identified the following significant results. The objective of this project is to provide a focus for the entire University of Alaska ERTS-1 effort (12 projects covering 10 disciplines and involving 8 research institutes and science departments). Activities have been concentrated on the implementation of the project's three primary functions: (1) coordination and management of the U of A ERTS-1 program, including management of the flow of data and data products; (2) acquisition, installation, test, operation, and maintanence of centralized facilities for processing ERTS-1, aircraft, and ground truth data; and (3) development of photographic and digital techniques for processing and interpreting ERTS-1 and aircraft data. With minor exceptions these three functions are now well-established and working smoothly.

Belon, A. E.↗

Information transfer satellite concept study. Volume 1: Summary

A wide range of information transfer demands were identified and analyzed. They were then combined into an appropriate set of requirements for satellite communication services. In this process the demands were ranked and combined into single and multipurpose satellite systems. A detailed analysis was performed on each satellite system to determine: total system cost, including both ground and space segments; sensitivities of the systems to various system tradeoffs; and forcing functions which control the system variations. A listing of candidate missions for detailed study is presented, along with a description of the conceptual system design and an identification of the technology developments required to bring these systems to fruition.

Bergin, P.↗

Full-scale Skylab Apollo telescope mount deployment tests

During the initial stages of the NASA Skylab orbit, the Apollo telescope mount (ATM) is deployed by the deployment assembly (DA) which clears the multiple docking adapter axial docking port. This is an essential prerequisite to docking the command service module with the orbital workshop and subsequent occupancy of the workshop by the Apollo three-man crew. The objectives of the full-scale NASA Skylab ATM deployment test program were (1) to evaluate the design concept of the DA and deployment mechanisms while functioning in a zero-g environment with simulated ATM mass properties and (2) to evaluate the effects of handling, transporting, and deployment with respect to the structural geometry and stability of the DA.

Fricker, G. F.↗

Statistical distribution of time to crack initiation and initial crack size using service data

Crack growth inspection data gathered during the service life of the C-130 Hercules airplane were used in conjunction with a crack propagation rule to estimate the distribution of crack initiation times and of initial crack sizes. A Bayesian statistical approach was used to calculate the fraction of undetected initiation times as a function of the inspection time and the reliability of the inspection procedure used.

Heller, R. A.↗

RIMS: Resource Information Management System

An overview is given of the capabilities and functions of the resource management system (RIMS). It is a simple interactive DMS tool which allows users to build, modify, and maintain data management applications. The RIMS minimizes programmer support required to develop/maintain small data base applications. The RIMS also assists in bringing the United Information Services (UIS) budget system work inhouse. Information is also given on the relationship between the RIMS and the user community.

Symes, J.↗

Multipurpose Scribing and Drawing Tool

Two-part tool reconfigured for variety of jobs. Tool performs several functions useful in layout. Lines, curves, and angles made visible as either bright scribe marks or as dark pencil (or ink) marks. Multipurpose tool speeds up laying out of patterns on sheet metal, wood, plastic, or paper. Tool is carried in pocket, then quickly assembled for service as height gauge, pair of dividers, protractor, surface gauge, or square.

Ellis, J. M.↗

Investigation of test methods, material properties and processes for solar cell encapsulants

The historical development of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) is presented, including the functional requirements, polymer selection, curing, stabilization, production and module processing. The construction and use of a new method for the accelerated aging of polymers is detailed. The method more closely resembles the conditions that may be encountered in actual module field exposure and additionally may permit service life to be predicted accurately. The use of hardboard as a low cost candidate substrate material is studied. The performance of surface antisoiling treatments useful for imparting a self cleaning property to modules is updated.

Willis, P. B.↗

NSI directed to continue SPAN's functions

During a series of network management retreats in June and July 1990, representatives from NASA Headquarters Codes O and S agreed on networking roles and responsibilities for their respective organizations. The representatives decided that NASA Science Internet (NSI) will assume management of both the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN) and the NASA Science Network (NSN). SPAN is now known as the NSI/DECnet, and NSN is now known as the NSI/IP. Some management functions will be distributed between Ames Research Center (ARC) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). NSI at ARC has the lead role for requirements generation and networking engineering. Advanced Applications and the Network Information Center is being developed at GSFC. GSFC will lead the NSI User Services, but NSI at Ames will continue to provide the User Services during the transition. The transition will be made as transparent as possible for the users. DECnet service will continue, but is now directly managed by NSI at Ames. NSI will continue to work closely with routing center managers at other NASA centers, and has formed a transition team to address the change in management. An NSI/DECnet working group had also been formed as a separate engineering group within NSI to plan the transition to Phase 5, DECnet's approach to Open System Integration (OSI). Transition is not expected for a year or more due to delays in produce releases. Plans to upgrade speeds in tail circuits and the backbone are underway. The proposed baseline service for new connections is up to 56 Kbps; 9.6 Kbps lines will gradually be upgraded as requirements dictate. NSI is in the process of consolidating protocol traffic, tail circuits, and the backbone. Currently NSI's backbone is fractional T1; NSI will go to full T1 service as soon as it is feasible.

Rounds, Fred↗

Interim Service ISDN Satellite (ISIS) simulator development for advanced satellite designs and experiments

The simulation development associated with the network models of both the Interim Service Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Satellite (ISIS) and the Full Service ISDN Satellite (FSIS) architectures is documented. The ISIS Network Model design represents satellite systems like the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) orbiting switch. The FSIS architecture, the ultimate aim of this element of the Satellite Communications Applications Research (SCAR) Program, moves all control and switching functions on-board the next generation ISDN communications satellite. The technical and operational parameters for the advanced ISDN communications satellite design will be obtained from the simulation of ISIS and FSIS engineering software models for their major subsystems. Discrete event simulation experiments will be performed with these models using various traffic scenarios, design parameters, and operational procedures. The data from these simulations will be used to determine the engineering parameters for the advanced ISDN communications satellite.

Pepin, Gerard R.↗

Cost and reliability study for a large array of small reflector antennas for JPL/NASA Deep Space Network (DSN)

A study performed to estimate the cost of an array of small aperture reflector antennas to be used instead of or in conjunction with the current large reflector antennas of the JPL/NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) is described. The arrays are used for servicing present and future NASA missions that involve smaller spacecraft with limited power and smaller, lower-gain antennas. The advantages of the array configuration in terms of cost and reliability are discussed. A probabilistic determination of the reliability and availability of the array as a function of the number of array elements and the availability of individual array elements is made. The impact of additional marginal elements on the operational availability of the array is studied. Parametric cost and reliability plots are presented and directions for further investigation are outlined.

Jamnejad, Vahraz↗