Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Product design”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 883 records · Page 49
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

An optical systems analysis approach to image resampling

All types of image registration require some type of resampling, either during the registration or as a final step in the registration process. Thus the image(s) must be regridded into a spatially uniform, or angularly uniform, coordinate system with some pre-defined resolution. Frequently the ending resolution is not the resolution at which the data was observed with. The registration algorithm designer and end product user are presented with a multitude of possible resampling methods each of which modify the spatial frequency content of the data in some way. The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1) to show how an imaging system modifies the scene from an end to end optical systems analysis approach, (2) to develop a generalized resampling model, and (3) empirically apply the model to simulated radiometric scene data and tabulate the results. A Hanning windowed sinc interpolator method will be developed based upon the optical characterization of the system. It will be discussed in terms of the effects and limitations of sampling, aliasing, spectral leakage, and computational complexity. Simulated radiometric scene data will be used to demonstrate each of the algorithms. A high resolution scene will be "grown" using a fractal growth algorithm based on mid-point recursion techniques. The result scene data will be convolved with a point spread function representing the optical response. The resultant scene will be convolved with the detection systems response and subsampled to the desired resolution. The resultant data product will be subsequently resampled to the correct grid using the Hanning windowed sinc interpolator and the results and errors tabulated and discussed.

Lyon, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Adaptive Management of Computing and Network Resources for Spacecraft Systems

It is likely that NASA's future spacecraft systems will consist of distributed processes which will handle dynamically varying workloads in response to perceived scientific events, the spacecraft environment, spacecraft anomalies and user commands. Since all situations and possible uses of sensors cannot be anticipated during pre-deployment phases, an approach for dynamically adapting the allocation of distributed computational and communication resources is needed. To address this, we are evolving the DeSiDeRaTa adaptive resource management approach to enable reconfigurable ground and space information systems. The DeSiDeRaTa approach embodies a set of middleware mechanisms for adapting resource allocations, and a framework for reasoning about the real-time performance of distributed application systems. The framework and middleware will be extended to accommodate (1) the dynamic aspects of intra-constellation network topologies, and (2) the complete real-time path from the instrument to the user. We are developing a ground-based testbed that will enable NASA to perform early evaluation of adaptive resource management techniques without the expense of first deploying them in space. The benefits of the proposed effort are numerous, including the ability to use sensors in new ways not anticipated at design time; the production of information technology that ties the sensor web together; the accommodation of greater numbers of missions with fewer resources; and the opportunity to leverage the DeSiDeRaTa project's expertise, infrastructure and models for adaptive resource management for distributed real-time systems.

Pfarr, Barbara↗
NASA NTRS2000

Modeling Heat-Transfer in Animal Habitats in the Shuttle Orbiter Middeck

A mathematical model has been developed to evaluate the heat transfer characteristics of an Animal Enclosure Module (AEM) in the microgravity environment. The AEM is a spaceflight habitat that provides life support for up to six rodents in the Space Shuttle Middeck. Currently, temperatures within the AEM are recorded in real time using a solid state data recorder; however, the data are only available for analysis post-flight. This temperature information is useful for characterizing the thermal environment of the AEM for researchers, but is unavailable during flight operations. Because animal health in microgravity is directly linked to the thermal environment, the ability to predict internal AEM temperatures is extremely useful to life science researchers. NASA flight crews typically carry hand-held temperature measurement devices which allow them to provide ground researchers with near real time readings of AEM inlet temperature; however, higher priority operations limit the frequency at which these measurements can be made and subsequently downlinked. The mathematical model developed allows users to predict internal cage volume temperatures based on knowledge of the ambient air temperature entering the AEM air intake ports. Additionally, an average convective heat transfer coefficient for the AEM has been determined to provide engineers with the requisite information to facilitate future design improvements and product upgrades. The model has been validated using empirical data from a series of three Space Shuttle missions.

Eodice, Michael T.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Computational Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology at NASA ARC

Both physical and economic considerations indicate that the scaling era of CMOS will run out of steam around the year 2010. However, physical laws also indicate that it is possible to compute at a rate of a billion times present speeds with the expenditure of only one Watt of electrical power. NASA has long-term needs where ultra-small semiconductor devices are needed for critical applications: high performance, low power, compact computers for intelligent autonomous vehicles and Petaflop computing technology are some key examples. To advance the design, development, and production of future generation micro- and nano-devices, IT Modeling and Simulation Group has been started at NASA Ames with a goal to develop an integrated simulation environment that addresses problems related to nanoelectronics and molecular nanotechnology. Overview of nanoelectronics and nanotechnology research activities being carried out at Ames Research Center will be presented. We will also present the vision and the research objectives of the IT Modeling and Simulation Group including the applications of nanoelectronic based devices relevant to NASA missions.

Saini, Subhash↗
NASA NTRS2002

Getting a Grip on Grid Generation

GridPro is an automatic, object-oriented, multi-block grid generator that provides ease of use, high quality, rapid production, and parametric design. When paired with a 3-D graphic user interface called az- Manager, GridPro presents users with an extremely efficient, interactive capability to build topology, edit surfaces, set computational fluid dynamics (CFD) boundary conditions, and view multi-block grids. The origins of the GridPro technology date back to a 1989 SBIR contract with NASA's Glenn Research Center, in which Glenn was seeking a multi-block grid generation program that would run automatically upon identifying a pattern of grid blocks supplied by a user. The technology is currently used in many engineering fields, including aerospace, turbo- machinery, automotive, and chemical industries.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1982

Pressure Measurement

Pressure Systems, Inc.'s DPT 6400 is a system designed to increase productivity in industrial processes where there is a need for making multiple pressure measurements quickly and with high accuracy. It is applicable in controlling industrial processes in plants that are being upgraded to automated status. In order to automate such plants the pressures at the many loops must be measured, converted to digital information and transmitted to the plant's process control computer. The DPT 6400 serves that function. By employing solid-state pressure sensing transducers whose errors are automatically corrected by a microprocessor, it is capable of highly accurate pressure measurements. Basic DPT 6400 has 64 channels, but the system can be expanded to 256 channels by the addition of "slave" units.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Urban Heat Island Phenomenon: How Its Effects Can Influence Environmental Decision Making in Your Community

Reinvestment in urban centers is breathing new life into neighborhoods that have been languishing as a result of explosive suburban development over the past several decades. In cities all over the country, adaptive reuse, brownfields redevelopment, transforming urban landscapes, economies, and quality of life. However, the way in which this development occurs has the potential to exacerbate the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, an existing problem in many areas and one which poses a threat to the long-term sustainability and environmental quality of cities. The UHI phenomenon is rooted in the science of how the land covers respond to solar heating and can adversely effect the environment. This phenomenon is responsible for urban centers having higher air temperatures and poorer air quality than suburban areas. In addition, the UHI phenomenon causes metrological occurrences, degrades water quality, increases energy demands, poses threats to public health and contributes to global warming. While the name of the phenomenon implies that is solely an urban issue, research has shown that the effects of the UHI are becoming prevalent in suburbs, as well. The UHI phenomenon can plague regions - urban centers and their suburbs. Furthermore, heat islands have been found to exist in both city centers and suburban communities. As suburban areas increasingly develop using land covers and building materials common to urban areas, they are inheriting urban problems - such as heat islands. In this way, it may be necessary for non-urban communities to engage in heat island mitigation. The good news is that through education and planning, the effects of the UHI phenomenon can be prevented and mitigated. Heat islands are more a product of urban design rather than the density of development. Therefore, cities can continue to grow and develop without exacerbating the UHI by employing sustainable development strategies.

Estes, Maurice G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Smoke Mask

Smoke inhalation injury from the noxious products of fire combustion accounts for as much as 80 percent of fire-related deaths in the United States. Many of these deaths are preventable. Smoke Mask, Inc. (SMI), of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is working to decrease these casualties with its line of life safety devices. The SMI personal escape hood and the Guardian Filtration System provide respiratory protection that enables people to escape from hazardous and unsafe conditions. The breathing filter technology utilized in the products is specifically designed to supply breathable air for 20 minutes. In emergencies, 20 minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

Considerations in miniaturizing simplified agro-ecosystems for advanced life support

Miniaturizing the Earth's biogeochemical cycles to support human life during future space missions is the goal of the NASA research and engineering program in advanced life support. Mission requirements to reduce mass, volume, and power have focused efforts on (1) a maximally simplified agro-ecosystem of humans, food crops, and microbes; and, (2) a design for optimized productivity of food crops with high light levels over long days, with hydroponics, with elevated carbon dioxide and other controlled environmental factors, as well as with genetic selection for desirable crop properties. Mathematical modeling contributes to the goals by establishing trade-offs, by analyzing the growth and development of experimental crops, and by pointing to the possibilities of directed phasic control using modified field crop models to increase the harvest index.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2003

Polyimide/carbon Nanocomposites

The goal of this product is to design and characterize well-defined conductive nanocomposite materials. The materials will be composed of a polymer matrix composed of rigid-backbone polyimides, and will be filled with modified or unmodified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The ultimate design of this project is to create composite materials with optical clarity and a high conductivity.

Harris, Frank W.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Computational Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology at NASA ARC

Both physical and economic considerations indicate that the scaling era of CMOS will run out of steam around the year 2010. However, physical laws also indicate that it is possible to compute at a rate of a billion times present speeds with the expenditure of only one Watt of electrical power. NASA has long-term needs where ultra-small semiconductor devices are needed for critical applications: high performance, low power, compact computers for intelligent autonomous vehicles and Petaflop computing technolpgy are some key examples. To advance the design, development, and production of future generation micro- and nano-devices, IT Modeling and Simulation Group has been started at NASA Ames with a goal to develop an integrated simulation environment that addresses problems related to nanoelectronics and molecular nanotecnology. Overview of nanoelectronics and nanotechnology research activities being carried out at Ames Research Center will be presented. We will also present the vision and the research objectives of the IT Modeling and Simulation Group including the applications of nanoelectronic based devices relevant to NASA missions.

Saini, Subhash↗
NASA NTRS2008

Operational Concept for the NASA Constellation Program's Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle

Ares I design brings together innovation and new technologies with established infrastructure and proven heritage hardware to achieve safe, reliable, and affordable human access to space. NASA has 50 years of experience from Apollo and Space Shuttle. The Marshall Space Flight Center's Mission Operations Laboratory is leading an operability benchmarking effort to compile operations and supportability lessons learned from large launch vehicle systems, both domestically and internationally. Ares V will be maturing as the Shuttle is retired and the Ares I design enters the production phase. More details on the Ares I and Ares V will be presented at SpaceOps 2010 in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A., April 2010.

Best, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2009

Solder Joint Health Monitoring Testbed System

The density and pin count for Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) has been increasing, and has exceeded current methods of solder joint inspection, making early detection of failures more problematic. These failures are a concern for both flight safety and maintenance in commercial aviation. Ridgetop Group, Inc. has developed a method for detecting solder joint failures in real time. The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is developing a set of boards to test this method in ground environmental and accelerated testing as well as flight test on a Dryden F-15 or F-18 research aircraft. In addition to detecting intermittent and total solder joint failures, environmental data on the boards, such as temperature and vibration, will be collected and time-correlated to aircraft state data. This paper details the technical approach involved in the detection process, and describes the design process and products to date for Dryden s FPGA failure detection boards.

Delaney, Michael M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

270V Battery Using COTS NiCd Cells For Manned Spacecraft

A high power (>35 kW at 215V), low capacity (5.2 Ah), and compact (45L) NiCd battery was developed for the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV), which is an experimental version of the lifeboat for the International Space Station (ISS). A simple design and innovative approach using a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) NiCd cell design enabled the design, qualification, and production of 4 flight units of this highly reliable and safe spacecraft battery to be achieved rapidly (2 years) and cheaply ($13M).

Darcy, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2012

Synthesis for Lunar Simulants: Glass, Agglutinate, Plagioclase, Breccia

The video describes a process for making glass for lunar regolith simulants that was developed from a patented glass-producing technology. Glass composition can be matched to simulant design and specification. Production of glass, pseudo agglutinates, plagioclase, and breccias is demonstrated. The system is capable of producing hundreds of kilograms of high quality glass and simulants per day.

Weinstein, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2012

Method and apparatus for determining and utilizing a time-expanded decision network

A method, apparatus and computer program for determining and utilizing a time-expanded decision network is presented. A set of potential system configurations is defined. Next, switching costs are quantified to create a "static network" that captures the difficulty of switching among these configurations. A time-expanded decision network is provided by expanding the static network in time, including chance and decision nodes. Minimum cost paths through the network are evaluated under plausible operating scenarios. The set of initial design configurations are iteratively modified to exploit high-leverage switches and the process is repeated to convergence. Time-expanded decision networks are applicable, but not limited to, the design of systems, products, services and contracts.

Silver, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Establishment of a New Friction Stir Welding Process Development Facility at NASA/MSFC

The primary objective of full scale development is to mitigate scale-up issues before the vehicle ever reaches production and verify assembly design models. Only at full scale can the true challenges associated with production be identified and dealt with. Also, only at full scale can the delta shift between lab and subscale hardware manufacture and assembly be assessed.

Vaughn, Timothy P.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Ultrasonic Method for Deployment Mechanism Bolt Element Preload Verification

Deployment mechanisms play a pivotal role in mission success. These mechanisms often incorporate bolt elements for which a preload within a specified range is essential for proper operation. A common practice is to torque these bolt elements to a specified value during installation. The resulting preload, however, can vary significantly with applied torque for a number of reasons. The goal of this effort was to investigate ultrasonic methods as an alternative for bolt preload verification in such deployment mechanisms. A family of non-explosive release mechanisms widely used by satellite manufacturers was chosen for the work. A willing contractor permitted measurements on a sampling of bolt elements for these release mechanisms that were installed by a technician following a standard practice. A variation of approximately 50% (+/- 25%) in the resultant preloads was observed. An alternative ultrasonic method to set the preloads was then developed and calibration data was accumulated. The method was demonstrated on bolt elements installed in a fixture instrumented with a calibrated load cell and designed to mimic production practice. The ultrasonic method yielded results within +/- 3% of the load cell reading. The contractor has since adopted the alternative method for its future production. Introduction

Johnson, Eric C.↗