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At least 883 records · Page 49

The NASA Ames Research Center Institutional Scientific Collection: History, Best Practices and Scientific Opportunities

The NASA Ames Life Sciences Institutional Scientific Collection (ISC), which is composed of the Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) and the Biospecimen Storage Facility (BSF), is managed by the Space Biosciences Division and has been operational since 1993. The ALSDA is responsible for archiving information and animal biospecimens collected from life science spaceflight experiments and matching ground control experiments. Both fixed and frozen spaceflight and ground tissues are stored in the BSF within the ISC. The ALSDA also manages a Biospecimen Sharing Program, performs curation and long-term storage operations, and makes biospecimens available to the scientific community for research purposes via the Life Science Data Archive public website (https:lsda.jsc.nasa.gov). As part of our best practices, a viability testing plan has been developed for the ISC, which will assess the quality of archived samples. We expect that results from the viability testing will catalyze sample use, enable broader science community interest, and improve operational efficiency of the ISC. The current viability test plan focuses on generating disposition recommendations and is based on using ribonucleic acid (RNA) integrity number (RIN) scores as a criteria for measurement of biospecimen viablity for downstream functional analysis. The plan includes (1) sorting and identification of candidate samples, (2) conducting a statiscally-based power analysis to generate representaive cohorts from the population of stored biospecimens, (3) completion of RIN analysis on select samples, and (4) development of disposition recommendations based on the RIN scores. Results of this work will also support NASA open science initiatives and guides development of the NASA Scientific Collections Directive (a policy on best practices for curation of biological collections). Our RIN-based methodology for characterizing the quality of tissues stored in the ISC since the 1980s also creates unique scientific opportunities for temporal assessment across historical missions. Support from the NASA Space Biology Program and the NASA Human Research Program is gratefully acknowledged.

ALSDA↗

Telecommunications end-to-end systems monitoring on TOPEX/Poseidon: Tools and techniques

The TOPEX/Poseidon Project Satellite Performance Analysis Team's (SPAT) roles and responsibilities have grown to include functions that are typically performed by other teams on JPL Flight Projects. In particular, SPAT Telecommunication's role has expanded beyond the nominal function of monitoring, assessing, characterizing, and trending the spacecraft (S/C) RF/Telecom subsystem to one of End-to-End Information Systems (EEIS) monitoring. This has been accomplished by taking advantage of the spacecraft and ground data system structures and protocols. By processing both the received spacecraft telemetry minor frame ground generated CRC flags and NASCOM block poly error flags, bit error rates (BER) for each link segment can be determined. This provides the capability to characterize the separate link segments, determine science data recovery, and perform fault/anomaly detection and isolation. By monitoring and managing the links, TOPEX has successfully recovered approximately 99.9 percent of the science data with an integrity (BER) of better than 1 x 10(exp 8). This paper presents the algorithms used to process the above flags and the techniques used for EEIS monitoring.

Calanche, Bruno J.↗

Biospecimen Culling: Temporal RNA Integrity Analysis Across Spaceflight Missions Dating from 1985 to 2011

The Ames Life Science Data Archive (ALSDA) at NASA Ames Research Center is managed by the Space Biosciences Division and has been operational since 1993. The ALSDA is responsible for archiving information and biospecimens collected from life science spaceflight experiments and matching ground control experiments. They are stored in the Ames biobank, which is located in the Biospecimen Storage Facility (BSF). The ALSDA also manages a Biospecimen Sharing Program, performs curation and long-term storage operations, and makes biospecimens available to the scientific community for research purposes via the Life Science Data Archive public website (https:lsda.jsc.nasa.gov). The BSF maintains both fixed and frozen spaceflight and ground tissues, collected from recent and past spaceflight missions. Due to the ever increasing demand for space to preserve current and future flight biospecimens, the ALSDA has initiated the development of a culling plan for biospecimens currently stored in the BSF. Culling enables the ALSDA to assess the quality of archived samples, and supports the development of standardized culling procedures that improve the operational efficiency of the BSF. The culling plan focuses on generating disposition recommendations for samples in the BSF, and currently is based on measuring ribonucleic acid (RNA) integrity number (RIN). The culling process includes (1) sorting and identification of candidate samples for RIN analysis, (2) completion of RIN analysis on select samples, and (3) development of disposition recommendations for specimens based on the RIN values. Furthermore, our approach allows for unique scientific opportunities, including development of a RIN-based methodology for culling, and temporal assessment of the quality of the tissues that have been stored in BSF since the 1980s. Results of this work will also support NASA open science initiatives.

biospecimen↗

Scientific Digital Libraries, Interoperability, and Ontologies

Scientific digital libraries serve complex and evolving research communities. Justifications for the development of scientific digital libraries include the desire to preserve science data and the promises of information interconnectedness, correlative science, and system interoperability. Shared ontologies are fundamental to fulfilling these promises. We present a tool framework, some informal principles, and several case studies where shared ontologies are used to guide the implementation of scientific digital libraries. The tool framework, based on an ontology modeling tool, was configured to develop, manage, and keep shared ontologies relevant within changing domains and to promote the interoperability, interconnectedness, and correlation desired by scientists.

Information Model↗

Folding Elastic Thermal Surface - FETS

The FETS is a light and compact thermal surface (sun shade, IR thermal shield, cover, and/or deployable radiator) that is mounted on a set of offset tape-spring hinges. The thermal surface is constrained during launch and activated in space by a thermomechanical latch such as a wax actuator. An application-specific embodiment of this technology developed for the MATMOS (Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer) project serves as a deployable cover and thermal shield for its passive cooler. The FETS fits compactly against the instrument within the constrained launch envelope, and then unfolds into a larger area once in space. In this application, the FETS protects the passive cooler from thermal damage and contamination during ground operations, launch, and during orbit insertion. Once unfolded or deployed, the FETS serves as a heat shield, intercepting parasitic heat loads by blocking the passive cooler s view of the warm spacecraft. The technology significantly enhances the capabilities of instruments requiring either active or passive cooling of optical detectors. This can be particularly important for instruments where performance is limited by the available radiator area. Examples would be IR optical instruments on CubeSATs or those launched as hosted payloads because radiator area is limited and views are often undesirable. As a deployable radiator, the panels making up the FETS are linked thermally by thermal straps and heat pipes; the structural support and deployment energy is provided using tape-spring hinges. The FETS is a novel combination of existing technologies. Prior art for deployable heat shields uses rotating hinges that typically must be lubricated to avoid cold welding or static friction. By using tape-spring hinges, the FETS avoids the need for lubricants by avoiding friction altogether. This also eliminates the potential for contamination of nearby cooled optics by outgassing lubricants. Furthermore, the tape-spring design of the FETS is also self-locking so the panels stay in a rigid and extended configuration after deployment. This unexpected benefit makes the tape-spring hinge design of the FETS a light, simple, reliable, compact, non-outgassing hinge, spring, and latch. While tape-spring hinges are not novel, they have never been used to deploy passive unfolding thermal surfaces (radiator panels, covers, sun shades, or IR thermal shields). Furthermore, because this technology is compact, it has minimal impact on the launch envelope and mass specifications. FETS enhances the performance of hosted payload instruments where the science data is limited by dark noise. Incorporating FETS into a thermal control system increases radiator area, which lowers the optical detector temperature. This results in higher SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) and improved science data.

Urquiza, Eugenio↗

Vegetation Height Estimate in Rice Fields Using Single Polarization TanDEM-X Science Phase Data

This study presents the retrieval of rice paddy height using single polarization (single-pol) interferometric SAR (InSAR) data by means of model-based height inversion without an external DEM. A total of eight TanDEM-X (TDX) scenes were used and the TDX images were; acquired using a large cross-track baseline configuration during the TDX Science Phase (June–August 2015). A single-pol inversion approach for a flooded rice field is proposed and evaluated over the Buan test site in South Korea. A novel approach is adopted for the estimation of the ground (i.e., water level) interferometric phase within a flooded rice paddy from TDX data acquired during a period of early rice growth. It is consequently possible to apply the model-based inversion algorithm to the single-pol InSAR data. Rice height maps during the rice growth cycle presented and validated by field measurements. The results demonstrated the high performance of the inversion with a correlation coefficient of 0.78 and an RMSE of 0.10 m. The proposed methodology will be useful to monitor rice plants and to predict a gross rice yield, along with dual and fully polarimetric interferometric SAR data.

Lee, Seung-Kuk↗

The NASA master directory quick reference guide

The NASA Master Directory (MD) is a free, online, multidisciplinary directory of space and Earth science data sets (NASA and non-NASA data) that are of potential interest to the NASA-sponsored research community. The MD contains high-level descriptions of data sets, other data systems and archives, and campaigns and projects. It provides mechanisms for searching for data sets by important criteria such as geophysical parameters, time, and spatial coverage. The MD also provides information on ordering the data. In order to simplify the process of finding more detailed information or accessing online data, the MD provides automatic connections to a number of data systems such as the NASA Climate Data System, the Planetary Data System, the NASA Ocean Data System, the Pilot Land Data System, and others. The MD also provides general information about many data systems, data centers, and coordinated data analysis projects. It represents the first major step in the Catalog Interoperability project, whose objective is to enable researchers to quickly and efficiently identity, obtain information about, and get access to space and Earth science data.

Source record↗

The NASA master directory: Quick reference guide

This is a quick reference guide to the NASA Master Directory (MD), which is a free, online, multidisciplinary directory of space and Earth science data sets (NASA and non-NASA data) that are of potential interest to the NASA-sponsored research community. The MD contains high-level descriptions of data sets, other data systems and archives, and campaigns and projects. It provides mechanisms for searching for data sets by important criteria such as geophysical parameters, time, and spatial coverage, and provides information on ordering the data. It also provides automatic connections to a number of data systems such as the NASA Climate Data System, the Planetary Data System, the NASA Ocean Data System, the Pilot Land Data System, and others. The MD includes general information about many data systems, data centers, and coordinated data analysis projects, It represents the first major step in the Catalog Interoperability project, whose objective is to enable researchers to quickly and efficiently identify, obtain information about, and get access to space and Earth science data. The guide describes how to access, use, and exit the MD and lists its features.

Satin, Karen↗

ThunderSecure: deploying real-time intrusion detection for 100G research networks by leveraging stream-based features and one-class classification network

Nowadays, data generated by large-scale scientific experiments are on the scale of petabytes per month. These data are transferred through dedicated high-bandwidth networks (40/100G) across distributed sites for processing, storage, and analysis. Like general purpose networks, research networks experience intrusions. However, monitoring anomalies in such high-speed network traffics is challenging given current cyber-infrastructure. Moreover, traditional network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) are signature based. However, anomaly patterns are difficult to define and that rulesets are often not updated frequently enough to reflect the changes of attack behaviors. We present ThunderSecure, a high-throughput, unsupervised learning-based intrusions detection system for 100G research networks. ThunderSecure implements an efficient packet processing and detection pipeline using multi-cores and GPUs. It extracts statistical and temporal features from real-time network data streams and feeds them to a one-class anomaly detection network. A baseline of normal distribution will be created based on the training observation. Testing traffic deviated from the learned profile will be marked as anomalies. We trained ThunderSecure on hundreds of billions of science data packets mirrored from two 100G network connections at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The detection performance was evaluated on traffic captured from the same research network days and weeks after the training with different types of attack flows injected. Results show that ThunderSecure can recognize science data traffic captured long after the training and made nearly certain detection on the segment of the streams where anomalous flows were injected.

100G research network↗

The GRO remote terminal system

In March 1992, NASA HQ challenged GSFC/Code 531 to propose a fast, low-cost approach to close the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Zone-of-Exclusion (ZOE) over the Indian Ocean in order to provide global communications coverage for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) spacecraft. GRO had lost its tape recording capability which limited its valuable science data return to real-time contacts with the TDRS-E and TDRS-W synchronous data relay satellites, yielding only approximately 62 percent of the possible data obtainable. To achieve global coverage, a TDRS spacecraft would have to be moved over the Indian Ocean out of line-of-sight control of White Sands Ground Terminal (WSGT). To minimize operations life cycle costs, Headquarters also set a goal for remote control, from the WSGT, of the overseas ground station which was required for direct communications with TDRS-1. On August 27, 1992, Code 531 was given the go ahead to implement the proposed GRO Relay Terminal System (GRTS). This paper describes the Remote Ground Relay Terminal (RGRT) which went operational at the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex (CDSCC) in Canberra, Australia in December 1993 and is currently augmenting the TDRSS constellation in returning between 80-100 percent of GRO science data under the control of a single operator at WSGT.

Zillig, David J.↗

Orbit Optimization For The Geospace Electrodynamics Connections (GEC) Mission

Part of NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probe line of missions, the Geospace Electrodynamics Connections (GEC) mission will deploy a formation of three spacecraft to perform in-situ atmospheric research in the low Ionosphere-Thermosphere region. These spacecraft will fly together in a %tring-of-pearls formation with variable spacings ranging from 10 seconds to one-quarter of an orbit at perigee. Over the course of its two-year mission, the three spacecraft will perform ten, 1-week dipping campaigns whereby they maneuver to lower their perigee to near 134 km. Using available launch vehicle performance data, an optimal parking orbit of 222 x 1525 km was found to maximize the dry mass available while providing enough propellant to perform the ten deep-dipping campaigns over its two-year mission. The results were used to create multi-variable contour plots containing the orbit perigee, the orbit apogee, spacecraft dry mass, propellant mass, and T500 (a science data collection figure of merit that tabulates the cumulative time spent below 500 km). These plots illustrate how the mission can trade off science return relative to the cost in dry mass and propellant. Other optimal solutions such as minimum propellant or maximum T500 were found to either limit the science data collection or to be dry mass limiting, respectively. Sensitivity analyses were performed to find new optimal (maximum dry mass) solutions if the number of campaigns changed, if the coefficient of drag (CD) were different, and if the propellant specific impulse were increased. A surprising result showed that the dry mass and T500 were both increased if the number of campaigns decreased. Changes in CD provided the expected results - raising CD lowered both the dry mass and T500 while lowering CD raised both the dry mass and T500. Increases in the propellant specific impulse had the expected outcome of raising the dry mass and lowering the propellant load but there was no change in the T500 figure of merit. The orbit optimization was performed parametrically using a Matlab(TradeMark) script and validated using FreeFlyer(TradeMark), a commercial orbit analysis tool. ,

Mesarch, Michael A.↗

Developing ML/AI Methods for High-Throughput Characterization of Multiple-Sensor Streams of Tokamak Dynamics for High-Speed Control (Final Report)

This project evaluated and developed new mathematical and algorithmic techniques capable of handling (in real-time) the growing amounts of data generated by modern fusion research. While existing numerical linear algebra (NLA) methods provide the backbone to classical data analysis and algorithms, these methods fundamentally do not port to distributed architectures nor do they allow low-latency data reduction for control. Motivated by the needs for modern fusion reactors, this project explored and implemented new numerical methods to characterize plasma dynamics, respond in real-time to discharge evolution, and to process massive-scale data accurately and rapidly more fully. This project links expertise in multiple-sensor diagnostics of tokamak plasma dynamics from Columbia University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory with expertise in massive-scale data reduction and extreme data control algorithms at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute. This interdisciplinary project (i) applied machine learning methods, (ii) implemented a properly-trained neural-network for very fast processing of high-speed plasma videography, and (ii) developed the applied mathematical methods, based on randomized-NLA (rNLA) routines, for data analysis, reduction, and real-time control. The Columbia University High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) facility provided data to test new algorithms and partnership with Columbia University's Data Sciences Institute evaluated the broader use of new algorithms for many challenging control applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) Overview

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) launched on June 18, 2009 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle and into a direct insertion trajectory to the oon. LRO, which was designed, built, and operated by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, is gathering crucial data on the lunar environment that will help astronauts prepare for long-duration lunar expeditions. The mission has a nominal life of 1 year as its seven instruments find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and test new technology. To date, LRO has been operating well within the bounds of its requirements and has been collecting excellent science data images taken from the LRO Camera Narrow Angle Camera of the Apollo landing sites appeared on cable news networks. A significant amount of information on LRO s science instruments is provided at the LRO mission webpage. LRO s Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) subsystem is made up of an onboard attitude control system (ACS) and a hardware suite of sensors and actuators. The LRO onboard ACS is a collection of algorithms based on high level and derived requirements, and reflect the science and operational events throughout the mission lifetime. The primary control mode is the Observing mode, which maintains the lunar pointing orientation and any offset pointing from this baseline. It is within this mode that all science instrument calibrations, slews and science data is collected. Because of a high accuracy requirement for knowledge and pointing, the Observing mode makes use of star tracker (ST) measurement data to determine an instantaneous attitude pointing. But even the star trackers alone do not meet the tight requirements, so a six-state Kalman Filter is employed to improve the noisy measurement data. The Observing mode obtains its rate information from an inertial reference unit (IRU) and in the event of an IRU failure, the rate data is be derived from the star tracker, but with degraded pointing performance. The Delta-V control mode responsibility is to maintain attitude pointing during the cruise trajectory, insertion burns and lunar orbit maintenance by adjustments made to the spacecraft s velocity magnitude and vector direction. The ACS also provides for a thruster based system momentum management algorithm (known as Delta-H) to maintain the system and wheel momentum to within acceptable levels. In the event an anomaly causes the LRO spacecraft to lose the ability to maintain its current attitude pointing, a Sun Safe mode is included in the ACS for the purpose of providing a known power and thermally safe coarse inertial sun attitude for an indefinite period of time, within the manageable limits of the reaction wheels. The Sun Safe mode is also the initial spacecraft control mode off of the launch vehicle and provides for a means to null tip-off rates immediately after separation. The nominal configuration is to use the IRU for rate information in the controller. In the event of a gyro failure a gyroless control mode was developed that computes rate information from the CSS data.

Garrick, Joseph↗

PV Validation Hub

The Validation Hub will be a clearinghouse for the transfer of novel algorithms and software from the PV research community to industry. Potential algorithms tested in the Hub could include the estimation of various PV loss factors and the detection of various operational issues. The primary function of the Hub will be for developers to submit executable code which will run on hosted data sets. Developers will receive private reports on the accuracy and performance (e.g., run-time) of the submitted algorithms, and public high level summaries will be hosted. These summaries will indicate the organization who submitted the algorithm (e.g., links to GitHub pages, documentation websites, etc.), high-level accuracy metrics, and standardized performance metrics. These results will be stored in a publicly available database, accessible through the Hub, with the ability for users to sort and filter the results. In short, the Hub will be presented to public users as a collection of interactive leaderboards, organized around specific analysis tasks pertinent to the PV data science community. These tasks include things such as the estimation of various PV loss factors and the detection of various operational issues. We will present progress on the development of this hub, including preliminary results of comparative validation of PV data science algorithms and progress towards building the platform itself.

algorithm↗

Strawman payload data for science and applications space platforms

The need for a free flying science and applications space platform to host compatible long duration experiment groupings in Earth orbit is discussed. Experiment level information on strawman payload models is presented which serves to identify and quantify the requirements for the space platform system. A description data base on the strawman payload model is presented along with experiment level and group level summaries. Payloads identified in the strawman model include the disciplines of resources observations and environmental observations.

Source record↗

The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners ESIP

A broad-based, distributed community of science, data and information technology practitioners. With over 150 member organizations, the ESIP Federation brings together public, academic, commercial, and nongovernmental organizations to share knowledge, expertise, technology and best practices to improve opportunities for increasing access, discovery, integration and usability of Earth science data.

ESIP↗

Semi-Weekly Monitoring of the Performance and Attitude of Kepler Using a Sparse Set of Targets

The Kepler spacecraft is in a heliocentric Earth-trailing orbit, continuously observing ~160,000 select stars over ~115 square degrees of sky using its photometer containing 42 highly sensitive CCDs. The science data from these stars, consisting of ~6 million pixels at 29.4-minute intervals, is downlinked only every ~30 days. Additional low-rate Xband communications contacts are conducted with the spacecraft twice a week to downlink a small subset of the science data. This paper describes how we assess and monitor the performance of the photometer and the pointing stability of the spacecraft using such a sparse data set.

Attitude reconstruction↗