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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 883 records · Page 49
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

STK Integrated Message Production List Editor (SIMPLE) for CEO Operations

Late in fiscal year 2011, the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) team was tasked to upgrade and replace its mission planning and mission operations software systems, which were developed in the Space Shuttle era of the 1980s and 1990s. The impetuses for this change were the planned transition of all workstations to the Windows 7 64-bit operating system and the desire for more efficient and effective use of Satellite Tool Kit (STK) software required for reliable International Space Station (ISS) Earth location tracking. An additional requirement of this new system was the use of the same SQL database of CEO science sites from the SMMS, which was also being developed. STK Integrated Message Production List Editor (SIMPLE) is the essential, all-in-one tool now used by CEO staff to perform daily ISS mission planning to meet its requirement to acquire astronaut photography of specific sites on Earth. The sites are part of a managed, long-term database that has been defined and developed for scientific, educational, and public interest. SIMPLE's end product is a set of basic time and location data computed for an operator-selected set of targets that the ISS crew will be asked to photograph (photography is typically planned 12 to 36 hours out). The CEO operator uses SIMPLE to (a) specify a payload operations planning period; (b) acquire and validate the best available ephemeris data (vectors) for the ISS during the planning period; (c) ingest and display mission-specific site information from the CEO database; (d) identify and display potential current dynamic event targets as map features; (e) compute and display time and location information for each target; (f) screen and select targets based on known crew availability constraints, obliquity constraints, and real-time evaluated constraints to target visibility due to illumination (sun elevation) and atmospheric conditions (weather); and finally (g) incorporate basic, computed time and location information for each selected target into the daily CEO Target List product (message) for submission to ISS payload planning and integration teams for their review and approval prior to uplink. SIMPLE requires and uses the following resources: an ISS mission planning period Greenwich Mean Time start date/time and end date/time), the best available ISS mission ephemeris data (vectors) for that planning period, the STK software package configured for the ISS, and an ISS mission-specific subset of the CEO sites database. The primary advantages realized by the development and implementation of SIMPLE into the CEO payload operations support activity are a smooth transition to the Windows 7 operating system upon scheduled workstation refresh; streamlining of the input and verification of the current ISS ephemeris (vector data); seamless incorporation of selected contents of the SQL database of science sites; the ability to tag and display potential dynamic event opportunities on orbit track maps; simplification of the display and selection of encountered sites based on crew availability, illumination, obliquity, and weather constraints; the incorporation of high-quality mapping of the Earth with various satellite-based datasets for use in describing targets; and the ability to encapsulate and export the essential selected target elements in XML format for use by onboard Earth-location systems, such as Worldmap. SIMPLE is a carefully designed and crafted in-house software package that includes detailed help files for the user and meticulous internal documentation for future modifications. It was delivered in February 2012 for test and evaluation. Following acceptance, it was implemented for CEO mission operations support in May 2012.

Trenchard, Mike↗
NASA NTRS1981

Sequencing design for BFS engagement

The Space Shuttle's avionics system is controlled by five onboard computers, four of which are loaded with the Primary Avionics Software System (PASS), and one of which is loaded with the Backup Flight System (BFS). The Shuttle is nominally controlled by the PASS computers. However, in the event of a PASS generic software failure, the BFS is engaged and assumes control of the Shuttle. The BFS Sequencing System problems presented by the engage requirement and the solutions chosen by the developers are discussed. These solutions constitute a technique which can be applied to the design of any real-time backup system.

Jurica, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Expert system development for commonality analysis in space programs

This report is a combination of foundational mathematics and software design. A mathematical model of the Commonality Analysis problem was developed and some important properties discovered. The complexity of the problem is described herein and techniques, both deterministic and heuristic, for reducing that complexity are presented. Weaknesses are pointed out in the existing software (System Commonality Analysis Tool) and several improvements are recommended. It is recommended that: (1) an expert system for guiding the design of new databases be developed; (2) a distributed knowledge base be created and maintained for the purpose of encoding the commonality relationships between design items in commonality databases; (3) a software module be produced which automatically generates commonality alternative sets from commonality databases using the knowledge associated with those databases; and (4) a more complete commonality analysis module be written which is capable of generating any type of feasible solution.

Yeager, Dorian P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Solar full-disk magnetic field image receiving system and observation software

The paper introduces terminal hardware system of 10 cm high resolution full-disk magnetic field telescope among solar multi-channel telescope produced by Beijing Astronomical Observatory, and its software procedure by using imaging processing as well real time data collecting. These data were processed by Sun Workstation 470/4, including doing some spectrum analysis, the system is unique in the world now. It uses a set of CCD (1320 pixels plus 1035 pixels) of high resolution image explosion, also it has a set of fast and high resolution (1024 pixel plus 1024 pixel) image processor. Moreover, we can obtain higher time and space resolution about solar full-disk magnetic field and velocity field. This will provide excellent means in observation and studies of full-disk solar large-scale magnetic field and velocity field.

Xu, Yan↗
DOE OSTI2017

Benchmarking and Evaluating Unified Memory for OpenMP GPU Offloading

Here, the latest OpenMP standard offers automatic device offloading capabilities which facilitate GPU programming. Despite this, there remain many challenges. One of these is the unified memory feature introduced in recent GPUs. GPUs in current and future HPC systems have enhanced support for unified memory space. In such systems, CPU and GPU can access each other's memory transparently, that is, the data movement is managed automatically by the underlying system software and hardware. Memory over subscription is also possible in these systems. However, there is a significant lack of knowledge about how this mechanism will perform, and how programmers should use it. We have modified several benchmarks codes, in the Rodinia benchmark suite, to study the behavior of OpenMP accelerator extensions and have used them to explore the impact of unified memory in an OpenMP context. We moreover modified the open source LLVM compiler to allow OpenMP programs to exploit unified memory. The results of our evaluation reveal that, while the performance of unified memory is comparable with that of normal GPU offloading for benchmarks with little data reuse, it suffers from significant overhead when GPU memory is over subcribed for benchmarks with large amount of data reuse. Based on these results, we provide several guidelines for programmers to achieve better performance with unified memory.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1977

Efficient estimation algorithms for a satellite-aided search and rescue mission

It has been suggested to establish a search and rescue orbiting satellite system as a means for locating distress signals from downed aircraft, small boats, and overland expeditions. Emissions from Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT), now available in most U.S. aircraft are to be utilized in the positioning procedure. A description is presented of a set of Doppler navigation algorithms for extracting ELT position coordinates from Doppler data. The algorithms have been programmed for a small computing machine and the resulting system has successfully processed both real and simulated Doppler data. A software system for solving the Doppler navigation problem must include an orbit propagator, a first guess algorithm, and an algorithm for estimating longitude and latitude from Doppler data. Each of these components is considered.

Argentiero, P.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The role and application of data base management in integrated computer-aided design

The need to marshal the extensive data that figure in design problems is underlined. An approach to managing engineering data for use in a computerized integrated design system is described. The approach is embodied in an experimental integrated software system that is used to demonstrate and evaluate such data management functions as storage, retrieval, query, manipulation, and modification. The development and organization of the experimental integrated design system and the application of the system to selected test problems are discussed, together with insights into data management issues gained from the study.

Blackburn, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Instrument Systems Analysis and Verification Facility (ISAVF) users guide

The ISAVF facility is primarily an interconnected system of computers, special purpose real time hardware, and associated generalized software systems, which will permit the Instrument System Analysts, Design Engineers and Instrument Scientists, to perform trade off studies, specification development, instrument modeling, and verification of the instrument, hardware performance. It is not the intent of the ISAVF to duplicate or replace existing special purpose facilities such as the Code 710 Optical Laboratories or the Code 750 Test and Evaluation facilities. The ISAVF will provide data acquisition and control services for these facilities, as needed, using remote computer stations attached to the main ISAVF computers via dedicated communication lines.

Davis, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Transportable educational programs for scientific and technical professionals: More effective utilization of automated scientific and technical data base systems

This grant final report executive summary documents a major, long-term program addressing innovative educational issues associated with the development, administration, evaluation, and widespread distribution of transportable educational programs for scientists and engineers to increase their knowledge of, and facilitate their utilization of automated scientific and technical information storage and retrieval systems. This educational program is of very broad scope, being targeted at Colleges of Engineering and Colleges of Physical sciences at a large number of colleges and universities throughout the United States. The educational program is designed to incorporate extensive hands-on, interactive usage of the NASA RECON system and is supported by a number of microcomputer-based software systems to facilitate the delivery and usage of the educational course materials developed as part of the program.

Dominick, Wayne D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

NASA PC software evaluation project

The USL NASA PC software evaluation project is intended to provide a structured framework for facilitating the development of quality NASA PC software products. The project will assist NASA PC development staff to understand the characteristics and functions of NASA PC software products. Based on the results of the project teams' evaluations and recommendations, users can judge the reliability, usability, acceptability, maintainability and customizability of all the PC software products. The objective here is to provide initial, high-level specifications and guidelines for NASA PC software evaluation. The primary tasks to be addressed in this project are as follows: to gain a strong understanding of what software evaluation entails and how to organize a structured software evaluation process; to define a structured methodology for conducting the software evaluation process; to develop a set of PC software evaluation criteria and evaluation rating scales; and to conduct PC software evaluations in accordance with the identified methodology. Communication Packages, Network System Software, Graphics Support Software, Environment Management Software, General Utilities. This report represents one of the 72 attachment reports to the University of Southwestern Louisiana's Final Report on NASA Grant NGT-19-010-900. Accordingly, appropriate care should be taken in using this report out of context of the full Final Report.

Dominick, Wayne D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Using an architectural approach to integrate heterogeneous, distributed software components

Many computer programs cannot be easily integrated because their components are distributed and heterogeneous, i.e., they are implemented in diverse programming languages, use different data representation formats, or their runtime environments are incompatible. In many cases, programs are integrated by modifying their components or interposing mechanisms that handle communication and conversion tasks. For example, remote procedure call (RPC) helps integrate heterogeneous, distributed programs. When configuring such programs, however, mechanisms like RPC must be used explicitly by software developers in order to integrate collections of diverse components. Each collection may require a unique integration solution. This paper describes improvements to the concepts of software packaging and some of our experiences in constructing complex software systems from a wide variety of components in different execution environments. Software packaging is a process that automatically determines how to integrate a diverse collection of computer programs based on the types of components involved and the capabilities of available translators and adapters in an environment. Software packaging provides a context that relates such mechanisms to software integration processes and reduces the cost of configuring applications whose components are distributed or implemented in different programming languages. Our software packaging tool subsumes traditional integration tools like UNIX make by providing a rule-based approach to software integration that is independent of execution environments.

Callahan, John R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

An Embedded Reconfigurable Logic Module

A Miniature Embedded Reconfigurable Computer and Logic (MERCAL) module has been developed and verified. MERCAL was designed to be a general-purpose, universal module that that can provide significant hardware and software resources to meet the requirements of many of today's complex embedded applications. This is accomplished in the MERCAL module by combining a sub credit card size PC in a DIMM form factor with a XILINX Spartan I1 FPGA. The PC has the ability to download program files to the FPGA to configure it for different hardware functions and to transfer data to and from the FPGA via the PC's ISA bus during run time. The MERCAL module combines, in a compact package, the computational power of a 133 MHz PC with up to 150,000 gate equivalents of digital logic that can be reconfigured by software. The general architecture and functionality of the MERCAL hardware and system software are described.

Tucker, Jerry H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Supporting Weather Data

Since its founding in 1992, Global Science & Technology, Inc. (GST), of Greenbelt, Maryland, has been developing technologies and providing services in support of NASA scientific research. GST specialties include scientific analysis, science data and information systems, data visualization, communications, networking and Web technologies, computer science, and software system engineering. As a longtime contractor to Goddard Space Flight Center s Earth Science Directorate, GST scientific, engineering, and information technology staff have extensive qualifications with the synthesis of satellite, in situ, and Earth science data for weather- and climate-related projects. GST s experience in this arena is end-to-end, from building satellite ground receiving systems and science data systems, to product generation and research and analysis.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2000

Animated software training via the internet: lessons learned

The Mission Execution and Automation Section, Information Technologies and Software Systems Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, recently delivered an animated software training module for the TMOD UPLINK Consolidation Task for operator training at the Deep Space Network.

simulattions training animations flash↗
NASA NTRS2012

Developing an Open Source, Reusable Platform for Distributed Collaborative Information Management in the Early Detection Research Network

For the past decade, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with Dartmouth University has served as the center for informatics for the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN). The EDRN is a multi-institution research effort funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and tasked with identifying and validating biomarkers for the early detection of cancer. As the distributed network has grown, increasingly formal processes have been developed for the acquisition, curation, storage, and dissemination of heterogeneous research information assets, and an informatics infrastructure has emerged. In this paper we discuss the evolution of EDRN informatics, its success as a mechanism for distributed information integration, and the potential sustainability and reuse benefits of emerging efforts to make the platform components themselves open source. We describe our experience transitioning a large closed-source software system to a community driven, open source project at the Apache Software Foundation, and point to lessons learned that will guide our present efforts to promote the reuse of the EDRN informatics infrastructure by a broader community.

Early Detection Research Network (EDRN)↗
NASA NTRS1991

Triangulation using synthetic aperture radar images

For the extraction of topographic information about Venus from stereoradar images obtained from the Magellan Mission, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) compilation system was developed on analytical stereoplotters. The system software was extensively tested by using stereoradar images from various spacecraft and airborne radar systems, including Seasat, SIR-B, ERIM XCL, and STAR-1. Stereomodeling from radar images was proven feasible, and development is on a correct approach. During testing, the software was enhanced and modified to obtain more flexibility and better precision. Triangulation software for establishing control points by using SAR images was also developed through a joint effort with the Defense Mapping Agency. The SAR triangulation system comprises four main programs, TRIDATA, MODDATA, TRISAR, and SHEAR. The first two programs are used to sort and update the data; the third program, the main one, performs iterative statistical adjustment; and the fourth program analyzes the results. Also, input are flight data and data from the Global Positioning System and Inertial System (navigation information). The SAR triangulation system was tested with six strips of STAR-1 radar images on a VAX-750 computer. Each strip contains images of 10 minutes flight time (equivalent to a ground distance of 73.5 km); the images cover a ground width of 22.5 km. All images were collected from the same side. With an input of 44 primary control points, 441 ground control points were produced. The adjustment process converged after eight iterations. With a 6-m/pixel resolution of the radar images, the triangulation adjustment has an average standard elevation error of 81 m. Development of Magellan radargrammetry will be continued to convert both SAR compilation and triangulation systems into digital form.

Wu, Sherman S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Data management system technology discipline

Viewgraphs on data management system technology discipline for Space Station Freedom are presented. Topics covered include: systems technology area needs; storage technology area needs; processor technology area needs; communications technology area needs; software system technology area needs; human interface technology area needs; software development and verification; and onboard communications.

Benz, Harry F.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Quick Start User’s Guide for the PATH/AWARE Decision Support System

The Prioritization Analysis Tool for All-Hazards/Analyzer for Wide Area Restoration Effectiveness (PATH/AWARE) software system, developed by Sandia National Laboratories, is a comprehensive decision support tool designed to analyze situational awareness, as well as response and recovery actions, following a wide-area release of chemical, biological or radiological materials. The system provides capability to prioritize critical infrastructure assets and services for restoration. It also provides a capability to assess resource needs (e.g., number of sampling teams, laboratory capacity, decontamination units, etc.), timelines for consequence management activities, and costs. PATH/AWARE is a very comprehensive tool set with a considerable amount of database information managed through a Microsoft SQL (Structured Query Language) database engine, a Geographical Information System (GIS) engine that provides comprehensive mapping capabilities, as well as comprehensive decision logic to carry out the functional aspects of the tool set. This document covers the basic installation and operation of the PATH/AWARE tool in order to give the user enough information to start using the tool. A companion user's manual is under development with greater specificity of the PATH/AWARE functionality.

Knowlton, Robert G.↗