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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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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1989

Determination of design and operation parameters for upper atmospheric research instrumentation to yield optimum resolution with deconvolution, appendix 4

The power spectrum for a stationary random process can be defined with the Wiener-Khintchine Theorem, which says that the power spectrum and the auto correlation function are a Fourier transform pair. To implement this theorem for signals that are discrete and of finite length we can use the Blackman-Tukey method. Blackman and Tukey (1958) show that a function w(tau), called a lag window, can be applied to the auto correlation estimates to obtain power spectrum estimates that are statistically stable. The Fourier transform of w(r) is called a spectral window. Typical choices for spectral windows show a distinct trade-off between the main lobe width and side lobe strength. A new idea for designing windows by taking linear combinations of the standard windows to produce hybrid windows was introduced by Smith (1985). We implement Smith's idea to obtain spectral windows with narrow main lobes and smaller (compared with typical windows) near side lobes. One of the main contributions of this thesis is that we show that Smith's problem is equivalent to a Quadratic Programming (QP) problem with linear equality and inequality constraints. A computer program was written to produce hybrid windows by setting up and solving the QP problem. We also developed and solved two variations of the original problem. The two variations involved changing the inequality constraints in both cases from non negativity on the combination coefficients to non negativity on the hybrid lag window itself. For the second variation, the window functions used to construct the hybrid window were changed to a frequency-variable set of truncated cosinusoids. A series of tests was run with the three computer programs to investigate the behavior of the hybrid spectral and lag windows. Emphasis was put on obtaining spectral windows with both relatively narrow main lobes and the lowest possible (for these algorithms) near side lobes. Some success was achieved for this goal. A 10 dB peak side lobe reduction over the rectangular spectral window without significant main lobe broadening was achieved. Also, average side lobe levels of -117 dB were reached at a cost of doubling the main lobe width (at the -3 dB point).

Ioup, George E.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Terminal Area Procedures for Paired Runways

Parallel runway operations have been found to increase capacity within the National Airspace but poor visibility conditions reduce the use of these operations. The NextGen and SESAR Programs have identified the capacity benefits from increased use of closely-space parallel runway. Previous research examined the concepts and procedures related to parallel runways however, there has been no investigation of the procedures associated with the strategic and tactical pairing of aircraft for these operations. This simulation study developed and examined the pilot and controller procedures and information requirements for creating aircraft pairs for parallel runway operations. The goal was to achieve aircraft pairing with a temporal separation of 15s (+/- 10s error) at a coupling point that was about 12 nmi from the runway threshold. Two variables were explored for the pilot participants: two levels of flight deck automation (current-day flight deck automation and auto speed control future automation) as well as two flight deck displays that assisted in pilot conformance monitoring. The controllers were also provided with automation to help create and maintain aircraft pairs. Results show the operations in this study were acceptable and safe. Subjective workload, when using the pairing procedures and tools, was generally low for both controllers and pilots, and situation awareness was typically moderate to high. Pilot workload was influenced by display type and automation condition. Further research on pairing and off-nominal conditions is required however, this investigation identified promising findings about the feasibility of closely-spaced parallel runway operations.

Lozito, Sandra↗

NASA NTRS1998

Thermophotovoltaic Energy Conversion Development Program

Completely integrated thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power sources in the range of 100 to 500 watts are being developed. The technical approach taken in this project focuses on optimizing the integrated performance of the primary subsystems in order to yield high energy conversion efficiency and cost effectiveness. An important aspect of the approach is the use of a narrow band fibrous emitter radiating to a bandgap matched photovoltaic array to minimize thermal and optical recuperation requirements, as well as the non-recoverable heat losses. For the prototype system, fibrous ytterbia emitters radiating in a narrow band centered at 980 nm are matched with high efficiency silicon photoconverters. The integrated system includes a dielectric stack filter for optical energy recovery and a ceramic recuperator for thermal energy recovery. The prototype TPV system uses a rapid mix distributed fuel delivery system with controlled feeding of the fuel and heated air into a flame at the surface of the emitter. This makes it possible to operate at air preheat temperatures well above the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel thereby substantially increasing the system efficiency. The system has been operated with air preheat temperatures up to 1367 K and has produced a uniform narrow band radiation over the surface of the emitter with this approach. The design of the system is described and test data for the system and some of the key components are presented. The results from a system model, which show the impact of various parameters on system performance, are also discussed.

Shukla, Kailash↗

NASA NTRS2009

NASA Tech Briefs, August 2009

Topics covered include: Aligning a Receiving Antenna Array to Reduce Interference; Collecting Ground Samples for Balloon-Borne Instruments; Tethered Pyrotechnic Apparatus for Acquiring a Ground Sample; Enhanced Video-Oculography System; Joint Carrier-Phase Synchronization and LDPC Decoding; Dual-Polarization, Sideband-Separating, Balanced Receiver for 1.5 THz Modular Battery Charge Controller; Efficient Multiplexer FPGA Block Structures Based on G4FETs; VLSI Microsystem for Rapid Bioinformatic Pattern Recognition; Low-Noise Amplifier for 100 to 180 GHz; Improved Fabrication of Ceramic Matrix Composite/Foam Core Integrated Structures; Inert Welding/Brazing Gas Filters and Dryers; Fabricating Copper Nanotubes by Electrodeposition; Reducing Aerodynamic Drag on Empty Open Cargo Vehicles; Rotary Percussive Auto-Gopher for Deep Drilling and Sampling; More About Reconfigurable Exploratory Robotic Vehicles; Thermostatic Valves Containing Silicone-Oil Actuators; Improving Heat Flux Performance of Flat Surface in Spray-Cooling Systems; Treating Fibrous Insulation to Reduce Thermal Conductivity; Silica-Aerogel Composites Opacified with La(sub0.7)Sr(sub0.3)MnO3; Cyclic Oxidation Behavior of CuCrAl Cold-Sprayed Coatings for Reusable Launch Vehicles; Ceramic Fiber Structures for Cryogenic Load-Bearing Applications; Elastomer Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes; Biologically Inspired Purification and Dispersion of SWCNTs; A Technique for Adjusting Eigenfrequencies of WGM Resonators; Low-Pressure, Field-Ionizing Mass Spectrometer; Modifying Operating Cycles to Increase Stability in a LITS; Chamber for Simulating Martian and Terrestrial Environments; Algorithm for Detecting a Bright Spot in an Image; Extreme Programming: Maestro Style; Adaptive Behavior for Mobile Robots; Protocol for Communication Networking for Formation Flying; Planning Complex Sequences Using Compressed Representations; and Self-Supervised Learning of Terrain Traversability from Proprioceptive Sensors.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2010

The NASA Langley Research Center's Unmanned Aerial System Surrogate Research Aircraft

Research is needed to determine what procedures, aircraft sensors and other systems will be required to allow Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to safely operate with manned aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). The NASA Langley Research Center has transformed a Cirrus Design SR22 general aviation (GA) aircraft into a UAS Surrogate research aircraft to serve as a platform for UAS systems research, development, flight testing and evaluation. The aircraft is manned with a Safety Pilot and systems operator that allows for flight operations almost anywhere in the NAS without the need for a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Authorization (COA). The UAS Surrogate can be controlled from a modular, transportable ground station like a true UAS. The UAS Surrogate is able to file and fly in the NAS with normal traffic and is a better platform for real world UAS research and development than existing vehicles flying in restricted ranges or other sterilized airspace. The Cirrus Design SR22 aircraft is a small, singleengine, four-place, composite-construction aircraft that NASA Langley acquired to support NASA flight-research programs like the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Project. Systems were installed to support flight test research and data gathering. These systems include: separate research power; multi-function flat-panel displays; research computers; research air data and inertial state sensors; video recording; data acquisition; data-link; S-band video and data telemetry; Common Airborne Instrumentation System (CAIS); Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B); instrumented surfaces and controls; and a systems operator work station. The transformation of the SR22 to a UAS Surrogate was accomplished in phases. The first phase was to modify the existing autopilot to accept external commands from a research computer that was connected by redundant data-link radios to a ground control station. An electro-mechanical auto-throttle was added in the next phase to provide ground station control of airspeed. Additional phases are in progress to add waypoint navigation and long range satellite voice and data communications. Potential areas for UAS Surrogate research include the development, flight test and evaluation of sensors to aid in the process of air traffic detect-sense-and-avoid. These sensors could be evaluated in real-time and compared with onboard human evaluation pilots. This paper describes the systems and design considerations that were incorporated in the development of the UAS Surrogate along with details of development problems encountered and the corresponding solutions.

Howell, Charles T., III↗

NASA NTRS2010

Spinoff 2010

Topics covered include: Burnishing Techniques Strengthen Hip Implants; Signal Processing Methods Monitor Cranial Pressure; Ultraviolet-Blocking Lenses Protect, Enhance Vision; Hyperspectral Systems Increase Imaging Capabilities; Programs Model the Future of Air Traffic Management; Tail Rotor Airfoils Stabilize Helicopters, Reduce Noise; Personal Aircraft Point to the Future of Transportation; Ducted Fan Designs Lead to Potential New Vehicles; Winglets Save Billions of Dollars in Fuel Costs; Sensor Systems Collect Critical Aerodynamics Data; Coatings Extend Life of Engines and Infrastructure; Radiometers Optimize Local Weather Prediction; Energy-Efficient Systems Eliminate Icing Danger for UAVs; Rocket-Powered Parachutes Rescue Entire Planes; Technologies Advance UAVs for Science, Military; Inflatable Antennas Support Emergency Communication; Smart Sensors Assess Structural Health; Hand-Held Devices Detect Explosives and Chemical Agents; Terahertz Tools Advance Imaging for Security, Industry; LED Systems Target Plant Growth; Aerogels Insulate Against Extreme Temperatures; Image Sensors Enhance Camera Technologies; Lightweight Material Patches Allow for Quick Repairs; Nanomaterials Transform Hairstyling Tools; Do-It-Yourself Additives Recharge Auto Air Conditioning; Systems Analyze Water Quality in Real Time; Compact Radiometers Expand Climate Knowledge; Energy Servers Deliver Clean, Affordable Power; Solutions Remediate Contaminated Groundwater; Bacteria Provide Cleanup of Oil Spills, Wastewater; Reflective Coatings Protect People and Animals; Innovative Techniques Simplify Vibration Analysis; Modeling Tools Predict Flow in Fluid Dynamics; Verification Tools Secure Online Shopping, Banking; Toolsets Maintain Health of Complex Systems; Framework Resources Multiply Computing Power; Tools Automate Spacecraft Testing, Operation; GPS Software Packages Deliver Positioning Solutions; Solid-State Recorders Enhance Scientific Data Collection; Computer Models Simulate Fine Particle Dispersion; Composite Sandwich Technologies Lighten Components; Cameras Reveal Elements in the Short Wave Infrared; Deformable Mirrors Correct Optical Distortions; Stitching Techniques Advance Optics Manufacturing; Compact, Robust Chips Integrate Optical Functions; Fuel Cell Stations Automate Processes, Catalyst Testing; Onboard Systems Record Unique Videos of Space Missions; Space Research Results Purify Semiconductor Materials; and Toolkits Control Motion of Complex Robotics.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1996

Guidance and Control Design for High-Speed Rollout and Turnoff (ROTO)

A ROTO architecture, braking and steering control law and display designs for a research high speed Rollout and Turnoff (ROTO) system applicable to transport class aircraft are described herein. Minimum surface friction and FMS database requirements are also documented. The control law designs were developed with the aid of a non-real time simulation program incorporating airframe and gear dynamics as well as steering and braking guidance algorithms. An attainable objective of this ROTO system, as seen from the results of this study, is to assure that the studied aircraft can land with runway occupancy times less then 53 seconds. Runway occupancy time is measured from the time the aircraft crosses the runway threshold until its wing tip clears the near side of the runway. Turnoff ground speeds of 70 knots onto 30 degree exits are allowed with dry and wet surface conditions. Simulation time history and statistical data are documented herein. Parameters which were treated as variables in the simulation study include aircraft touchdown weight/speed/location, aircraft CG, runway friction, sensor noise and winds. After further design and development of the ROTO control system beyond the system developed earlier, aft CG MD-11 aircraft no longer require auto-asymmetric braking (steering) and fly-by-wire nose gear steering. However, the auto ROTO nose gear hysteresis must be less than 2 degrees. The 2 sigma dispersion certified for MD-11 CATIIIB is acceptable. Using this longitudinal dispersion, three ROTO exits are recommended at 3300, 4950 and 6750 feet past the runway threshold. The 3300 foot exit is required for MD-81 class aircraft. Designs documented in this report are valid for the assumptions/models used in this simulation. It is believed that the results will apply to the general class of transport aircraft; however further effort is required to validate this assumption for the general case.

Goldthorpe, S. H.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cloud Computing Option for Modeling the Debris Environment

NASA’s Digital Transformation Initiative aims to promote the agency’s adoption of current and evolving digital technologies. Through agency-wide collaboration with other NASA teams, the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) has directed the Orbital Debris Program Office and the Meteoroid Environment Office to integrate cloud computing technologies in their publicly released software models: the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) and the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM). Decoupling the user interface from the backend processor was key for the software packages to run on a cloud computing framework. Benefits to this design include horizontal scaling of computing resources, user authentication and authorization, and automated deployment. Both models are hosted on a cloud computing platform supported by the NASA authorized IT security and compliance framework. This paper focuses on the new ORDEM web application, which includes the current features of the publicly released ORDEM software with an upgraded frontend design. The underlying ORDEM processor is run on a cloud container, allowing the user to run multiple spacecraft and telescope/radar mode simulations. Featuresexclusive to the ORDEM web application, such as importing multiple TLEs, auto-generated plotting, and the ability to check runtime progress are discussed. Comparisons between the current ORDEM software and the web application are summarized.

Andrew Vavrin↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Radiation-Hard Parallel Readout Circuit for Low-Frequency Voltage Signal Measurements

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has successfully developed and tested a custom-designed low-noise multi-channel digitizer (MCD) application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for operation in harsh radiation environments. The MCD-ASIC is optimized for low-frequency and low-voltage signal measurements from sensors and transducers. It has 20 input channels where each channel is comprised of auto-zeroed chopper variable-gain amplifier, post amplifier, and a second order ∑∆ modulator. ∑∆ analog-to-digital converter (ADC) relies on oversampling and noise shaping to achieve high-resolution conversion. However, the MCD-ASIC requires digital filtering and decimation to convert the output single bit streams from the ADC to useful data words. A parallel digital platform such as a field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) is highly suitable to fully leverage the capabilities of the MCD-ASIC. The FPGA controls the MCD-ASIC via serial peripheral interface (SPI) protocol and acquires data from it. A Python-script communicates with the FPGA board through a USB interface on a cross operating platform. Using this architecture, the system is capable of monitoring up to 20 voltage readout channels simultaneously in a real-time manner. Each channel’s parameters can be programmed independently allowing maximum user versatility. In this paper, we present analysis of the analog front-end, the implementation of the digital processing unit on the FPGA, and provide noise performance results from the MCD-ASIC readout.

ASIC↗

NASA NTRS1997

Sensitivity of Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) to Various Rollout and Turnoff (ROTO) Factors: Complete Set of Plotted Data - Volume 2

The Terminal Area Productivity (TAP) research program was initiated by NASA to increase the airport capacity for transport aircraft operations. One element of the research program is called Low Visibility Landing and Surface Operations (LVLASO). A goal of the LVLASO research is to develop transport aircraft technologies which reduce Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) so that it does not become the limiting factor in the terminal area operations that determine the capacity of a runway. Under LVLASO, the objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity of ROT to various factors associated with the Rollout and Turnoff (ROTO) operation for transport aircraft. The following operational factors were studied and are listed in the order of decreasing ROT sensitivity: ice/flood runway surface condition, exit entrance ground speed, number of exits, high-speed exit locations and spacing, aircraft type, touchdown ground speed standard deviation, reverse thrust and braking method, accurate exit prediction capability, maximum reverse thrust availability, spiral-arc vs. circle-arc exit geometry, dry/slush/wet/snow runway surface condition, maximum allowed deceleration, auto asymmetric braking on exit, do not stow reverse thrust before the exit, touchdown longitudinal location standard deviation, flap setting, anti-skid efficiency, crosswind conditions, stopping on the exit and touchdown lateral offset.

Goldthorpe, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Sensitivity of Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) to Various Rollout and Turnoff (ROTO) Factors

Goldthorpe, S. H.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Agentic AI vs ML-Based Autotuning: A Comparative Study for Loop Reordering Optimization

High Performance Computing (HPC) applications rely heavily on code optimizations to achieve good performance on modern CPU and GPU architectures. Traditional Machine Learning auto-tuning approaches have demonstrated success in exploring high-dimensional spaces, but they often require expensive compile-run evaluations and lack adaptability for large HPC applications. The recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) and Agentic AI systems raise intriguing questions about the potential of these approaches to address specific optimization methodologies. This work aims to answer an essential question for the HPC community: “How Agentic AI Systems Compare to Traditional ML Autotuning Techniques?” To address this question, we present a comparative analysis between a traditional ML-based optimization approach and an Agentic AI system, evaluating their respective capabilities and limitations for loop-level optimization. In addition, we introduced a new Agentic AI system named LoopGen-AI using three different Large Language Models: GPT-4.1, Claude 4.0, and Gemini 2.5. A key finding is that LoopGen-AI achieves competitive per-formance with only a few program runs, the reasoning logs from the agents revealed that their decisions rely heavily on the combination of semantic understanding of the target kernel with dynamic feedback from the environment, highlighting a promising new dimension in performance tuning. In contrast, ML-based autotuners focus on statistical exploration, and require orders of magnitude more runs to reach peak performance. Additionally, our analysis shows that prompt engineering, particularly using Persona + Context Manager patterns, significantly impacts the effectiveness of Agentic AI. Our results indicate that while Agentic AI systems are not yet a complete replacement for ML-based autotuners, it can effectively complement traditional methods.

Rosas, Miguel Romero↗

NASA NTRS2023

Cloud Computing Option for Modeling the Debris Environment

NASA’s Digital Transformation Initiative aims to promote the agency’s adoption of current and evolving digital technologies. Through agency-wide collaboration with other NASA teams, the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) has directed the Orbital Debris Program Office and the Meteoroid Environment Office to integrate cloud computing technologies into their publicly released software models: the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) and the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM). Decoupling the user interface from the backend processor was key for the software packages to run on a cloud computing framework. Benefits to this design include horizontal scaling of computing resources, user authentication and authorization, and automated deployment. Both models are hosted on a cloud computing platform supported by the NASA authorized IT security and compliance framework. This paper focuses on the new ORDEM web application, which includes the current features of the publicly released ORDEM software with an upgraded frontend design, although parallels between ORDEM and MEM are also discussed. The underlying ORDEM processor is run on a cloud container, allowing the user to run multiple spacecraft and telescope/radar mode simulations. Features exclusive to the ORDEM web application, such as importing multiple TLEs, auto-generated plotting, and the ability to check runtime progress are discussed. Comparisons between the current ORDEM software and the web application are summarized.

Andrew Vavrin↗

NASA NTRS2013

Summary of Activities for Health Monitoring of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels

This three-year project (FY12-14) will design and demonstrate the ability of new Magnetic Stress Gages for the measurement of stresses on the inner diameter of a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel overwrap. The sensors are being tested at White Sands Testing Facility (WSTF) where the results will be correlated with a known nondestructive technique acoustic emission. The gages will be produced utilizing Meandering Winding Magnetometer (MWM) and/or MWM array eddy current technology. The ultimate goal is to utilize this technology for the health monitoring of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels for all future flight programs. The first full-scale pressurization test was performed at WSTF in June 2012. The goals of this test were to determine adaptations of the magnetic stress gauge instrumentation that would be necessary to allow multiple sensors to monitor the vessel's condition simultaneously and to determine how the sensor response changes with sensor selection and orientation. The second full scale pressurization test was performed at WSTF in August 2012. The goals of this test were to monitor the vessel's condition with multiple sensors simultaneously, to determine the viability of the multiplexing units (MUX) for the application, and to determine if the sensor responses in different orientations are repeatable. For both sets of tests the vessel was pressured up to 6,000 psi to simulate maximum operating pressure. Acoustic events were observed during the first pressurization cycle. This suggested that the extended storage period prior to use of this bottle led to a relaxation of the residual stresses imparted during auto-frettage. The pressurization tests successfully demonstrated the use of multiplexers with multiple MWM arrays to monitor a vessel. It was discovered that depending upon the sensor orientation, the frequencies, and the sense element, the MWM arrays can provide a variety of complementary information about the composite overwrapped pressure vessel load conditions. For example, low frequency measurements can be used to monitor the overwrap thickness and changes associated with pressure level. High frequency data is dominated by the properties of the overwrap, including the fiber orientations and lay-up of the layers.

Russell, Rick↗

NASA NTRS2017

Astronaut Photography of the Earth: A Long-Term Dataset for Earth Systems Research, Applications, and Education

The NASA Earth observations dataset obtained by humans in orbit using handheld film and digital cameras is freely accessible to the global community through the online searchable database at https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov, and offers a useful compliment to traditional ground-commanded sensor data. The dataset includes imagery from the NASA Mercury (1961) through present-day International Space Station (ISS) programs, and currently totals over 2.6 million individual frames. Geographic coverage of the dataset includes land and oceans areas between approximately 52 degrees North and South latitudes, but is spatially and temporally discontinuous. The photographic dataset includes some significant impediments for immediate research, applied, and educational use: commercial RGB films and camera systems with overlapping bandpasses; use of different focal length lenses, unconstrained look angles, and variable spacecraft altitudes; and no native geolocation information. Such factors led to this dataset being underutilized by the community but recent advances in automated and semi-automated image geolocation, image feature classification, and web-based services are adding new value to the astronaut-acquired imagery. A coupled ground software and on-orbit hardware system for the ISS is in development for planned deployment in mid-2017; this system will capture camera pose information for each astronaut photograph to allow automated, full georegistration of the data. The ground system component of the system is currently in use to fully georeference imagery collected in response to International Disaster Charter activations, and the auto-registration procedures are being applied to the extensive historical database of imagery to add value for research and educational purposes. In parallel, machine learning techniques are being applied to automate feature identification and classification throughout the dataset, in order to build descriptive metadata that will improve search capabilities. It is expected that these value additions will increase interest and use of the dataset by the global community.

Stefanov, William L.↗

NASA NTRS2015

AMO EXPRESS: A Command and Control Experiment for Crew Autonomy

Stetson, Howard K.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Image applications for coastal resource planning: Elkhorn Slough Pilot Project

The purpose of this project has been to evaluate the utility of digital spectral imagery at two levels of resolution for large scale, accurate, auto-classification of land cover along the Central California Coast. Although remote sensing technology offers obvious advantages over on-the-ground mapping, there are substantial trade-offs that must be made between resolving power and costs. Higher resolution images can theoretically be used to identify smaller habitat patches, but they usually require more scenes to cover a given area and processing these images is computationally intense requiring much more computer time and memory. Lower resolution images can cover much larger areas, are less costly to store, process, and manipulate, but due to their larger pixel size can lack the resolving power of the denser images. This lack of resolving power can be critical in regions such as the Central California Coast where important habitat change often occurs on a scale of 10 meters. Our approach has been to compare vegetation and habitat classification results from two aircraft-based spectral scenes covering the same study area but at different levels of resolution with a previously produced ground-truthed land cover base map of the area. Both of the spectral images used for this project were of significantly higher resolution than the satellite-based LandSat scenes used in the C-CAP program. The lower reaches of the Elkhorn Slough watershed was chosen as an ideal study site because it encompasses a suite of important vegetation types and habitat loss processes characteristic of the central coast region. Dramatic habitat alterations have and are occurring within the Elkhorn Slough drainage area, including erosion and sedimentation, land use conversion, wetland loss, and incremental loss due to development and encroachnnent by agriculture. Additonally, much attention has already been focused on the Elkhorn Slough due to its status as a National Marine Education and Research Reserve and as part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. These destinations have resulted in a rich collection of prior spatial and temporal habitat data.

Kvitek, Rikk G.↗

NASA NTRS2015

AMO EXPRESS: A Command and Control Experiment for Crew Autonomy Onboard the International Space Station

NASA is investigating a range of future human spaceflight missions, including both Mars-distance and Near Earth Object (NEO) targets. Of significant importance for these missions is the balance between crew autonomy and vehicle automation. As distance from Earth results in increasing communication delays, future crews need both the capability and authority to independently make decisions. However, small crews cannot take on all functions performed by ground today, and so vehicles must be more automated to reduce the crew workload for such missions. NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program funded Autonomous Mission Operations (AMO) project conducted an autonomous command and control experiment on-board the International Space Station that demonstrated single action intelligent procedures for crew command and control. The target problem was to enable crew initialization of a facility class rack with power and thermal interfaces, and involving core and payload command and telemetry processing, without support from ground controllers. This autonomous operations capability is enabling in scenarios such as initialization of a medical facility to respond to a crew medical emergency, and representative of other spacecraft autonomy challenges. The experiment was conducted using the Expedite the Processing of Experiments for Space Station (EXPRESS) rack 7, which was located in the Port 2 location within the U.S Laboratory onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Activation and deactivation of this facility is time consuming and operationally intensive, requiring coordination of three flight control positions, 47 nominal steps, 57 commands, 276 telemetry checks, and coordination of multiple ISS systems (both core and payload). Utilization of Draper Laboratory's Timeliner software, deployed on-board the ISS within the Command and Control (C&C) computers and the Payload computers, allowed development of the automated procedures specific to ISS without having to certify and employ novel software for procedure development and execution. The procedures contained the ground procedure logic and actions as possible to include fault detection and recovery capabilities. The autonomous operations concept includes a reduction of the amount of data a crew operator is required to verify during activation or de-activation, as well as integration of procedure execution status and relevant data in a single integrated display. During execution, the auto-procedures (via Timerliner) provide a step-by-step messaging paradigm and a high-level status upon termination. This messaging and high-level status is the only data generated for operator display. To enhance situational awareness of the operator, the Web-based Procedure Display (WebPD) provides a novel approach to the issues of procedure display and execution tracking. WebPD is a web based application that serves as the user interface for electronic procedure execution. It incorporates several aspects of the HTML5 standard. Procedures are written in a dialect of XML called Procedure Representation Language (PRL). WebPD tracks execution status in the procedure or procedures being displayed. WebPD aggregates and simplifies the auto-sequence execution status information, and formatted to be easily followed and understood by an operator who is not dedicated to actively monitoring the task. WebPD also provides an integrated data and control interface to pause or halt the execution in order to provide a check point of operation and to examine progress before starting the next sequence of activities. For this demonstration, the procedure was initiated and monitored from the ground. As the Timeliner sequences executed, their high-level execution status was written to PLMDM memory. This memory is read and downlinked via Ku-Band at a 1 Hz rate. The data containing the high-level execution status is de-commutated on the ground, and rebroadcast for WebPD consumption. A future demonstration will be performed onboard, with ISS astronauts initiating the operations instead of ground controllers. The AMO EXPRESS experiment demonstrated activation and de-activation of EXPRESS rack 7, providing the capability of future single button activations and deactivations of facility class racks. The experiment achieved numerous technical and operations 'firsts' for the ISS

Stetson, Howard K.↗