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At least 1,027 records · Page 57

Galileo mission planning for Low Gain Antenna based operations

The Galileo mission operations concept is undergoing substantial redesign, necessitated by the deployment failure of the High Gain Antenna, while the spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter. The new design applies state-of-the-art technology and processes to increase the telemetry rate available through the Low Gain Antenna and to increase the information density of the telemetry. This paper describes the mission planning process being developed as part of this redesign. Principal topics include a brief description of the new mission concept and anticipated science return (these have been covered more extensively in earlier papers), identification of key drivers on the mission planning process, a description of the process and its implementation schedule, a discussion of the application of automated mission planning tool to the process, and a status report on mission planning work to date. Galileo enhancements include extensive reprogramming of on-board computers and substantial hard ware and software upgrades for the Deep Space Network (DSN). The principal mode of operation will be onboard recording of science data followed by extended playback periods. A variety of techniques will be used to compress and edit the data both before recording and during playback. A highly-compressed real-time science data stream will also be important. The telemetry rate will be increased using advanced coding techniques and advanced receivers. Galileo mission planning for orbital operations now involves partitioning of several scarce resources. Particularly difficult are division of the telemetry among the many users (eleven instruments, radio science, engineering monitoring, and navigation) and allocation of space on the tape recorder at each of the ten satellite encounters. The planning process is complicated by uncertainty in forecast performance of the DSN modifications and the non-deterministic nature of the new data compression schemes. Key mission planning steps include quantifying resource or capabilities to be allocated, prioritizing science observations and estimating resource needs for each, working inter-and intra-orbit trades of these resources among the Project elements, and planning real-time science activity. The first major mission planning activity, a high level, orbit-by-orbit allocation of resources among science objectives, has already been completed; and results are illustrated in the paper. To make efficient use of limited resources, Galileo mission planning will rely on automated mission planning tools capable of dealing with interactions among time-varying downlink capability, real-time science and engineering data transmission, and playback of recorded data. A new generic mission planning tool is being adapted for this purpose.

Gershman, R.↗

The North Alabama Severe Thunderstorm Observations, Research, and Monitoring Network (STORMnet)

The Severe Thunderstorm Observations, Research, and Monitoring network (STORMnet) became operational in 2001 as a test bed to infuse new science and technologies into the severe and hazardous weather forecasting and warning process. STORMnet is collaboration among NASA scientists, National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters, emergency managers and other partners. STORMnet integrates total lightning observations from a ten-station 3-D VHF regional lightning mapping array, the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), real-time regional NEXRAD Doppler radar, satellite visible and infrared imagers, and a mobile atmospheric profiling system to characterize storms and their evolution. The storm characteristics and life-cycle trending are accomplished in real-time through the second generation Lightning Imaging Sensor Demonstration and Display (LISDAD II), a distributed processing system with a JAVA-based display application that allows anyone, anywhere to track individual storm histories within the Tennessee Valley region of north Alabama and Tennessee, a region of the southeastern U.S. well known for abundant severe weather.

Goodman, S. J.↗

Evaluation of components, subsystems, and networks for high rate, high frequency space communications

The development of new space communications technologies by NASA has included both commercial applications and space science requirements. NASA's Systems Integration, Test and Evaluation (SITE) Space Communication System Simulator is a hardware based laboratory simulator for evaluating space communications technologies at the component, subsystem, system, and network level, geared toward high frequency, high data rate systems. The SITE facility is well-suited for evaluation of the new technologies required for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and advanced commercial systems. Described here are the technology developments and evaluation requirements for current and planned commercial and space science programs. Also examined are the capabilities of SITE, the past, present and planned future configurations of the SITE facility, and applications of SITE to evaluation of SEI technology.

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗

Evaluating disease surveillance strategies for early outbreak detection in contact networks with varying community structure

Disease surveillance systems allow public health agencies to respond to emerging diseases before they become widespread. Developing such systems requires identifying optimal ways to monitor in the context of an epidemic outbreak; this problem is known as sensor selection. Contact networks represent the dynamics of interaction in a population and are used to model how a disease spreads in a population and to explore strategies of sensor selection. We evaluated five sensor selection strategies on their ability to provide an early warning of a COVID-like outbreak in synthetic contact networks encapsulated in four network scenarios. Three of these scenarios assessed different aspects of community structure. The fourth scenario employed a contact network representing the population and interactions of 6.8 million people in New York City, constructed from an agent-based simulation using census and transportation data. This scenario exemplifies how sensor selection strategies may perform in a real-world, urban context. Our findings suggest that the choice of the optimal strategy depends heavily on the community structure of the network. Strategies that select highly connected nodes or maximize network coverage are the optimal surveillance strategy for outbreak detection in many network community structures. However, a naive implementation of these strategies may fail to provide an early warning at all—including in the New York City scenario. Moreover, these methods are impractical for real-world use as they require knowledge of the underlying contact network. Instead, a selection strategy that starts with a set of random nodes and then performs a random walk through a chain of neighbors reliably provides early warnings without requiring prior knowledge of the network. We find this method, called “random chain”, to be the most pragmatic for implementation in a real-world disease surveillance context.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Ultrafast radiographic imaging and tracking: An overview of instruments, methods, data, and applications

Ultrafast radiographic imaging and tracking (U-RadIT) use state-of-the-art ionizing particle and light sources to experimentally study sub-nanosecond transients or dynamic processes in physics, chemistry, biology, geology, materials science and other fields. These processes are fundamental to modern technologies and applications, such as nuclear fusion energy, advanced manufacturing, communication, and green transportation, which often involve one mole or more atoms and elementary particles, and thus are challenging to compute by using the first principles of quantum physics or other forward models. One of the central problems in U-RadIT is to optimize information yield through, e.g. high-luminosity X-ray and particle sources, efficient imaging and tracking detectors, novel methods to collect data, and large-bandwidth online and offline data processing, regulated by the underlying physics, statistics, and computing power. We review and highlight recent progress in: (a.) Detectors such as high-speed complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) cameras, hybrid pixelated array detectors integrated with Timepix4 and other application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and digital photon detectors; (b.) U-RadIT modalities such as dynamic phase contrast imaging, dynamic diffractive imaging, and four-dimensional (4D) particle tracking; (c.) U-RadIT data and algorithms such as neural networks and machine learning, and (d.) Applications in ultrafast dynamic material science using XFELs, synchrotrons and laser-driven sources. Hardware-centric approaches to U-RadIT optimization are constrained by detector material properties, low signal-to-noise ratio, high cost and long development cycles of critical hardware components such as ASICs. Interpretation of experimental data, including comparisons with forward models, is frequently hindered by sparse measurements, model and measurement uncertainties, and noise. Alternatively, U-RadIT make increasing use of data science and machine learning algorithms, including experimental implementations of compressed sensing. Machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches, refined by physics and materials information, may also contribute significantly to data interpretation, uncertainty quantification and U-RadIT optimization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A Guide to Conquer the Biological Network Era Using Graph Theory

Networks are one of the most common ways to represent biological systems as complex sets of binary interactions or relations between different bioentities. In this article, we discuss the basic graph theory concepts and the various graph types, as well as the available data structures for storing and reading graphs. In addition, we describe several network properties and we highlight some of the widely used network topological features. We briefly mention the network patterns, motifs and models, and we further comment on the types of biological and biomedical networks along with their corresponding computer- and human-readable file formats. Finally, we discuss a variety of algorithms and metrics for network analyses regarding graph drawing, clustering, visualization, link prediction, perturbation, and network alignment as well as the current state-of-the-art tools. We expect this review to reach a very broad spectrum of readers varying from experts to beginners while encouraging them to enhance the field further.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Overview of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems

For over the last 15 years, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) has devoted a tremendous effort to design and build the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS) to acquire, process, archive and distribute the data of the EOS series of satellites and other ESE missions and field programs. The development of EOSDIS began with an early prototype to support NASA data from heritage missions and progressed through a formal development process to today's system that supports the data from multiple missions including Landsat 7, Terra, Aqua, SORCE and ICESat. The system is deployed at multiple Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and its current holdings are approximately 4.5 petabytes. The current set of unique users requesting EOS data and information products exceeds 2 million. While EOSDIS has been the centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems, other initiatives have augmented the services of EOSDIS and have impacted its evolution and the future directions of data systems within the ESE. ESDIS had an active prototyping effort and has continued to be involved in the activities of the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO). In response to concerns from the science community that EOSDIS was too large and monolithic, the ESE initiated the Earth Science Information Partners (ESP) Federation Experiment that funded a series of projects to develop specialized products and services to support Earth science research and applications. Last year, the enterprise made 41 awards to successful proposals to the Research, Education and Applications Solutions Network (REASON) Cooperative Agreement Notice to continue and extend the ESP activity. The ESE has also sponsored a formulation activity called the Strategy for the Evolution of ESE Data Systems (SEEDS) to develop approaches and decision support processes for the management of the collection of data system and service providers of the enterprise. Throughout the development of its earth science data systems, NASA has had an active collaboration with a number of interagency and international partners. One of the mechanisms that has been extremely helpful in initiating and promoting this collaboration has been NASA's participation in the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and its Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS). The CEOS members, working together, have implemented an International Directory Network that enables users to locate collections of earth science data held by the international community and an International Catalog System to search and order specific data products. CEOS WGISS has also promoted the international interest in the Open GIS Consortium s specifications that further advance the access and use of geospatial data and the interoperation of GTS components. These are just a few highlights of the benefits that member agencies gain from CEOS participation.

McDonald, Kenneth↗

GAAF: Searching Activation Functions for Binary Neural Networks Through Genetic Algorithm

Binary neural networks (BNNs) show promising utilization in cost and power-restricted domains such as edge devices and mobile systems. This is due to its significantly less computation and storage demand, but at the cost of degraded performance. To close the accuracy gap, in this paper we propose to add a complementary activation function (AF) ahead of the sign based binarization, and rely on the genetic algorithm (GA) to automatically search for the ideal AFs. These AFs can help extract extra information from the input data in the forward pass, while allowing improved gradient approximation in the backward pass. Fifteen novel AFs are identified through our GA-based search, while most of them show improved performance (up to 2.54% on ImageNet) when testing on different datasets and network models. Interestingly, periodic functions are identified as a key component for most of the discovered AFs, which rarely exist in human designed AFs. Our method offers a novel approach for designing general and application-specific BNN architecture.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Multi-Level Structural Damage Characterization Using Sparse Acoustic Sensor Networks and Knowledge Transferred Deep Learning

Standard structural health monitoring techniques face well-known difficulties for comprehensive defect diagnosis in real-world structures that have structural, material, or geometric complexity. This motivates the exploration of machine-learning-based structural health monitoring methods in complex structures. However, creating sufficient training data sets with various defects is an ongoing challenge for data-driven machine (deep) learning algorithms. The ability to transfer the knowledge of a trained neural network from one component to another or to other sections of the same component would drastically reduce the required training data set. Also, it would facilitate computationally inexpensive machine learning based inspection systems. In this work, a machine-learning-based multi-level damage characterization is demonstrated with the ability to transfer trained knowledge within the sparse sensor network. A novel network spatial assistance and an adaptive convolution technique are proposed for efficient knowledge transfer within the deep learning algorithm. Proposed structural health monitoring method is experimentally evaluated on an aluminum plate with artificially induced defects. It was observed that the method improves the performance of knowledge transferred damage characterization by 50% during localization and 24% during severity assessment. Further, experiments using time windows with and without multiple edge reflections are studied. Results reveal that multiply scattered waves contain rich and deterministic defect signatures that can be mined using deep learning neural networks, improving the accuracy of both identification and quantification. In the case of a fixed sensor network, using multiply scattered waves shows 100% prediction accuracy at all levels of damage characterization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Small Spacecraft Sample Return to Support Gateway and Lunar Science

The Lunar Gateway is a planned orbital outpost to support Lunar surface, Cislunar, and deep space exploration activities. NASA, together with international and commercial partners, are providing various capabilities, infrastructure, and services to build the Lunar economy. As Gateway capabilities and transportation logistics evolve, utilization is expected to increase, providing ample science, technology demonstration, and commercial development opportunities. Elements of the transportation network supporting Lunar activities are primarily focused on the outbound segment, which include Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Human Landing System (HLS), Deep Space Logistics (DSL), and the SLS/Orion crew transportation system. Initially, the only Earth return segment will be provided via Orion. However, infrequent mission cadence (once every 12 months), limited payload return mass (100 kg), and operational constraints suggest that additional sample return logistics capability will be needed. Sustaining long-term presence at the Moon will likely require innovative approaches for frequent and affordable payload return. NASA Ames Research Center and the DSL team at Kennedy Space Center (which provides the Gateway Logistics Services missions) have investigated the development of a small spacecraft-based sample return capability to complement Orion. The goal of the first mission is to demonstrate the capability as a part of an early DSL mission, and provide up to 10 kg of scientific sample return from the Gateway. The mission concept envisions the progressive addition of sample return capabilities, including returning temperature- and acceleration-sensitive payloads, and evolution into a commercially provided service, similar to existing ISS payload return logistics. An overview of payload science and technology use cases and small spacecraft mission concepts will be presented to engage scientists, payload developers and mission planners who are considering Lunar exploration activities that will require the return of high-value samples from the Gateway and/or the lunar surface.

Alan Cassell↗

Small Spacecraft Sample Return Mission Concept to Support Gateway and Lunar Science

The Lunar Gateway is a planned orbital outpost to support Lunar surface, Cislunar, and deep space exploration activities. NASA, together with international and commercial partners, are providing various capabilities, infrastructure, and services to build the Lunar economy. As Gateway capabilities and transportation logistics evolve, utilization is expected to increase, providing ample science, technology demonstration, and commercial development opportunities. Elements of the transportation network supporting Lunar activities are primarily focused on the outbound segment, which include Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Human Landing System (HLS), Deep Space Logistics (DSL), and the SLS/Orion crew transportation system. Initially, the only Earth return segment will be provided via Orion. However, infrequent mission cadence (once every 12 months), limited payload return mass (100 kg), and operational constraints suggest that additional sample return logistics capability will be needed. Sustaining long-term presence at the Moon will likely require innovative approaches for frequent and affordable payload return. NASA Ames Research Center and the DSL team at Kennedy Space Center (which provides the Gateway Logistics Services missions) have investigated the development of a small spacecraft-based sample return capability to complement Orion. The goal of the first mission is to demonstrate the capability as a part of an early DSL mission, and provide up to 10 kg of scientific sample return from the Gateway. The mission concept envisions the progressive addition of sample return capabilities, including returning temperature- and acceleration-sensitive payloads, and evolution into a commercially provided service, similar to existing ISS payload return logistics. An overview of payload science and technology use cases and small spacecraft mission concepts will be presented to engage scientists, payload developers and mission planners who are considering Lunar exploration activities that will require the return of high-value samples from the Gateway and/or the lunar surface.

Small Spacecraft↗

Small Spacecraft Sample Return Mission Concept to Support Gateway and Lunar Science

The Lunar Gateway is a planned orbital outpost to support Lunar surface, Cislunar, and deep space exploration activities. NASA, together with international and commercial partners, are providing various capabilities, infrastructure, and services to build the Lunar economy. As Gateway capabilities and transportation logistics evolve, utilization is expected to increase, providing ample science, technology demonstration, and commercial development opportunities. Elements of the transportation network supporting Lunar activities are primarily focused on the outbound segment, which include Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Human Landing System (HLS), Deep Space Logistics (DSL), and the SLS/Orion crew transportation system. Initially, the only Earth return segment will be provided via Orion. However, infrequent mission cadence (once every 12 months), limited payload return mass (100 kg), and operational constraints suggest that additional sample return logistics capability will be needed. Sustaining long-term presence at the Moon will likely require innovative approaches for frequent and affordable payload return. NASA Ames Research Center and the DSL team at Kennedy Space Center (which provides the Gateway Logistics Services missions) have investigated the development of a small spacecraft-based sample return capability to complement Orion. The goal of the first mission is to demonstrate the capability as a part of an early DSL mission, and provide up to 10 kg of scientific sample return from the Gateway. The mission concept envisions the progressive addition of sample return capabilities, including returning temperature- and acceleration-sensitive payloads, and evolution into a commercially provided service, similar to existing ISS payload return logistics. An overview of payload science and technology use cases and small spacecraft mission concepts will be presented to engage scientists, payload developers and mission planners who are considering Lunar exploration activities that will require the return of high-value samples from the Gateway and/or the lunar surface.

Alan Cassell↗

Predicting ptychography probe positions using single-shot phase retrieval neural network

Ptychography is a powerful imaging technique that is used in a variety of fields, including materials science, biology, and nanotechnology. However, the accuracy of the reconstructed ptychography image is highly dependent on the accuracy of the recorded probe positions which often contain errors. These errors are typically corrected jointly with phase retrieval through numerical optimization approaches. When the error accumulates along the scan path or when the error magnitude is large, these approaches may not converge with satisfactory result. We propose a fundamentally new approach for ptychography probe position prediction for data with large position errors, where a neural network is used to make single-shot phase retrieval on individual diffraction patterns, yielding the object image at each scan point. The pairwise offsets among these images are then found using a robust image registration method, and the results are combined to yield the complete scan path by constructing and solving a linear equation. We show that our method can achieve good position prediction accuracy for data with large and accumulating errors on the order of 10 2 pixels, a magnitude that often makes optimization-based algorithms fail to converge. For ptychography instruments without sophisticated position control equipment such as interferometers, our method is of significant practical potential.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Micropulse Differential Absorption Lidar (MPD) Network Demonstration Field Campaign Report

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Montana State University (MSU) are nearing completion of a National Science Foundation (NSF) major research instrumentation grant to build five micropulse differential absorption lidars (MPDs) for water vapor profiling. The first demonstration of the MPD configured as a five-unit network occurred at the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) field sites near Lamont, Oklahoma from 17 April–21 July 2019 for a total of 96 days of operation. The field deployment was funded in part by DOE (which provided support for the MPD installation, power at the field sites, personnel to launch 3-hourly radiosondes from the Central Facility, and the cost of the radiosondes themselves), internal NCAR funds (to support the MPD shipping costs and NCAR staff travel expenses), and NSF/Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) funds (to support the MSU travel expenses to participate in the instrument setup).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The NASA Space Communications Data Networking Architecture

The NASA Space Communications Architecture Working Group (SCAWG) has recently been developing an integrated agency-wide space communications architecture in order to provide the necessary communication and navigation capabilities to support NASA's new Exploration and Science Programs. A critical element of the space communications architecture is the end-to-end Data Networking Architecture, which must provide a wide range of services required for missions ranging from planetary rovers to human spaceflight, and from sub-orbital space to deep space. Requirements for a higher degree of user autonomy and interoperability between a variety of elements must be accommodated within an architecture that necessarily features minimum operational complexity. The architecture must also be scalable and evolvable to meet mission needs for the next 25 years. This paper will describe the recommended NASA Data Networking Architecture, present some of the rationale for the recommendations, and will illustrate an application of the architecture to example NASA missions.

Israel, David J.↗

Signatures of a liquid–liquid transition in an ab initio deep neural network model for water

Significance Water is central across much of the physical and biological sciences and exhibits physical properties that are qualitatively distinct from those of most other liquids. Understanding the microscopic basis of water’s peculiar properties remains an active area of research. One intriguing hypothesis is that liquid water can separate into metastable high- and low-density liquid phases at low temperatures and high pressures, and the existence of this liquid–liquid transition could explain many of water’s anomalous properties. We used state-of-the-art approaches in computational quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, and machine learning and obtained evidence consistent with a liquid–liquid transition, supporting the argument for the existence of this phenomenon in real water.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase separation and ripening in a viscoelastic gel

The process of phase separation in elastic solids and viscous fluids is of fundamental importance to the stability and function of soft materials. We explore the dynamics of phase separation and domain growth in a viscoelastic material such as a polymer gel. Using analytical theory and Monte Carlo simulations, we report a domain growth regime in which the domain size increases algebraically with a ripening exponent α that depends on the viscoelastic properties of the material. For a prototypical Maxwell material, we obtain α = 1 , which is markedly different from the well-known Ostwald ripening process with α = 1 / 3 . We generalize our theory to systems with arbitrary power-law relaxation behavior and discuss our findings in the context of the long-term stability of materials as well as recent experimental results on phase separation in cross-linked networks and cytoskeleton.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗