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At least 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

From Antarctica to space: Use of telepresence and virtual reality in control of remote vehicles

In the Fall of 1993, NASA Ames deployed a modified Phantom S2 Remotely-Operated underwater Vehicle (ROV) into an ice-covered sea environment near McMurdo Science Station, Antarctica. This deployment was part of the antarctic Space Analog Program, a joint program between NASA and the National Science Foundation to demonstrate technologies relevant for space exploration in realistic field setting in the Antarctic. The goal of the mission was to operationally test the use of telepresence and virtual reality technology in the operator interface to a remote vehicle, while performing a benthic ecology study. The vehicle was operated both locally, from above a dive hole in the ice through which it was launched, and remotely over a satellite communications link from a control room at NASA's Ames Research Center. Local control of the vehicle was accomplished using the standard Phantom control box containing joysticks and switches, with the operator viewing stereo video camera images on a stereo display monitor. Remote control of the vehicle over the satellite link was accomplished using the Virtual Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) control software developed at NASA Ames. The remote operator interface included either a stereo display monitor similar to that used locally or a stereo head-mounted head-tracked display. The compressed video signal from the vehicle was transmitted to NASA Ames over a 768 Kbps satellite channel. Another channel was used to provide a bi-directional Internet link to the vehicle control computer through which the command and telemetry signals traveled, along with a bi-directional telephone service. In addition to the live stereo video from the satellite link, the operator could view a computer-generated graphic representation of the underwater terrain, modeled from the vehicle's sensors. The virtual environment contained an animate graphic model of the vehicle which reflected the state of the actual vehicle, along with ancillary information such as the vehicle track, science markers, and locations of video snapshots. The actual vehicle was driven either from within the virtual environment or through a telepresence interface. All vehicle functions could be controlled remotely over the satellite link.

Stoker, Carol↗
NASA NTRS2012

Dependence of AeroMACS Interference on Airport Radiation Pattern Characteristics

AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091 to 5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low earth orbit from AeroMACS transmitters at the 497 major airports in the contiguous United States was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on the number of antenna beams per airport, gain patterns, and beam direction orientations was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Dependence of AeroMACS Interference on Airport Radiation Pattern Characteristics

AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091-5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low earth orbit from AeroMACS transmitters at the 497 major airports in the contiguous United States was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on the number of antenna beams per airport, gain patterns, and beam direction orientations was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2017

An Advanced Trajectory-Based Operations Prototype Tool and Focus Group Evaluation

Trajectory-based operations (TBO) is a key concept in the Next Generation Air Transportation System transformation of the National Airspace System (NAS) that will increase the predictability and stability of traffic flows, support a common operational picture through the use of digital data sharing, facilitate more effective collaborative decision making between airspace users and air navigation service providers, and enable increased levels of integrated automation across the NAS. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been developing trajectory-based systems to improve the efficiency of the NAS during specific phases of flight and is now also exploring Advanced 4-Dimensional Trajectory (4DT) operational concepts that will integrate these technologies and incorporate new technology where needed to create both automation and procedures to support gate-to-gate TBO. A TBO Prototype simulation toolkit has been developed that demonstrates initial functionality that may reside in an Advanced 4DT TBO concept. Pilot and controller subject matter experts (SMEs) were brought to the Air Traffic Operations Laboratory at NASA Langley Research Center for discussions on an Advanced 4DT operational concept and were provided an interactive demonstration of the TBO Prototype using four example scenarios. The SMEs provided feedback on potential operational, technological, and procedural opportunities and concerns. After viewing the interactive demonstration scenarios, the SMEs felt the operational capabilities demonstrated would be useful for performing TBO while maintaining situation awareness and low mental workload. The TBO concept demonstrated produced defined routings around weather which resulted in a more organized, consistent flow of traffic where it was clear to both the controller and pilot what route the aircraft was to follow. In general, the controller SMEs felt that traffic flow management should be responsible for generating and negotiating the operational constraints demonstrated, in cooperation with the Air Traffic Control System Command Center, while air traffic control should be responsible for the implementation of those constraints. The SMEs also indicated that digital data communications would be very beneficial for TBO operations and would result in less workload due to reduced communications, would eliminate issues due to language barriers and frequency problems, and would make receiving, loading, accepting, and executing clearances easier, less ambiguous, and more expeditious. This paper describes an Advanced 4DT operational concept, the TBO Prototype, the demonstration scenarios and methods used, and the feedback obtained from the pilot and controller SMEs in this focus group evaluation.

Guerreiro, Nelson M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Design of the Protocol Processor for the ROBUS-2 Communication System

The ROBUS-2 Protocol Processor (RPP) is a custom-designed hardware component implementing the functionality of the ROBUS-2 fault-tolerant communication system. The Reliable Optical Bus (ROBUS) is the core communication system of the Scalable Processor-Independent Design for Enhanced Reliability (SPIDER), a general-purpose fault tolerant integrated modular architecture currently under development at NASA Langley Research Center. ROBUS is a time-division multiple access (TDMA) broadcast communication system with medium access control by means of time-indexed communication schedule. ROBUS-2 is a developmental version of the ROBUS providing guaranteed fault-tolerant services to the attached processing elements (PEs), in the presence of a bounded number of faults. These services include message broadcast (Byzantine Agreement), dynamic communication schedule update, time reference (clock synchronization), and distributed diagnosis (group membership). ROBUS also features fault-tolerant startup and restart capabilities. ROBUS-2 tolerates internal as well as PE faults, and incorporates a dynamic self-reconfiguration capability driven by the internal diagnostic system. ROBUS consists of RPPs connected to each other by a lower-level physical communication network. The RPP has a pipelined architecture and the design is parameterized in the behavioral and structural domains. The design of the RPP enables the bus to achieve a PE-message throughput that approaches the available bandwidth at the physical layer.

Torres-Pomales, Wilfredo↗
NASA NTRS2012

Data Acquisition, Management, and Analysis in Support of the Audiology and Hearing Conservation and the Orbital Debris Program Office

My internship at Johnson Space Center, Houston TX comprised of working simultaneously in the Space Life Science Directorate (Clinical Services Branch, SD3) in Audiology and Hearing Conservation and in the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Sciences Directorate in the Orbital Debris Program Office (KX). The purpose of the project done to support the Audiology and Hearing Conservation Clinic (AuHCon) is to organize and analyze auditory test data that has been obtained from tests conducted onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and in Johnson Space Center's clinic. Astronauts undergo a special type of auditory test called an On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (OOHA), which monitors hearing function while crewmembers are exposed to noise and microgravity during long-duration spaceflight. Data needed to be formatted to assist the Audiologist in studying, analyzing and reporting OOHA results from all ISS missions, with comparison to conventional preflight and post-flight audiometric test results of crewmembers. Orbital debris is the #1 threat to manned spacecraft; therefore NASA is investing in different measurement techniques to acquire information on orbital debris. These measurements are taken with telescopes in different parts of the world to acquire brightness variations over time, from which size, rotation rates and material information can be determined for orbital debris. Currently many assumptions are taken to resolve size and material from observed brightness, therefore a laboratory (Optical Measurement Center) is used to simulate the space environment and acquire information of known targets suited to best model the orbital debris population. In the Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) telescopic data were acquired and analyzed to better assess the orbital debris population.

Dicken, Todd↗
NASA NTRS2019

Small and Lightweight Laser Retro-Reflector Arrays for Lunar Landers

A set of small and lightweight laser retro-reflector arrays (LRAs) was fabricated and tested for use on lunar landersunder NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Service program. Each array contains eight 1.27-cm-diameter cornercube retro-reflectors mounted on a dome-shaped aluminum structure. The arrays are 5.0cmin diameter at the base,1.6 cm in height, and 20 g in mass. They can be tracked by an orbiting laser altimeter, such as the Lunar OrbiterLaser Altimeter, froma distance of a few hundred kilometers or by a landing lidar on future lunar landers. TheLRAsdemonstrated a diffraction-limited optical performance. They were designed and tested to survive and function ontheMoon for decades,well after the lander missions are completed.

Sun, Xiaoli↗
NASA NTRS1994

Renaissance architecture for Ground Data Systems

The Mission Operations and Data Systems Directorate (MO&DSD) has embarked on a new approach for developing and operating Ground Data Systems (GDS) for flight mission support. This approach is driven by the goals of minimizing cost and maximizing customer satisfaction. Achievement of these goals is realized through the use of a standard set of capabilities which can be modified to meet specific user needs. This approach, which is called the Renaissance architecture, stresses the engineering of integrated systems, based upon workstation/local area network (LAN)/fileserver technology and reusable hardware and software components called 'building blocks.' These building blocks are integrated with mission specific capabilities to build the GDS for each individual mission. The building block approach is key to the reduction of development costs and schedules. Also, the Renaissance approach allows the integration of GDS functions that were previously provided via separate multi-mission facilities. With the Renaissance architecture, the GDS can be developed by the MO&DSD or all, or part, of the GDS can be operated by the user at their facility. Flexibility in operation configuration allows both selection of a cost-effective operations approach and the capability for customizing operations to user needs. Thus the focus of the MO&DSD is shifted from operating systems that we have built to building systems and, optionally, operations as separate services. Renaissance is actually a continuous process. Both the building blocks and the system architecture will evolve as user needs and technology change. Providing GDS on a per user basis enables this continuous refinement of the development process and product and allows the MO&DSD to remain a customer-focused organization. This paper will present the activities and results of the MO&DSD initial efforts toward the establishment of the Renaissance approach for the development of GDS, with a particular focus on both the technical and process implications posed by Renaissance to the MO&DSD.

Perkins, Dorothy C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Langley advanced real-time simulation (ARTS) system

A system of high-speed digital data networks was developed and installed to support real-time flight simulation at the NASA Langley Research Center. This system, unlike its predecessor, employs intelligence at each network node and uses distributed 10-V signal conversion equipment rather than centralized 100-V equipment. A network switch, which replaces an elaborate system of patch panels, allows the researcher to construct a customized network from the 25 available simulation sites by invoking a computer control statement. The intent of this paper is to provide a coherent functional description of the system. This development required many significant innovations to enhance performance and functionality such as the real-time clock, the network switch, and improvements to the CAMAC network to increase both distances to sites and data rates. The system has been successfully tested at a usable data rate of 24 M. The fiber optic lines allow distances of approximately 1.5 miles from switch to site. Unlike other local networks, CAMAC does not buffer data in blocks. Therefore, time delays in the network are kept below 10 microsec total. This system underwent months of testing and was put into full service in July 1987.

Crawford, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Automated Procurement System (APS): Project management plan (DS-03), version 1.2

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is implementing an Automated Procurement System (APS) to streamline its business activities that are used to procure goods and services. This Project Management Plan (PMP) is the governing document throughout the implementation process and is identified as the APS Project Management Plan (DS-03). At this point in time, the project plan includes the schedules and tasks necessary to proceed through implementation. Since the basis of APS is an existing COTS system, the implementation process is revised from the standard SDLC. The purpose of the PMP is to provide the framework for the implementation process. It discusses the roles and responsibilities of the NASA project staff, the functions to be performed by the APS Development Contractor (PAI), and the support required of the NASA computer support contractor (CSC). To be successful, these three organizations must work together as a team, working towards the goals established in this Project Plan. The Project Plan includes a description of the proposed system, describes the work to be done, establishes a schedule of deliverables, and discusses the major standards and procedures to be followed.

Murphy, Diane R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Standards-and Component-Based Mission Operations Architecture at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) manages many of NASA s earth and space science satellite missions. A wide variety of commercial products and GSFC-developed software components are typically integrated into a unique system configuration for each mission. Independent development of the many mission operations center systems has led to systems that are expensive to integrate, difficult to infuse with new capabilities developed for other programs, and cumbersome to maintain. This traditional approach becomes even more problematic as NASA moves towards satellite constellations, new operations concepts, and even further budgets reductions. The GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) is creating a new architecture for future missions at GSFC. Instead of selecting the best-in-class components and creating a standard control center system, GMSEC is developing component interface standards so that multiple products can plug-and-play into the configuration. Missions can then select the best components based on the merits of the product and not simply based on recent integration history at NASA. The GMSEC system utilizes a publish/subscribe information bus and standard XML-based key message interfaces. Functional components can either match directly to the interface standard, or adapters can be developed to match the product's interface to the GMSEC standard with out impacting the source product. Applications Program Interfaces (API's) are being developed to isolate the underlying middleware from the applications software and to allow the middleware product to be switched if necessary. Interface Control Documents (ICDs) between each pair of communicating components is replaced by a single message/API specification document. New applications must simply match to the information bus standards and need not worry about all of the other applications in the system. For legacy software, adapters can be developed to facilitate communications between the application and the information bus. As the approach has matured, it has become apparent that it can provide innovative solutions to some of the multi-satellite challenges facing GSFC.

Smith, Danford↗
NASA NTRS2007

Online Analysis Enhances Use of NASA Earth Science Data

Giovanni, the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) Interactive Online Visualization and Analysis Infrastructure, has provided researchers with advanced capabilities to perform data exploration and analysis with observational data from NASA Earth observation satellites. In the past 5-10 years, examining geophysical events and processes with remote-sensing data required a multistep process of data discovery, data acquisition, data management, and ultimately data analysis. Giovanni accelerates this process by enabling basic visualization and analysis directly on the World Wide Web. In the last two years, Giovanni has added new data acquisition functions and expanded analysis options to increase its usefulness to the Earth science research community.

Acker, James G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Sewage Monitors

Every U.S. municipality must determine how much waste water it is processing and more importantly, how much is going unprocessed into lakes and streams either because of leaks in the sewer system or because the city's sewage facilities were getting more sewer flow than they were designed to handle. ADS Environmental Services, Inc.'s development of the Quadrascan Flow Monitoring System met the need for an accurate method of data collection. The system consists of a series of monitoring sensors and microcomputers that continually measure water depth at particular sewer locations and report their findings to a central computer. This provides precise information to city managers on overall flow, flow in any section of the city, location and severity of leaks and warnings of potential overload. The core technology has been expanded upon in terms of both technical improvements, and functionality for new applications, including event alarming and control for critical collection system management problems.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2019

Flight Demonstration of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) at Technical Capability Level 3

The goal of the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) effort at NASA is to enable access to low-altitude airspace for small UAS. This goal is being achieved partly through partnerships that NASA has developed with the FAA, other government agencies, the UAS stakeholder community, and the designated FAA UAS Test Sites. This paper reports the technical and operational capabilities demonstrated during the UTM flight demonstration, March 6 through May 30, 2018. The demonstration featured geographically diverse operations, involving FAA UAS Test Sites in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia. The demonstration leveraged the contributions of 30 partner organizations serving as UAS service suppliers, UAS operators, and/or providers of sensors, surveillance, connectivity, and management roles. Utilizing the UTM architecture developed at NASA, the demonstration explored 11 use cases for small UAS operations to highlight UTM capabilities at what NASA calls “Technical Capability Level (TCL) 3.” TCL 3 is characterized by multiple small UAS safely operating in moderately populated areas and beyond the visual line of sight of their operators. The TCL 3 flights demonstrated the basic feasibility of such operations in the UTM environment, including USS exchanges; communication, navigation and surveillance functions; sense and avoid capabilities; and technologies and procedures to enable them.

Aweiss, Arwa↗
NASA NTRS1972

Manual control models of industrial management

The industrial engineer is often required to design and implement control systems and organization for manufacturing and service facilities, to optimize quality, delivery, and yield, and minimize cost. Despite progress in computer science most such systems still employ human operators and managers as real-time control elements. Manual control theory should therefore be applicable to at least some aspects of industrial system design and operations. Formulation of adequate model structures is an essential prerequisite to progress in this area; since real-world production systems invariably include multilevel and multiloop control, and are implemented by timeshared human effort. A modular structure incorporating certain new types of functional element, has been developed. This forms the basis for analysis of an industrial process operation. In this case it appears that managerial controllers operate in a discrete predictive mode based on fast time modelling, with sampling interval related to plant dynamics. Successive aggregation causes reduced response bandwidth and hence increased sampling interval as a function of level.

Crossman, E. R. F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Lessons learned from the CSIS

A discussion is presented of the Centralized Storm Information System (CSIS), a joint effort by several organizations including NASA and the National Weather Service, which has been developed to aid the forecaster in evaluating weather data. The CSIS was developed to provide a handling, analyzing, intercomparison, and display system for real-time data from all available sources. The CSIS hardware and software, the impact of the CSIS, and the initial experience gained following the implementation of the CSIS are examined. Several general insights learned from this interactive processing system are examined in detail, including the benefits of an evolutionary bottom up rather than top down design approach, the crucial nature of scheduler function to any real time system, the recognition that meteorological interactive terminals requirements are different from image processing terminals requirements, and the knowledge that forecasters generate a large peak load on computer resources.

Mosher, F. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Software architecture for a distributed real-time system in Ada, with application to telerobotics

The architecture structure and software design methodology presented is described in the context of telerobotic application in Ada, specifically the Engineering Test Bed (ETB), which was developed to support the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) Program at GSFC. However, the nature of the architecture is such that it has applications to any multiprocessor distributed real-time system. The ETB architecture, which is a derivation of the NASA/NBS Standard Reference Model (NASREM), defines a hierarchy for representing a telerobot system. Within this hierarchy, a module is a logical entity consisting of the software associated with a set of related hardware components in the robot system. A module is comprised of submodules, which are cyclically executing processes that each perform a specific set of functions. The submodules in a module can run on separate processors. The submodules in the system communicate via command/status (C/S) interface channels, which are used to send commands down and relay status back up the system hierarchy. Submodules also communicate via setpoint data links, which are used to transfer control data from one submodule to another. A submodule invokes submodule algorithms (SMA's) to perform algorithmic operations. Data that describe or models a physical component of the system are stored as objects in the World Model (WM). The WM is a system-wide distributed database that is accessible to submodules in all modules of the system for creating, reading, and writing objects.

Olsen, Douglas R.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Autonomy Verification & Validation Roadmap and Vision 2045

Advanced capabilities planned for the next generation of autonomous and increasingly autonomous air vehicles will include non-traditional components based on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and complex optimization and planning algorithms. These complex components will be used to provide enhanced safety and high-level decision-making functions. However, there are serious barriers to the deployment of autonomous aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). Current civil aviation certification processes are based on the concept that the correct behavior of a system or a component must be completely specified and verified prior to operation. This report from the Autonomy Verification and Validation (V&V) Roadmap and Vision 2045 project presents the most recent effort to build a comprehensive list of verification challenges and needs for autonomous aircraft, a roadmap to meet those autonomy V&V needs, the services they can enable, and point to the certification gaps they fill. To accomplish these goals, we assembled a team of world-class researchers from the aerospace industry (Boeing, Collins Aerospace, and GeneralElectric) and academia (University of Michigan, University of Texas, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) with deep expertise in autonomy, aerospace systems, and assurance of Artificial Intelligence/machine learning systems.

Software Assurance↗