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NASA NTRS2009

A Data Matrix Method for Improving the Quantification of Element Percentages of SEM/EDX Analysis

A simple 2D M N matrix involving sample preparation enables the microanalyst to peer below the noise floor of element percentages reported by the SEM/EDX (scanning electron microscopy/ energy dispersive x-ray) analysis, thus yielding more meaningful data. Using the example of a 2 3 sample set, there are M = 2 concentration levels of the original mix under test: 10 percent ilmenite (90 percent silica) and 20 percent ilmenite (80 percent silica). For each of these M samples, N = 3 separate SEM/EDX samples were drawn. In this test, ilmenite is the element of interest. By plotting the linear trend of the M sample s known concentration versus the average of the N samples, a much higher resolution of elemental analysis can be performed. The resulting trend also shows how the noise is affecting the data, and at what point (of smaller concentrations) is it impractical to try to extract any further useful data.

Lane, John↗

NASA NTRS1982

The SPAR thermal analyzer: Present and future

The SPAR thermal analyzer, a system of finite-element processors for performing steady-state and transient thermal analyses, is described. The processors communicate with each other through the SPAR random access data base. As each processor is executed, all pertinent source data is extracted from the data base and results are stored in the data base. Steady state temperature distributions are determined by a direct solution method for linear problems and a modified Newton-Raphson method for nonlinear problems. An explicit and several implicit methods are available for the solution of transient heat transfer problems. Finite element plotting capability is available for model checkout and verification.

Marlowe, M. B.↗

NASA NTRS1980

An atlas of 1977 and 1978 GEOS-3 radar altimeter data for tropical cyclone studies

All of the GEOS 3 satellite altimeter schedule information were collected with all of the available 1977 and 1978 tropical cyclone positional information. The time period covers from March 23, 1977 through Nov. 23, 1978. The geographical region includes all ocean area north of the equator divided into the following operational areas: the Atlantic area (which includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico); the eastern Pacific area; the central and western Pacific area; and the Indian Ocean area. All available source material concerning tropical cyclones was collected. The date/time/location information was extracted for each disturbance. This information was compared with the GEOS 3 altimeter ON/OFF history information to determine the existence of any altimeter data close enough in both time and location to make the data potentially useful for further study (the very liberal criteria used was time less than 24 hours and location within 25 degrees). Geographic plots (cyclone versus GEOS 3 orbit track) were produced for all of the events found showing the approximate location of the cyclone and the GEOS 3 orbit traces for the full day.

Stanley, H. R.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Flight-Determined, Subsonic, Lateral-Directional Stability and Control Derivatives of the Thrust-Vectoring F-18 High Angle of Attack Research Vehicle (HARV), and Comparisons to the Basic F-18 and Predicted Derivatives

The subsonic, lateral-directional, stability and control derivatives of the thrust-vectoring F-1 8 High Angle of Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) are extracted from flight data using a maximum likelihood parameter identification technique. State noise is accounted for in the identification formulation and is used to model the uncommanded forcing functions caused by unsteady aerodynamics. Preprogrammed maneuvers provided independent control surface inputs, eliminating problems of identifiability related to correlations between the aircraft controls and states. The HARV derivatives are plotted as functions of angles of attack between 10deg and 70deg and compared to flight estimates from the basic F-18 aircraft and to predictions from ground and wind tunnel tests. Unlike maneuvers of the basic F-18 aircraft, the HARV maneuvers were very precise and repeatable, resulting in tightly clustered estimates with small uncertainty levels. Significant differences were found between flight and prediction; however, some of these differences may be attributed to differences in the range of sideslip or input amplitude over which a given derivative was evaluated, and to differences between the HARV external configuration and that of the basic F-18 aircraft, upon which most of the prediction was based. Some HARV derivative fairings have been adjusted using basic F-18 derivatives (with low uncertainties) to help account for differences in variable ranges and the lack of HARV maneuvers at certain angles of attack.

Iliff, Kenneth W.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Image-based terrain modeling with thematic mapper applied to resolving the limit of Holocene Lake expansion in the Great Salt Lake Desert, Utah, part 1

The LANDSAT Thematic Mapper (TM) scanner records reflected solar energy from the earth's surface in six wavelength regions, or bands, and one band that records emitted energy in the thermal region, giving a total of seven bands. Useful research was extracted about terrain morphometry from remote sensing measurements and this information is used in an image-based terrain model for selected coastal geomorphic features in the Great Salt Lake Desert (GSLD). Technical developments include the incorporation of Aerial Profiling of Terrain System (APTS) data in satellite image analysis, and the production and use of 3-D surface plots of TM reflectance data. Also included in the technical developments is the analysis of the ground control point spatial distribution and its affects on geometric correction, and the terrain mapping procedure; using satellite data in a way that eliminates the need to degrade the data by resampling. The most common approach for terrain mapping with multispectral scanner data includes the techniques of pattern recognition and image classification, as opposed to direct measurement of radiance for identification of terrain features. The research approach in this investigation was based on an understanding of the characteristics of reflected light resulting from the variations in moisture and geometry related to terrain as described by the physical laws of radiative transfer. The image-based terrain model provides quantitative information about the terrain morphometry based on the physical relationship between TM data, the physical character of the GSLD, and the APTS measurements.

Merola, John A.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Developing a MATLAB(registered)-Based Tool for Visualization and Transformation

An important step in the structural design and development of spacecraft is the experimental identification of a structure s modal characteristics, such as its natural frequencies and modes of vibration. These characteristics are vital to developing a representative model of any given structure or analyzing the range of input frequencies that can be handled by a particular structure. When setting up such a representative model of a structure, careful measurements using precision equipment (such as accelerometers and instrumented hammers) must be made on many individual points of the structure in question. The coordinate location of each data point is used to construct a wireframe geometric model of the structure. Response measurements obtained from the accelerometers is used to generate the modal shapes of the particular structure. Graphically, this is displayed as a combination of the ways a structure will ideally respond to a specified force input. Two types of models of the tested structure are often used in modal analysis: an analytic model showing expected behavior of the structure, and an experimental model showing measured results due to observed phenomena. To evaluate the results from the experimental model, a comparison of analytic and experimental results must be made between the two models. However, comparisons between these two models become difficult when the two coordinate orientations differ in a manner such that results are displayed in an unclear fashion. Such a problem proposes the need for a tool that not only communicates a graphical image of a structure s wireframe geometry based on various measurement locations (called nodes), but also allows for a type of transformation of the image s coordinate geometry so that a model s coordinate orientation is made to match the orientation of another model. Such a tool should also be designed so that it is able to construct coordinate geometry based on many different listings of node locations and is able to transform the wireframe coordinate orientation to match almost any possible orientation (i.e. it should not be a problem specific application) if it is to be of much value in modal analysis. Also, since universal files are used to store modal parameters and wireframe geometry, the tool must be able to read and extract information from universal files and use these files to exchange model data.The purpose of this project is to develop such a tool as a computer graphical user interface (GUI) capable of performing the following tasks: 1) Browsing for a particular universal file within the computer directory and displaying the name of this file to the screen; 2) Plotting each of the nodes within the universal file in a useful, descriptive, and easily understood figure; 3) Reading the node numbers from the selected file and listing these node numbers to the user for selection in an easily accessible format; 4) Allowing for user selection of a new model orientation defined by three selected nodes; and 5) Allowing the user to specify a directory to which the transformed model s node locations will be saved, and saving the transformed node locations to the specified file.

Anderton, Blake J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

RGS Spectroscopy of the Cygnus Loop XA Knot

The observations were performed at the end of April 2002, and the data were received in July 2002. Unfortunately, the observations were badly compromised by high levels of background radiation; one the three observations lost entirely. Two replacement observations were scheduled for November 2002, and were only made available in January of 2003. Consequently, we have had little time to grapple with the unusual data analysis challenges. The search for a postdoctoral fellow has been successfully concluded, and Manami Sasaki began working for us in January 2003. She will be supported in part by these funds, and will be working to help understand these data. Examination of the RGS 'Orders' images indicate the presence of broad emission lines (as expected for the diffuse XA knot). However, examination of the 'Spatial' dispersion/cross-dispersion images indicate that the emission is also broad in the cross-dispersion direction. (As a crosscheck, some of the 'Lockman Hole' datasets were also examined as representative 'sky background' datasets; in these, both types of images are relatively flat (outside the calibration source regions). The quicklook plots of the spectra show the expected O VII and O VIII lines, in addition to a complex around 35 Angstroms; the approx. 35 Angstrom line is likely the C V He-beta line at 34.97 Angstrom, but identifying the additional line(s) will require a more careful reduction of the data. Consequently, there is valuable information to be extracted from these data, but it is complicated by diffuse nature of the emission. Because the angular scale is large, we will have to make use of sky background datasets in order to do the background fitting. A color composite image of OM data in the three UV bands was presented at the 'How does the Galaxy Work?' meeting, and compared to optical and X-ray imaging data. Quantitative analysis will require obtaining the effective bandpasses of the UV filters so that the predominant line and continuum contributions can be identified using plasma shock emission models. In view of the facts that the data were only obtained relatively recently, and the complexity of the data analysis, we request a one year no-cost extension on the grant.

Gaetz, Terrance J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

LANDSAT instruments characterization

Several studies were performed using LANDSAT-4 and -5 simultaneous overpath data 40608-15472 and 50014-15465 over Pensacola, FL. The overlap region of these two scenes was determined visually on the IAT and then sampled into 32 x 32 segments. The mean and standard deviation (SD) for each segment were calculated. In general, the plots of the means of LANDSAT-4 versus LANDSAT-5 lie on the diagonal line. Some of the data lie out of the diagonal line, which indicates a possible bidirectional observation effect occurs. In addition to editing the five FCL files on CALDUMP tapes into seven 1000 minor frame (MF). CAL files, program LEE.FOR was modified to use information from start of shutter obscuration extracted from program START.FOR to create seven 200 MF.CAL files that can be run through the current TRAPP program for TM sensor characterization. The location of start of shutter obscuration was determined for both LANDSAT-4 and -5.

Lee, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Application of SEASAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to enhance and detect geological lineaments and to assist LANDSAT landcover classification mapping

Digital SEASAT-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data were used to enhance linear features to extract geologically significant lineaments in the Appalachian region. Comparison of Lineaments thus mapped with an existing lineament map based on LANDSAT MSS images shows that appropriately processed SEASAT-1 SAR data can significantly improve the detection of lineaments. Merge MSS and SAR data sets were more useful fo lineament detection and landcover classification than LANDSAT or SEASAT data alone. About 20 percent of the lineaments plotted from the SEASAT SAR image did not appear on the LANDSAT image. About 6 percent of minor lineaments or parts of lineaments present in the LANDSAT map were missing from the SEASAT map. Improvement in the landcover classification (acreage and spatial estimation accuracy) was attained by using MSS-SAR merged data. The aerial estimation of residential/built-up and forest categories was improved. Accuracy in estimating the agricultural and water categories was slightly reduced.

Sekhon, R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Challenger STS-17 (41-G) post-flight best estimate trajectory products: Development and summary results

Results from the STS-17 (41-G) post-flight products are presented. Operational Instrumentation recorder gaps, coupled with the limited tracking coverage available for this high inclination entry profile, necessitated selection of an anchor epoch for reconstruction corresponding to an unusually low altitude of h approx. 297 kft. The final inertial trajectory obtained, BT17N26/UN=169750N, is discussed in Section I, i.e., relative to the problems encountered with the OI and ACIP recorded data on this Challenger flight. Atmospheric selection, again in view of the ground track displacement from the remote meteorological sites, constituted a major problem area as discussed in Section II. The LAIRS file provided by Langley was adopted, with NOAA data utilized over the lowermost approx. 7 kft. As discussed in Section II, the Extended BET, ST17BET/UN=274885C, suggests a limited upper altitude (H approx. 230 kft) for which meaningful flight extraction can be expected. This is further demonstrated, though not considered a limitation, in Section III wherein summary results from the AEROBET (NJ0333 with NJ0346 as duplicate) are presented. GTFILEs were generated only for the selected IMU (IMU2) and the Rate Gyro Assembly/Accelerometer Assembly data due to the loss of ACIP data. Appendices attached present inputs for the generation of the post-flight products (Appendix A), final residual plots (Appendix B), a two second spaced listing of the relevant parameters from the Extended BET (Appendix C), and an archival section (Appendix D) devoting input (source) and output files and/or physical reels.

Kelly, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

CRN5EXP: Expert system for statistical quality control

The purpose of the Expert System CRN5EXP is to assist in checking the quality of the coils at two very important mills: Hot Rolling and Cold Rolling in a steel plant. The system interprets the statistical quality control charts, diagnoses and predicts the quality of the steel. Measurements of process control variables are recorded in a database and sample statistics such as the mean and the range are computed and plotted on a control chart. The chart is analyzed through patterns using the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) and a forward chaining technique to reach a conclusion about the causes of defects and to take management measures for the improvement of the quality control techniques. The Expert System combines the certainty factors associated with the process control variables to predict the quality of the steel. The paper presents the approach to extract data from the database, the reason to combine certainty factors, the architecture and the use of the Expert System. However, the interpretation of control charts patterns requires the human expert's knowledge and lends to Expert Systems rules.

Hentea, Mariana↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effect of including variable gas properties and entrained particles in the flow analysis of the ASRM nozzle

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of using constant gas properties for the analysis of the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) nozzle and to gain more understanding concerning those types of analysis which might require this additional complexity. Kinetics data for viscosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat, and specific heat ratio are extracted from the Solid Propellant Rocket Motor Performance Prediction Computer Program (SPP) and tabulated as a function of temperature. These tables are added to the Aerovisc computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code in place of the constant gas property values. The results of a CFD analysis of the ASRM 48 inch motor with constant gas properties will be compared with an analysis which uses variable gas properties. Mach number, surface pressure, and torque plots are presented. A full scale ASRM analysis using SPP with and without particle flow is presented.

Clayton, Curtis D.↗

NASA NTRS2014

An Efficient, Multi-Layered Crown Delineation Algorithm for Mapping Individual Tree Structure Across Multiple Ecosystems

Deriving individual tree information from discrete return, small footprint LiDAR data may improve forest above ground biomass estimates, and provide tree-level information that is important in many ecological studies. Several crown delineation algorithms have been developed to extract individual tree information from LiDAR point clouds or rasterized canopy height models (CHM), but many of these algorithms have difficulty discriminating between overlapping crowns, and also may fail to detect understory trees. Our approach uses a watershed based delineation of a CHM, which is subsequently refined using the LiDAR point cloud. Individual tree detection was validated with stem mapped field data from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Maryland, and on a plot and stand level through comparisons of stem density and basal area to delineated metrics at both SERC and a study area in the Sierra Nevada, California. For individual tree detection, the algorithm correctly identified 70% of dominant trees, 58% of co-dominant trees, 35% of intermediate trees and 21% of suppressed trees at SERC. The algorithm had difficulty distinguishing between crowns of small, dense understory trees of approximately the same height. Delineated crown volume alone explained 53% and 84% of the variability in basal area at the SERC and Sierra Nevada sites, respectively. The algorithm produced crown area distributions comparable to diameter at breast height (DBH) size class distributions observed in the field in both study sites. The algorithm detected understory crowns better in the conifer-dominated Sierra Nevada site than in the closed-canopy deciduous site in Maryland. The ability for the algorithm to reproduce both accurate tree size distributions and individual crown geometries in two dissimilar and complex forests suggests great promise for applicability to a wide range of forest systems.

LiDAR↗

NASA NTRS1981

Longitudinal stability and control derivatives obtained from flight data of a PA-30 aircraft

In order to obtain reliable and accurate values of the stability and control derivatives, the Dryden Fligh Research Center (DFRC) developed a technique for extracting the derivatives from flight data. This technique is implemented by a set of FORTRAN computer programs that is based on a modified maximum likelihood estimator that uses the Newton-Raphson algorithm to perform the required minimization of the derivatives. Data was obtained with a PA-30, light twin-engine general aviation aircraft in zero, half, and full flap configuration in level unaccelerated flight with the landing gear retracted. The derivatives were plotted as functions of angle of attack using various graphical arrangements to show variations of wind tunnel and flight determined values at zero flap settings. Also, data was displayed to show the effects of flap deflection and thrust variation on the longitudinal stability derivatives. The angle of attack and angle of sideslip were measured. The dynamic pressure, velocity, and altitude were calculated, using a FORTRAN computer program, from the static and dynamic pressures. The control deflections of the stabilator, ailerons, and rudder also were recorded along with left throttle position, engine rpm, and manifold pressure.

Turley, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Frequency-Domain Identification of XV-15 Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Dynamics in Hovering Flight

Frequency-domain methods are used to identify the open-loop dynamics of the XV-15 tilt-rotor aircraft from flight tests. Piloting and data analysis techniques are presented to determine frequency response plots and equivalent transfer function models. The open-loop pitch and roll dynamics for the hover flight condition exhibit unstable low-frequency oscillations, whereas the dynamics in the remaining degrees of freedom are lightly damped and generally decoupled. Comparisons of XV-15 flight-test and simulator data are more favorable for high-frequency inputs (omega greater than 1.0 rad/sec) than low-frequency inputs. Time-domain comparisons of the extracted transfer functions with step response flight data are very favorable, even for large amplitude motions. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the utility of the frequency-domain techniques for dynamics identification and simulator fidelity studies.

Tischler, Mark B.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Visual Data Analysis for Satellites

The Visual Data Analysis Package is a collection of programs and scripts that facilitate visual analysis of data available from NASA and NOAA satellites, as well as dropsonde, buoy, and conventional in-situ observations. The package features utilities for data extraction, data quality control, statistical analysis, and data visualization. The Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) satellite data extraction routines from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory were customized for specific spatial coverage and file input/output. Statistical analysis includes the calculation of the relative error, the absolute error, and the root mean square error. Other capabilities include curve fitting through the data points to fill in missing data points between satellite passes or where clouds obscure satellite data. For data visualization, the software provides customizable Generic Mapping Tool (GMT) scripts to generate difference maps, scatter plots, line plots, vector plots, histograms, timeseries, and color fill images.

Lau, Yee↗

NASA NTRS1972

Study of the gas contents of rocks: An approach to the evolution of atmospheres on the earth and planets

A high vacuum system was built for extracting volatiles from rocks either by heating or crushing, and preliminary analyses of the volatiles were made for selected terrestrial basalts and granites. The apparatus and experimental procedures are described, and the major problems associated with water measurement and choice of argon to replace neon as the internal standard are discussed. Preliminary analyses of granites and basalts indicate the following: All analyses lie in the H2O-CO2-CO triangle on a C-H-O ternary diagram. The compositions of the volatiles plot in distinct, but overlapping, areas of the C-H-O diagram. Pre-Cambrian granites have a higher volatile content than younger granites. Continental basalts have a higher volatile content than oceanic basalts.

Barker, C.↗

NASA NTRS2022

A Modular Framework for Integrating and Visualizing Telemetry for Mars 2020 Rover Mechanism Operations

The analysis of mechanism telemetry requires a wide variety of tools to quickly and effectively assess spacecraft state, capture long-term trends in system performance, and identify and track anomalous events. Such analysis often requires spacecraft telemetry to first be transformed into derived fields and aggregated statistics before operators can begin their analysis. In past missions, aspects of this process have been automated, but operators were expected to use their own tools and procedures to understand and visualize the data, which led to redundant and inconsistent tools and processes. The Mech Data Tools Python library (MDT) was developed to provide a flexible, unified tool set for operators to extract and analyze mechanism telemetry over the life of the Mars 2020 surface mission. MDT consists of a set of configurable components that implement standard interfaces for ingesting input and producing output. Components can be chained together to form a data processing pipeline. Data are ingested from several sources within the greater Mars 2020 cloud infrastructure and stored in pandas DataFrames, which allows users to leverage the data manipulation capabilities present within the widely-used pandas library. Visualization capabilities are provided through the Plotly library, which generates interactive plots for users to interpret. Following the beginning of Mars 2020 surface operations, usage of MDT has spread to all mechanism-focused subsystems and has demonstrated great utility in analyzing early surface activities. This paper describes MDT’s evolution from heritage mechanism telemetry tools, the critical architecture decisions and challenges faced over MDT’s two years of development, and current applications of MDT in support of mechanism operations.

Wolsieffer, Ben↗