Results for “administration tool” — Page 6

NASA NTRS2014

Feasibility Criteria for Interval Management Operations as Part of Arrival Management Operations

Interval Management (IM) is a future airborne spacing concept that aims to provide more precise inter-aircraft spacing to yield throughput improvements and greater use of fuel efficient trajectories for arrival and approach operations. To participate in an IM operation, an aircraft must be equipped with avionics that provide speeds to achieve and maintain an assigned spacing interval relative to another aircraft. It is not expected that all aircraft will be equipped with the necessary avionics, but rather that IM fits into a larger arrival management concept developed to support the broader mixed-equipage environment. Arrival management concepts are comprised of three parts: a ground-based sequencing and scheduling function to develop an overall arrival strategy, ground-based tools to support the management of aircraft to that schedule, and the IM tools necessary for the IM operation (i.e., ground-based set-up, initiation, and monitoring, and the flight-deck tools to conduct the IM operation). The Federal Aviation Administration is deploying a near-term ground-automation system to support metering operations in the National Airspace System, which falls within the first two components of the arrival management concept. This paper develops a methodology for determining the required delivery precision at controlled meter points for aircraft that are being managed to a schedule and aircraft being managed to a relative spacing interval in order to achieve desired flow rates and adequate separation at the meter points.

Levitt, Ian M.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Aeroelastic Tailoring Study of N+2 Low Boom Supersonic Commerical Transport Aircraft

The Lockheed Martin N+2 Low - boom Supersonic Commercial Transport (LSCT) aircraft was optimized in this study through the use of a multidisciplinary design optimization tool developed at the National Aeronautics and S pace Administration Armstrong Flight Research Center. A total of 111 design variables we re used in the first optimization run. Total structural weight was the objective function in this optimization run. Design requirements for strength, buckling, and flutter we re selected as constraint functions during the first optimization run. The MSC Nastran code was used to obtain the modal, strength, and buckling characteristics. Flutter and trim analyses we re based on ZAERO code, and landing and ground control loads were computed using an in - house code. The w eight penalty to satisfy all the design requirement s during the first optimization run was 31,367 lb, a 9.4% increase from the baseline configuration. The second optimization run was prepared and based on the big-bang big-crunch algorithm. Six composite ply angles for the second and fourth composite layers were selected as discrete design variables for the second optimization run. Composite ply angle changes can't improve the weight configuration of the N+2 LSCT aircraft. However, this second optimization run can create more tolerance for the active and near active strength constraint values for future weight optimization runs.

low boom supersonic civil transport↗

NASA NTRS2019

Channel Wall Nozzle Manufacturing Technology Advancements for Liquid Rocket Engines

A regeneratively-cooled nozzle is a critical component for expansion of the hot gases to enable high temperature and performance liquid rocket engines systems. Channel wall nozzles are a design solution used across the propulsion industry as a simplified method to fabricate the nozzle structure with internal coolant passages. The scale and complexity of the channel wall nozzle (CWN) design is challenging to fabricate leading to extended lead times and higher costs. Some of these challenges include: 1) unique and high temperature materials, 2) Tight tolerances during manufacturing and assembly to contain high pressure propellants, 3) thin-walled features to maintain adequate wall temperatures, and 4) Unique manufacturing process operations and tooling. The United States (U.S.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with U.S. specialty manufacturing vendors are maturing modern fabrication techniques to reduce complexity and decrease costs associated with channel wall nozzle manufacturing technology. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the key technology advancements being evaluated for channel wall nozzles. Much of additive manufacturing for propulsion components has focused on powder bed fusion, but the scale is not yet feasible for application to large scale nozzles. NASA is evolving directed energy deposition (DED) techniques for nozzles including arc-based deposition, blown powder deposition, and Laser Wire Direct Closeout (LWDC). There are different approaches being considered for fabrication of the nozzle and each of these DED processes offer unique process steps for rapid fabrication. The arc-based and blown powder deposition techniques are being used for the forming of the CWN liner. A variety of materials are being demonstrated including Inconel 625, Haynes 230, JBK-75, and NASA HR-1. The blown powder DED process is also being demonstrated for forming an integral channel nozzle in a single operation in similar materials. The LWDC process is a method for closing out the channels within the liner and forming the structural jacket using a localized laser wire deposition technique. Identical materials mentioned above have been used for this process in addition to bimetallic closeout (C-18150–SS347, and C-18150–Inconel 625). NASA has completed process development, material characterization, and hot-fire testing on a variety of these channel wall nozzle fabrication techniques. This paper will present an overview of the various processes and materials being evaluated and the results from the hot-fire testing. Future development and technology focus areas will also be discussed relative to channel wall nozzle manufacturing.

Gradl, Paul R.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Technology Advancements for Channel Wall Nozzle Manufacturing In Liquid Rocket Engines

A regeneratively-cooled or dump-cooled nozzle is a critical component for expansion of hot gases to enable high temperature and performance in liquid rocket engines systems. Regeneratively-cooled channel wall nozzles are a design solution used across the propulsion industry as a simplified method to fabricate the nozzle structure with internal coolant passages. The scale and complexity of the channel wall nozzle (CWN) design can be challenging to fabricate which results in extended lead times and higher costs. Some of these challenges include: 1) Unique and high temperature materials, 2) Tight tolerances on large parts during manufacturing and assembly to contain high pressure propellants, 3) Thin-walled features to maintain adequate wall temperatures, and 4) Unique manufacturing process operations and complex tooling. The United States (U.S.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and U.S. specialty manufacturing vendors are maturing modern fabrication techniques to reduce complexity and decrease costs associated with channel wall nozzle manufacturing technology. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the key technology advancements under evaluation for channel wall nozzles. Much of additive manufacturing for propulsion components has focused on laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), but the scale is not yet feasible for application to large scale nozzles. NASA is evolving directed energy deposition (DED) techniques for nozzles including arc-based deposition, blown powder deposition, and Laser Wire Direct Closeout (LWDC). There are different approaches being considered for fabrication of the nozzle, and each of these DED processes offer unique process steps for rapid fabrication. The arc-based and blown powder deposition techniques are used for the forming of the CWN liner. A variety of materials are being demonstrated including Inconel 625, Haynes 230, JBK-75, and NASA HR-1. The blown powder DED process is also being demonstrated for forming an integral channel nozzle in a single operation in similar materials. The LWDC process is a method for closing out the channels within the liner and forming the structural jacket using a localized laser wire deposition technique. Identical materials mentioned above have been used for this process in addition to bimetallic closeout (C-18150–SS347, and C-18150–Inconel 625). NASA has completed process development, material characterization, and hot-fire testing on a variety of these channel wall nozzle fabrication technique. This publication presents an overview of the various channel wall nozzle manufacturing processes and materials under evaluation including results from the hot-fire testing. Future development and technology focus areas is also discussed relative to channel wall nozzle manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Identifying Information Needs and Tools to Support Interactions between Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) Operations and the Air Traffic System (ATS)

With the introduction of high-altitude long endurance (HALE) vehicles and balloons designed to operate above 60,000 feet, the frequency and duration of operations in Upper Class E airspace are expected to increase. In response to the need for scalable traffic management for these diverse operations at higher altitudes, the FAA introduced the Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) concept. Like the successful demonstration of Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM), the ETM concept is also designed as a community-based, industry-driven cooperative approach to traffic management. As these vehicles and balloons ascend to/descend from ETM Cooperative Areas in Upper Class E, they will transit through Class A controlled airspace where they will interact with various entities of the conventional Air Traffic System (ATS) (e.g., Air Traffic Control (ATC)). This work explores tools that will help support ETM-ATS interactions for users throughout the ATS, as well as ETM Operators. An information needs analysis using ETM-ATS interaction use cases, revealed that the needed functionalities generally grouped themselves into two main themes, the visualization of flights and airspace designations, and digital communication capabilities across various human users. In this paper, we describe two envisioned tools, 1) an Integrated Visualization Tool to display flight information and airspace designations, and 2) an Integrated Digital Communication Tool to facilitate two-way information exchange between users about vehicle position information, the coordination of airspace approvals, and notifications. The tools we describe create an integrated visual representation of vehicles and airspace designations with a set of communication capabilities to consolidate information into a single display interface. These tools may be used to guide the development of prototype tools for demonstrations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center to further explore ETM-ATS interactions within the ETM concept.

Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM)↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Identifying Information Needs and Tools to Support Interactions between Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) Operations and the Air Traffic System (ATS)

With the introduction of high-altitude long endurance (HALE) vehicles and balloons designed to operate above 60,000 feet, the frequency and duration of operations in Upper Class E airspace are expected to increase. In response to the need for scalable traffic management for these diverse operations at higher altitudes, the FAA introduced the Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) concept. Like the successful demonstration of Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM), the ETM concept is also designed as a community-based, industry-driven cooperative approach to traffic management. As these vehicles and balloons ascend to/descend from ETM Cooperative Areas in Upper Class E, they will transit through Class A controlled airspace where they will interact with various entities of the conventional Air Traffic System (ATS) (e.g., Air Traffic Control (ATC)). This work explores tools that will help support ETM-ATS interactions for users throughout the ATS, as well as ETM Operators. An information needs analysis using ETM-ATS interaction use cases, revealed that the needed functionalities generally grouped themselves into two main themes, the visualization of flights and airspace designations, and digital communication capabilities across various human users. In this paper, we describe two envisioned tools, 1) an Integrated Visualization Tool to display flight information and airspace designations, and 2) an Integrated Digital Communication Tool to facilitate two-way information exchange between users about vehicle position information, the coordination of airspace approvals, and notifications. The tools we describe create an integrated visual representation of vehicles and airspace designations with a set of communication capabilities to consolidate information into a single display interface. These tools may be used to guide the development of prototype tools for demonstrations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center to further explore ETM-ATS interactions within the ETM concept.

Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM)↗

NASA NTRS2008

Assessment of Near-Field Sonic Boom Simulation Tools

A recent study for the Supersonics Project, within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has been conducted to assess current in-house capabilities for the prediction of near-field sonic boom. Such capabilities are required to simulate the highly nonlinear flow near an aircraft, wherein a sonic-boom signature is generated. There are many available computational fluid dynamics codes that could be used to provide the near-field flow for a sonic boom calculation. However, such codes have typically been developed for applications involving aerodynamic configuration, for which an efficiently generated computational mesh is usually not optimum for a sonic boom prediction. Preliminary guidelines are suggested to characterize a state-of-the-art sonic boom prediction methodology. The available simulation tools that are best suited to incorporate into that methodology are identified; preliminary test cases are presented in support of the selection. During this phase of process definition and tool selection, parallel research was conducted in an attempt to establish criteria that link the properties of a computational mesh to the accuracy of a sonic boom prediction. Such properties include sufficient grid density near shocks and within the zone of influence, which are achieved by adaptation and mesh refinement strategies. Prediction accuracy is validated by comparison with wind tunnel data.

Casper, J. H.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Real World Applications of AI/ML in Optimizing Airspace Operations

As National Airspace System (NAS) is going through the Digital Transformation journey, data science and analytics methods can significantly contribute to improving the traditional physics-based decision-making tools. The adoption of AI/ML methods will not only help accelerate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s vision of Info-centric NAS but also contribute to the overall objective of sustainable aviation. AI/ML can improve the ground and airspace operations by enhancing the accuracy of current decision-making tools used by the airlines and the FAA to manage traffic on the ground and in the air. Huge amount of data that gets collected during a flight. AI/ML methods can extract information from this data and provide valuable insights to make better operational decisions. NASA has partnered with the FAA and commercial airlines such as American and Southwest Airlines on this effort and has successfully demonstrated the benefits of using ML in real world environment by reducing delays and optimizing ground operations at the US airports. In 2022 itself, NASA demonstrated real-world benefits (over 24K lbs. of fuel savings, over 76.6K lbs. CO2 emission savings, and several hours of delay savings) by deploying ML based prediction models to optimize ground operations at Dallas/Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field Airports in Texas. These tools are being deployed on the cloud for broader deployment, adaptability, and scalability. NASA is developed a reference implementation of the cloud-based platform to significantly lower the bar to development and distribution of these digital services for aviation. In this talk, I will share information about the Digital Information Platform project, the novel AI/ML based approaches used for optimizing ground operations and the opportunities to partner with NASA on these demonstrations.

air traffic management↗

NASA NTRS2002

Application of Risk Assessment Tools in the Continuous Risk Management (CRM) Process

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently implementing the Continuous Risk Management (CRM) Program developed by the Carnegie Mellon University and recommended by NASA as the Risk Management (RM) implementation approach. The four most frequently used risk assessment tools in the center are: (a) Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Hazard Analysis (HA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA). There are some guidelines for selecting the type of risk assessment tools during the project formulation phase of a project, but there is not enough guidance as to how to apply these tools in the Continuous Risk Management process (CRM). But the ways the safety and risk assessment tools are used make a significant difference in the effectiveness in the risk management function. Decisions regarding, what events are to be included in the analysis, to what level of details should the analysis be continued, make significant difference in the effectiveness of risk management program. Tools of risk analysis also depends on the phase of a project e.g. at the initial phase of a project, when not much data are available on hardware, standard FMEA cannot be applied; instead a functional FMEA may be appropriate. This study attempted to provide some directives to alleviate the difficulty in applying FTA, PRA, and FMEA in the CRM process. Hazard Analysis was not included in the scope of the study due to the short duration of the summer research project.

Paul S. Ray↗

NASA NTRS2001

Measured Engine Installation Effects of Four Civil Transport Airplanes

The Federal Aviation Administration's Integrated Noise Model (INM) is one of the primary tools for land use planning around airports. The INM currently calculates airplane noise lateral attenuation using the methods contained in the Society of Automotive Engineer's Aerospace Information Report No. 1751 (SAE AIR 1751). Researchers have noted that improved lateral attenuation algorithms may improve airplane noise prediction. The authors of SAE AIR 1751 based existing methods on empirical data collected from flight tests using 1960s-technology airplanes with tail-mounted engines. To determine whether the SAE AIR 1751 methods are applicable for predicting the engine installation component of lateral attenuation for airplanes with wing-mounted engines, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sponsored a series of flight tests during September 2000 at their Wallops Flight Facility. Four airplanes, a Boeing 767-400, a Douglas DC-9, a Dassault Falcon 2000, and a Beech KingAir, were flown through a 20 microphone array. The airplanes were flown through the array at various power settings, flap settings, and altitudes to simulate take-off and arrival configurations. This paper presents the preliminary findings of this study.

Senzig, David A.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Development of the Space Operations Incident Reporting Tool (SOIRT)

The space operations incident reporting tool (SOIRT) is an instrument used to record information about an anomaly occurring during flight which may have been due to insufficient and/or inappropriate application of human factors knowledge. We originally developed the SOIRT form after researching other incident reporting systems of this type. We modified the form after performing several in-house reviews and a pilot test to access usability. Finally, crew members from Space Shuttle flights participated in a usability test of the tool after their missions. Since the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) currently has no system for continuous collection of this type of information, the SOIRT was developed to report issues such as reach envelope constraints, control operation difficulties, and vision impairments. However, if the SOIRT were to become a formal NASA process, information from crew members could be collected in a database and made available to individuals responsible for improving in-flight safety and productivity. Potential benefits include documentation to justify the redesign or development of new equipment/systems, provide the mission planners with a method for identifying past incidents, justify the development of timelines and mission scenarios, and require the creation of more appropriate work/rest cycles.

Minton, Jacquie↗

NASA NTRS2010

Seagrass Health Modeling and Prediction with NASA Science Data

Previous research has demonstrated that MODIS data products can be used as inputs into the seagrass productivity model developed by Fong and Harwell (1994). To further explore this use to predict seagrass productivity, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) custom data products, including Sea Surface Temperature, Light Attenuation, and Chlorophyll-a have been created for use as model parameter inputs. Coastal researchers can use these MODIS data products and model results in conjunction with historical and daily assessment of seagrass conditions to assess variables that affect the productivity of the seagrass beds. Current monitoring practices involve manual data collection (typically on a quarterly basis) and the data is often insufficient for evaluating the dynamic events that influence seagrass beds. As part of a NASA-funded research grant, the University of Mississippi, is working with researchers at NASA and Radiance Technologies to develop methods to deliver MODIS derived model output for the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to coastal and environmental managers. The result of the project will be a data portal that provides access to MODIS data products and model results from the past 5 years, that includes an automated process to incorporate new data as it becomes available. All model parameters and final output will be available through the use National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?s (NOAA) Environmental Research Divisions Data Access Program (ERDDAP) tools as well as viewable using Thematic Realtime Environmental Distributed Data Services (THREDDS) and the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV). These tools provide the ability to create raster-based time sequences of model output and parameters as well as create graphs of model parameters versus time. This tool will provide researchers and coastal managers the ability to analyze the model inputs so that the factors influencing a change in seagrass productivity can be determined over time.

Robinson, Harold D.↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Effects of Development Team Skill on Software Product Quality

This paper provides an analysis of the effect of the skill/experience of the software development team on the quality of the final software product. A method for the assessment of software development team skill and experience is proposed, and was derived from a workforce management tool currently in use by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Using data from 26 smallscale software development projects, the team skill measures are correlated to 5 software product quality metrics from the ISO/IEC 9126 Software Engineering Product Quality standard. in the analysis of the results, development team skill is found to be a significant factor in the adequacy of the design and implementation. In addition, the results imply that inexperienced software developers are tasked with responsibilities ill-suited to their skill level, and thus have a significant adverse effect on the quality of the software product. Keywords: software quality, development skill, software metrics

Beaver, Justin M.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Graphical User Interface Development and Design to Support Airport Runway Configuration Management

The objective of this effort was to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) System Oriented Runway Management (SORM) decision support tool to support runway management. This tool is expected to be used by traffic flow managers and supervisors in the Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities.

Jones, Debra G.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Observing System Simulation Experiments as Tools for Investigating the Behavior of Data Assimilation Systems

Data assimilation systems (DAS) are difficult to evaluate in part because there is limited independent data to use for verification of performance. In an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE), the full true state is known exactly, in the form of the Nature Run. The availability of this truth allows the investigation of DAS characteristics in the OSSE framework that are not quantifiable in the real world. The synthetic observations can also be manipulated to test configurations that range from idealized to highly realistic. A sampling of OSSE investigations into the behavior of 3DVar and 4DEnVar DAS and adjoint observation impact estimation tools will be illustrated using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (NASA/GMAO) OSSE.

Prive, Nikki C.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Evaluation of a Dynamic Weather-Avoidance Rerouting Tool in Adjacent-Center Arrival Metering

Dynamic Reroutes for Arrivals in Weather (DRAW) is a NASA-developed decision-support tool for Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) at the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Route Traffic Control Centers ("Centers"). DRAW proposes weather-avoidance reroutes for en route arrival flights subject to metering restrictions when transitioning into a busy terminal airspace. The prior DRAW study demonstrated that TMCs' use of DRAW promotes earlier reroutes of arrivals, and reduces the number of routes conflicting with weather in the Center. The present paper focuses on how DRAW benefits metering delivery accuracy when schedule freeze horizon distance was altered. A human-in-the-loop simulation was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center in October-November 2018, where retired TMCs and controllers performed simulated metering operations for southeast arrivals through the Atlanta and Jacksonville Centers to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during convective weather periods. Results demonstrated that DRAW use reduced the frequency of manual adjustments of Scheduled Times of Arrival and lowered TMC workload. DRAW use also made the metering accuracy, the number of reroute amendments after the freeze horizon, and the en route sector controller workload more robust to the effect of different freeze horizon distance.

Hayashi, Miwa↗

NASA NTRS2019

Evaluation of a Dynamic Weather-Avoidance Rerouting Tool in Adjacent-Center Arrival Metering

Dynamic Reroutes for Arrivals in Weather (DRAW) is a NASA-developed decision-support tool for Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) at the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Route Traffic Control Centers ("Centers"). DRAW proposes weather-avoidance reroutes for en route arrival flights subject to metering restrictions when transitioning into a busy terminal airspace. The prior DRAW study demonstrated that TMCs' use of DRAW promotes earlier reroutes of arrivals, and reduces the number of routes conflicting with weather in the Center. The present paper focuses on how DRAW benefits metering delivery accuracy when schedule freeze horizon distance was altered. A human-in-the-loop simulation was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center in October-November 2018, where retired TMCs and controllers performed simulated metering operations for southeast arrivals through the Atlanta and Jacksonville Centers to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during convective weather periods. Results demonstrated that DRAW use reduced the frequency of manual adjustments of Scheduled Times of Arrival and lowered TMC workload. DRAW use also made the metering accuracy, the number of reroute amendments after the freeze horizon, and the en route sector controller workload more robust to the effect of different freeze horizon distance.

Air Traffic Management (ATM)↗

NASA NTRS2015

Enabling Performance-Based Navigation Arrivals: Development and Simulation Testing of the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing System

NASA has developed an advanced arrival management capability for terminal controllers, known as Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSS). TSS increases use of performance-based navigation (PBN) arrival procedures during periods of high traffic demand. It extends two Federal Aviation Administration's operational systems with terminal metering and controller spacing tools. Sixteen high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulations, involving more than five hundred hours of evaluation time, were conducted to mature TSS from proof-of- concept design to fully functional prototype. These simulations modeled arrival procedures at several U.S. airports, incorporated a broad range of traffic demand profiles and wind conditions, and used controllers with extensive operational experience. Two fundamental metrics are evaluated for these simulations: PBN Success Rate and Inter-Arrival Spacing Error. The PBN Success Rate shows a definitive trend when TSS is used. It increases from 42 percent for today's operations to 68 percent for terminal metering only and 92 percent for terminal metering with controller-managed spacing tools. Meanwhile, the Inter-Arrival Spacing Error improves 25 to 35 percent when TSS is used compared to not used. The TSS technology was transferred to the FAA and, and it is targeted for deployment to several busy airports in the U.S. starting in 2018.

terminal metering↗