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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

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NASA NTRS1989

Characterization of robotics parallel algorithms and mapping onto a reconfigurable SIMD machine

The kinematics, dynamics, Jacobian, and their corresponding inverse computations are six essential problems in the control of robot manipulators. Efficient parallel algorithms for these computations are discussed and analyzed. Their characteristics are identified and a scheme on the mapping of these algorithms to a reconfigurable parallel architecture is presented. Based on the characteristics including type of parallelism, degree of parallelism, uniformity of the operations, fundamental operations, data dependencies, and communication requirement, it is shown that most of the algorithms for robotic computations possess highly regular properties and some common structures, especially the linear recursive structure. Moreover, they are well-suited to be implemented on a single-instruction-stream multiple-data-stream (SIMD) computer with reconfigurable interconnection network. The model of a reconfigurable dual network SIMD machine with internal direct feedback is introduced. A systematic procedure internal direct feedback is introduced. A systematic procedure to map these computations to the proposed machine is presented. A new scheduling problem for SIMD machines is investigated and a heuristic algorithm, called neighborhood scheduling, that reorders the processing sequence of subtasks to reduce the communication time is described. Mapping results of a benchmark algorithm are illustrated and discussed.

Lee, C. S. G.↗

NASA NTRS2007

The Determination of Titan Gravity Field from Doppler Tracking of the Cassini Spacecraft

In its tour of the Saturnian system, the spacecraft Cassini is carrying out measurements of the gravity field of Titan, whose knowledge is crucial for constraining the internal structure of the satellite. In the five flybys devoted to gravity science, the spacecraft is tracked in X (8.4 GHz) and Ka band (32.5 GHz) from the antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network. The use of a dual frequency downlink is used to mitigate the effects of interplanetary plasma, the largest noise source affecting Doppler measurements. Variations in the wet path delay are effectively compensated by means of advanced water vapor radiometers placed close to the ground antennas. The first three flybys occurred on February 27, 2006, December 28, 2006, and June 29, 2007. Two additional flybys are planned in July 2008 and May 2010. This paper presents the estimation of the mass and quadrupole field of Titan from the first two flybys, carried out by the Cassini Radio Science Team using a short arc orbit determination. The data from the two flybys are first independently fit using a dynamical model of the spacecraft and the bodies of the Saturnian system, and then combined in a multi-arc solution. Under the assumption that the higher degree harmonics are negligible, the estimated values of the gravity parameters from the combined, multi-arc solution are GM = 8978.1337 +/- 0.0025 km(exp 3) / s(exp 2), J (sub 2) = (2.7221 +/- 0.0185) 10 (exp -5) and C (sub 22) = (1.1159 +/- 0.0040) 10 (exp -5) The excellent agreement (within 1.7 sigma) of the results from the two flybys further increases the confidence in the solution and provides an a posteriori validation of the dynamical model.

Iess, L.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing

Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing (CARACaS) is a recent product of a continuing effort to develop architectures for controlling either a single autonomous robotic vehicle or multiple cooperating but otherwise autonomous robotic vehicles. CARACaS is potentially applicable to diverse robotic systems that could include aircraft, spacecraft, ground vehicles, surface water vessels, and/or underwater vessels. CARACaS incudes an integral combination of three coupled agents: a dynamic planning engine, a behavior engine, and a perception engine. The perception and dynamic planning en - gines are also coupled with a memory in the form of a world model. CARACaS is intended to satisfy the need for two major capabilities essential for proper functioning of an autonomous robotic system: a capability for deterministic reaction to unanticipated occurrences and a capability for re-planning in the face of changing goals, conditions, or resources. The behavior engine incorporates the multi-agent control architecture, called CAMPOUT, described in An Architecture for Controlling Multiple Robots (NPO-30345), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 11 (November 2004), page 65. CAMPOUT is used to develop behavior-composition and -coordination mechanisms. Real-time process algebra operators are used to compose a behavior network for any given mission scenario. These operators afford a capability for producing a formally correct kernel of behaviors that guarantee predictable performance. By use of a method based on multi-objective decision theory (MODT), recommendations from multiple behaviors are combined to form a set of control actions that represents their consensus. In this approach, all behaviors contribute simultaneously to the control of the robotic system in a cooperative rather than a competitive manner. This approach guarantees a solution that is good enough with respect to resolution of complex, possibly conflicting goals within the constraints of the mission to be accomplished by the vehicle(s).

Huntsberger, Terrance↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Reasoning Service Exemplars for NASA’s Data and Reasoning Fabric

Future operations for Urban and Advanced Air Mobility are enabled by a distributed network of reliable and secured data and reasoning services referred to here as a fabric. In the aggregate, such a system must be all encompassing and mission agnostic, but specific use-cases are still needed to improve understanding and drive design paradigms. For this purpose, three reasoning service exemplars for Target Selection and Routing, Trajectory Generation, and Battery Health Management were developed and integrated into a specific NASA proposed data and reasoning fabric. These services were then used to build a mission reasoning application for lightning strike reconnaissance developed in collaboration with the Civil Air Patrol. Autonomous mission execution was then demonstrated using a multivehicle simulation platform with a full envelope 6 Degree-of-Freedom dynamics model for a concept electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft.

Autonomy↗

NASA NTRS1987

Proof that timing requirements of the FDDI token ring protocol are satisfied

The fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) is an ANSI draft proposed standard for a 100 Mbit/s fiber-optic token ring. The FDDI timed token access protocol provides dynamic adjustment of the load offered to the ring, with the goal of maintaining a specified token rotation time and of providing a guaranteed upper bound on time between successive arrivals of the token at a station. FDDI also provides automatic recovery when errors occur. The bound on time between successive token arrivals is guaranteed only if the token rotates quickly enough to satisfy timer requirements in each station when all ring resources are functioning properly. Otherwise, recovery would be initiated unnecessarily. The purpose of this paper is to prove that FDDI timing requirements are satisfied, i.e., the token rotates quickly enough to prevent initiation of recovery unless there is failure of a physical resource or unless the network management entity within a station initiates the recovery process.

Johnson, Marjory J.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Global Design Optimization for Aerodynamics and Rocket Propulsion Components

Modern computational and experimental tools for aerodynamics and propulsion applications have matured to a stage where they can provide substantial insight into engineering processes involving fluid flows, and can be fruitfully utilized to help improve the design of practical devices. In particular, rapid and continuous development in aerospace engineering demands that new design concepts be regularly proposed to meet goals for increased performance, robustness and safety while concurrently decreasing cost. To date, the majority of the effort in design optimization of fluid dynamics has relied on gradient-based search algorithms. Global optimization methods can utilize the information collected from various sources and by different tools. These methods offer multi-criterion optimization, handle the existence of multiple design points and trade-offs via insight into the entire design space, can easily perform tasks in parallel, and are often effective in filtering the noise intrinsic to numerical and experimental data. However, a successful application of the global optimization method needs to address issues related to data requirements with an increase in the number of design variables, and methods for predicting the model performance. In this article, we review recent progress made in establishing suitable global optimization techniques employing neural network and polynomial-based response surface methodologies. Issues addressed include techniques for construction of the response surface, design of experiment techniques for supplying information in an economical manner, optimization procedures and multi-level techniques, and assessment of relative performance between polynomials and neural networks. Examples drawn from wing aerodynamics, turbulent diffuser flows, gas-gas injectors, and supersonic turbines are employed to help demonstrate the issues involved in an engineering design context. Both the usefulness of the existing knowledge to aid current design practices and the need for future research are identified.

Shyy, Wei↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Observing Supraglacial Lakes Using Deep Learning and PlanetScope Imagery

Supraglacial lakes (SGL)s result from melt water accumulation in topographic depressions on the surface of glaciers. SGLs primarily affect glacial dynamics through a positive feedback loop in which the albedo-lowering effect of SGLs can escalate surface melt leading to increases in lake extent and depth, amplifying the afore mentioned albedo-lowering effect. The implications of accelerated glacial melt include increased sea level rise and modifications to ocean primary productivity. SGLs are critical indicators of surface melt and its downstream impacts and should be monitored efficiently. In situ observations and measurements of SGLs are time consuming, cost-prohibitive and difficult to scale. Earth observation data and machine learning enable scalable monitoring of SGLs through pattern detection and quantification of lake evolution over time [1]. This work presents a model developed by training a convolutional neural network with imagery and labels from NASA Operation IceBridge and predicting SGLs in high temporal and spatial resolution PlanetScope imagery.

Supraglacial lake↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Kinetic Model Development of the Carbon Vapor Deposition Reactor to Predict Performance Versus Design

To enable complete closure of a Sabatier-based atmosphere revitalization system where oxygen recovery is predicated by carbon dioxide reduction to methane and water, there must be a means of recovering the hydrogen from the byproduct methane. Honeywell’s carbon vapor deposition (CVD) reactor is a potential technology that provides a thermochemical means by which methane decomposes at high temperatures (> 1,000 °C) into hydrogen, solid carbon, and a small percentage of hydrocarbons. This advanced methane pyrolysis reactor utilizes a carbon fiber substrate to capture and immobilize the solid pyrolytic carbon rather than allowing continuation toward undesirable soot. The CVD reactor is a highly dynamic system whose characteristic geometry changes while operating. The reactor model was developed to provide predictive performance assessment capabilities at different operating conditions, geometries, and configurations to aid in technology development. Modeling of the CVD reactor considered the multitude of simultaneous and interdependent physicochemical processes that are entailed, including: (1) the homogeneous gas-phase pyrolysis reactions, (2) the heterogeneous deposition reactions, and (3) the transport of gaseous species in the reactor domains. A 1-D CVD reactor model was developed based on a general packed-bed, axial-dispersion plug flow reactor model with a solid substrate balance to account for carbon deposition. The model includes 59 species and 243 reactions constituting the methane pyrolysis reaction network, carbon deposition, and interconversions of oxygenate species. The reactor model was compared to brassboard test data, where it was shown to be able to capture the pertinent physicochemical phenomena as evidenced by its agreement with short-duration run data (i.e., looking at different temperature and flow rate conditions), as well as trend agreement with the brassboard reactor’s long-duration test data. Recommendations are provided on further model development steps as well as its use cases.

Air Revitalization↗

NASA NTRS1989

JPL control/structure interaction test bed real-time control computer architecture

The Control/Structure Interaction Program is a technology development program for spacecraft that exhibit interactions between the control system and structural dynamics. The program objectives include development and verification of new design concepts - such as active structure - and new tools - such as combined structure and control optimization algorithm - and their verification in ground and possibly flight test. A focus mission spacecraft was designed based upon a space interferometer and is the basis for design of the ground test article. The ground test bed objectives include verification of the spacecraft design concepts, the active structure elements and certain design tools such as the new combined structures and controls optimization tool. In anticipation of CSI technology flight experiments, the test bed control electronics must emulate the computation capacity and control architectures of space qualifiable systems as well as the command and control networks that will be used to connect investigators with the flight experiment hardware. The Test Bed facility electronics were functionally partitioned into three units: a laboratory data acquisition system for structural parameter identification and performance verification; an experiment supervisory computer to oversee the experiment, monitor the environmental parameters and perform data logging; and a multilevel real-time control computing system. The design of the Test Bed electronics is presented along with hardware and software component descriptions. The system should break new ground in experimental control electronics and is of interest to anyone working in the verification of control concepts for large structures.

Briggs, Hugh C.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Howard University Energy Expert Systems Institute Summer Program (EESI)

Howard University, under the auspices of the Center for Energy Systems and Controls runs the Energy Expert Systems Institute (EESI) summer outreach program for high school/pre-college minority students. The main objectives are to introduce precollege minority students to research in the power industry using modern state-of-the-art technology such as Expert Systems, Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Neural Networks; to involve minority students in space power management, systems and failure diagnosis; to generate interest in career options in electrical engineering; and to experience problem-solving in a teamwork environment consisting of faculty, senior research associates and graduate students. For five weeks the students are exposed not only to the exciting experience of college life, but also to the inspiring field of engineering, especially electrical engineering. The program consists of lectures in the fundamentals of engineering, mathematics, communication skills and computer skills. The projects are divided into mini and major. Topics for the 1995 mini projects were Expert Systems for the Electric Bus and Breast Cancer Detection. Topics on the major projects include Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Solar Dynamics and Distribution Automation. On the final day, designated as 'EESI Day' the students did oral presentations of their projects and prizes were awarded to the best group. The program began in the summer of 1993. The reaction from the students has been very positive. The program also arranges field trips to special places of interest such as the NASA Goddard Space Center.

Momoh, James A.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Climatological Aspects of the Optical Properties of Fine/Coarse Mode Aerosol Mixtures

Aerosol mixtures composed of coarse mode desert dust combined with fine mode combustion generated aerosols (from fossil fuel and biomass burning sources) were investigated at three locations that are in and/or downwind of major global aerosol emission source regions. Multiyear monitoring data at Aerosol Robotic Network sites in Beijing (central eastern China), Kanpur (Indo-Gangetic Plain, northern India), and Ilorin (Nigeria, Sudanian zone of West Africa) were utilized to study the climatological characteristics of aerosol optical properties. Multiyear climatological averages of spectral single scattering albedo (SSA) versus fine mode fraction (FMF) of aerosol optical depth at 675 nm at all three sites exhibited relatively linear trends up to 50% FMF. This suggests the possibility that external linear mixing of both fine and coarse mode components (weighted by FMF) dominates the SSA variation, where the SSA of each component remains relatively constant for this range of FMF only. However, it is likely that a combination of other factors is also involved in determining the dynamics of SSA as a function of FMF, such as fine mode particles adhering to coarse mode dust. The spectral variation of the climatological averaged aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) was nearly linear in logarithmic coordinates over the wavelength range of 440-870 nm for both the Kanpur and Ilorin sites. However, at two sites in China (Beijing and Xianghe), a distinct nonlinearity in spectral AAOD in logarithmic space was observed, suggesting the possibility of anomalously strong absorption in coarse mode aerosols increasing the 870 nm AAOD.

Eck, T. F.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dynamic Spectrum Allocation in Urban Air Transportation System via Deep Reinforcement Learning

The emerging concepts of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) open a new paradigm for urban air transportation. A big challenge is that these new aerial vehicles will quickly saturate the already crowded aviation spectrum, which is an essential resource to ensure reliable communications for safe operations. In this paper, we consider an air transportation system where multiple aerial vehicles are operated to transport passengers or cargo from different sources to destinations along their pre-defined paths. During the flight, the minimum communication Quality of Service (QoS) requirement must be achieved to ensure flight safety. Our objective is to minimize the average mission completion time by jointly optimizing the velocity selection and spectrum allocation for all aerial vehicles. We formulate the optimization problem as a multi-stage Markov Decision Process (MDP) where the optimization variables are coupled together. A multi-agent Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) based solution is proposed where Value Decomposition Networks (VDN) algorithm is utilized to take discrete actions. Additionally, we propose a heuristic greedy algorithm as a baseline solution. Simulation results show that our learning based solution outperforms the heuristic greedy algorithm and another Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA) solution in minimizing the mission completion time.

Ruixuan Han↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dynamic Spectrum Allocation in Urban Air Transportation System via Deep Reinforcement Learning

Ruixuan Han↗

NASA NTRS2022

A Generalized Approach to Aircraft Trajectory Prediction via Supervised Deep Learning

As research advances diverse forms and missions of aircraft, the National Airspace System (NAS) will become increasingly crowded, limiting current communications resources to accommodate aviation operations. Ongoing research proposes a paradigm of airspace communications, such that resources are autonomously and dynamically allocated via intelligent agents; this allocation requires accurate representations of the NAS, including the predicted positions of aircraft. State-of-the-art research emphasizes the importance of a hybrid-recurrent framework for trajectory prediction and compares the impact of commonly considered weather data on prediction accuracy. However, current research has been limited in its scope of efforts, frequently utilizing a unique flight route, architecture, set of weather data, and date range. This article considers the challenges of generalizing hybrid-recurrent predictive models for flight trajectories. Results illustrate an increase in error variance when identical models are trained over a generalized set of flights; this may be mitigated with careful tuning of hyperparameters, both in the network structure and optimization algorithms. Even so, an irreducible vertical error was identified, resulting from the complex takeoff and landing procedures which can not be correlated to functions of weather or additional assumptions of aircraft behavior. Finally, the use of a test route indicates that generalized models still do not possess sufficient knowledge for general aircraft predictions, with mean error increases ranging from 70-500%. These results illustrate the need for continued efforts on improving model versatility, as well as potential limitations for spectrum allocation near airports and other centers.

Nathan Schimpf↗

NASA NTRS1984

Review of NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Program

NASA has planned a supercomputer for computational fluid dynamics research since the mid-1970's. With the approval of the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Program as a FY 1984 new start, Congress requested an assessment of the program's objectives, projected short- and long-term uses, program design, computer architecture, user needs, and handling of proprietary and classified information. Specifically requested was an examination of the merits of proceeding with multiple high speed processor (HSP) systems contrasted with a single high speed processor system. The panel found NASA's objectives and projected uses sound and the projected distribution of users as realistic as possible at this stage. The multiple-HSP, whereby new, more powerful state-of-the-art HSP's would be integrated into a flexible network, was judged to present major advantages over any single HSP system.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1986

UT/CSR analysis of earth rotation from Lageos SLR data

The 1983-1984 data collected by NASA and stations participating in the Crustal Dynamics Project from satellite laser ranging (SLR) systems are used to generate solutions for the earth polar motion. Solutions obtained using the MERIT Lageos standard data set are compared to operational results based on quick-look data and generated in near real-time, and the capability of Lageos SLR for the determination of earth orientation parameters (EOP) with high temporal resolution is investigated. Finally, the sensitivity of the MERIT campaign results to the number of tracking stations and to changes in the MERIT standard model is evaluated. It is concluded that the departures from the IAU/IUGG MERIT standards do not significantly change the solution and that solutions accurate at the 2 milliarcsec level can be maintained with a network of fewer than 10 appropriately selected stations.

Tapley, B. D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Digital carrier demodulation for the DSN Advanced Receiver

The digital in-phase and quadrature (I and Q) carrier demodulation for the Deep Space Network's (DSN) Advanced Receiver is described and analyzed. The system provides coherent demodulation for a variety of modulation formats including Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), BPSK with a carrier residual, Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), Offset-QPSK (OQPSK), and Minimum Shift Keying (MSK). The focus is on the theory and hardware design of the halfband filters which are the integral part of the demodulator. The underlying theory of the filters is summarized, a breadboard hardware design is described, and a VLSI implementation is proposed which significantly decreases the hardware. A second important problem analyzed is DC-offset in the demodulator. This is a serious problem which translates into bias error in the residual carrier phase detector. The dynamic range of the complex mixer is analyzed using a probabilistic approach. It is deduced that the resulting static phase error is less than 0.2 deg when the ratio of carrier power to noise power in the demodulator input bandwidth is -72 dB or higher. Thus, the static phase error is negligible at a carrier power to noise spectral density of 0 dB-Hz for a 15 MHz bandwidth demodulator.

Sadr, R.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Operational considerations of using GPS for spacecraft navigation

The Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has provided operational spacecraft orbit support for many years, currently generating orbit products for about 20 satellites. To date, operational orbit determination in the FDF has been performed on the ground using data from ground-based or space-based tracking systems. Current development of spaceborne Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers is projected to have a significant effect on the support needed for operational satellite navigation. This paper identifies the functions performed in spacecraft navigation and examines and quantifies how the functions and support levels will be affected as onboard GPS receivers are implemented on spacecraft. Cases are considered spacecraft using or not using NASA ground and space networks resources.

Hart, Roger C.↗