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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Long-term Engagement in Authentic Research with NASA (LEARN): Innovative Practices Suggested by a New Model for Teacher Research Experiences

NASA's LEARN Project is an innovative program that provides long-term immersion in the practice of atmospheric science for middle and high school in-service teachers. Working alongside NASA scientists and using authentic NASA Science Mission Directorate research data, teachers develop individual research topics of interest during two weeks in the summer while on-site at NASA Langley. With continued, intensive mentoring by NASA scientists, the teachers further develop their research throughout the academic year through virtual group meetings and data team meetings mirroring scientific collaborations. At the end of the first year, LEARN teachers present scientific posters. The LEARN experience has had such an impact that multiple teachers from the first two cohorts have elected to continue their research. The LEARN project evaluation has provided insights into particularly effective elements of this new approach. Findings indicate that teachers? perceptions of the scientific enterprise have changed, and that LEARN provided substantial resources to help them take real-world research to their students. This presentation will focus on key factors from LEARN?s implementation that inform best practices for the incorporation of authentic scientific research into teacher professional development experiences. We suggest that these factors should be considered in the development of other such experiences, including: (1) The involvement of a single scientist as both the project leader/manager and the project scientist, to ensure that the project can meet teachers? needs. (2) An emphasis on framing and approaching scientific research questions, so that teachers can learn to evaluate the feasibility of studies based on scope, scale, and availability of data. (3) Long term, ongoing relationships where teachers and scientists work as collaborators, beyond the workshop ?mold.? (4) A focus on meeting the needs of individual teachers, whether their needs relate to elements of research and analysis, or to their tight professional schedules. (5) Above all, flexibility and patience. LEARN builds relationships with teachers slowly, over a long period of time. In the middle, life often intervenes. LEARN has emphasized that teachers? success is more important than deadlines or following a rigid protocol.

M Pippin↗

NASA NTRS2018

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: Building Collaboration Through International Partnerships

The NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is a virtual institute focused on research at the intersection of science and exploration, training the next generation of lunar scientists, and community development. As part of the SSERVI mission, we act as a hub for opportunities that engage the larger scientific and exploration communities in order to form new interdisciplinary, research-focused collaborations. This talk will describe the international partnership program, research efforts and how we are engaging the international science and exploration communities through workshops, conferences, online seminars and classes, student exchange programs and internships.

SSERVI International Partnerships↗

NASA NTRS1993

Modernization and new technologies: Coping with the information explosion

Information has become a valuable and strategic resource in all societies and economies. Scientific and technical information is especially important in developing and maintaining a strong national science and technology base. The expanding use of information technology, the growth of interdisciplinary research, and an increase in international collaboration are changing characteristics of information. This modernization effort applies new technology to current processes to provide near-term benefits to the user. At the same time, we are developing a long-term modernization strategy designed to transition the program to a multimedia, global 'library without walls'. Notwithstanding this modernization program, it is recogized that no one information center can hope to collect all the relevant data. We see information and information systems changing and becoming more international in scope. We are finding that many nations are expending resources on national systems which duplicate each other. At the same time that this duplication exists, many useful sources of aerospace information are not being collected to cover expanded sources of information. This paper reviews the NASA modernization program and raises for consideration new possibilities for unification of the various aerospace database efforts toward a cooperative international aerospace database initiative, one that can optimize the cost/benefit equation for all participants.

Blados, Walter R.↗

NASA NTRS1992

SeaWiFS calibration and validation plan, volume 3

The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) will be the first ocean-color satellite since the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), which ceased operation in 1986. Unlike the CZCS, which was designed as a proof-of-concept experiment, SeaWiFS will provide routine global coverage every 2 days and is designed to provide estimates of photosynthetic concentrations of sufficient accuracy for use in quantitative studies of the ocean's primary productivity and biogeochemistry. A review of the CZCS mission is included that describes that data set's limitations and provides justification for a comprehensive SeaWiFS calibration and validation program. To accomplish the SeaWiFS scientific objectives, the sensor's calibration must be constantly monitored, and robust atmospheric corrections and bio-optical algorithms must be developed. The plan incorporates a multi-faceted approach to sensor calibration using a combination of vicarious (based on in situ observations) and onboard calibration techniques. Because of budget constraints and the limited availability of ship resources, the development of the operational algorithms (atmospheric and bio-optical) will rely heavily on collaborations with the Earth Observing System (EOS), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) oceans team, and projects sponsored by other agencies, e.g., the U.S. Navy and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Other elements of the plan include the routine quality control of input ancillary data (e.g., surface wind, surface pressure, ozone concentration, etc.) used in the processing and verification of the level-0 (raw) data to level-1 (calibrated radiances), level-2 (derived products), and level-3 (gridded and averaged derived data) products.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A taxonomy for the evolution of human settlements on the moon and Mars

A proposed structure is described for partnerships with shared interests and investments to develop the technology and approach for evolutionary surface systems for the moon and Mars. Five models are presented for cooperation with specific references to the technical evolutionary path of the surface systems. The models encompass the standard customer/provider relationship, a concept for exclusive government use, a joint venture with a government-sponsored non-SEI market, a technology joint-development approach, and a redundancy model to insure competitive pricing. The models emphasize the nonaerospace components of the settlement technologies and the decentralized nature of surface systems that make the project suitable for private industrial development by several companies. It is concluded that the taxonomy be considered when examining collaborative opportunities for lunar and Martian settlement.

Roberts, Barney B.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Gamma ray astrophysics to the year 2000. Report of the NASA Gamma Ray Program Working Group

Important developments in gamma-ray astrophysics up to energies of 100 GeV during the last decade are reviewed. Also, the report seeks to define the major current scientific goals of the field and proposes a vigorous program to pursue them, extending to the year 2000. The goals of gamma-ray astronomy include the study of gamma rays which provide the most direct means of studying many important problems in high energy astrophysics including explosive nucleosynthesis, accelerated particle interactions and sources, and high-energy processes around compact objects. The current research program in gamma-ray astronomy in the U.S. including the space program, balloon program and foreign programs in gamma-ray astronomy is described. The high priority recommendations for future study include an Explorer-class high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy mission and a Get Away Special cannister (GAS-can) or Scout class multiwavelength experiment for the study of gamma-ray bursts. Continuing programs include an extended Gamma Ray Observatory mission, continuation of the vigorous program of balloon observations of the nearby Supernova 1987A, augmentation of the balloon program to provide for new instruments and rapid scientific results, and continuation of support for theoretical research. Long term recommendations include new space missions using advanced detectors to better study gamma-ray sources, the development of these detectors, continued study for the assembly of large detectors in space, collaboration with the gamma-ray astronomy missions initiated by other countries, and consideration of the Space Station attached payloads for gamma-ray experiments.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1992

MODIS algorithm development and data visualization using ACTS

The study of the Earth as a system will require the merger of scientific and data resources on a much larger scale than has been done in the past. New methods of scientific research, particularly in the development of geographically dispersed, interdisciplinary teams, are necessary if we are to understand the complexity of the Earth system. Even the planned satellite missions themselves, such as the Earth Observing System, will require much more interaction between researchers and engineers if they are to produce scientifically useful data products. A key component in these activities is the development of flexible, high bandwidth data networks that can be used to move large amounts of data as well as allow researchers to communicate in new ways, such as through video. The capabilities of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) will allow the development of such networks. The Pathfinder global AVHRR data set and the upcoming SeaWiFS Earthprobe mission would serve as a testbed in which to develop the tools to share data and information among geographically distributed researchers. Our goal is to develop a 'Distributed Research Environment' that can be used as a model for scientific collaboration in the EOS era. The challenge is to unite the advances in telecommunications with the parallel advances in computing and networking.

Abbott, Mark R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An overview of European activities on microgravity combustion

The global objective of the European efforts in microgravity combustion is to combine theoretical and experimental work, both under normal and reduced gravity, to progress in the basic understanding of gravity dependent phenomena in various combustion situations. The first phase of the European activities on microgravity combustion has been summarized in refs. 1, 2, and 3. This overview will summarize the more recent developments. The focus will be on new experimental facilities, new research topics, and new collaborative efforts.

Goekalp, Iskender↗

NASA NTRS1993

Earth system dynamics: The interrelation of atmospheric, ocean and solid earth dynamics

The research work performed during the time period 16 Oct. 1992 through 31 Dec. 1993 is summarized. The overall research activity, including a list of the major findings of the EOS IDS research to date, is described, the publications and presentations are listed, and a budget request for the subsequent year is attached. Specifically, the report covers: EOS panel activities; major findings of research; team member contributions; new research directions; EOS restructuring effect; changes in requirements; plans for using existing data; collaborations with other EOS and non-EOS investigations; EOS instrument team interaction; instrument development verification and validation; interaction with EOSDIS and DAAC's; team coordination; overall management; summary of response to site review questions and comments; science computing facility; and additional new research activities.

Tapley, Byron D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

A US-Japan collaborative robotics research program

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Electrotechnical Laboratory (ETL) have recently initiated a cooperative R&D effort in telerobotics. This new effort, sponsored by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), has two major themes. First, our work broadens the outreach of space telerobotics R&D to international technical collaboration and facilities usage in the United States and Japan. Second, our work fosters development and demonstration of new operator interface technologies to improve the flexibility and reliability of ground-to-orbit telerobotic operations. This new technology is important, given the continuing imperatives to off-load platform maintenance from the extravehicular activity/intravehicular activity (EVA/IVA) crew to on-board robot assists under direct ground mission control.

Schenker, Paul S.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Precision orbit determination for TOPEX/POSEIDON

The TOPEX/POSEIDON mission objective requires that the radial position of the spacecraft be determined with an accuracy better than 13 cm RMS (root mean square). This stringent requirement is an order of magnitude below the accuracy achieved for any altimeter mission prior to the definition of the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission. To satislfy this objective, the TOPEX Precision Orbit determination (POD) Team was established as a joint effort between the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Texas at Austin, with collaboration from the University of Colorado and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the prelaunch development and the post launch verification phases, the POD team improved, calibrated, and validated the precision orbit determination computer software systems. The accomplishments include (1) increased accuracy of the gravity and surface force models and (2) improved peformance of both laser ranging and Doppler tracking systems. The result of these efforts led to orbit accuracies for TOPEX/POSEIDON which are significantly better than the original mission requirement. Tests based on data fits, covariance analysis, and orbit comparisons indicate that the radial component of the TOPEX/POSEIDON spacecraft is determined, relative to the Earth's mass center, with an root mean square (RMS) error in the range of 3 to 4 cm RMS. This orbit accuracy, together with the near continuous dual-frequency altimetry from this mission, provides the means to determine the ocean's dynamic topography with an unprecedented accuracy.

Tapley, B. D.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Studying the High Energy Gamma Ray Sky with Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST)

Building on the success of the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) will make a major step in the study of such subjects as blazars, gamma Ray bursts, the search for dark matter, supernova remnants, pulsars, diffuse radiation, and unidentified high energy sources. The instrument will be built on new and mature detector technologies such as silicon strip detectors, low-power low-noise LSI, and a multilevel data acquisition system. GLAST is in the research and development phase, and one full tower (of 25 total) is now being built in collaborating institutes. The prototype tower will be tested thoroughly at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in the fall of 1999.

Kamae, T.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Enabling Advanced Automation in Spacecraft Operations with the Spacecraft Emergency Response System

True autonomy is the Holy Grail of spacecraft mission operations. The goal of launching a satellite and letting it manage itself throughout its useful life is a worthy one. With true autonomy, the cost of mission operations would be reduced to a negligible amount. Under full autonomy, any problems (no matter the severity or type) that may arise with the spacecraft would be handled without any human intervention via some combination of smart sensors, on-board intelligence, and/or smart automated ground system. Until the day that complete autonomy is practical and affordable to deploy, incremental steps of deploying ever-increasing levels of automation (computerization of once manual tasks) on the ground and on the spacecraft are gradually decreasing the cost of mission operations. For example, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA-GSFC) has been flying spacecraft with low cost operations for several years. NASA-GSFC's SMEX (Small Explorer) and MIDEX (Middle Explorer) missions have effectively deployed significant amounts of automation to enable the missions to fly predominately in 'light-out' mode. Under light-out operations the ground system is run without human intervention. Various tools perform many of the tasks previously performed by the human operators. One of the major issues in reducing human staff in favor of automation is the perceived increased in risk of losing data, or even losing a spacecraft, because of anomalous conditions that may occur when there is no one in the control center. When things go wrong, missions deploying advanced automation need to be sure that anomalous conditions are detected and that key personal are notified in a timely manner so that on-call team members can react to those conditions. To ensure the health and safety of its lights-out missions, NASA-GSFC's Advanced Automation and Autonomy branch (Code 588) developed the Spacecraft Emergency Response System (SERS). The SERS is a Web-based collaborative environment that enables secure distributed fault and resource management. The SERS incorporates the use of intelligent agents, threaded discussions, workflow, database connectivity, and links to a variety of communications devices (e.g., two-way paging, PDA's, and Internet phones) via commercial gateways. When the SERS detects a problem, it notifies on-call team members, who then can remotely take any necessary actions to resolve the anomalies.The SERS goes well beyond a simple '911' system that sends out an error code to everyone with a pager. Instead, SERS' software agents send detailed data (i.e., notifications) to the most appropriate team members based on the type and severity of the anomaly and the skills of the on-call team members. The SERS also allows the team members to respond to the notifications from their wireless devices. This unique capability ensures rapid response since the team members no longer have to go to a PC or the control center for every anomalous event. Most importantly, the SERS enables safe experimentation with various techniques for increasing levels of automation, leading to robust autonomy. For the MIDEX missions at NASA GSFC, the SERS is used to provide 'human-in-the-loop' automation. During lights-out operations, as greater control is given to the MIDEX automated systems, the SERS can be configured to page remote personnel and keep them informed regarding actions taking place in the control center. Remote off-duty operators can even be given the option of enabling or inhibiting a specific automated response in near real time via their two-way pagers. The SERS facilitates insertion of new technology to increase automation, while maintaining the safety and security of mission resources. This paper will focus on SERS' overall functionality and how SERS has been designed to handle the monitoring and emergency response for missions with varying levels of automation. The paper will also convey some of the key lessons learned from SERS' deployment across of variety of missions, highlighting this incremental approach to achieving 'robust autonomy'.

Breed, Julie↗

NASA NTRS2002

CRYSTAL, EOS Validation, and CAMEX-5

CAMEX-5 is at an early phase of concept development. This future field deployment (2004 or 2005) concerning hurricanes could potentially benefit from collaboration with other programs within NASA. Specifically, the recently completed CRYSTAL- Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (FACE) offers a useful model of such a collaborative endeavor. CRYSTAL-FACE was concerned with deep tropical convection and its impact on the upper troposphere. Three separate NASA R&A Programs joined in supporting CRYSTAL-FACE, including the Radiation Sciences Program, the Atmospheric Chemistry, Modeling & Analysis Program, and the Upper Atmosphere Research Program as well as the EOS Validation Program. In addition, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy Atmospheric Measurements Programs were also substantive partners. Insights will be given into how this cooperative field experiment came to be and how it worked in the field. Possibilities for similar model for CAMEX-5 will be explored.

Starr, David↗

NASA NTRS2003

ASK Magazine

Academy of Program and Project Leadership (APPL) and ASK Magazine helps NASA managers and project teams accomplish today's missions and meet tomorrow's challenges by providing performance enhancement services and tools, supporting career development programs, sponsoring knowledge sharing events and publications, and creating opportunities for project management collaboration with universities, professional associations, industry partners, and other government agencies. ASK Magazine grew out of APPL's Knowledge Sharing Initiative. The stories that appear in ASK are written by the best of the best project managers, primarily from NASA, but also from other government agencies and industry. These stories contain genuine nuggets of knowledge and wisdom that are transferable across projects. Who better than a project manager to help another project manager address a critical issue on a project? Big projects, small projects - they're all here in ASK. Please direct all inquiries about ASK Magazine editorial policy to Todd Post, EduTech Ltd., 8455 Colesville Rd., Suite 930, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301) 585-1030; or email to tpost@edutechltd.com.

Laufer, Alexander↗

NASA NTRS2003

Flight Test Results from the Low Power Transceiver Communications and Navigation Demonstration on Shuttle (CANDOS)

The Low Power Transceiver (LPT) is an advanced signal processing platform that offers a configurable and reprogrammable capability for supporting communications, navigation and sensor functions for mission applications ranging from spacecraft TT&C and autonomous orbit determination to sophisticated networks that use crosslinks to support communications and real-time relative navigation for formation flying. The LPT is the result of extensive collaborative research under NASNGSFC s Advanced Technology Program and ITT Industries internal research and development efforts. Its modular, multi-channel design currently enables transmitting and receiving communication signals on L- or S-band frequencies and processing GPS L-band signals for precision navigation. The LPT flew as a part of the GSFC Hitchhiker payload named Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science Technology And Research (FREESTAR) on-board Space Shuttle Columbia s final mission. The experiment demonstrated functionality in GPS-based navigation and orbit determination, NASA STDN Ground Network communications, space relay communications via the NASA TDRSS, on-orbit reconfiguration of the software radio, the use of the Internet Protocol (IP) for TT&C, and communication concepts for space based range safety. All data from the experiment was recovered and, as a result, all primary and secondary objectives of the experiment were successful. This paper presents the results of the LPTs maiden space flight as a part of STS- 107.

Rush, John↗

NASA NTRS2004

Building a Propulsion Experiment Project Management Environment

What do you get when you cross rocket scientists with computer geeks? It is an interactive, distributed computing web of tools and services providing a more productive environment for propulsion research and development. The Rocket Engine Advancement Program 2 (REAP2) project involves researchers at several institutions collaborating on propulsion experiments and modeling. In an effort to facilitate these collaborations among researchers at different locations and with different specializations, researchers at the Information Technology and Systems Center,' University of Alabama in Huntsville, are creating a prototype web-based interactive information system in support of propulsion research. This system, to be based on experience gained in creating similar systems for NASA Earth science field experiment campaigns such as the Convection and Moisture Experiments (CAMEX), will assist in the planning and analysis of model and experiment results across REAP2 participants. The initial version of the Propulsion Experiment Project Management Environment (PExPM) consists of a controlled-access web portal facilitating the drafting and sharing of working documents and publications. Interactive tools for building and searching an annotated bibliography of publications related to REAP2 research topics have been created to help organize and maintain the results of literature searches. Also work is underway, with some initial prototypes in place, for interactive project management tools allowing project managers to schedule experiment activities, track status and report on results. This paper describes current successes, plans, and expected challenges for this project.

Keiser, Ken↗

NASA NTRS2004

Securing Safety with Sensors

The Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA's Johnson Space Center collaborated with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to design Robonaut, a humanoid robot developed to assist astronauts with Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA) such as space structure assembly and repair operations. By working side-by-side with astronauts or going where risks are too great for people, Robonaut is expected to expand the Space Agency s ability for construction and discovery. NASA engineers equipped Robonaut with human-looking, dexterous hands complete with five fingers to accomplish its tasks. The Robonaut hand is one of the first being developed for space EVA use and is the closest in size and capability to a suited astronaut s hand. As part of the development process, an advanced sensor system was needed to provide an improved method to measure the movement and forces exerted by Robonaut s forearms and hands.

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