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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

Application of Human-Autonomy Teaming to an Advanced Ground Station for Reduced Crew Operations

Within human factors there is burgeoning interest in the "human-autonomy teaming" (HAT) concept as a way to address the challenges of interacting with complex, increasingly autonomous systems. The HAT concept comes out of an aspiration to interact with increasingly autonomous systems as a team member, rather than simply use automation as a tool. The authors, and others, have proposed core tenets for HAT that include bi-directional communication, automation and system transparency, and advanced coordination between human and automated teammates via predefined, dynamic task sequences known as "plays." It is believed that, with proper implementation, HAT should foster appropriate teamwork, thus increasing trust and reliance on the system, which in turn will reduce workload, increase situation awareness, and improve performance. To this end, HAT has been demonstrated and/or studied in multiple applications including search and rescue operations, healthcare and medicine, autonomous vehicles, photography, and aviation. The current paper presents one such effort to apply HAT. It details the design of a HAT agent, developed by Human Automation Teaming Solutions, Inc., to facilitate teamwork between the automation and the human operator of an advanced ground dispatch station. This dispatch station was developed to support a NASA project investigating a concept called Reduced Crew Operations (RCO); consequently, we have named the agent R-HATS. Part of the RCO concept involves a ground operator providing enhanced support to a large number of aircraft with a single pilot on the flight deck. When assisted by R-HATS, operators can monitor and support or manage a large number of aircraft and use plays to respond in real-time to complicated, workload-intensive events (e.g., an airport closure). A play is a plan that encapsulates goals, tasks, and a task allocation strategy appropriate for a particular situation. In the current implementation, when a play is initiated by a user, R-HATS determines what tasks need to be completed and has the ability to autonomously execute them (e.g., determining diversion options and uplinking new routes to aircraft) when it is safe and appropriate. R-HATS has been designed to both support end users and researchers in RCO and HAT. Additionally, R-HATS and its underlying architecture were developed with generalizability in mind as a modular software applicable outside of RCO/aviation domains. This paper will also discuss future further development and testing of RHATS.

automation↗
DOE OSTI2022

Investigation of INL Site Implementation of ARG-US

The Packaging Certification and Life Cycle Management department at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) developed a suite of monitoring systems collectively referred to here as ARG-US. ARG-US is used to provide necessary data for nuclear facility and system operation and maintenance. ARG-US has been previously demonstrated in hot cells, radioactive material (RAM) storage areas, and RAM shipment trucks. It has also been installed directly on RAM storage and shipment containers. ARG-US offers some unique advantages over other commercially available systems by using wireless data connections, battery power supplies, and customizable monitoring methods. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been tasked with investigating applications for ARG-US at INL site facilities, which are operated by several different contractors. The initial investigation scope centered on CPP-603 Wet & Dry Fuel Storage Facility in relation to the upcoming DOE Spent (SNF) Packaging Demonstration. The investigation has been led by the Used Fuel Management Department in the Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate. This investigation is expected to recommend processes or facilities at the INL site at which to implement ARG-US systems. INL has engaged local site technical and oversite representatives, security, nuclear safeguards, and program management to identify good candidates for ARG-US test implementations. INL has identified high-level goals for any INL site implementation of ARG-US: provide unique testing environments, prompt development of new monitoring methods/techniques for the ARG-US suite, and acquire useful monitoring for the user facility. To these ends, INL suggests 3 program areas for further investigation: CPP-603 Fuel Handling Cave (FHC), legacy mixed waste storage systems at Idaho Nuclear Technology & Engineering Center (INTEC) known as the “tank farm”, and periodic and emergency environmental monitoring. This progress report relates activities undertaken in this investigation, describes the preliminary areas of interest for limited scope ARG-US testing or implementation, and relays expected actions needed to complete the task scope. This report offers an opportunity to the program sponsor, technical leads at ANL, and INL site representatives to give feedback on the initial assessment and make recommendations on the forthcoming activities.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

End-to-End Differentiable Modeling and Management of the Environment

Focal Area: (2) Data acquisition and assimilation enabled by machine learning, AI, and advanced methods including experimental/network design/optimization. We emphasize the importance of leveraging optimization techniques from AI/machine learning (ML) to solve challenging problems in Earth system modeling. Science Challenge: Automatic differentiation has had a transformative effect on ML by allowing the calculation of gradients of arbitrary functions in an incredibly large class of models. We can potentially realize similar improvements in parameter estimation and control for Earth system models (ESMs) by reimplementing them in computational frameworks from ML. Practitioners working with large (>10 7 parameters) models in ML and AI can obtain good predictive performance in a range of spatiotemporal tasks by making use of optimization via stochastic gradient descent and incorporating prior knowledge at multiple levels. We propose writing ESMs in open-source computational frameworks such as Torch, Tensorflow, and JAX to greatly expand the scope of environmental forecasting and management challenges, which can be addressed by leveraging automatic differentiation and gradient descent-like algorithms. We do not call for a wholesale replacement of physical models with data-driven surrogates, but rather advocate for interleaving physical and empirical equations in a manner that is most faithful to the extent of our scientific knowledge and observational data. Central to this topic is the merging of differentiable physical simulations with differentiable optimization layers, which are now both beginning to come to the forefront.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2023

Data Mining for Science of the Sun-Earth Connection as a Single System

Establishing the Sun-Earth connection requires overcoming the challenges of exploring the data from past and current missions and leveraging tools and models (data mining) to create an efficient system treatment of the Sun and heliosphere. However, solar and heliospheric environment data constitute a vast source of information whose potential is far from being optimally exploited. In the next decade, the solar and heliospheric community will have to manage the increasing amount of information coming from new missions, improve reanalysis of data from past and current missions, and create new data products from the application of new methodologies. This complex task is further complicated by practical challenges such as different datasets and catalogs in different formats that may require different pre-processing and analysis tools, and the need for numerous analysis approaches that are not all fully optimized for large volumes of data. While several ongoing efforts aim at addressing these problems, the available datasets and tools are not always used to their full potential often due to lack of awareness of available resources. In this paper, we summarize the issues raised and goals discussed by members of the community during recent conference sessions focused on data mining for science.

Sun-Earth connection↗
NASA NTRS2013

Towards a decision support system for space flight operations

The Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) has put in place a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) technological framework for the development and execution of the Flight Production Process (FPP). This framework has provided much added value and return on investment to date. This paper describes a vision for a model based Decision Support System (DSS) for the development and execution of the FPP and its design and development process. The envisioned system extends the existing MBSE methodology and technological framework which is currently in use. The MBSE technological framework currently in place enables the systematic collection and integration of data required for building an FPP model for a diverse set of missions. This framework includes the technology, people and processes required for rapid development of architectural artifacts. It is used to build a feasible FPP model for the first flight of spacecraft and for recurrent flights throughout the life of the program. This model greatly enhances our ability to effectively engage with a new customer. It provides a preliminary work breakdown structure, data flow information and a master schedule based on its existing knowledge base. These artifacts are then refined and iterated upon with the customer for the development of a robust end-to-end, high-level integrated master schedule and its associated dependencies. The vision is to enhance this framework to enable its application for uncertainty management, decision support and optimization of the design and execution of the FPP by the program. Furthermore, this enhanced framework will enable the agile response and redesign of the FPP based on observed system behavior. The differences between the anticipated system behavior and the observed behavior may be due to the processing of tasks internally, or due to external factors such as changes in program requirements or conditions associated with other organizations that are outside of MOD. The paper provides a roadmap for the four increments of this vision. These increments include (1) the existing capabilities (2) hardware and software system components and interfaces with the NASA ground system, (3) uncertainty management and (4) re-planning and automated execution. Each of these increments provides value independently; but some may also enable building of a subsequent increment.

Ruszkowski, James↗
DOE OSTI2022

CORAL: A framework for rigorous self-validated data modeling and integrative, reproducible data analysis

Abstract Background Many organizations face challenges in managing and analyzing data, especially when relevant datasets arise from multiple sources and methods. Analyzing heterogeneous datasets and additional derived data requires rigorous tracking of their interrelationships and provenance. This task has long been a Grand Challenge of data science and has more recently been formalized in the FAIR principles: that all data objects be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, both for machines and for people. Adherence to these principles is necessary for proper stewardship of information, for testing regulatory compliance, for measuring the efficiency of processes, and for facilitating reuse of data-analytical frameworks. Findings We present the Contextual Ontology-based Repository Analysis Library (CORAL), a platform that greatly facilitates adherence to all 4 of the FAIR principles, including the especially difficult challenge of making heterogeneous datasets Interoperable and Reusable across all parts of a large, long-lasting organization. To achieve this, CORAL's data model requires that data generators extensively document the context for all data, and our tools maintain that context throughout the entire analysis pipeline. CORAL also features a web interface for data generators to upload and explore data, as well as a Jupyter notebook interface for data analysts, both backed by a common API. Conclusions CORAL enables organizations to build FAIR data types on the fly as they are needed, avoiding the expense of bespoke data modeling. CORAL provides a uniquely powerful platform to enable integrative cross-dataset analyses, generating deeper insights than are possible using traditional analysis tools.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Literature Review and Compilation of Nuclear Waste Management System Attributes for Use in Multi-Objective System Evaluations.

The purpose of this work was to compile a comprehensive initial set of potential nuclear waste management system attributes. This initial set of attributes is intended to serve as a starting point for additional consideration by system analysts and planners to facilitate the development of a waste management system multi-objective evaluation framework based on the principles and methodology of multi-attribute utility analysis. The compilation is primarily based on a review of reports issued by the Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC), but also an extensive review of the available literature for similar and past efforts as well. Numerous system attributes found in different sources were combined into a single objectives-oriented hierarchical structure. This study provides a discussion of the data sources and the descriptions of the hierarchical structure. A particular focus of this study was on collecting and compiling inputs from past studies that involved the participation of various external stakeholders. However, while the important role of stakeholder input in a country's waste management decision process is recognized in the referenced sources, there are only a limited number of in-depth studies of the stakeholders' differing perspectives. Compiling a comprehensive hierarchical listing of attributes is a complex task since stakeholders have multiple and often conflicting interests. The BRC worked for two years (January 2010 to January 2012) to "ensure it has heard from as many points of view as possible." The Canadian NWMO study took four years and ample resources, involving national and regional stakeholders' dialogs, internet-based dialogs, information and discussion sessions, open houses, workshops, round tables, public attitude research, website, and topic reports. The current compilation effort benefited from the distillation of these many varied inputs conducted by the previous studies.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

WIRE: Resource-efficient Scaling with Online Prediction for DAG-based Workflows

This paper introduces WIRE that manages resources for the DAG-based workflows on IaaS clouds. WIRE predicts and plans resources over the MAPE (Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute) loops to: 1) Estimate task performance with online data, 2) Conduct simulations to predict the upcoming loads based on online estimates and workflow DAGs, 3) Apply a resource-steering policy to size cloud instance pools for the maximal parallelism that is consistent with low cost. We implement WIRE on Pegasus WMS/HTCondor and evaluate its performance on the ExoGENI network cloud. The results show that WIRE attains low resource cost with the performance that is typically within a factor of two of optimal.

Xie, Bing↗
DOE OSTI2013

Integrated Distribution Management System for Alabama Principal Investigator

Southern Company Services, under contract with the Department of Energy, along with Alabama Power, Alstom Grid (formerly AREVA T&D) and others moved the work product developed in the first phase of the Integrated Distribution Management System (IDMS) from “Proof of Concept” to true deployment through the activity described in this Final Report. This Project – Integrated Distribution Management Systems in Alabama – advanced earlier developed proof of concept activities into actual implementation and furthermore completed additional requirements to fully realize the benefits of an IDMS. These tasks include development and implementation of a Distribution System based Model that enables data access and enterprise application integration.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

PV Performance Modeling and Stakeholder Engagement (Q3 FY2020 Project Report)

The objectives of this project are as follows: 1. Reduce uncertainty in PV performance models by developing and validating new and improved models and submodes. 2. Create and manage an open source repository of modeling functions and data. 3. Build and grow the PV Performance Modeling Collaborative; and, 4. Represent the US in the IEA PVPS Task 13 Working group.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Efficient Reversible Operation and Stability of Novel Solid Oxide Cells

This project aims to develop and test novel Reversible Solid Oxide Cells (ReSOCs) specifically designed to yield low area specific resistance, as required to achieve high round trip efficiency in reversible operation at high current density. A key objective is to improve long-term reversible SOC durability; mechanistic degradation models will be used to predict long-term durability using input data from accelerated testing that combines electrochemical life testing with quantitative microstructural and chemical evaluation. The modeling tasks seek to design low-loss, low-cost ReSOC systems using input data from the experimental cell studies. A key challenge is to develop a thermal management strategy that maintains thermally self-sustaining operation while operating the stack at a potential lower than the thermo-neutral steam electrolysis voltage of ~1.3 V, to maintain high efficiency.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1974

TERSSE: Definition of the Total Earth Resources System for the Shuttle Era. Volume 8: User's Mission and System Requirements Data (appendix A of Volume 3)

A computer printout is presented of the mission requirement for the TERSSE missions and their associated user tasks. The data included in the data base represents a broad-based attempt to define the amount, extent, and type of information needed for an earth resources management program in the era of the space shuttle. An effort was made to consider all aspects of remote sensing and resource management; because of its broad scope, it is not intended that the data be used without verification for in-depth studies of particular missions and/or users. The data base represents the quantitative structure necessary to define the TERSSE architecture and requirements, and to an overall integrated view of the earth resources technology requirements of the 1980's.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Resident database interfaces to the DAVID system, a heterogeneous distributed database management system

A methodology for building interfaces of resident database management systems to a heterogeneous distributed database management system under development at NASA, the DAVID system, was developed. The feasibility of that methodology was demonstrated by construction of the software necessary to perform the interface task. The interface terminology developed in the course of this research is presented. The work performed and the results are summarized.

Moroh, Marsha↗
NASA NTRS2001

Control and Observation in Distributed Environments

This viewgraph presentation gives an overview of the control and observation in distributed environments. No existing system meets all our needs (e.g., they cannot be embedded in tools or applications and have limited fault management functionality). The goals of our infrastructure include the following: (1) to develop a general framework for observation and control; (2) the framework should be extensible for specific tasks; and (3) it must be compatible with emerging standards.

Smith, Warren↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA Handbook 7010: Direct Field Acoustic Testing

Instruments, spacecraft, antennas, reflectors, and other mechanical hardware have been undergoing acoustic qualification testing over the last decade using loudspeakers. This speaker-generated Direct Field Acoustic Test (DFAT) method offers cost, mobility, and schedule advantages over the conventional Reverberant Acoustic Field Test (RAFT) method. To develop most appropriate acoustic test program using the DFAT method for a flight project, flight project managers and their technical staffs will need overall guidance and technical rational for using DFAT to qualify flight hardware for acoustic environments. The NASA Chief Engineer Office had tasked JPL to prepare a NASA Handbook for DFAT Dynamics Testing. The handbook was completed and was released by NASA headquarters in 2015. The handbook provides advantages and disadvantages of such method of testing, key references and a series of recommended practices for test preparation and test performance. This paper will summarize key and important steps related to this method of acoustic testing.

Kolaini, Ali R↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

In-Situ Process Monitoring, Synchronization, and Mapping Laser Powder Bed Fusion Builds of Ti6Al4V

The use of in-situ process monitoring is of interest to lower the cost of inspection for the qualification of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) parts. Precise monitoring of the LPBF-AM build process constitutes a multi-scale and multi-discipline task. There are several significant challenges to the in-situ approach: the synchronization of sensor signals to process steps, the physical interpretation and classification of sensor signals, managing very large datasets, and comparing the inputs with the observed monitoring signals. At NASA Langley Research Center, a configurable architecture additive testbed has been developed to monitor the build process with synchronized sensors. The philosophy and method adopted for the synchronization of the cameras with laser power & position Ti-6Al-4V LPBF are described. The synchronized in-situ monitoring signals are compared with ex-situ nondestructive inspection and optical microscopy observations. Such comparisons permit a better understanding of how the sequential process actions of LPBF-AM can affect build quality.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion↗
NASA NTRS2022

Mission Planning for Trident: Discovery proposal to Neptune’s moon, Triton

Trident was one of the four Discovery-class Step-1 mission proposals selected by NASA in 2020 for further development and study; however, in 2021, the Step-2 proposal was not down-selected to transition into the next phase of mission development, i.e., a mission for flight.Neptune’s largest moon, Triton, was the primary focus of study for Trident. Triton’s physical and orbital characteristics make it a unique planetary target for scientific exploration, providing opportunities for investigations in a wide variety of scientific fields, including geomorphological, atmospheric, geophysical, magnetospheric, and ionospheric studies. The science objectives of the Trident mission encompassed an in-depth interior-to-exterior set of objectives, focused on multiple outstanding questions resulting from the 1989 encounter of Voyager 2, and subsequent analysis.Ball Aerospace Corp. was tasked with building the Trident spacecraft, with JPL responsible for providing Engineering Support (Mission Design & Navigation, Mission Planning, Flight Operations, Ground Data Systems, Systems Engineering) and leading Project Management. The observatory would carry a wide-ranging suite of scientific instruments onboard, including an Infrared Spectrometer (IRS) and Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) to be provided by Ball Aerospace Corp., a Wide Angle Camera (WAC) from JPL, a Magnetometer from UCLA, a contributed Plasma Science Suite from IRF (Sweden), and a contributed Radio Science instrument from ASI (Italy). All of these instruments would be used to collect unique datasets during the Triton encounter. Trident would have taken advantage of an ~13-yr, nearly-ballistic trajectory to Triton, utilizing a timely Jupiter Gravity Assist, to execute a 10-day long encounter in the Neptunian system. Launch was planned for October 2025, with Triton arrival scheduled for December 2038. The timeline for this mission would have been sub-divided into seven major phases: Launch, Commissioning, Inner Planet Cruise, Outer Planet Cruise, Approach, Encounter, and Science Data Return. Multiple planetary flybys were planned to be performed during the cruise, including three Earth flybys and one Venus flyby in the Inner Planet Cruise phase, and one Jupiter flyby in the Outer Planet Cruise phase. Along with conventional (Range and Doppler) tracking data, Delta-DOR and Optical Navigation data were also to be acquired to assist with spacecraft navigation during the Approach and Encounter phases. A 3 meter X-Band High Gain Antenna would allow playback of all science data at 1 kbps within 1 year after the Triton Encounter. The Mission Planning element on Trident encompassed and informed multiple aspects of this proposal, ranging from science observation planning during the Triton Encounter phase, to generation of activity timelines for all mission phases; performing ground coverage analysis for science observations to be acquired by all instruments and tracing them to science requirements; evaluation of spacecraft resources including data volume stored onboard, power/energy consumption, telecom (commanding/telemetry) requirements, and overall, working at the interface of science and engineering teams on the mission. All of these functions that were performed by the Mission Planning team on this proposal are discussed in this paper.

Prockter, Louise↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Powder Bed Fusion Laser Beam Metals Additive Manufacturing: Process Monitoring Approaches for Qualification and Certification

The use of in-situ process monitoring is of interest to lower the cost of inspection for the qualification of powder bed fusion laser beam metal (PBF-LB/M) additively manufactured (AM) parts. Precise monitoring of the PBF-LB/M AM build process constitutes a multi-scale and multi-discipline task. There are several significant challenges to the in-situ approach: the synchronization of sensor signals to process steps; the physical interpretation and classification of sensor signals; managing very large datasets; and comparing the inputs with the observed monitoring signals. At NASA Langley Research Center, a configurable architecture additive testbed has been developed to monitor the build process with synchronized sensors. The philosophy and method adopted for the synchronization of the cameras with laser power and position throughout a complex PBF-LB/M AM build will be described. The synchronized in-situ monitoring signals are compared with ex-situ nondestructive inspection, x-ray computed tomography (XCT). Such comparisons permit a better understanding of how the sequential process actions of LPBF-AM can affect build quality. The multi-scale and complex process of printing additively manufactured (AM) parts can have unexpected, but predictable, build conditions that result in material microstructure variability. This presentation will describe an additive manufacturing model-based process metric (AM-PM) computational method that is a fully parallel reduced order modeling approach developed to evaluate the evolution of AM processes. This method couples the known sequence of the AM process with a physically informed nearest neighbors’ calculation to map the conditions of a part-scale build. The result is a map of the build that is derived directly from build files or in-situ process monitoring sensors. The methodology of the approach will be described and mapped to the porosity observed from XCT for a complex PBF-LB/M build. Such comparative results develop understanding of how the sequential process actions can affect the PBF-LB/M AM build quality and microstructure variability.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion↗