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NASA NTRS1994

The navigation toolkit

This report summarizes the experience of the authors in managing, designing, and implementing an object-oriented applications framework for orbital navigation analysis for the Flight Design and Dynamics Department of the Rockwell Space Operations Company in Houston, in support of the Mission Operations Directorate of NASA's Johnson Space Center. The 8 person year project spanned 1.5 years and produced 30,000 lines of C++ code, replacing 150,000 lines of Fortran/C. We believe that our experience is important because it represents a 'second project' experience and generated real production-quality code - it was not a pilot. The project successfully demonstrated the use of 'continuous development' or rapid prototyping techniques. Use of formal methods and executable models contributed to the quality of the code. Keys to the success of the project were a strong architectural vision and highly skilled workers. This report focuses on process and methodology, and not on a detailed design description of the product. But the true importance of the object-oriented paradigm is its liberation of the developer to focus on the problem rather than the means used to solve the problem.

Rich, William F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Teacher Enhancement Institute

During the 1980's, a period of intense concern over educational quality in the United States, few indicators of U.S. student achievement garnered the interest of policy makers and pundits as successfully as the results of international testing in mathematics and science. This concern was so great that as a part of the Goals 2000 initiative, President George Bush indicated that 'By the year 2000, U.S. students should be first in the world in mathematics and science.' The Clinton Administration is placing a major emphasis, not only on rigorous academic standards and creating a new system for assessing students' progress, but also including professional development as a major focus. The argument being that teachers need more sustained, intensive training to prepare them to teach to higher standards. Executive order 12821 mandates that national laboratories 'assist in the mathematics and science education of our Nation's students, teachers, parents and the public by establishing programs at their agency to provide for training elementary and secondary school teachers to improve their knowledge of mathematics and science'. These and other issues led to the development of ideas for a project that addresses the need for excellence in mathematics, science and technology instruction. In response to these initiatives the NASA/LaRC Teacher Enhancement Institute was proposed. The TEI incorporated systemic reform perspectives, enhanced content knowledge for teachers, and teacher preparation. Emphasis was also placed on recruiting those educators who teach in impoverished urban school districts with at-risk student populations who have been traditionally under represented in science, mathematics, technology and engineering. Participants in the Teacher Enhancement Institute were 37 teachers from grades K-8, teaching in Region 2 in the state of Virginia, as well as 2 preservice teachers from Norfolk State University and one teacher from Dublin, Virginia, where a Science/Mathematics model school has been established. Teachers selected for this project represented school systems where income levels are extremely low, and students served tend not to receive innovative instruction in mathematics and science and their use of technology is limited. The Teacher Enhancement Institute contained several features, that when combined, allowed for a unique experience. Some of these features included local teachers, administrators and school board members as presenters, instruction and use of technology every day, tours of select features of the research facility, briefings by NASA/LaRC scientists, engineers and researchers as well as individuals from the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). Another unique feature of this program is to have participants convene on three separate occasions throughout the academic year to discuss strategies for information dissemination and implementation results. Teachers' attitudes towards the use of technology, their ability to develop lessons using technology and their ability to develop lessons using information obtained through TEI were assessed using instruments developed by TEI summer faculty members. Data from these instruments were analyzed and reported in a final report submitted to the director of the Office of Education.

Marshall-Bradley, Tina↗
NASA NTRS1995

Research and Technology, 1994

This report selectively summarizes the NASA Lewis Research Center's research and technology accomplishments for the fiscal year 1994. It comprises approximately 200 short articles submitted by the staff members of the technical directorates. The report is organized into six major sections: Aeronautics, Aerospace Technology, Space Flight Systems, Engineering and Computational Support, Lewis Research Academy, and Technology Transfer. A table of contents and author index have been developed to assist the reader in finding articles of special interest. This report is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of all research and technology work done over the past fiscal year. Most of the work is reported in Lewis-published technical reports, journal articles, and presentations prepared by Lewis staff members and contractors. In addition, university grants have enabled faculty members and graduate students to engage in sponsored research that is reported at technical meetings or in journal articles. For each article in this report a Lewis contact person has been identified, and where possible, reference documents are listed so that additional information can be easily obtained. The diversity of topics attests to the breadth of research and technology being pursued and to the skill mix of the staff that makes it possible.

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NASA NTRS1995

TRISTAR 1: Evaluation methods for testing head-up display (HUD) flight symbology

The first in a series of piloted head-up display (HUD) flight symbology studies (TRISTAR) measuring pilot task performance was conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center by the Tri-Service Flight Symbology Working Group (FSWG). Sponsored by the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate, this study served as a focal point for the FSWG to examine HUD test methodology and flight symbology presentations. HUD climb-dive marker dynamics and climb-dive ladder presentations were examined as pilots performed air-to-air (A/A), air-to-ground (A/G), instrument landing system (ILS), and unusual attitude (UA) recover tasks. Symbolic presentations resembled pitch ladder variations used by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Navy (USN), and Royal Air Force (RAF). The study was initiated by the FSWG to address HUD flight symbology deficiencies, standardization, issue identification, and test methodologies. It provided the mechanism by which the USAF, USN, RAF, and USA could integrate organizational ideas and reduce differences for comparisons. Specifically it examined flight symbology issues collectively identified by each organization and the use of objective and subjective text methodology and flight tasking proposed by the FSWG.

Newman, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Development and validation of a blade-element mathematical model for the AH-64A Apache helicopter

A high-fidelity blade-element mathematical model for the AH-64A Apache Advanced Attack Helicopter has been developed by the Aeroflightdynamics Directorate of the U.S. Army's Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) at Ames Research Center. The model is based on the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems' (MDHS) Fly Real Time (FLYRT) model of the AH-64A (acquired under contract) which was modified in-house and augmented with a blade-element-type main-rotor module. This report describes, in detail, the development of the rotor module, and presents some results of an extensive validation effort.

Mansur, M. Hossein↗
NASA NTRS1994

Research and technology: 1994 annual report of the John F. Kennedy Space Center

As the NASA Center responsible for assembly, checkout, servicing, launch, recovery, and operational support of Space Transportation System elements and payloads, the John F. Kennedy Space Center is placing increasing emphasis on its advanced technology development program. This program encompasses the efforts of the Engineering Development Directorate laboratories, most of the KSC operations contractors, academia, and selected commercial industries - all working in a team effort within their own areas of expertise. This edition of the Kennedy Space Center Research and Technology 1994 Annual Report covers efforts of all these contributors to the KSC advanced technology development program, as well as our technology transfer activities. The Technology Programs and Commercialization Office (DE-TPO), (407) 867-3017, is responsible for publication of this report and should be contacted for any desired information regarding the advanced technology program.

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NASA NTRS1995

The Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Report

This quarterly publication provides archival reports on developments in programs managed by JPL's Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate (TMOD), which now includes the former Telecommunications and Data Acquisition (TDA) Office. In space communications, radio navigation, radio science, and ground-based radio and radar astronomy, it reports on activities of the Deep Space Network (DSN) in planning, supporting research and technology, implementation, and operations. Also included are standards activity at JPL for space data and information systems and reimbursable DSN work performed for other space agencies through NASA. The preceding work is all performed for NASA's Office of Space Communications (OSC).

Yuen, Joseph H.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Bicycle ergometer instrumentation to determine muscle and bone forces during exercise

It is hypothesized that bone loss experienced by astronauts in zero gravity conditions may be curtailed by appropriate exercise. According to Wolf's law, bone regenerates when muscles produce stresses by pulling on the bone during daily activity and/or exercise on Earth. to use this theory to prevent or decrease bone loss, one needs to quantify musculoskeletal loads and relate them to bone density changes. In the context of the space program, it is desirable to determine musculoskeletal loads during exercise (using the bicycle ergometer in this case) so that one may make similar measurements on Earth and in space. In this manner, load measurements on Earth may be used as reference to generate similar loads during exercise in space. The work reported in this document entails a musculoskeletal load measurement system that, when complete, will provide forces at muscle insertion points and other contact points, on bone. This data will be used by Dr. Beth A. Todd, who is also a SSF working with Dr. Shackelford, as input to a finite element model of bone sections to determine stress distributions. A bicycle ergometer has been instrumented to measure parameters needed to determine musculoskeletal forces during exercise. A primary feature of the system is its compactness. It uses small/light sensors without line-of-sight requirements. The system developed includes sensors, signal processing, a data acquisition system, and software to collect the data. The sensors used include optical encoders to measure position and orientation of the pedal (foot), accelerometers to determine kinematic parameters of the shank and thigh, load cells to measure pedal forces on the sagittal plane, and EMG probes to measure muscle activity. The signals are processed using anti-aliasing filters and amplifiers. The sensors' output is digitized using 30 channels of a board mounted inside a 486 class PC. A program sets the data acquisition parameters and collects data during a time period specified by the user. The data is put directly into a file on the hard disk in binary form. The 30 channels are sampled at 200 KHz, and each 30 channel scan is done at a rate of 1000 Hz. The instrumented ergometer has been flown in the KC-135 zero-gravity (zero-g) flight to collect information needed to determine musculoskeletal forces under these conditions. Similar information has been collected in 1-g conditions for comparision with the results from the zero-g case. At this time, the sets of data from both experiments are being processed. An existing methodology will be used to determine the kinematic parameters of the shank and thigh using accelerometer and encoder data. This methodology was developed during the fellow's previous NASA/ASEE fellowship and thanks to a Director's Grant. In the future, a methodology to determine the musculoskeletal forces using Newton's Law of Motion and optimization techniques will be developed to determine forces exerted by particular muscles.

Figueroa, Fernando↗
NASA NTRS1995

IMS R and D program at Canada customs

Over the last few years, Revenue Canada, in collaboration with Barringer Instruments Limited, has been involved in the development of a field-usable ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) for the detection of drugs of abuse. This work has culminated in the manufacturing and commercialization by Barringer of the Ionscan 350 instruments, now in use by various law enforcement agencies worldwide. Although IMS exhibits a very strong and distinctive response toward some nitrogen containing drugs, e.g., cocaine, like all separation techniques it has inherent limitations, namely moderate resolution and low chemical signal to noise ratio which may affect the reliability of IMS-based drug detectors. A program is in place at the Laboratory and Scientific Services Directorate (LSSD) to investigate the applicability of various digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to IMS output signals. The application of neural network techniques to overlapping IMS peaks is presented.

Pilon, Pierre↗
NASA NTRS1994

Presentation of a Swedish study program concerning recruitment, selection and training of student air traffic controllers: The MRU project phase 1

The Director of the ANS Department has set up an objective for the efficiency of screening and training procedures for air traffic controller students which implies that all students admitted 'shall be considered to have the qualification for - and be given the means of - completing the training'. As a consequence, a study project has been established. It is run by the ANS Department with members from the Swedish CAA, in close cooperation with Uppsala University.

Haglund, Rune↗
NASA NTRS1995

America's foremost early astronomer

The life of 18th century astronomer, craftsman, and partriot David Rittenhouse is detailed. As a craftsman, he distinguished himself as one of the foremost builders of clocks. He also built magnetic compasses and surveying instruments. The finest examples of his craftsmanship are considered two orreries, mechanical solar systems. In terms of astronomical observations, his best-known contribution was his observation of the transit of Venus in 1769. Rittenhouse constructed the first diffraction grating. Working as Treasurer of Pennsylvania throughout the Revolution, he became the first director of the Mint in 1792. Astronomical observations in later life included charting the position of Uranus after its discovery.

Rubincam, David Parry↗
NASA NTRS1995

Flight-testing and frequency-domain analysis for rotorcraft handling qualities

A demonstration of frequency-domain flight-testing techniques and analysis was performed on a U.S. Army OH-58D helicopter in support of the OH-58D Airworthiness and Flight Characteristics Evaluation and of the Army's development and ongoing review of Aeronautical Design Standard 33C, Handling Qualities Requirements for Military Rotorcraft. Hover and forward flight (60 kn) tests were conducted in 1 flight hour by Army experimental test pilots. Further processing of the hover data generated a complete database of velocity, angular-rate, and acceleration-frequency responses to control inputs. A joint effort was then undertaken by the Airworthiness Qualification Test Dirtectorate and the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate to derive handling-quality information from the frequency-domain database using a variety of approaches. This report documents numerous results that have been obtained from the simple frequency-domain tests; in many areas, these results provide more insight into the aircraft dynmamics that affect handling qualities than do traditional flight tests. The handling-quality results include ADS-33C bandwidth and phase-delay calculations, vibration spectral determinations, transfer-function models to examine single-axis results, and a six-degree-of-freedom fully coupled state-space model. The ability of this model to accurately predict responses was verified using data from pulse inputs. This report also documents the frequency-sweep flight-test technique and data analysis used to support the tests.

Ham, Johnnie A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The INCO Expert System Project: CLIPS in Shuttle mission control

The INCO (Integrated Communications Officer) Expert System Project (IESP) was undertaken in 1987 by the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) to explore the use of advanced automation in the mission operations arena. One of MOD's primary responsibilities in the space shuttle program is the manning of the flight control positions in the Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC. The MCC is the central hub for all ground support activities in support of Space Shuttle missions. Its responsibility extends from the moment of lift-off from the launch pad though the completion of landing. The flight controllers in the MCC are tasked with monitoring the health and status of all on-board systems and payloads, detecting and remedying errors and failures, and modifying flight activity plans accordingly.

Rasmussen, Arthur N.↗
NASA NTRS1995

A visiting scientist program for the burst and transient source experiment

During this project, Universities Space Research Association provided program management and the administration for overseeing the performance of the total contractual effort. The program director and administrative staff provided the expertise and experience needed to efficiently manage the program.USRA provided a program coordinator and v visiting scientists to perform scientific research with Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) data. This research was associated with the primary scientific objectives of BATSE and with the various BATSE collaborations which were formed in response to the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Guest Investigator Program. USRA provided administration for workshops, colloquia, the preparation of scientific documentation, etc. and also provided flexible program support in order to meet the on-going needs of MSFC's BATSE program. USRA performed tasks associated with the recovery, archiving, and processing of scientific data from BATSE. A bibliography of research in the astrophysics discipline is attached as Appendix 1. Visiting Scientists and Research Associates performed activities on this project, and their technical reports are attached as Appendix 2.

Kerr, Frank J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Self-attitude awareness training: An aid to effective performance in microgravity and virtual environments

This paper describes ongoing development of training procedures to enhance self-attitude awareness in astronaut trainees. The procedures are based on observations regarding self-attitude (perceived self-orientation and self-motion) reported by astronauts. Self-attitude awareness training is implemented on a personal computer system and consists of lesson stacks programmed using Hypertalk with Macromind Director movie imports. Training evaluation will be accomplished by an active search task using the virtual Spacelab environment produced by the Device for Orientation and Motion Environments Preflight Adaptation Trainer (DOME-PAT) as well as by assessment of astronauts' performance and sense of well-being during orbital flight. The general purpose of self-attitude awareness training is to use as efficiently as possible the limited DOME-PAT training time available to astronauts prior to a space mission. We suggest that similar training procedures may enhance the performance of virtual environment operators.

Parker, Donald E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Report

This quarterly publiction provides archival reports on developments in programs managed by JPL Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate (TMOD), which now includes the former communications and Data Acquisition (TDA) Office. In space communications, radio navigation, radio science, and ground-based radio and radar astronomy, it reports on activities of the Deep Space Network (DSN) in planning, supporting research and technology, implementation, and operations. Also included are standards activity at JPL for space data and information systems and reimbursable DSN work performed for other space agencies through NASA. The Orbital Debris Radar Program, funded by the Office of Space Systems Development, makes use of the planetary radar capability when the antennas are configured at science instruments making direct observations of planets, their satellites, and asteroids of our solar system.

Yuen, Joseph H.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Progress Report 42-123

The progress of research programs monitored by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate (TMOD) are presented in this quarterly document. Areas monitored include space communications, radio navigation, radio science, ground-based radio and radar astronomy, information systems, and all other communication and research technology activities for the Deep Space Network (DSN).

Yuen, Joseph H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

System for the growth of bulk SiC crystals by modified CVD techniques

The goal of this program was the development of a SiC CVD growth of films thick enough to be useful as pseudo-substrates. The cold-walled CVD system was designed, assembled, and tested. Extrapolating from preliminary evaluation of SiC films grown in the system at relatively low temperatures indicates that the growth rate at the final temperatures will be high enough to make our approach practical. Modifications of the system to allow high temperature growth and cleaner growth conditions are in progress. This program was jointly funded by Wright Laboratory, Materials Directorate and NASA LeRC and monitored by NASA.

Steckl, Andrew J.↗