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At least 1,639 records · Page 91

The detection of the electric field vertical distribution underneath thundercloud: Principle and applications

During the Florida 89 experiment at Kennedy Space Center, a new system was used in order to obtain the vertical distribution of the electric field underneath thunderstorms. It consists of a standard shutter field mill at ground level and five other field sensors suspended from a cable fastened to a tethered balloon located at an altitude of about 1000 meters. It also includes a reception station for telemetered information transmitted by sensors, a processing system in order to store data, and real time display on a screen to show the simultaneous field variations at each level along with the instantaneous electric field profile. The first results obtained show the great importance of the electric field vertical distribution. The field detected at a height of 600m reaches 65 kV/m while that at the surface does not exceed 5 kV/m. The field intensity in altitude is a better criterion for determining the right moment to launch a rocket devoted to flash triggering. Using Gauss's law, the simultaneous field variations at several levels are used in order to evaluate charge densities. Average values close to 1nC.m(-3) are calculated in layers up to 600 m. The calculation of different average charge densities leads to the characterization of the layer between cloud and ground just before the leader propagation in the case of cloud to ground flash.

Soula, Serge↗

Stereoscopic displays and applications; Proceedings of the Meeting, Santa Clara, CA, Feb. 12-14, 1990

The present conference discusses topics in the fields of stereoscopic displays' user interfaces, three-dimensional (TD) visualization, novel TD displays, and applications of stereoscopic displays. Attention is given to TD cockpit displays, novel computational control techniques for stereo TD displays, characterization of higher-dimensional presentation techniques, volume visualization on a stereoscopic display, and stereoscopic displays for terrain-data base visualization. Also discussed are the experimental design of cyberspaces, a volumetric environment for interactive design of three-dimensional objects, videotape recording of TD TV images, remote manipulator tasks rendered possible by stereo TV, TD endoscopy based on alternating-frame technology, and advancements in computer-generated barrier-strip autostereography.

Merritt, John O.↗

General-Purpose Software For Computer Graphics

NASA Device Independent Graphics Library (NASADIG) is general-purpose computer-graphics package for computer-based engineering and management applications which gives opportunity to translate data into effective graphical displays for presentation. Features include two- and three-dimensional plotting, spline and polynomial interpolation, control of blanking of areas, multiple log and/or linear axes, control of legends and text, control of thicknesses of curves, and multiple text fonts. Included are subroutines for definition of areas and axes of plots; setup and display of text; blanking of areas; setup of style, interpolation, and plotting of lines; control of patterns and of shading of colors; control of legends, blocks of text, and characters; initialization of devices; and setting of mixed alphabets. Written in FORTRAN 77.

Rogers, Joseph E.↗

Reformatting Data From X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

ASCITOVG program for IBM PC-series computers creates files in binary format from columns of numbers in American National Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. Files suitable for DEC PDP-11/73 computer under Micro-RSX operating system running the VGS-5000 Enhanced Data Processing (EDP) software package which analyzes data with color graphics display, speeding up analysis compared with batch job processing. Written in FORTRAN.

Abel, P. B.↗

Upper Atmosphere Data Program (UADP)

Rapid, effective access to the increasing volume of information on stratospheric trace gases, both from measurements and model calculations, is important in advancing our knowledge of the Earth's atmosphere. The data have their origins in a variety of sources, ranging from satellite experiments and 2-D model predictions to individual balloon measurements, and are found in a variety of locations and formats. This task focuses on development and operation of an electronic data base for such trace gas data. The objectives are to provide effective access to these diverse data sets; to foster electronic data access, manipulation, and display; and to support periodic assessment and intercomparison activities.

Seals, R. K., Jr.↗

Technical Requirements Analysis and Control Systems (TRACS) Initial Operating Capability (IOC) documentation

The Technical Requirements Analysis and Control Systems (TRACS) software package is described. TRACS offers supplemental tools for the analysis, control, and interchange of project requirements. This package provides the fundamental capability to analyze and control requirements, serves a focal point for project requirements, and integrates a system that supports efficient and consistent operations. TRACS uses relational data base technology (ORACLE) in a stand alone or in a distributed environment that can be used to coordinate the activities required to support a project through its entire life cycle. TRACS uses a set of keyword and mouse driven screens (HyperCard) which imposes adherence through a controlled user interface. The user interface provides an interactive capability to interrogate the data base and to display or print project requirement information. TRACS has a limited report capability, but can be extended with PostScript conventions.

Hammond, Dana P.↗

Digital Electronic Still Camera

Digital electronic still camera part of electronic recording, processing, tansmitting, and displaying system. Removable hard-disk drive in camera serves as digital electronic equivalent of photographic film. Images viewed, analyzed, or transmitted quickly. Camera takes images of nearly photographic quality and stores them in digital form. Portable, hand-held, battery-powered unit designed for scientific use. Camera used in conjunction with playback unit also serving as transmitting unit if images sent to remote station. Remote station equipped to store, process, and display images. Digital image data encoded with error-correcting code at playback/transmitting unit for error-free transmission to remote station.

Holland, Samuel D.↗

Fiber-optic three axis magnetometer prototype development

The goal of this research program was to develop a high sensitivity, fiber optic, interferometric, three-axis magnetometer for interplanetary spacecraft applications. Dynamics Technology, Inc. (DTI) has successfully integrated a low noise, high bandwidth interferometer with high sensitivity metallic glass transducers. Also, DTI has developed sophisticated signal processing electronics and complete data acquisition, filtering, and display software. The sensor was packaged in a compact, low power and weight unit which facilitates deployment. The magnetic field sensor had subgamma sensitivity and a dynamic range of 10(exp 5) gamma in a 10 Hz bandwidth. Furthermore, the vector instrument exhibited the lowest noise level when only one axis was in operation. A system noise level of 1 gamma rms was observed in a 1 Hz bandwidth. However, with the other two channels operating, the noise level increased by about one order of magnitude. Higher system noise was attributed to cross-channel interference among the dither fields.

Wang, Thomas D.↗

Analysis And Control System For Automated Welding

Automated variable-polarity plasma arc (VPPA) welding apparatus operates under electronic supervision by welding analysis and control system. System performs all major monitoring and controlling functions. It acquires, analyzes, and displays weld-quality data in real time and adjusts process parameters accordingly. Also records pertinent data for use in post-weld analysis and documentation of quality. System includes optoelectronic sensors and data processors that provide feedback control of welding process.

Powell, Bradley W.↗

Program For Displaying Computed Electromagnetic Fields

EM-ANIMATE computer program specialized visualization displays and animates output data on near fields and surface currents computed by electromagnetic-field program - in particular MOM3D (LAR-15074). Program based on windows and contains user-friendly, graphical interface for setting viewing options, selecting cases, manipulating files, and like. Written in FORTRAN 77. EM-ANIMATE also available as part of package, COS-10048, includes MOM3D, IRIS program computing near-field and surface-current solutions of electromagnetic-field equations.

Hom, Kam W.↗

Variable Temperature Performance of a Si(Li) Detector Stack

New experimental data is presented which displays 137Cs resolution of both single Si(Li) devices and a detector stack 2 cm in height as a function of temperature (85 K greater than or equal to T greater than or equal to 245 K). We also discuss variations in photopeak shape which indicate that detector charge collection may be temperature dependent over the range of interest.

Hubbard, G. Scott↗

Biotelemetry

Sensors 2000! is developing pill-shaped biotelemeters for measuring physiological parameters during space flight life sciences experiments using rodents aboard the ISS Gravitational Biology Facility, with the additional capability for monitoring the health of astronauts in the Human Research Facility. The first "pill transmitter" is capable of measuring pressure and temperature for up to 10 months. The NASA objective is to utilize these devices. The pill-transmitters can also be used by non-NASA users for medical applications. One application is fetal surgery. The 44pill" is small enough to be endoscopically placed into the womb through a tube used during surgeries to correct fetal defects before birth. After surgery, the pill-transmitter will continue to monitor body temperature, pressure and other vital signs in the womb, radioing results to physicians. It will help them to detect preterm-labor, a serious problem after fetal surgery. The pill is about one-third-of-an-inch across and one-and-one-third-inches long. Future pill-versions will include pH, heartrate, and ECG. A pH-pill prototype is currently being tested. Sensors 2000! has also designed and built a 2-channel biotelemetry receiver and has developed data acquisition software to display and record the measured physiological parameters. A DSP-base hand-held receiver (trisponder) is currently under development.

Mundt, C.↗

Exploring New Methods of Displaying Bit-Level Quality and Other Flags for MODIS Data

The NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) archives and distributes snow and sea ice products derived from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. All MODIS standard products are in the Earth Observing System version of the Hierarchal Data Format (HDF-EOS). The MODIS science team has packed a wealth of information into each HDF-EOS file. In addition to the science data arrays containing the geophysical product, there are often pixel-level Quality Assurance arrays which are important for understanding and interpreting the science data. Currently, researchers are limited in their ability to access and decode information stored as individual bits in many of the MODIS science products. Commercial and public domain utilities give users access, in varying degrees, to the elements inside MODIS HDF-EOS files. However, when attempting to visualize the data, users are confronted with the fact that many of the elements actually represent eight different 1-bit arrays packed into a single byte array. This project addressed the need for researchers to access bit-level information inside MODIS data files. In an previous NASA-funded project (ESDIS Prototype ID 50.0) we developed a visualization tool tailored to polar gridded HDF-EOS data set. This tool,called the Polar researchers to access, geolocate, visualize, and subset data that originate from different sources and have different spatial resolutions but which are placed on a common polar grid. The bit-level visualization function developed under this project was added to PHDIS, resulting in a versatile tool that serves a variety of needs. We call this the EOS Imaging Tool.

Khalsa, Siri Jodha Singh↗

Objective Situation Awareness Measurement Based on Performance Self-Evaluation

The research was conducted in support of the NASA Safe All-Weather Flight Operations for Rotorcraft (SAFOR) program. The purpose of the work was to investigate the utility of two measurement tools developed by the British Defense Evaluation Research Agency. These tools were a subjective workload assessment scale, the DRA Workload Scale and a situation awareness measurement tool. The situation awareness tool uses a comparison of the crew's self-evaluation of performance against actual performance in order to determine what information the crew attended to during the performance. These two measurement tools were evaluated in the context of a test of innovative approach to alerting the crew by way of a helmet mounted display. The situation assessment data are reported here. The performance self-evaluation metric of situation awareness was found to be highly effective. It was used to evaluate situation awareness on a tank reconnaissance task, a tactical navigation task, and a stylized task used to evaluated handling qualities. Using the self-evaluation metric, it was possible to evaluate situation awareness, without exact knowledge the relevant information in some cases and to identify information to which the crew attended or failed to attend in others.

DeMaio, Joe↗

Molecular and functional analyses of the contractile apparatus in lymphatic muscle

Lymphatics are necessary for the generation and regulation of lymph flow. Lymphatics use phasic contractions and extrinsic compressions to generate flow; tonic contractions alter resistance. Lymphatic muscle exhibits important differences from typical vascular smooth muscle. In this study, the thoracic duct exhibited significant functional differences from mesenteric lymphatics. To understand the molecular basis for these differences, we examined the profiles of contractile proteins and their messages in mesenteric lymphatics, thoracic duct, and arterioles. Results demonstrated that mesenteric lymphatics express only SMB smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC), whereas thoracic duct and arterioles expressed both SMA and SMB isoforms. Both SM1 and SM2 isoforms of SM-MHC were detected in arterioles and mesenteric and thoracic lymphatics. In addition, the fetal cardiac/skeletal slow-twitch muscle-specific beta-MHC message was detected only in mesenteric lymphatics. All four actin messages, cardiac alpha-actin, vascular alpha-actin, enteric gamma-actin, and skeletal alpha-actin, were present in both mesenteric lymphatics and arterioles. However, in thoracic duct, predominantly cardiac alpha-actin and vascular alpha-actin were found. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses corroborated the mRNA studies. However, in arterioles only vascular alpha-actin protein was detected. These data indicate that lymphatics display genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of vascular, cardiac, and visceral myocytes, which are needed to fulfill the unique roles of the lymphatic system.

Non-NASA Center↗

PlanWorks: A Debugging Environment for Constraint Based Planning Systems

Numerous planning and scheduling systems employ underlying constraint reasoning systems. Debugging such systems involves the search for errors in model rules, constraint reasoning algorithms, search heuristics, and the problem instance (initial state and goals). In order to effectively find such problems, users must see why each state or action is in a plan by tracking causal chains back to part of the initial problem instance. They must be able to visualize complex relationships among many different entities and distinguish between those entities easily. For example, a variable can be in the scope of several constraints, as well as part of a state or activity in a plan; the activity can arise as a consequence of another activity and a model rule. Finally, they must be able to track each logical inference made during planning. We have developed PlanWorks, a comprehensive system for debugging constraint-based planning and scheduling systems. PlanWorks assumes a strong transaction model of the entire planning process, including adding and removing parts of the constraint network, variable assignment, and constraint propagation. A planner logs all transactions to a relational database that is tailored to support queries for of specialized views to display different forms of data (e.g. constraints, activities, resources, and causal links). PlanWorks was specifically developed for the Extensible Universal Remote Operations Planning Architecture (EUROPA(sub 2)) developed at NASA, but the underlying principles behind PlanWorks make it useful for many constraint-based planning systems. The paper is organized as follows. We first describe some fundamentals of EUROPA(sub 2). We then describe PlanWorks' principal components. We then discuss each component in detail, and then describe inter-component navigation features. We close with a discussion of how PlanWorks is used to find model flaws.

Daley, Patrick↗

Visible Scalable Terrain (ViSTa) format

Visible Scalable Terrain is a format for the production, interchange, and display of 3D terrain data that is specifically suited to stereo vision based robotic applications.

ViSTa Visible Scalable Terrain robotic application↗

Working Group Reports and Presentations: Virtual Worlds and Virtual Exploration

Scientists and engineers are continually developing innovative methods to capitalize on recent developments in computational power. Virtual worlds and virtual exploration present a new toolset for project design, implementation, and resolution. Replication of the physical world in the virtual domain provides stimulating displays to augment current data analysis techniques and to encourage public participation. In addition, the virtual domain provides stakeholders with a low cost, low risk design and test environment. The following document defines a virtual world and virtual exploration, categorizes the chief motivations for virtual exploration, elaborates upon specific objectives, identifies roadblocks and enablers for realizing the benefits, and highlights the more immediate areas of implementation (i.e. the action items). While the document attempts a comprehensive evaluation of virtual worlds and virtual exploration, the innovative nature of the opportunities presented precludes completeness. The authors strongly encourage readers to derive additional means of utilizing the virtual exploration toolset.

LAmoreaux, Claudia↗