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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,711 records · Page 95

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NASA NTRS1985

An Integrated Analysis of the Physiological Effects of Space Flight: Executive Summary

A large array of models were applied in a unified manner to solve problems in space flight physiology. Mathematical simulation was used as an alternative way of looking at physiological systems and maximizing the yield from previous space flight experiments. A medical data analysis system was created which consist of an automated data base, a computerized biostatistical and data analysis system, and a set of simulation models of physiological systems. Five basic models were employed: (1) a pulsatile cardiovascular model; (2) a respiratory model; (3) a thermoregulatory model; (4) a circulatory, fluid, and electrolyte balance model; and (5) an erythropoiesis regulatory model. Algorithms were provided to perform routine statistical tests, multivariate analysis, nonlinear regression analysis, and autocorrelation analysis. Special purpose programs were prepared for rank correlation, factor analysis, and the integration of the metabolic balance data.

Leonard, J. I.↗

NASA NTRS1986

MAST flight system dynamic performance

The MAST Flight System as a test bed for large space structure control algorithms is discussed. An overview is given of the control system architecture. The actuators, the sensors, the control computer, and the baseline damping algorithm are discussed.

Davis, L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Novel parallel architectures and algorithms for linear algebra processors

Number representations, processing architectures and algorithms, optical linear algebra processor fabrication and test results, case study descriptions, and future system plans are covered.

Casasent, David↗

NASA NTRS1987

A parallel algorithm for channel routing on a hypercube

A new parallel simulated annealing algorithm for channel routing on a P processor hypercube is presented. The basic idea used is to partition a set of tracks equally among processors in the hypercube. In parallel, P/2 pairs of processors perform displacements and exchanges of nets between tracks, compute the changes in cost functions, and accept moves using a parallel annealing criteria. Through the use of a unique distributed data structure, it is possible to minimize message traffic and add versatility and efficiency in a parallel routing tool. The algorithm has been implemented and is being tested on some of the popular channel problems from the literature.

Brouwer, Randall↗

NASA NTRS1988

Navier-Stokes simulation of wind-tunnel flow using LU-ADI factorization algorithm

The three dimensional Navier-Stokes solution code using the LU-ADI factorization algorithm was employed to simulate the workshop test cases of transonic flow past a wing model in a wind tunnel and in free air. The effect of the tunnel walls is well demonstrated by the present simulations. An Amdahl 1200 supercomputer having 128 Mbytes main memory was used for these computations.

Obayashi, Shigeru↗

NASA NTRS1988

Airborne radar technology for windshear detection

The objectives and accomplishments of the two-and-a-half year effort to describe how returns from on-board Doppler radar are to be used to detect the presence of a wind shear are reported. The problem is modeled as one of first passage in terms of state variables, the state estimates are generated by a bank of extended Kalman filters working in parallel, and the decision strategy involves the use of a voting algorithm for a series of likelihood ratio tests. The performance issue for filtering is addressed in terms of error-covariance reduction and filter divergence, and the performance issue for detection is addressed in terms of using a probability measure transformation to derive theoretical expressions for the error probabilities of a false alarm and a miss.

Hibey, Joseph L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Refining image segmentation by polygon skeletonization

A skeletonization algorithm was encoded and applied to a test data set of land-use polygons taken from a USGS digital land use dataset at 1:250,000. The distance transform produced by this method was instrumental in the description of the shape, size, and level of generalization of the outlines of the polygons. A comparison of the topology of skeletons for forested wetlands and lakes indicated that some distinction based solely upon the shape properties of the areas is possible, and may be of use in an intelligent automated land cover classification system.

Clarke, Keith C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Explicit upwind algorithm for the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations

A new explicit upwind algorithm based on Roe's flux-difference splitting (FDS) method has been developed for the three-dimensional Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations. For three-dimensional flows, FDS's are determined separately for the two nonmarching directions and modified to account for the calculated shock angle in the crossflow plane. Second-order FDS is applied to the pressure and convection terms with the streamwise pressure gradient limited in the subsonic region to maintain a hyperbolic inviscid equation set. Second-order central differencing is obtained in the two-step algorithm for the shear and heat flux terms. The new algorithm is demonstrated for three laminar flow test cases: supersonic flow over a flat plate, hypersonic flow over a 15 deg ramp, and hypersonic flow past a 10 deg cone at a 24 deg angle of attack. The computed results agree well with experimental measurements.

Korte, John J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Spaceborne meteorological radar studies

Various radar designs and methods are studied for the estimation of rainfall parameters from space. An immediate goal is to support the development of the spaceborne radar that has been proposed for the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM). The effort is divided into two activities: a cooperative airborne rain measuring experiment with the Radio Research Laboratory of Japan (RRL), and the modelling of spaceborne weather radars. An airborne rain measuring experiment was conducted at Wallops Flight Facility in 1985 to 1986 using the dual-wavelength radar/radiometer developed by RRL. The data are presently being used to test a number of methods that are relevant to spaceborne weather radars. An example is shown of path-averaged rain rates as estimated from three methods: the standard reflectivity rain rate method (Z-R), a dual-wavelength method, and a surface reference method. The results from the experiment shows for the first time the feasibility of using attenuation methods from space. The purposes of the modelling are twofold: to understand in a quantitative manner the relationships between a particular radar design and its capability for estimating precipitation parameters and to help devise and test new methods. The models are being used to study the impact of various TRMM radar designs on the accuracy of rain rate estimation as well as to test the performance of range-profiling algorithms, the mirror-image method, and some recently devised graphical methods for the estimation of the drop size distribution.

Meneghini, R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

System identification in the microcomputer environment

An implementation of an algorithm for system identification, the eigenvalue realization algorithm (ERA), on a microcomputer is reported. Test results are presented to show that accurate structural identification can be performed in a microcomputer environment. It is also shown that the memory limits (640 K) of small machines are generally adequate for solving large scale problems (e.g., Hankel matrices with 15,000 elements), with run times being on the order of several minutes.

Garcia, Ephrahim↗

NASA NTRS1988

Navier-Stokes simulation of wind-tunnel flow using LU-ADI factorization algorithm

Obayashi, Shigeru↗

NASA NTRS1989

A practical approach for minimum time control of the Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE), appendix A

The Space COntrol Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) is a challenge for control engineering applications. This is a result of the system dynamics, the available measurement information, the actuator capabilities and finally the specified performance requirements set. Results on the use of Model Reference Adaptive Control were reported. In view of the necessity for rapid response, this work deals with an optimal control formulation, with a minimum time requirement and constrained input. A mathematical statement of the problem is presented. The time optimal control formulation is presented and the reasons that make such an approach not promising are discussed. As a result, a pseudo time-optimal control algorithm is discussed. The proposed approach is tested to see if it satisfies the design specifications, and finally a discussion and suggestions for further research are provided.

Kaufman, H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Influence of local configuration on the backflow from small rocket thrusters

A numerical study has been made of the low density plume flow from a small thruster motor. For the case studied, the addition of a thin plume shield with a diameter 1.67 times the nozzle exit diameter was found to lead to a reduction in the backflow by several orders of magnitude. Calculations were also made for the three-dimensional flow produced by a pair of motors, in order to determine the increase in the backflow due to the interaction of the plumes. The calculations were made with the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, and one of the purposes of the work was to test a new and faster set of algorithms for this method.

Bird, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Automatic detection of low altitude wind shear due to gust fronts in the terminal Doppler weather radar operational demonstration

A gust front is the leading edge of the cold air outflow from a thunderstorm. Wind shears and turbulence along the gust front may produce potentially hazardous conditions for an aircraft on takeoff or landing such that runway operations are significantly impacted. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has therefore determined that the detection of gust fronts in the terminal environment be an integral part of the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) system. Detection of these shears by the Gust Front Algorithm permits the generation of warnings that can be issued to pilots on approach and departure. In addition to the detection capability, the algorithm provides an estimate of the wind speed and direction following the gust front (termed wind shift) and the forecasted location of the gust front up to 20 minutes before it impacts terminal operations. This has shown utility as a runway management tool, alerting runway supervisors to approaching wind shifts and the possible need to change runway configurations. The formation and characteristics of gust fronts and their signatures in Doppler radar data are discussed. A brief description of the algorithm and its products for use by Air Traffic Control (ATC), along with an assessment of the algorithm's performance during the 1988 Operational Test and Evaluation, is presented.

Klingle-Wilson, Diana↗

NASA NTRS1991

An experimental study of nonlinear dynamic system identification

A technique based on the Minimum Model Error optimal estimation approach is employed for robust identification of a nonlinear dynamic system. A simple harmonic oscillator with quadratic position feedback was simulated on an analog computer. With the aid of analog measurements and an assumed linear model, the Minimum Model Error Algorithm accurately identifies the quadratic nonlinearity. The tests demonstrate that the method is robust with respect to prior ignorance of the nonlinear system model and with respect to measurement record length, regardless of initial conditions.

Stry, Greselda I.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Minimum-fuel rescue trajectories for the Extravehicular Excursion Unit

The problem of determining minimum-fuel trajectories for rescuing astronauts or equipment which become separated from a Space Station is addressed. Using the Clohessy-Wiltshire equations of relative motion and assuming impulsive Delta-Vs, the minimum-fuel rescue problem is shown to be a parameter optimization problem. Minimum-fuel rescue trajectories are found for seventeen test cases using a recursive quadratic programming algorithm. The results are analyzed and general rules for astronaut rescue and equipment retrieval are developed.

Fowler, W. T.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Rigid body mode identification of the PAH-2 helicopter using the eigensystem realization algorithm

The rigid body modes of the PAH-2 'Tiger' helicopter were identified using the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA). This work complements ground vibration tests performed using DLR's traditional phase resonance technique and the ISSPA (Identification of Structural System Parameters) method. Rigid body modal parameters are important for ground resonance prediction. Time-domain data for ERA were obtained by inverse Fourier transformation of frequency response functions measured with stepped-sine excitation. Mode purity (based on the Phase Resonance Criterion) was generally equal to or greater than corresponding results obtained in the ground vibration tests. All identified natural frequencies and mode shapes correlate well with corresponding ground vibration test results. The modal identification approach discussed in this report has become increasingly attractive in recent years due to the steadily declining cost and increased performance of scientific computers. As illustrated in this application, modern time-domain methods can be successfully applied to data acquired using DLR's existing test equipment. Some suggestions are made for future applications of time domain modal identification in this manner.

Schenk, Axel↗

NASA NTRS1991

Autonomous rendezvous and capture system design

Marshall Space Flight Center has a long history of involvement in the design of Autonomous Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) systems. The first extensive studies were begun in the late seventies, incrementally leading to the development of an assortment of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) concepts and algorithms suitable for a variety of mission requirements and spacecraft capabilities, with a strong emphasis placed upon flexible system-level design. These efforts have led to the development of sophisticated algorithms for docking with tumbling targets, and simple but efficient algorithms for stabilized spacecraft; each has been tested and validated using dynamic system simulation, with hardware in the loop when practical. Recent investigations include the use of neural networks for video image interpretation, and fuzzy logic for control system implementation.

Dabney, Richard W.↗