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NASA NTRS1991

Project MEDSAT

During the winter term of 1991, two design courses at the University of Michigan worked on a joint project, MEDSAT. The two design teams consisted of the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Spacite System Design and Aerospace Engineering 483 (Aero 483) Aerospace System Design. In collaboration, they worked to produce MEDSAT, a satellite and scientific payload whose purpose was to monitor environmental conditions over Chiapas, Mexico. Information gained from the sensing, combined with regional data, would be used to determine the potential for malaria occurrence in that area. The responsibilities of AOSS 605 consisted of determining the remote sensing techniques, the data processing, and the method to translate the information into a usable output. Aero 483 developed the satellite configuration and the subsystems required for the satellite to accomplish its task. The MEDSAT project is an outgrowth of work already being accomplished by NASA's Biospheric and Disease Monitoring Program and Ames Research Center. NASA's work has been to develop remote sensing techniques to determine the abundance of disease carriers and now this project will place the techniques aboard a satellite. MEDSAT will be unique in its use of both a Synthetic Aperture Radar and visual/IR sensor to obtain comprehensive monitoring of the site. In order to create a highly feasible system, low cost was a high priority. To obtain this goal, a light satellite configuration launched by the Pegasus launch vehicle was used.

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NASA NTRS1991

Project WISH: The Emerald City

Project WISH (Wandering Interplanetary Space Harbor) is a three-year design effort currently being conducted at The Ohio State University. Its goal is the design of a space oasis to be used in the exploration of the solar system during the midtwenty-first century. This spacecraft, named Emerald City, is to conduct and provide support for missions to other planetary bodies with the purpose of exploration, scientific study, and colonization. It is to sustain a crew of between 500 and 1000 people at a time, and be capable of traveling from a nominal orbit to the planets in reasonably short flight times. Such a ship obviously presents many technical and design challenges, some of which were examined through the course of Project WISH. This year, Phase 2 (1990-1991) of Project WISH was carried out. The basic design of the Emerald City resulting from Phase 1 (1989-1990) was taken and improved upon through more detailed analysis and revision. At the core of this year's study were orbital mechanics, propulsion, attitude control, and human factors. Throughout the year, these areas were examined and information was compiled on their technologies, performances, and relationships. Then, using the data obtained through these studies, two specific missions were designed: an envelope mission from a nominal orbit of 4 AU to Saturn and a single point design for a specific mission from the Earth to Mars. The latter was designed in view of the special interest that Mars is attracting for near-future space exploration. The mission to Saturn has all the first six planets within its flight envelope in less than or equal to a 3-year flight time at any time upon demand, and it has Uranus in its flight envelope most of the time upon demand. These mission studies provided data on the approximate size, weight, number of engines, and other important design values that would be required for the Emerald City.

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NASA NTRS1991

The 1990-1991 project summaries

The Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin participated in the NASA/USRA University Advanced Design Program on both an undergraduate and a graduate level during the 1990-91 academic year. The focus of study was on four design projects that fall into one of the following areas: (1) the establishment of a lunar base and (2) mission planet Earth. The design projects were incorporated into already existing design courses and students worked together in groups of three to five. A background of each area of study is provided, along with synopses, conclusions, and recommendations for further study for each design project.

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NASA NTRS1993

The Visible Human Project of the National Library of Medicine: Remote access and distribution of a multi-gigabyte data set

As part of the 1986 Long-Range Plan for the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the Planning Panel on Medical Education wrote that NLM should '...thoroughly and systematically investigate the technical requirements for and feasibility of instituting a biomedical images library.' The panel noted the increasing use of images in clinical practice and biomedical research. An image library would complement NLM's existing bibliographic and factual database services and would ideally be available through the same computer networks as are these current NLM services. Early in 1989, NLM's Board of Regents convened an ad hoc planning panel to explore possible roles for the NLM in the area of electronic image libraries. In its report to the Board of Regents, the NLM Planning Panel on Electronic Image Libraries recommended that 'NLM should undertake a first project building a digital image library of volumetric data representing a complete, normal adult male and female. This Visible Human Project will include digitized photographic images for cryosectioning, digital images derived from computerized tomography, and digital magnetic resonance images of cadavers.' The technologies needed to support digital high resolution image libraries, including rapid development; and that NLM encourage investigator-initiated research into methods for representing and linking spatial and textual information, structural informatics. The first part of the Visible Human Project is the acquisition of cross-sectional CT and MRI digital images and cross-sectional cryosectional photographic images of a representative male and female cadaver at an average of one millimeter intervals. The corresponding cross-sections in each of the three modalities are to be registerable with one another.

Ackerman, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Current projects in Fuzzy Control

Viewgraphs on current projects in fuzzy control are presented. Three projects on helicopter flight control are discussed. The projects are (1) radio control by oral instructions; (2) automatic autorotation entry in engine failure; and (3) unmanned helicopter for sea rescue.

Sugeno, Michio↗

NASA NTRS1993

The development of the human exploration demonstration project (HEDP), a planetary systems testbed

The Human Exploration Demonstration Project (HEDP) is an ongoing task at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center to address the advanced technology requirements necessary to implement an integrated working and living environment for a planetary surface habitat. The integrated environment will consist of life support systems, physiological monitoring of project crew, a virtual environment workstation, and centralized data acquisition and habitat systems health monitoring. There will be several robotic systems on a simulated planetary landscape external to the habitat environment to provide representative work loads for the crew. This paper describes the status of the HEDP after one year, the major facilities composing the HEDP, the project's role as an Ames Research Center testbed, and the types of demonstration scenarios that will be run to showcase the technologies.

Chevers, Edward S.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An integrated knowledge system for wind tunnel testing - Project Engineers' Intelligent Assistant

The Project Engineers' Intelligent Assistant (PEIA) is an integrated knowledge system developed using artificial intelligence technology, including hypertext, expert systems, and dynamic user interfaces. This system integrates documents, engineering codes, databases, and knowledge from domain experts into an enriched hypermedia environment and was designed to assist project engineers in planning and conducting wind tunnel tests. PEIA is a modular system which consists of an intelligent user-interface, seven modules and an integrated tool facility. Hypermedia technology is discussed and the seven PEIA modules are described. System maintenance and updating is very easy due to the modular structure and the integrated tool facility provides user access to commercial software shells for documentation, reporting, or database updating. PEIA is expected to provide project engineers with technical information, increase efficiency and productivity, and provide a realistic tool for personnel training.

Lo, Ching F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

System design projects for undergraduate design education

Design education has received considerable in the recent past. This paper is intended to address one aspect of undergraduate design education and that is the selection and development of the design project for a capstone design course. Specific goals for a capstone design course are presented and their influence on the project selection are discussed. The evolution of a series of projects based upon the design of remotely piloted aircraft is presented along with students' perspective on the capstone experience.

Batill, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Design methodology and projects for space engineering

NASA/USRA is an ongoing sponsor of space design projects in the senior design course of the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. This paper describes the UT senior design sequence, consisting of a design methodology course and a capstone design course. The philosophical basis of this sequence is briefly summarized. A history of the Department's activities in the Advanced Design Program is then presented. The paper concludes with a description of the projects completed during the 1991-92 academic year and the ongoing projects for the Fall 1992 semester.

Nichols, S.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Multilayer and grazing incidence X-ray/EUV optics for astronomy and projection lithography; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 19-22, 1992

The present volume on multilayer and grazing incidence X-ray/EUV optics for astronomy and projection lithography discusses AXAF grazing incidence mirrors, the theory and high throughput optics of grazing incidence optics, multilayer mirror fabrication and characterization, and multilayer optics for X-ray projection lithography. Attention is given to the VETA-I X-ray detection system, a motion detection system for AXAF X-ray ground testing, image analysis of the AXAF VETA-I X-ray mirror, and optical constants from mirror reflectivities measured at synchrotrons. Topics discussed include the application of aberration theory to calculate encircled energy of Wolter I-II telescopes, W/C multilayers deposited on plastic films, nonspecular X-ray scattering from Si/Mo multilayers, and multilayer thin-film design as FUV polarizers. Also discussed are thin-film filter lifetesting results in the EUV, chromospheric and coronal observations with multilayer optics, present and future requirements of soft X-ray projection lithography, and the imaging Schwarzschild multilayer X-ray microscope.

Hoover, Richard B.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Student contributions to the EUVE project

A program under which some 30 undergraduates participate in the EUVE project is briefly reviewed. The paper summarizes students' contributions to the project, the types of projects and tasks handled by the students, and skills developed as a result of the program.

Moriarta, Jennifer↗

NASA NTRS1989

Lunar base and Mars base design projects

The space design classes at the University of Texas at Austin undertook seven projects in support of the NASA/USRA advanced space design program during the 1988-89 year. A total of 51 students, including 5 graduate students, participated in the design efforts. Four projects were done within the Aerospace Engineering (ASE) design program and three within the Mechanical Engineering (ME) program. Both lunar base and Mars base design efforts were studied, and the specific projects were as follows: Lunar Crew Emergency Rescue Vehicle (ASE); Mars Logistics Lander Convertible to a Rocket Hopper (ME); A Robotically Constructed Production and Supply Base on Phobos (ASE); A Mars/Phobos Transportation System (ASE); Manned Base Design and Related Construction Issues for Mars/Phobos Mission (ME); and Health Care Needs for a Lunar Colony and Design of Permanent Medical Facility (ME).

Amos, J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 36: Technical uncertainty as a correlate of information use by US industry-affiliated aerospace engineers and scientists

This paper reports the results of an exploratory study that investigated the influence of technical uncertainty on the use of information and information sources by U.S. industry-affiliated aerospace engineers and scientists in completing or solving a project, task, or problem. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Survey participants were U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists whose names appeared on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) mailing list. The results support the findings of previous research and the following study assumptions. Information and information-source use differ for projects, problems, and tasks with high and low technical uncertainty. As technical uncertainty increases, information-source use changes from internal to external and from informal to formal sources. As technical uncertainty increases, so too does the use of federally funded aerospace research and development (R&D). The use of formal information sources to learn about federally funded aerospace R&D differs for projects, problems, and tasks with high and low technical uncertainty.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The NCC project: A quality management perspective

The Network Control Center (NCC) Project introduced the concept of total quality management (TQM) in mid-1990. The CSC project team established a program which focused on continuous process improvement in software development methodology and consistent deliveries of high quality software products for the NCC. The vision of the TQM program was to produce error free software. Specific goals were established to allow continuing assessment of the progress toward meeting the overall quality objectives. The total quality environment, now a part of the NCC Project culture, has become the foundation for continuous process improvement and has resulted in the consistent delivery of quality software products over the last three years.

Lee, Raymond H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Data management for interdisciplinary field experiments: OTTER project support

The ability of investigators of an interdisciplinary science project to properly manage the data that are collected during the experiment is critical to the effective conduct of science. When the project becomes large, possibly including several scenes of large-format remotely sensed imagery shared by many investigators requiring several services, the data management effort can involve extensive staff and computerized data inventories. The OTTER (Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research) project was supported by the PLDS (Pilot Land Data System) with several data management services, such as data inventory, certification, and publication. After a brief description of these services, experiences in providing them are compared with earlier data management efforts and some conclusions regarding data management in support of interdisciplinary science are discussed. In addition to providing these services, a major goal of this data management capability was to adopt characteristics of a pro-active attitude, such as flexibility and responsiveness, believed to be crucial for the effective conduct of active, interdisciplinary science. These are also itemized and compared with previous data management support activities. Identifying and improving these services and characteristics can lead to the design and implementation of optimal data management support capabilities, which can result in higher quality science and data products from future interdisciplinary field experiments.

Angelici, Gary↗

NASA NTRS1994

JOVE NASA-FIT program: Microgravity and aeronomy projects

This semi-annual status report is divided into two sections: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Lab and Aeronomy Lab. The Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) research involves studying solar cell materials using the STM built at Florida Tech using a portion of our initial Jove equipment funding. One result of the participation in the FSEC project will be to design and build an STM system which is portable. This could serve as a prototype STM system which might be used on the Space Shuttle during a Spacelab mission, or onboard the proposed Space Station. The scanning tunneling microscope is only able to image the surface structure of electrically conductive crystals; by building an atomic force microscope (AFM) the surface structure of any sample, regardless of its conductivity, will be able to be imaged. With regards to the Aeronomy Lab, a total of four different mesospheric oxygen emission codes were created to calculate the intensity along the line of sight of the shuttle observations for 2972A, Herzberg I, Herzberg II, and Chamberlain bands. The thermosphere-ionosphere coupling project was completed with two major accomplishments: collection of 500 data points on modulation of neutral wind with geophysical variables, and establishment of constraints on behavior of the height of the ionosphere as a result of interaction between geophysical and geometrical factors. The magnetotail plasma project has been centered around familiarization with the subject in the form of a literature search and preprocessing of IMP-8 data.

Patterson, James D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

NPS alternate techsat satellite, design project for AE-4871

This project was completed as part of AE-4871, Advanced Spacecraft Design. The intent of the course is to provide experience in the design of all the major components in a spacecraft system. Team members were given responsibility for the design of one of the six primary subsystems: power, structures, propulsion, attitude control, telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), and thermal control. In addition, a single member worked on configuration control, launch vehicle integration, and a spacecraft test plan. Given an eleven week time constraint, a preliminary design of each subsystem was completed. Where possible, possible component selections were also made. Assistance for this project came principally from the Naval Research Laboratory's Spacecraft Technology Branch. Specific information on components was solicited from representatives in industry. The design project centers on a general purpose satellite bus that is currently being sought by the Strategic Defense Initiative.

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NASA NTRS1992

The 1991-1992 project summaries

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin participated in seven cooperative design projects this year. Six of the projects were associated with the Johnson Space Center and include the design of a thermal control system for an inflatable lunar habitat module, a vibration isolation system for a space shuttle cycle ergometer, a radiator shading device for a lunar outpost, a reusable astronaut safety tether, a resistive exercise device for use on the space shuttle, and a fleet of autonomous regolith throwing devices for radiation shielding of lunar habitats. The seventh project is associated with the Jet Propulsion Lab and involves the design of a shock absorbing wheel for a small six-wheeled Martian rover vehicle.

Nichols, Steven P.↗