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At least 19 records

Codes for a priority queue on a parallel data bus

Some codes for arbitration of priorities among subsystem computers or peripheral device controllers connected to a parallel data bus are described. At arbitration time, several subsystems present wire-OR, parallel code words to the bus, and the central computer can identify the subsystem of highest priority and determine which of two or more transmission services the subsystem requires. A mathematical discussion of the optimality of the codes with regard to the number of subsystems that may participate in the scheme for a given number of wires is presented along with the number of services that each subsystem may request.

Wallis, D. E.↗

Developing Interim Systems

(view graphs)Small Budget, Legacy infrastructure and code, priorities focused on specific capabilities, minimal time frame for initial release.

view graphs: interim systems↗

Emergency vehicle traffic signal preemption system

An emergency vehicle traffic light preemption system for preemption of traffic lights at an intersection to allow safe passage of emergency vehicles. The system includes a real-time status monitor of an intersection which is relayed to a control module for transmission to emergency vehicles as well as to a central dispatch office. The system also provides for audio warnings at an intersection to protect pedestrians who may not be in a position to see visual warnings or for various reasons cannot hear the approach of emergency vehicles. A transponder mounted on an emergency vehicle provides autonomous control so the vehicle operator can attend to getting to an emergency and not be concerned with the operation of the system. Activation of a priority-code (i.e. Code-3) situation provides communications with each intersection being approached by an emergency vehicle and indicates whether the intersection is preempted or if there is any conflict with other approaching emergency vehicles. On-board diagnostics handle various information including heading, speed, and acceleration sent to a control module which is transmitted to an intersection and which also simultaneously receives information regarding the status of an intersection. Real-time communications and operations software allow central and remote monitoring, logging, and command of intersections and vehicles.

Bachelder, Aaron D.↗

A 3DGRAPE/AL: The Ames/Langley technology upgrade

This paper describes a new three-dimensional structured multiple-block volume grid generator called 3DGRAPE/AL. It is a significantly improved version of the previously-released and widely-distributed program 3DGRAPE, with many of the improvements taken from the grid-generator program 3DMAGGS. It generates volume grids by iteratively solving the Poisson Equations in three-dimensions. The right-hand-side terms are designed so that user-specified grid cell heights and user-specified grid cell skewness near boundary surfaces result automatically, with little user intervention. Versatility was a high priority in this code's development, and as a result it can generate grids in almost any three-dimensional physical domain. Improvements include added kinds of forcing functions, improved control of cell skewness, improved initial conditions, convergence acceleration, the ability to take as input the output from GRIDGEN, and a simple but powerful graphical user interface (GUI).

Sorenson, Reese L.↗

Prioritized Luby Transform (LT) Codes

This viewgraph presentation describes a prioritized Luby Transform coding scheme that seeks to decode high priority data with high reliability, when decoders fail.

Luby Transform (LT) codes↗

Prioritized LT Codes

It is common in data transmissions that some information is more important than others. This is especially true in space communications where mission critical information or science data are high priority. In this work, we propose a simple yet constructive scheme to send high priority data reliably and efficiently using Luby Transform (LT) codes. The new proposed scheme modifies the conventional LT encoder to send high priority data as a degree 1 and 2 so that high priority data can be quickly resolved and very likely recovered before a decoder stops. Preliminary results show that a carefully designed degree distribution of high priority data increases the likelihood of receiving high priority information while having negligible performance impact on data with lower priority. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated and compared with the conventional LT approach with the same parameters under a range of erasure error rates.

priority coding↗

Architectural Analysis of Systems Based on the Publisher-Subscriber Style

Architectural styles impose constraints on both the topology and the interaction behavior of involved parties. In this paper, we propose an approach for analyzing implemented systems based on the publisher-subscriber architectural style. From the style definition, we derive a set of reusable questions and show that some of them can be answered statically whereas others are best answered using dynamic analysis. The paper explains how the results of static analysis can be used to orchestrate dynamic analysis. The proposed method was successfully applied on the NASA's Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) software product line. The results show that the GMSEC has a) a novel reusable vendor-independent middleware abstraction layer that allows the NASA's missions to configure the middleware of interest without changing the publishers' or subscribers' source code, and b) some high priority bugs due to behavioral discrepancies, which were eluded during testing and code reviews, among different implementations of the same APIs for different vendors.

Ganesun, Dharmalingam↗

Prioritized LT Codes

The original Luby Transform (LT) coding scheme is extended to account for data transmissions where some information symbols in a message block are more important than others. Prioritized LT codes provide unequal error protection (UEP) of data on an erasure channel by modifying the original LT encoder. The prioritized algorithm improves high-priority data protection without penalizing low-priority data recovery. Moreover, low-latency decoding is also obtained for high-priority data due to fast encoding. Prioritized LT codes only require a slight change in the original encoding algorithm, and no changes at all at the decoder. Hence, with a small complexity increase in the LT encoder, an improved UEP and low-decoding latency performance for high-priority data can be achieved. LT encoding partitions a data stream into fixed-sized message blocks each with a constant number of information symbols. To generate a code symbol from the information symbols in a message, the Robust-Soliton probability distribution is first applied in order to determine the number of information symbols to be used to compute the code symbol. Then, the specific information symbols are chosen uniform randomly from the message block. Finally, the selected information symbols are XORed to form the code symbol. The Prioritized LT code construction includes an additional restriction that code symbols formed by a relatively small number of XORed information symbols select some of these information symbols from the pool of high-priority data. Once high-priority data are fully covered, encoding continues with the conventional LT approach where code symbols are generated by selecting information symbols from the entire message block including all different priorities. Therefore, if code symbols derived from high-priority data experience an unusual high number of erasures, Prioritized LT codes can still reliably recover both high- and low-priority data. This hybrid approach decides not only "how to encode" but also "what to encode" to achieve UEP. Another advantage of the priority encoding process is that the majority of high-priority data can be decoded sooner since only a small number of code symbols are required to reconstruct high-priority data. This approach increases the likelihood that high-priority data is decoded first over low-priority data. The Prioritized LT code scheme achieves an improvement in high-priority data decoding performance as well as overall information recovery without penalizing the decoding of low-priority data, assuming high-priority data is no more than half of a message block. The cost is in the additional complexity required in the encoder. If extra computation resource is available at the transmitter, image, voice, and video transmission quality in terrestrial and space communications can benefit from accurate use of redundancy in protecting data with varying priorities.

Woo, Simon S.↗

Overview: Small Aircraft Transportation System Airborne Remote Sensing Fuel Droplet Evaporation

The NASA Nebraska Preparation Grant was designed to solidify relationships, intensify communication, and launch collaborative initiatives among Nebraska researchers and key contacts at NASA research centers and enterprises. In doing so, Nebraska was successful in laying the groundwork for the foundation for numerous long-term, mutually beneficial collaborations that were subsequently proposed and awarded in the NASA EPSCoR 2000 competition. The NASA Nebraska EPSCoR Preparation Grant was managed by the same administrative team that oversees Nebraska's NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR programs. An advisory board (later Technical Advisory Committee) made up of voting representatives from all affiliate and partner organizations regularly reviewed grant progress and direction. The University of Nebraska at Omaha's Aviation Institute, the host institution for all three programs, provided additional administrative oversight and program evaluation through established review mechanisms. This structure has served NASA well and has been cited as a model program. The second year of preparation grant funding served as a significant opportunity for Nebraska to lay the groundwork for the continued elevation and success of its NASA EPSCoR program. In anticipation of the NASA EPSCoR 2000 grant competition, Year 2 funding enabled funded researchers to further broaden and enhance the quality and quantity of collaborations with NASA Field Centers, Codes, and Enterprises. The plan set the stage for long-term research and outreach endeavors that have contributed significantly to the achievement of NASA's strategic objectives; the state of Nebraska's economic and aerospace development efforts; and have advanced Nebraska s aeronautics research efforts to a national leadership level. The overarching goal of the NASA Nebraska EPSCoR Preparation grant was met by facilitating research endeavors among Nebraska faculty that addressed research and technology priorities of the NASA Field Centers, Codes, and Strategic Enterprises. During the first year of funding, Nebraska established open and frequent lines of communication with university affairs officers and other key personnel at all NASA Centers and Enterprises, and facilitated the development of collaborations between and among junior faculty in the state and NASA researchers. As a result, Nebraska initiated a major research cluster, the Small Aircraft Transportation System Nebraska Implementation Template.

Bowen, Brent↗

Nuclear Data Needs for Human Space Radiation Shielding

Protecting astronauts from the harmful effects of space radiation is a high priority for NASA. Space radiation transport codes utilize particle production cross sections describing the interactions of incident radiation with matter. The availability of measured nuclear cross section data needed for these studies will be reviewed. The energy range of interest for space radiation protection is approximately 100 MeV/n to 10 GeV/n. The majority of data are for projectile fragmentation partial and total cross sections, including both charge changing and isotopic cross sections. Cross section data are organized into categories which include charge changing, elemental, isotopic for total, single and double differential with respect to momentum, energy and angle. This plenary talk will discuss gaps in the data relevant to space radiation protection and recommendations for future experiments will be made. Double differential cross section data for light ion production will be emphasized.

John W Norbury↗

Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Program Overview - Part 1

The Icing Technology Branch at NASA Lewis has been involved in an effort to validate two thermal ice protection codes developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. LEWICE/Thermal (electrothermal deicing & anti-icing), and ANTICE (hot-gas & electrothermal anti-icing). The Thermal Code Validation effort was designated as a priority during a 1994 'peer review' of the NASA Lewis Icing program, and was implemented as a cooperative effort with industry. During April 1996, the first of a series of experimental validation tests was conducted in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel(IRT). The purpose of the April 96 test was to validate the electrothermal predictive capabilities of both LEWICE/Thermal, and ANTICE. A heavily instrumented test article was designed and fabricated for this test, with the capability of simulating electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Thermal measurements were then obtained over a range of test conditions, for comparison with analytical predictions. This paper will present an overview of the test, including a detailed description of: (1) the validation process; (2) test article design; (3) test matrix development; and (4) test procedures. Selected experimental results will be presented for de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Finally, the status of the validation effort at this point will be summarized. Detailed comparisons between analytical predictions and experimental results are contained in the following two papers: 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 2- The Validation of LEWICE/Thermal' and 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 3-The Validation of ANTICE'

Miller, Dean↗

SCCS System SW Development

The original project to be completed, GenSim, was a Generic Simulator for Application Control Language scripts. This would mock the systems on which the scripts were meant to be run on so that you could run tests without access to the machine. Soon after the project was started, a different project took priority. Unit testing the Application Services Framework code became the focus of the team because of approaching deadlines. Communication was very important to ensure that code wasn't being duplicated and to keep the team up to date with what mock files are available to them. Because of this, daily meetings were conducted until the testing was complete.

computer programming↗

Crossed-grid charge locator

Circuit locates center of cloud of charge on wire grid to within 6.5 micrometers. Wires in vicinity of charge cloud develop voltages that are processed by priority encoders to develop coarse and fine position codes. Device is used with microchannel plate amplifier in X-ray photon detectors, electron microscopes, and closed-circuit television.

Harrison, D. C.↗

NASA Radiation Protection Research for Exploration Missions

The HZETRN code was used in recent trade studies for renewed lunar exploration and currently used in engineering development of the next generation of space vehicles, habitats, and EVA equipment. A new version of the HZETRN code capable of simulating high charge and energy (HZE) ions, light-ions and neutrons with either laboratory or space boundary conditions with enhanced neutron and light-ion propagation is under development. Atomic and nuclear model requirements to support that development will be discussed. Such engineering design codes require establishing validation processes using laboratory ion beams and space flight measurements in realistic geometries. We discuss limitations of code validation due to the currently available data and recommend priorities for new data sets.

Wilson, John W.↗

Central America Disasters: Using Earth Observations to Map Flooding for Disaster Monitoring, Inform Potential Risk, and Prepare for Possible Response

In November 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Central America within weeks of each other, causing severe flooding, landslides, and widespread damage. NASA DEVELOP partnered with Comité Regional de Recursos Hidráulicos (CRRH), Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres en América Central y República Dominicana (CEPREDENAC), and Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) to better understand how flooding throughout Central America has impacted and will continue to affect communities, focusing on sites in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, western Panama, and eastern Costa Rica from January 2015 to October 2021. The team utilized surface reflectance data from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This project also utilized backscatter data from Sentinel-1 C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR) and elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Incorporating these Earth observations in NASA SERVIR’s Hydrologic Remote Sensing Analysis for Floods (HYDRAFloods) tool run on Google Earth Engine (GEE), the team produced historical surface water maps, a case study analysis of the two hurricanes, and a code tutorial. These results indicated that surface water increased in priority sites from 2015 to 2021, optical and SAR imagery detected similar flood patterns and extent after the hurricanes, and rainfall was concentrated on the east coast of the region. These products allow partners to make informed decisions around flooding preparation and disaster mitigation.

Caroline Williams↗

Controlled flexibility in technical editing - The levels-of-edit concept at JPL

The levels-of-edit concept, which can be used to specify the amount of editorial effort involved in the preparation of a manuscript for publication, is discussed. Nine types of editing are identified and described. These include coordination edit (preparing estimates, gathering cost data, monitoring production processes), policy edit, integrity edit (making sure that parts of a publication match in a physical or numerical sense), screening edit (ensuring that the quality of camera-ready copy is sufficient for external publication), copy clarification edit, format edit, mechanical style edit, language edit, and substantive edit (reviewing the manuscript for content coherence, emphasis, subordination and parallelism). These functions are grouped into five levels of edit. An edit-level number is assigned to each manuscript, providing a quantitative and qualitative indicator of the editing to be done which is clearly understood by authors, managers, and editors alike. In addition, clear boundaries are drawn between normal and extraordinary editing tasks. Individual organizations will group various edits in different ways to reflect their needs and priorities; the essential element of the system is unambiguous definition and coding of the types and amount of work to be done.

Buehler, M. F.↗

Recent Progress on Rans-Based Transition Model Verification

The current efforts to assess and improve the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)-coupled transition models in the NASA FUN3D and OVERFLOW codes are summarized in this study. The first AIAA Transition Modeling Workshop and the NATO AVT-313 Transition Workshop both emphasized the need for code verification for transport equations based transition models as a top priority. We discuss the methods used for the model verification, the resulting grid families, the flow solutions, and other supporting information collected with at least two established NASA flow solvers, namely, FUN3D and OVERFLOW. These results, which will be uploaded onto the NASA Turbulence Modeling Resource, should assist other members of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) community in verifying their own implementations of various transition models, such as the Langtry-Menter (LM2009) model, the one-equation γ model, and Coder’s amplification factor transport (AFT) model. Grid convergence is assessed using both global and local flow metrics of interest such as lift and drag as well as local skin-friction coefficients. We also explore the anisotropic unstructured metric-based adaptive mesh refinement library known as refine with the NASA FUN3D solver to determine if this capability can achieve the same accuracy as handcrafted structured grids with a significantly smaller node count and to learn the characteristics of the resulting grid distribution, especially in the vicinity of the transition zone.

Transition↗

Recent Progress on RANS-Based Transition Model Verification

The current efforts to assess and improve the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)-coupled transition models in the NASA FUN3D and OVERFLOW codes are summarized in this study. The first AIAA Transition Modeling Workshop and the NATO AVT-313 Transition Workshop both emphasized the need for code verification for transport equations based transition models as a top priority. We discuss the methods used for the model verification, the resulting grid families, the flow solutions, and other supporting information collected with at least two established NASA flow solvers, namely, FUN3D and OVERFLOW. These results, which will be uploaded onto the NASA Turbulence Modeling Resource, should assist other members of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) community in verifying their own implementations of various transition models, such as the Langtry-Menter (LM2009) model, the one-equation γ model, and Coder’s amplification factor transport (AFT) model. Grid convergence is assessed using both global and local flow metrics of interest such as lift and drag as well as local skin-friction coefficients. We also explore the anisotropic unstructured metric-based adaptive mesh refinement library known as refine with the NASA FUN3D solver to determine if this capability can achieve the same accuracy as handcrafted structured grids with a significantly smaller node count and to learn the characteristics of the resulting grid distribution, especially in the vicinity of the transition zone.

RANS↗