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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Post-flight BET products for the 2nd discovery entry, STS-19 (51-A)

The post-flight products for the second Discovery flight, STS-19 (51-A), are summarized. The inertial best estimate trajectory (BET), BT19D19/UN=169750N, was developed using spacecraft dynamic measurements from Inertial Measurement Unit 2 (IMU2) in conjunction with the best tracking coverage available for any of the earlier Shuttle entries. As a consequence of the latter, an anchor epoch was selected which conforms to an initial altitude of greater than a million feet. The Extended BET, ST19BET/UN=274885C, incorporated the previously mentioned inertial reconstructed state information and the Langley Atmospheric Information Retrieval System (LAIRS) atmosphere, ST19MET/UN=712662N, with some minor exceptions. Primary and back-up AEROBET reels are NK0165 and NK0201, respectively. This product was only developed over the lowermost 360 kft altitude range due to atmosphere problems but this relates to altitudes well above meaningful signal in the IMUs. Summary results generated from the AEROBET for this flight are presented with meaningful configuration and statistical comparisons from the previous thirteen flights. Modified maximum likelihood estimation (MMLE) files were generated based on IMU2 and the Rate Gyro Assembly/Accelerometer Assembly (RGA/AA), respectively. Appendices attached define spacecraft and physical constants utilized, show plots of the final tracking data residuals from the post-flight fit, list relevant parameters from the BET at a two second spacing, and retain for archival purpose all relevant input and output tapes and files generated.

Kelly, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Understanding natural language for spacecraft sequencing

The paper describes a natural language understanding system, START, that translates English text into a knowledge base. The understanding and the generating modules of START share a Grammar which is built upon reversible transformations. Users can retrieve information by querying the knowledge base in English; the system then produces an English response. START can be easily adapted to many different domains. One such domain is spacecraft sequencing. A high-level overview of sequencing as it is practiced at JPL is presented in the paper, and three areas within this activity are identified for potential application of the START system. Examples are given of an actual dialog with START based on simulated data for the Mars Observer mission.

Katz, Boris↗
NASA NTRS1985

An overview of the evaluation plan for PC/MISI: PC-based Multiple Information System Interface

An initial evaluation plan for the personal computer multiple information system interface (PC/MISI) project is discussed. The document is intend to be used as a blueprint for the evaluation of this system. Each objective of the design project is discussed along with the evaluation parameters and methodology to be used in the evaluation of the implementation's achievement of those objectives. The potential of the system for research activities related to more general aspects of information retrieval is also discussed.

Dominick, Wayne D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Ah!Help: A generalized on-line help facility

The idea behind the help facility discussed is relatively simple. It is made unique by the fact that it is written in Ada and uses aspects of the language which make information retrieval rapid and simple. Specifically, the DIRECT IO facility allows for random access into the help files. It is necessary to discuss the advantages of random access over sequential access. The mere fact that the program in written in Ada implies a saving in terms of lines of code. This introduces the possibility of eventually adapting the program to run at the microcomputer level, a major consideration . Additionally, since the program uses only standard Ada generics, it is portable to other systems. This is another aspect which must always be taken into consideration in writting any software package in the modern day world of computer programming.

Yu, Wong Nai↗
NASA NTRS1989

NASA/RECON - Its unique resources

The capabilities of the NASA/RECON system are described. Over half of this online information retrieval system contains computerized versions of STAR and IAA. NASA/RECON also contains work in progress, contract, preview, computer software (COSMIC), space commercialization, NACA, Nalnet, NASA TechBriefs, and the Library of Congress Aerospace Medicine and Biology files. The availability and updating of the NASA/RECON system are discussed. A list of printed materials that are helpful tools for using NASA/RECON is provided.

Buchan, Ronald L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Sparse distributed memory overview

The Sparse Distributed Memory (SDM) project is investigating the theory and applications of massively parallel computing architecture, called sparse distributed memory, that will support the storage and retrieval of sensory and motor patterns characteristic of autonomous systems. The immediate objectives of the project are centered in studies of the memory itself and in the use of the memory to solve problems in speech, vision, and robotics. Investigation of methods for encoding sensory data is an important part of the research. Examples of NASA missions that may benefit from this work are Space Station, planetary rovers, and solar exploration. Sparse distributed memory offers promising technology for systems that must learn through experience and be capable of adapting to new circumstances, and for operating any large complex system requiring automatic monitoring and control. Sparse distributed memory is a massively parallel architecture motivated by efforts to understand how the human brain works. Sparse distributed memory is an associative memory, able to retrieve information from cues that only partially match patterns stored in the memory. It is able to store long temporal sequences derived from the behavior of a complex system, such as progressive records of the system's sensory data and correlated records of the system's motor controls.

Raugh, Mike↗
NASA NTRS1989

The photo-colorimetric space as a medium for the representation of spatial data

Spatial displays and instruments are usually used in the context of vehicle guidance, but it is hard to find applicable spatial formats in information retrieval and interaction systems. Human interaction with spatial data structures and the applicability of the CIE color space to improve dialogue transparency is discussed. A proposal is made to use the color space to code spatially represented data. The semantic distances of the categories of dialogue structures or, more general, of database structures, are determined empirically. Subsequently the distances are transformed and depicted into the color space. The concept is demonstrated for a car diagnosis system, where the category cooling system could, e.g., be coded in blue, the category ignition system in red. Hereby a correspondence between color and semantic distances is achieved. Subcategories can be coded as luminance differences within the color space.

Kraiss, K. Friedrich↗
NASA NTRS1989

Technology transfer and the NASA Technology Utilization Program - An overview

The goal of the NASA Technology Utilization (TU) Program is to broaden and accelerate the transfer of aerospace technology and to develop new commercial products and processes that represent additional return on the national investment in the U.S. space programs. The mechanisms established by the TU Program includes TU offices, publications, the information retrieval, software dissemination, and the NASA Applications Engineering Program. These mechanisms are implemented through a nationwide NASA TU Network, working closely with industry and public sector organizations to encourage and facilitate their access and utilization of the results of the U.S space programs. Examples of TU are described, including a method for the reduction of metal fatigue in textile equipment and a method for the management of wandering behavior in Alzheimer's patients.

Clarks, Henry J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Intertwining thesauri and dictionaries

The use of dictionaries and thesauri in information retrieval is discussed. The structure and functions of thesauri and dictionaries are described. Particular attention is given to the format of the NASA Thesaurus. The relationship between thesauri and dictionaries, the need to regularize terminology, and the capitalization of words are examined.

Buchan, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

NASA's experience in the international exchange of scientific and technical information in the aerospace field

The early NASA international scientific and technical information (STI) exchange arrangements were usually detailed in correspondence with the librarians of the institutions involved. While this type of exchange, which involved only hardcopy (paper) products, grew to include some 220 organization in 43 countries, NASA's main focus shifted substantially to the STI relationship with the European Space Agency (ESA) which began in 1964. The NASA/ESA Tripartite Exchange Program, which now has more than 500 participants, provides more than 4,000 highly-relevant technical reports, fully processed, for the NASA produced 'Aerospace Database'. In turn, NASA provides an updated copy of this Database, known in Europe as the 'NASA File', for access, through ESA's Information Retrieval Service, by participating European organizations. Our experience in the evolving cooperation with ESA has established the 'model' for our more recent exchange agreements with Israel, Australia, Canada, and one under negotiation with Japan. The results of these agreements are made available to participating European organizations through the NASA File.

Thibideau, Philip A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

COSMIC: Software catalog 1991 edition diskette format

The PC edition of the annual COSMIC Software contains descriptions of the over 1,200 computer programs available for use within the United States as of January 1, 1991. By using the PC version of the catalog, it is possible to conduct extensive searches of the software inventory for programs that meet specific criteria. Elements such as program keywords, hardware specifications, source code languages, and title acronyms can be used for the basis of such searches. After isolating those programs that might be of best interest to the user, it is then possible to either view at the monitor, or generate a hardcopy listing of all information on those packages. In addition to the program elements that the user can search on, information such as total program size, distribution media, and program price, as well as extensive abstracts on the program, are also available to the user at this time. Another useful feature of the catalog allows for the retention of programs that meet certain search criteria between individual sessions of using the catalog. This allows users to save the information on those programs that are of interest to them in different areas of application. They can then recall a specific collection of programs for information retrieval or further search reduction if desired. In addition, this version of the catalog is adaptable to a network/shared resource environment, allowing multiple users access to a single copy of the catalog database simultaneously.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Retrospective indexing (RI) - A computer-aided indexing technique

An account is given of a method for data base-updating designated 'computer-aided indexing' (CAI) which has been very efficiently implemented at NASA's Scientific and Technical Information Facility by means of retrospective indexing. Novel terms added to the NASA Thesaurus will therefore proceed directly into both the NASA-RECON aerospace information system and its portion of the ESA-Information Retrieval Service, giving users full access to material thus indexed. If a given term appears in the title of a record, it is given special weight. An illustrative graphic representation of the CAI search strategy is presented.

Buchan, Ronald L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Upcoming planetary missions and the applicability of high temperature superconductor bolometers

Past and present planetary exploration is briefly reviewed, and the planned 1996 Cassini mission to Saturn and Titan is examined. The CIRS experiment aboard Cassini, which will retrieve information on the atmospheres of Titan and Saturn, is discussed. Ongoing efforts to build a high-sensitivity, high-Tc bolometer that would greatly improve detection in Titan's atmosphere are addressed.

Brasunas, J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Infrared spectroscopic remote sensing from the Cassini orbiter

An infrared spectroscopy instrument for infrared remote sensing from the Cassini orbiter is being breadboarded in the laboratory. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) consists of a pair of Fourier Transform Spectrometers (FTS) which together cover the range from 10 - 1400/cm with a spectral resolution up to 0.5/cm. The far-infrared FTS is a polarizing interferometer covering the 10 - 300/cm range. The mid-infrared FTS is a conventional Michelson FTS covering 200 - 1400/cm in three spectral channels. CIRS will retrieve information on the atmospheres of Titan and Saturn with good vertical resolution, from deep in their tropospheres to high in their stratospheres, and into the upper few centimeters of the regoliths of icy objects. The science objectives and design of CIRS are discussed.

Kunde, V.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computer integrated documentation

The main technical issues of the Computer Integrated Documentation (CID) project are presented. The problem of automation of documents management and maintenance is analyzed both from an artificial intelligence viewpoint and from a human factors viewpoint. Possible technologies for CID are reviewed: conventional approaches to indexing and information retrieval; hypertext; and knowledge based systems. A particular effort was made to provide an appropriate representation for contextual knowledge. This representation is used to generate context on hypertext links. Thus, indexing in CID is context sensitive. The implementation of the current version of CID is described. It includes a hypertext data base, a knowledge based management and maintenance system, and a user interface. A series is also presented of theoretical considerations as navigation in hyperspace, acquisition of indexing knowledge, generation and maintenance of a large documentation, and relation to other work.

Boy, Guy↗
NASA NTRS1991

Background issues for on-line aircraft documentation

Currently, almost all aircraft documentation in commercial aircraft cockpits is presented via hardcopy manuals. Several recent projects are aimed at eliminating all paper documentation in cockpits using electronic libraries. Electronic libraries encompass diverse information bases including aircraft system documentation, operations and procedures, checklists, maintenance logs, minimum equipment lists, maps and charts, and flight management information. These electronic libraries are envisioned to be embedded in the avionics so as to provide real time monitoring and display of information. Background issues are examined (motivation, information retrieval models, and preliminary designs) for the on-line presentation of aircraft systems documentation including operations, procedures, and checklists.

Russell, C. Ray↗
NASA NTRS1991

Automated Predictive Diagnosis (APD): A 3-tiered shell for building expert systems for automated predictions and decision making

The APD software features include: On-line help, Three level architecture, (Logic environments, Setup/Application environment, Data environment), Explanation capability, and File handling. The kinds of experimentation and record keeping that leads to effective expert systems is facilitated by: (1) a library of inferencing modules (in the logic environment); (2) an explanation capability which reveals logic strategies to users; (3) automated file naming conventions; (4) an information retrieval system; and (5) on-line help. These aid with effective use of knowledge, debugging and experimentation. Since the APD software anticipates the logical rules becoming complicated, it is embedded in a production system language (CLIPS) to insure the full power of the production system paradigm of CLIPS and availability of the procedural language C. The development is discussed of the APD software and three example applications: toy, experimental, and operational prototype for submarine maintenance predictions.

Steib, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1991

Classification-based reasoning

A representation formalism for N-ary relations, quantification, and definition of concepts is described. Three types of conditions are associated with the concepts: (1) necessary and sufficient properties, (2) contingent properties, and (3) necessary properties. Also explained is how complex chains of inferences can be accomplished by representing existentially quantified sentences, and concepts denoted by restrictive relative clauses as classification hierarchies. The representation structures that make possible the inferences are explained first, followed by the reasoning algorithms that draw the inferences from the knowledge structures. All the ideas explained have been implemented and are part of the information retrieval component of a program called Snowy. An appendix contains a brief session with the program.

Gomez, Fernando↗