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The flat fielding and achievable signal-to-noise of the MAMA detectors

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) was designed to achieve a signal-to-noise (S/N) of at least 100:1 per resolution element. Multi-Anode Microchannel Arrays (MAMA) observations during Servicing Mission Orbital Verification (SMOV) confirm that this specification can be met. From analysis of a single spectrum of GD153, with counting statistics of approximately 165 a S/N of approximately 125 is achieved per spectral resolution element in the far ultraviolet (FUV) over the spectral range of 1280A to 1455A. Co-adding spectra of GRW+7OD5824 to increase the counting statistics to approximately 300 yields a S/N of approximately 190 per spectral resolution element over the region extending from 1347A to 1480A in the FUV. In the near ultraviolet (NUV), a single spectrum of GRW+7OD5824 with counting statistics of approximately 200 yields a S/N of approximately 150 per spectral resolution element over the spectral region extending from 2167 to 2520A. Details of the flat field construction, the spectral extraction, and the definition of a spectral resolution element will be described in the text.

Kaiser, Mary Elizabeth↗

Geologic Mapping of the Martian Impact Crater Tooting

Tooting crater is approximately 29 km in diameters, is located at 23.4 deg N, 207.5 deg E and is classified as a multi-layered ejecta crater. Tooting crater is a very young crater, with an estimated age of 700,000 to 2M years. The crater formed on virtually flat lava flows within Amazonis Planitia where there appears to have been no major topographic features prior to the impact, so that we can measure ejecta thickness and cavity volume. In the past 12 months, the authors have: published their first detailed analysis of the geometry of the crater cavity and the distribution of the ejecta layers; refined the geologic map of the interior of Tooting crater through mapping of the cavity at a scale of 1:1100K; and continued the analysis of an increasing number of high resolution images obtained by the CTX and HiRISE instruments. Currently the authors seek to resolve several science issues that have been identified during this mapping, including: what is the origin of the lobate flows on the NW and SW rims of the crater?; how did the ejecta curtain break apart during the formation of the crater, and how uniform was the emplacement process for the ejecta layers; and, can we infer physical characteristics about the ejecta? Future study plans include the completion of a draft geologic map of Tooting crater and submission of it to the U.S. Geological survey for a preliminary review, publishing a second research paper on the detailed geology of the crater cavity and the distribution of the flows on the crater rim, and completing the map text for the 1:100K geologic map description of units at Tooting crater.

Mouginis-Mark, Peter↗

Worldwide Spacecraft Crew Hatch History

The JSC Flight Safety Office has developed this compilation of historical information on spacecraft crew hatches to assist the Safety Tech Authority in the evaluation and analysis of worldwide spacecraft crew hatch design and performance. The document is prepared by SAIC s Gary Johnson, former NASA JSC S&MA Associate Director for Technical. Mr. Johnson s previous experience brings expert knowledge to assess the relevancy of data presented. He has experience with six (6) of the NASA spacecraft programs that are covered in this document: Apollo; Skylab; Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), Space Shuttle, ISS and the Shuttle/Mir Program. Mr. Johnson is also intimately familiar with the JSC Design and Procedures Standard, JPR 8080.5, having been one of its original developers. The observations and findings are presented first by country and organized within each country section by program in chronological order of emergence. A host of reference sources used to augment the personal observations and comments of the author are named within the text and/or listed in the reference section of this document. Careful attention to the selection and inclusion of photos, drawings and diagrams is used to give visual association and clarity to the topic areas examined.

Johnson, Gary↗

JPSS-1 ATMS Post-launch Active Geolocation Analysis

A NOAA-20 (N20) ATMS active geolocation test was performed around Jan. 2018 with 24 pre-selected coastline crossing scenes. After comprehensive analysis of ATMS stare data and the corresponding VIIRS data, the ATMS pitch, roll and yaw pointing angle errors are found from the nadir perpendicular, the nadir oblique shallow angle, and the off-nadir perpendicular coastline crossing data, respectively. In this study, we first determine the ATMS radiometric coastline crossing time by using the ATMS radiometric count data. Since the coastline can be located anywhere within one ATMS FOV from the passive (regular scanning) geolocation data, depending on the scan starting time, it is not a valid assumption for the inflection point being the same as the coastline location. Consequently, using the passive geolocation data to validate the sensor’s on-orbit pointing angle performance is limited. After finding the ATMS radiometric coastline crossing time from the ATMS data, we compare it with the VIIRS effective time stamp (see main text). Specifically the VIIRS M3, M4 & M5 (true color) & M15 and M16 bands (thermal) data have a much smaller footprint size. Using the differences of the ATMS and VIIRS (effective) coastlines crossing times, the N20 ATMS pitch, roll and yaw pointing angle errors are found to be -0.09o, -0.24o and 0.28o, respectively. To determine ATMS geolocation properly, these on-orbit pointing errors need to be corrected, adding to the ATMS SDR Processing Coefficient Table, and passed on to the operational geolocation processing code.

Active Geolocation↗

Displaying Composite and Archived Soundings in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System

In a previous task, the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) developed spatial and temporal climatologies of lightning occurrence based on eight atmospheric flow regimes. The AMU created climatological, or composite, soundings of wind speed and direction, temperature, and dew point temperature at four rawinsonde observation stations at Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for each of the eight flow regimes. The composite soundings were delivered to the National Weather Service (NWS) Melbourne (MLB) office for display using the National version of the Skew-T Hodograph analysis and Research Program (NSHARP) software program. The NWS MLB requested the AMU make the composite soundings available for display in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), so they could be overlaid on current observed soundings. This will allow the forecasters to compare the current state of the atmosphere with climatology. This presentation describes how the AMU converted the composite soundings from NSHARP Archive format to Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) format, so that the soundings could be displayed in AWl PS. The NetCDF is a set of data formats, programming interfaces, and software libraries used to read and write scientific data files. In AWIPS, each meteorological data type, such as soundings or surface observations, has a unique NetCDF format. Each format is described by a NetCDF template file. Although NetCDF files are in binary format, they can be converted to a text format called network Common data form Description Language (CDL). A software utility called ncgen is used to create a NetCDF file from a CDL file, while the ncdump utility is used to create a CDL file from a NetCDF file. An AWIPS receives soundings in Binary Universal Form for the Representation of Meteorological data (BUFR) format (http://dss.ucar.edu/docs/formats/bufr/), and then decodes them into NetCDF format. Only two sounding files are generated in AWIPS per day. One file contains all of the soundings received worldwide between 0000 UTC and 1200 UTC, and the other includes all soundings between 1200 UTC and 0000 UTC. In order to add the composite soundings into AWIPS, a procedure was created to configure, or localize, AWIPS. This involved modifying and creating several configuration text files. A unique fourcharacter site identifier was created for each of the 32 soundings so each could be viewed separately. The first three characters were based on the site identifier of the observed sounding, while the last character was based on the flow regime. While researching the localization process for soundings, the AMU discovered a method of archiving soundings so old soundings would not get purged automatically by AWl PS. This method could provide an alternative way of localizing AWl PS for composite soundings. In addition, this would allow forecasters to use archived soundings in AWIPS for case studies. A test sounding file in NetCDF format was written in order to verify the correct format for soundings in AWIPS. After the file was viewed successfully in AWIPS, the AMU wrote a software program in the Tool Command Language/Tool Kit (Tcl/Tk) language to convert the 32 composite soundings from NSHARP Archive to CDL format. The ncgen utility was then used to convert the CDL file to a NetCDF file. The NetCDF file could then be read and displayed in AWIPS.

Barrett, Joe H., III↗

Computer-Aided System Engineering and Analysis (CASE/A) Programmer's Manual, Version 5.0

The Computer Aided System Engineering and Analysis (CASE/A) Version 5.0 Programmer's Manual provides the programmer and user with information regarding the internal structure of the CASE/A 5.0 software system. CASE/A 5.0 is a trade study tool that provides modeling/simulation capabilities for analyzing environmental control and life support systems and active thermal control systems. CASE/A has been successfully used in studies such as the evaluation of carbon dioxide removal in the space station. CASE/A modeling provides a graphical and command-driven interface for the user. This interface allows the user to construct a model by placing equipment components in a graphical layout of the system hardware, then connect the components via flow streams and define their operating parameters. Once the equipment is placed, the simulation time and other control parameters can be set to run the simulation based on the model constructed. After completion of the simulation, graphical plots or text files can be obtained for evaluation of the simulation results over time. Additionally, users have the capability to control the simulation and extract information at various times in the simulation (e.g., control equipment operating parameters over the simulation time or extract plot data) by using "User Operations (OPS) Code." This OPS code is written in FORTRAN with a canned set of utility subroutines for performing common tasks. CASE/A version 5.0 software runs under the VAX VMS(Trademark) environment. It utilizes the Tektronics 4014(Trademark) graphics display system and the VTIOO(Trademark) text manipulation/display system.

Knox, J. C.↗

First-results from the Perseverance SHERLOC Investigation: Aqueous Alteration Processes and Implications for Organic Geochemistry in Jezero Crater, Mars

The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, a site selected to fulfill the Mars-2020 mission goals of characterizing the geology of habitable environments and searching for signs of life while collecting samples for return to Earth [1]. Jezero hosted an open-basin lake during the late Noachian/early Hesperian (~3.7 Ga) [1-2], has units associated with the largest carbonate deposit identified on Mars [3-4], and has a well-preserved delta with clay and carbonate-bearing sediments, well-suited to preservation of organics [1,3-4]. Investigating the nature of organics and aqueous environments within their geologic con-text allows us to understand important aqueous processes and determine habitability within Jezero crater. Previous in situ landed measurements of organics could not resolve their spatial and mineralogical con-text [5-6]. Although Martian meteorites lack geological context, the spatial distribution of organic compounds in Martian meteorites have allowed recognition of an association between aqueous processes and organics [7-8]. Here, we show for the first time in-situ associations between carbonate-forming ultramafic alteration process, later stage aqueous sulfate and perchlorate formation, and organics on the Martian surface. Methodology and geological context: We use the Perseverance rover’s SHERLOC instrument (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Lumines-ence of Organics and Chemicals), a deep-ultraviolet fluorescence and Raman scattering spectrometer capable of mapping the organic and mineral composition with a spatial resolution of 100 μm resolution to report the presence of organics and aqueously formed minerals at Jezero crater [9]. These spectral detections were compared with co-located images obtained with the autofocus context imager (ACI) and the WATSON camera for textural analysis [9]. As of writing, the Per-severance rover has abraded five targets that were measured with the SHERLOC instrument. The five targets are located in two different orbitally-identified geological units within the floor of Jezero crater; the Crater Floor Fractured Rough unit (CF-Fr) and the Séítah region within the Crater Floor Fractured 1 unit (CF-F1) [10]. In orbital infrared spectroscopic data, the CF-Fr unit is associated with pyroxene spectral signatures and minor alteration, while the Séítah region is associated with olivine and minor Mg-rich carbonates and clays [3-4,10]. Carbonation of ultramafic protolith recorded within Jezero crater: All scans of abraded targets within the Séítah region reveal strong peaks at 1080–1090 cm−1 consistent with carbonate and peak singlets or doublets at 820–840 cm−1 attributed to olivine (Fig. 1), consistent with orbital infrared observations. Our detailed micron-scale petrographic and spectroscopic evidence shows that these carbonates formed through carbonation of an ultramafic protolith. The supporting observations include: (1) Carbonate cation compositions match those of olivine, suggesting mixed Fe- and Mg-olivine gave rise to mixed Fe- and Mg-carbonates, similar to observations of ultramafic systems on Earth and within Martian meteorites [3-4,7-8]. (2) The ob-served carbonates co-occur with hydrated materials, gypsum, and potentially aqueously-formed phases, amorphous silicates and phosphate. (3) The spectral and textural variation of olivine and carbonate dominated zones and olivine-carbonate mixtures within both primary grains and interstitial zones are expected for carbonated ultramafic protoliths. (4) These mineral associations and textures closely resemble those observed within the ALH84001 and Nakhlite meteorites attributed to olivine carbonation on Mars [6-7]. Taken together, micron-scale SHERLOC documentation of these phenomena bridge previous orbital and meteorite observations and demonstrate in-situ regionally extensive (~106 km2) ultramafic alteration resulting in geo-logical deposition of carbonates. Furthermore, we observe that olivine carbonation was involved in preserving and possibly synthesizing organics, which makes this environment potentially habitable, as previously suggested in [1,3-4] (Fig. 1). Late-stage aqueous perchlorate and sulfate in Jezero crater: An abrasion target within the CF-Fr unit contains combinations of high intensity 950-955 cm−1 peaks and minor 1090-1095 cm−1 and 1150-1155 cm−1 peaks that are spectral fits to anhydrous perchlorate (Fig. 1). Some spectra show a combination of 950-955 cm−1 peaks with equally strong 1010-1020 cm−1 peaks, low intensity broad features at 1120 cm−1, and occasional broad 3450 cm−1 hydration (-OH) features, indicating a mixture of Ca-sulfate and perchlorate that is minimally hydrated (Fig. 1). The detections of per-chlorates within Jezero crater differ from previous measurements (e.g. Phoenix lander, Curiosity rover, Tissint meteorite [7,11]) because they are observed to be intimately related to aqueous processes including sulfate formation, they present as a secondary white void-fill occurring within the interior of the rock, and they are found to likely be Na-perchlorate. implications for their formation: Three different types of organics embedded within three different lithologies were observed within the abraded targets. Organics associated with low intensity ~340 nm fluorescence were widespread within targets with no apparent association to particular minerals (Fig. 1). Organics associated with ~305 nm and ~275 nm fluorescence correlated with sulfates within the Bellegarde target in the CF-Fr unit, while organics associated with high intensity ~340 nm fluorescence correlated with carbonate, phosphate, and amorphous silicate mixtures within the Garde target in the Séítah region (Fig. 1). Although assignment of fluorescence signatures to specific organic compounds is not conclusive, ~340 nm fluorescence is generally more consistent with 2-ring aromatic organics, ~275 nm fluorescence is more consistent with 1-ring aromatic organics, and ~305 nm fluorescence can be created by either 2- or 1-ring aromatics [12]. These observations indicate that the strongest fluorescence signatures interpreted as organics were found in materials associated with aqueous processes, i.e. sulfate- and carbonate-bearing materials, suggesting both brines and ultramafic carbonation aqueous environments were capable of preserving organics on ancient Mars. In Martian meteorites, simple aromatic organics proposed to have been synthesized through aqueous processes can be found within minerals associated with olivine carbonation and in spatial association with perchlorate and sulfate materials [7-8], similar to SHERLOC observations. Hence, we advance an abiotic aqueous synthesis origin for the organics although we cannot rule out the presence of organics from meteoritic in-fall or putative organic biosignatures. Detailed analyses will be required upon return of these materials to Earth.

E L Scheller↗

Exploration Clinical Decision Support System: Medical Data Architecture

The Exploration Clinical Decision Support (ECDS) System project is intended to enhance the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element for extended duration, deep-space mission planning in HRP. A major development guideline is the Risk of "Adverse Health Outcomes & Decrements in Performance due to Limitations of In-flight Medical Conditions". ECDS attempts to mitigate that Risk by providing crew-specific health information, actionable insight, crew guidance and advice based on computational algorithmic analysis. The availability of inflight health diagnostic computational methods has been identified as an essential capability for human exploration missions. Inflight electronic health data sources are often heterogeneous, and thus may be isolated or not examined as an aggregate whole. The ECDS System objective provides both a data architecture that collects and manages disparate health data, and an active knowledge system that analyzes health evidence to deliver case-specific advice. A single, cohesive space-ready decision support capability that considers all exploration clinical measurements is not commercially available at present. Hence, this Task is a newly coordinated development effort by which ECDS and its supporting data infrastructure will demonstrate the feasibility of intelligent data mining and predictive modeling as a biomedical diagnostic support mechanism on manned exploration missions. The initial step towards ground and flight demonstrations has been the research and development of both image and clinical text-based computer-aided patient diagnosis. Human anatomical images displaying abnormal/pathological features have been annotated using controlled terminology templates, marked-up, and then stored in compliance with the AIM standard. These images have been filtered and disease characterized based on machine learning of semantic and quantitative feature vectors. The next phase will evaluate disease treatment response via quantitative linear dimension biomarkers that enable image content-based retrieval and criteria assessment. In addition, a data mining engine (DME) is applied to cross-sectional adult surveys for predicting occurrence of renal calculi, ranked by statistical significance of demographics and specific food ingestion. In addition to this precursor space flight algorithm training, the DME will utilize a feature-engineering capability for unstructured clinical text classification health discovery. The ECDS backbone is a proposed multi-tier modular architecture providing data messaging protocols, storage, management and real-time patient data access. Technology demonstrations and success metrics will be finalized in FY16.

Biomedical support↗

An MBSE Framework to Identify Regulatory Gaps for Electrified Transport Aircraft

A typical aircraft certification process consists of obtaining a type, production, airworthiness, and continued airworthiness certificates. During this process, a type certification plan is created that includes the intended regulatory operating environment, the proposed certification basis, means of compliance, and a list of documentation to show compliance. Earlier work by the authors demonstrated a model-based framework for the management of these certification artifacts for normal category airplanes. Presently, it is expanded and adapted to consider certification for transport category airplanes regulated under 14 CFR Part 25, providing clear transparency and traceability between the text of the regulations and imposed requirements, contextual information, and specified test activities. In particular, a capability to identify potential gaps in the applicability of regulations for novel architectures such as electrified aircraft is proposed. This capability, based on mismatches between the functional intent and the corresponding prescribed physical implementation, is developed. A sample implementation of the proposed capability is presented for a notional electrified powertrain aircraft architecture.

electrified transport aircraft↗

Enhancing NASA Earth Science Data Discovery from Scientific Publications

Earth observations from space borne instruments have evolved explosively in the past decades. Following closely are reanalysis systems assimilating model and observational data, yielding even longer records and larger number of variables. Thanks to advances in internet technology, it is now easier than ever to visualize and analyze these data using web interfaces. On the other hand, it also becomes an increasingly daunting task to build upon the existing knowledge published in various peer reviewed sources, and navigate toward the most relevant data, analysis, and visualization. We present an analysis of a subset of publications that utilized a popular visualization web interface at the NASA Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center. Known as "Giovanni", it allows researchers from wide backgrounds to work with hundreds of variables from space observations and assimilation systems. Since coming online more than a decade ago, Giovanni has been credited in more than 100 papers per year, and the total count now is estimated to be nearly 1,500. Many of these papers contain valuable information about when, where and how Giovanni has been used, and hence forge an opportunity to learn and share the knowledge of which variables were used for what research projects. The purpose of our work is to retrieve the information from the papers and organize it as a knowledge repository which links together datasets, variables, places, dates and phenomena all of which reflect the essence of the published research. Since the publications are unstructured texts, we use natural language processing along with machine learning methods in the retrieval process. One of the challenges is deciphering the dataset names, because in many cases researchers refer to variables, rather than the datasets containing them. To constrain the number of terms, we deploy Earth Science ontologies as dictionaries for the term extraction. We demonstrate that storing these terms and underlying ontologies, along with datasets, variables and papers in the knowledge graph database, enables various linkages between all these entities facilitating the data discovery. Thus, we are setting a qualitatively new stage in improvements of web data interfaces, where machine learning techniques are used to establish and optimize usage-based discovery of data.

Irina V Gerasimov↗

Storage of Physical Sample Metadata in the Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database (AHED)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has begun an effort to store, curate, and publish information about physical samples collected and analyzed in conjunction with NASA-funded astrobiology research. Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary area of scientific research being conducted by collaborating teams of biologists, chemists, geologists, atmospheric scientists, oceanographers, astrophysicists, astronomers, and other specialists. Astrobiology studies the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the Universe. NASA uses the results of astrobiology research to focus its future missions on targets of opportunity for the discovery of life off Earth. Astrobiology researchers conduct both field-based and laboratory-based research, during which physical samples are collected, processed, and catalogued. The cataloguing practices employed by different teams of astrobiologists vary widely, and there are no specific standards available to guide the collection and recording of astrobiology sample data. The disparity in data collection approaches and the lack of a centralized sample repository makes it difficult for astrobiology teams to share data and benefit from resultant synergies.To facilitate data sharing within the astrobiology community, NASA is developing a prototype database the Astrobiology Habitable Environments Database (AHED) and an associated set of data collection templates. The database will store information about samples, along with associated measurements and analyses, including information about biological cultures enriched or isolated from samples, and the results of analyses performed on the samples (e.g., via spectrography, microscopy, etc.). In addition, the system will store contextual information about field sites where samples were collected, the instruments or equipment used for analysis, and people and institutions involved in their collection. AHED is being implemented on top of Open Data Repository's Data Publisher [1], an open source software platform for the publication of scientific datasets. The data collection templates under development represent an initial attempt to propose a set of metadata for capture and storage within AHED. The design of these templates is being conducted by a consolidated group of astrobiologists from active research teams at NASA Ames Research Center, assisted by data science and software engineering specialists. These initial templates must be vetted with the broader astrobiology community through a defined process to ensure that they meet community needs. Each template captures a different type of data collection record. For each template, we are developing a list of fields to be captured, including a set of required entry fields, a set of recommended but optional fields, and a set of discretionary fields. A datatype selected from a variety of text and numeric types is specified for each field. Included is a 'choice' type that restricts user input to an enumerated list of values. Many of the fields and field values capture information of particular interest to the astrobiology community, and are intended to facilitate search and retrieval of relevant data across multiple datasets.

Keller, Rich↗

TRMM Version 7 Level 3 Gridded Monthly Accumulations of GPROF Precipitation Retrievals

In July 2011, improved versions of the retrieval algorithms were approved for TRMM. All data starting with June 2011 are produced only with the version 7 code. At the same time, version 7 reprocessing of all TRMM mission data was started. By the end of August 2011, the 14+ years of the reprocessed mission data became available online to users. This reprocessing provided the opportunity to redo and enhance upon an analysis of V7 impacts on L3 data accumulations that was presented at the 2010 EGU General Assembly. This paper will discuss the impact of algorithm changes made in th GPROF retrieval on the Level 2 swath products. Perhaps the most important change in that retrieval was to replacement of a model based a priori database with one created from Precipitation Radar (PR) and TMI brightness temperature (Tb) data. The radar pays a major role in the V7 GPROF (GPROF2010) in determining existence of rain. The level 2 retrieval algorithm also introduced a field providing the probability of rain. This combined use of the PR has some impact on the retrievals and created areas, particularly over ocean, where many areas of low-probability precipitation are retrieved whereas in version 6, these areas contained zero rain rates. This paper will discuss how these impacts get translated to the space/time averaged monthly products that use the GPROF retrievals. The level 3 products discussed are the gridded text product 3G68 and the standard 3A12 and 3B31 products. The paper provides an overview of the changes and explanation of how the level 3 products dealt with the change in the retrieval approach. Using the .25 deg x .25 degree grid, the paper will show that agreement between the swath product and the level 3 remains very high. It will also present comparisons of V6 and V7 GPROF retrievals as seen both at the swath level and the level 3 time/space gridded accumulations. It will show that the various L3 products based on GPROF level 2 retrievals are in close agreement. The paper concludes by outlining some of the challenges of the TRMM version 7 level 3 products.

Stocker, E. F.↗

Inelastic response of metal matrix composites under biaxial loading

Elements of the analytical/experimental program to characterize the response of silicon carbide titanium (SCS-6/Ti-15-3) composite tubes under biaxial loading are outlined. The analytical program comprises prediction of initial yielding and subsequent inelastic response of unidirectional and angle-ply silicon carbide titanium tubes using a combined micromechanics approach and laminate analysis. The micromechanics approach is based on the method of cells model and has the capability of generating the effective thermomechanical response of metal matrix composites in the linear and inelastic region in the presence of temperature and time-dependent properties of the individual constituents and imperfect bonding on the initial yield surfaces and inelastic response of (0) and (+ or - 45)sub s SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates loaded by different combinations of stresses. The generated analytical predictions will be compared with the experimental results. The experimental program comprises generation of initial yield surfaces, subsequent stress-strain curves and determination of failure loads of the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 tubes under selected loading conditions. The results of the analytical investigation are employed to define the actual loading paths for the experimental program. A brief overview of the experimental methodology is given. This includes the test capabilities of the Composite Mechanics Laboratory at the University of Virginia, the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composite tubes secured from McDonnell Douglas Corporation, a text fixture specifically developed for combined axial-torsional loading, and the MTS combined axial-torsion loader that will be employed in the actual testing.

Mirzadeh, F.↗

FAST User Guide

The Flow Analysis Software Toolkit, FAST, is a software environment for visualizing data. FAST is a collection of separate programs (modules) that run simultaneously and allow the user to examine the results of numerical and experimental simulations. The user can load data files, perform calculations on the data, visualize the results of these calculations, construct scenes of 3D graphical objects, and plot, animate and record the scenes. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) visualization is the primary intended use of FAST, but FAST can also assist in the analysis of other types of data. FAST combines the capabilities of such programs as PLOT3D, RIP, SURF, and GAS into one environment with modules that share data. Sharing data between modules eliminates the drudgery of transferring data between programs. All the modules in the FAST environment have a consistent, highly interactive graphical user interface. Most commands are entered by pointing and'clicking. The modular construction of FAST makes it flexible and extensible. The environment can be custom configured and new modules can be developed and added as needed. The following modules have been developed for FAST: VIEWER, FILE IO, CALCULATOR, SURFER, TOPOLOGY, PLOTTER, TITLER, TRACER, ARCGRAPH, GQ, SURFERU, SHOTET, and ISOLEVU. A utility is also included to make the inclusion of user defined modules in the FAST environment easy. The VIEWER module is the central control for the FAST environment. From VIEWER, the user can-change object attributes, interactively position objects in three-dimensional space, define and save scenes, create animations, spawn new FAST modules, add additional view windows, and save and execute command scripts. The FAST User Guide uses text and FAST MAPS (graphical representations of the entire user interface) to guide the user through the use of FAST. Chapters include: Maps, Overview, Tips, Getting Started Tutorial, a separate chapter for each module, file formats, and system administration.

Walatka, Pamela P.↗

Simplified Analysis of Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine B1owdown Gasdynamics and Performance

Pulsed detonation rocket engines (PDREs) have generated considerable research interest in recent years as a chemical propulsion system potentially offering improved performance and reduced complexity compared to conventional rocket engines. The detonative mode of combustion employed by these devices offers a thermodynamic advantage over the constant-pressure deflagrative combustion mode used in conventional rocket engines and gas turbines. However, while this theoretical advantage has spurred a great deal of interest in building PDRE devices, the unsteady blowdown process intrinsic to the PDRE has made realistic estimates of the actual propulsive performance problematic. The recent review article by Kailasanath highlights some of the difficulties in comparing the available experimental measurements with numerical models. The goal of this paper is to improve understanding of PDRE blowdown gasdynamics and performance issues through use of a simplified model that captures the essential features of the unsteady blowdown process, and yet remains computationally inexpensive. The PDRE system studied here is highly idealized, consisting of a constant-area detonation tube with one end closed and the other end open to the environment. The tube is prefilled with a gaseous propellant mixture with no initial velocity or outflow to the environment. The detonation is initiated instantaneously at the closed end of the device. Chapman-Jouguet (C-J) post-detonation gas conditions are calculated using the CET89 version of the NASA thermochemical code. The I-D, unsteady method of characteristics is used to calculate the flowfield following the detonation front. See the compressible flow texts by Thompson and Zucrow and Hoffman for details of this method. Parametric studies of the effect of mixture stoichiometry, fill temperature, and blowdown pressure ratio on performance are reported. A comparison of the performance of an idealized straight-tube PDRE with a conventional steady-state rocket engine is provided. The effect of constant-gamma and equilibrium chemistry assumptions is also examined. Additionally, in order to form an assessment of the accuracy of the model, the flowfield time history is compared to experimental data from Stanford University.

Morris, Christopher I.↗

The CCD/Transit Instrument (CTI) data-analysis system

The automated software system for archiving, analyzing, and interrogating data from the CCD/Transit Instrument (CTI) is described. The CTI collects up to 450 Mbytes of image-data each clear night in the form of a narrow strip of sky observed in two colors. The large data-volumes and the scientific aims of the project make it imperative that the data are analyzed within the 24-hour period following the observations. To this end a fully automatic and self evaluating software system has been developed. The data are collected from the telescope in real-time and then transported to Tucson for analysis. Verification is performed by visual inspection of random subsets of the data and obvious cosmic rays are detected and removed before permanent archival is made to the optical disc. The analysis phase is performed by a pair of linked algorithms, one operating on the absolute pixel-values and the other on the spatial derivative of the data. In this way both isolated and merged images are reliably detected in a single pass. In order to isolate the latter algorithm from the effects of noise spikes a 3x3 Hanning filter is applied to the raw data before the analysis is run. The algorithms reduce the input pixel-data to a database of measured parameters for each image which has been found. A contrast filter is applied in order to assign a detection-probability to each image and then x-y calibration and intensity calibration are performed using known reference stars in the strip. These are added to as necessary by secondary standards boot-strapped from the CTI data itself. The final stages involve merging the new data into the CTI Master-list and History-list and the automatic comparison of each new detection with a set of pre-defined templates in parameter-space to find interesting objects such as supernovae, quasars and variable stars. Each stage of the processing from verification to interesting image selection is performed under a data-logging system which both controls the pipe-lining of data through the system and records key performance monitor parameters which are built into the software. Furthermore, the data from each stage are stored in databases to facilitate evaluation, and all stages offer the facility to enter keyword-indexed free-format text into the data-logging system. In this way a large measure of certification is built into the system to provide the necessary confidence in the end results.

Cawson, M. G. M.↗

Scaling features of noncoding DNA

We review evidence supporting the idea that the DNA sequence in genes containing noncoding regions is correlated, and that the correlation is remarkably long range--indeed, base pairs thousands of base pairs distant are correlated. We do not find such a long-range correlation in the coding regions of the gene, and utilize this fact to build a Coding Sequence Finder Algorithm, which uses statistical ideas to locate the coding regions of an unknown DNA sequence. Finally, we describe briefly some recent work adapting to DNA the Zipf approach to analyzing linguistic texts, and the Shannon approach to quantifying the "redundancy" of a linguistic text in terms of a measurable entropy function, and reporting that noncoding regions in eukaryotes display a larger redundancy than coding regions. Specifically, we consider the possibility that this result is solely a consequence of nucleotide concentration differences as first noted by Bonhoeffer and his collaborators. We find that cytosine-guanine (CG) concentration does have a strong "background" effect on redundancy. However, we find that for the purine-pyrimidine binary mapping rule, which is not affected by the difference in CG concentration, the Shannon redundancy for the set of analyzed sequences is larger for noncoding regions compared to coding regions.

Non-NASA Center↗

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Methods for Automating the Impact Tool Evidence Library

INTRODUCTION: The development of the Evidence Library for use with the IMPACT (Informing Mission Planning via Analysis of Complex Tradespaces) probability risk assessment tool involved a multilayered, time intensive process of data collection and analysis by subject matter experts from the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element Clinical and Science Team to produce clinical findings forms (CliFFs) for 120 medical conditions. Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models (LLMs) can be leveraged to facilitate this process, thus reducing labor and time. TOPIC: CliFFs contain information about medical conditions as they pertain to spaceflight. This includes condition definitions, incidence data, crew task impairment estimates caused by conditions, treatment protocols and references to literature used for gathering condition evidence. Guided by the Evidence Library Methods document and the CliFF development instructions, a team has leveraged Microsoft Azure AI services and open-source documentation to construct an AI-assisted automated pipeline for CliFF development. This process is designed to search, retrieve, and evaluate the applicable data, and ultimately generate a completed CliFF. The LLM evaluates the relevance of each of the source materials to spaceflight, either as direct evidence or as an analog. The model extracts keywords and generates brief summaries to enhance search and retrieval in later stages of CliFF development. For instance, it can calculate epidemiological statistical data, such as incidence rates and the likelihood of best or worst-case scenarios. APPLICATION: Large Language Models (LLMs) can efficiently summarize large amounts of text. Leveraging this technology will automate data retrieval and evidence gathering for medical databases, like the IMPACT tool, by aiding in the labor-intensive process of analyzing large bodies of literature and organizing it into a formatted document like a CliFF. This added efficiency will enable expeditious expansion of the Evidence Library with additional medical conditions and update previous CLiFFs as new technology becomes available.

Ali Al↗