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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Application of a two-point exponential approximation method in optimizing rotorcraft airframe structures

The Fadel (1990) two-point exponential approximation technique for rotorcraft airframe structural optimization is presently examined by comparing its results with the well established linear and hybrid first-order methods. Attention is given to both the elastic-line and FEM models of an AH-1G airframe. The Direct Matrix Abstraction Programming Language is used to compute sensitivity derivatives and motivate the CONMIN optimizer to produce the design change.

Sareen, Ashish K.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Real-time data system: Incorporating new technology in mission critical environments

If the Space Station Freedom is to remain viable over its 30-year life span, it must be able to incorporate new information systems technologies. These technologies are necessary to enhance mission effectiveness and to enable new NASA missions, such as supporting the Lunar-Mars Initiative. Hi-definition television (HDTV), neural nets, model-based reasoning, advanced languages, CPU designs, and computer networking standards are areas which have been forecasted to make major strides in the next 30 years. A major challenge to NASA is to bring these technologies online without compromising mission safety. In past programs, NASA managers have been understandably reluctant to rely on new technologies for mission critical activities until they are proven in noncritical areas. NASA must develop strategies to allow inflight confidence building and migration of technologies into the trusted tool base. NASA has successfully met this challenge and developed a winning strategy in the Space Shuttle Mission Control Center. This facility, which is clearly among NASA's most critical, is based on 1970's mainframe architecture. Changes to the mainframe are very expensive due to the extensive testing required to prove that changes do not have unanticipated impact on critical processes. Systematic improvement efforts in this facility have been delayed due to this 'risk to change.' In the real-time data system (RTDS) we have introduced a network of engineering computer workstations which run in parallel to the mainframe system. These workstations are located next to flight controller operating positions in mission control and, in some cases, the display units are mounted in the traditional mainframe consoles. This system incorporates several major improvements over the mainframe consoles including automated fault detection by real-time expert systems and color graphic animated schematics of subsystems driven by real-time telemetry. The workstations have the capability of recording telemetry data and providing 'instant replay' for flight controllers. RTDS also provides unique graphics animated by real-time telemetry such as workstation emulation of the shuttle's flight instruments and displays of the remote manipulator system (RMS) position. These systems have been used successfully as prime operational tools since STS-26 and have supported seven shuttle missions.

Muratore, John F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Acting to gain information

This report is concerned with agents that act to gain information. In previous work, we developed agent models combining qualitative modeling with real-time control. That work, however, focused primarily on actions that affect physical states of the environment. The current study extends that work by explicitly considering problems of active information-gathering and by exploring specialized aspects of information-gathering in computational perception, learning, and language. In our theoretical investigations, we analyzed agents into their perceptual and action components and identified these with elements of a state-machine model of control. The mathematical properties of each was developed in isolation and interactions were then studied. We considered the complexity dimension and the uncertainty dimension and related these to intelligent-agent design issues. We also explored active information gathering in visual processing. Working within the active vision paradigm, we developed a concept of 'minimal meaningful measurements' suitable for demand-driven vision. We then developed and tested an architecture for ongoing recognition and interpretation of visual information. In the area of information gathering through learning, we explored techniques for coping with combinatorial complexity. We also explored information gathering through explicit linguistic action by considering the nature of conversational rules, coordination, and situated communication behavior.

Rosenchein, Stanley J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The cascade high productivity language

This paper describes the design of Chapel, the Cascade High Productivity Language, which is being developed in the DARPA-funded HPCS project Cascade led by Cray Inc. Chapel pushes the state-of-the-art in languages for HEC system programming by focusing on productivity, in particular by combining the goal of highest possible object code performance with that of programmability offered by a high-level user interface.

high productivity languages↗
NASA NTRS2011

Dynamic Gate Product and Artifact Generation from System Models

Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is gaining acceptance as a way to formalize systems engineering practice through the use of models. The traditional method of producing and managing a plethora of disjointed documents and presentations ("Power-Point Engineering") has proven both costly and limiting as a means to manage the complex and sophisticated specifications of modern space systems. We have developed a tool and method to produce sophisticated artifacts as views and by-products of integrated models, allowing us to minimize the practice of "Power-Point Engineering" from model-based projects and demonstrate the ability of MBSE to work within and supersede traditional engineering practices. This paper describes how we have created and successfully used model-based document generation techniques to extract paper artifacts from complex SysML and UML models in support of successful project reviews. Use of formal SysML and UML models for architecture and system design enables production of review documents, textual artifacts, and analyses that are consistent with one-another and require virtually no labor-intensive maintenance across small-scale design changes and multiple authors. This effort thus enables approaches that focus more on rigorous engineering work and less on "PowerPoint engineering" and production of paper-based documents or their "office-productivity" file equivalents.

XML↗
NASA NTRS2012

Virtual Machine Language 2.1

VML (Virtual Machine Language) is an advanced computing environment that allows spacecraft to operate using mechanisms ranging from simple, time-oriented sequencing to advanced, multicomponent reactive systems. VML has developed in four evolutionary stages. VML 0 is a core execution capability providing multi-threaded command execution, integer data types, and rudimentary branching. VML 1 added named parameterized procedures, extensive polymorphism, data typing, branching, looping issuance of commands using run-time parameters, and named global variables. VML 2 added for loops, data verification, telemetry reaction, and an open flight adaptation architecture. VML 2.1 contains major advances in control flow capabilities for executable state machines. On the resource requirements front, VML 2.1 features a reduced memory footprint in order to fit more capability into modestly sized flight processors, and endian-neutral data access for compatibility with Intel little-endian processors. Sequence packaging has been improved with object-oriented programming constructs and the use of implicit (rather than explicit) time tags on statements. Sequence event detection has been significantly enhanced with multi-variable waiting, which allows a sequence to detect and react to conditions defined by complex expressions with multiple global variables. This multi-variable waiting serves as the basis for implementing parallel rule checking, which in turn, makes possible executable state machines. The new state machine feature in VML 2.1 allows the creation of sophisticated autonomous reactive systems without the need to develop expensive flight software. Users specify named states and transitions, along with the truth conditions required, before taking transitions. Transitions with the same signal name allow separate state machines to coordinate actions: the conditions distributed across all state machines necessary to arm a particular signal are evaluated, and once found true, that signal is raised. The selected signal then causes all identically named transitions in all present state machines to be taken simultaneously. VML 2.1 has relevance to all potential space missions, both manned and unmanned. It was under consideration for use on Orion.

Riedel, Joseph E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Re-Engineering JPL's Mission Planning Ground System Architecture for Cost Efficient Operations in the 21st Century

Over the last several decades, engineers at JPL have developed a vast array of analytical tools to design missions to Earth orbit, the Moon, Sun, planets, and various bodies and beyond. In recent years, advances in computer hardware, modern programming languages, and the need for faster and more efficient operations for small missions have highlighted the need to streamline, consolidate, and generalize JPL's mission planning software. This paper summerizes ongoing efforts at JPL to re-engineer the mission analysis segment of the mission planning ground system architecture.The status and goals of new developments are discussed and specific examples of cost savings and improved productivity are provided.

software↗
NASA NTRS2020

TopiQAL: Topic-aware Question Answering using Scalable Domain-specific Supercomputers

We all have questions. About today's temperature, scores of our favorite baseball team, the Universe, and about vaccine for COVID-19. Life, physical, and natural scientists have been trying to find answers to various topics using scientific methods and experiments, while computer scientists have built language models as a tiny step towards automatically answering all of these questions across domains given a little bit of context. In this paper, we propose an architecture using state-of-the-art Natural Language Processing language models namely Topic Models and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) that can transparently and automatically retrieve articles of relevance to questions across domains, and fetch answers to topical questions related to COVID-19 current and historical medical research literature. We demonstrate the benefits of using domain-specific supercomputers like Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), residing on cloud-based infrastructure, using which we could achieve significant gains in training and inference times, also with very minimal cost.

Penberthy, Scott↗
NASA NTRS1984

RAMIS DBMS Update

Highlights of a round table discussion of end-user computing, IBM strategies, fourth generation languages, and directions for software innovation are presented as well as observations from an in-depth study of 271 organizations. The RAMIS data base management system is evaluated according to 10 defining criteria for a fourth-generation language: result-oriented programming; common language/demand level adaptability; application extension; user/machine insulation; work station environment; comprehensive software toolkit; integrating perspective on computing and data resources; end user data base capability; accessible dictionaries; and user assistance/facility coordination.

Head, J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Development of a State Machine Sequencer for the Keck Interferometer: Evolution, Development and Lessons Learned using a CASE Tool Approach

This paper presents a discussion of the evolution of a sequencer from a simple EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) based sequencer into a complex implementation designed utilizing UML (Unified Modeling Language) methodologies and a CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tool approach. The main purpose of the sequencer (called the IF Sequencer) is to provide overall control of the Keck Interferometer to enable science operations be carried out by a single operator (and/or observer). The interferometer links the two 10m telescopes of the W. M. Keck Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The IF Sequencer is a high-level, multi-threaded, Hare1 finite state machine, software program designed to orchestrate several lower-level hardware and software hard real time subsystems that must perform their work in a specific and sequential order. The sequencing need not be done in hard real-time. Each state machine thread commands either a high-speed real-time multiple mode embedded controller via CORB A, or slower controllers via EPICS Channel Access interfaces. The overall operation of the system is simplified by the automation. The UML is discussed and our use of it to implement the sequencer is presented. The decision to use the Rhapsody product as our CASE tool is explained and reflected upon. Most importantly, a section on lessons learned is presented and the difficulty of integrating CASE tool automatically generated C++ code into a large control system consisting of multiple infrastructures is presented.

interferometer↗
NASA NTRS1986

Implementation of Ada protocols on Mil-STD-1553 B data bus

Standardization activity of data communication in avionic systems started in 1968 for the purpose of total system integration and the elimination of heavy wire bundles carrying signals between various subassemblies. The growing complexity of avionic systems is straining the capabilities of MIL-STD-1553 B (first issued in 1973), but a much greater challenge to it is posed by Ada, the standard language adopted for real-time, computer embedded-systems. Hardware implementation of Ada communication protocols in a contention/token bus or token ring network is proposed. However, during the transition period when the current command/response multiplex data bus is still flourishing and the development environment for distributed multi-computer Ada systems is as yet lacking, a temporary accomodation of the standard language with the standard bus could be very useful and even highly desirable. By concentrating all status informtion and decisions at the bus controller, it was found to be possible to construct an elegant and efficient harware impelementation of the Ada protocols at the bus interface. This solution is discussed.

Ruhman, Smil↗
NASA NTRS2003

Software for Managing Parametric Studies

The Information Power Grid Virtual Laboratory (ILab) is a Practical Extraction and Reporting Language (PERL) graphical-user-interface computer program that generates shell scripts to facilitate parametric studies performed on the Grid. (The Grid denotes a worldwide network of supercomputers used for scientific and engineering computations involving data sets too large to fit on desktop computers.) Heretofore, parametric studies on the Grid have been impeded by the need to create control language scripts and edit input data files painstaking tasks that are necessary for managing multiple jobs on multiple computers. ILab reflects an object-oriented approach to automation of these tasks: All data and operations are organized into packages in order to accelerate development and debugging. A container or document object in ILab, called an experiment, contains all the information (data and file paths) necessary to define a complex series of repeated, sequenced, and/or branching processes. For convenience and to enable reuse, this object is serialized to and from disk storage. At run time, the current ILab experiment is used to generate required input files and shell scripts, create directories, copy data files, and then both initiate and monitor the execution of all computational processes.

Yarrow, Maurice↗
NASA NTRS1984

Static and dynamic structural-sensitivity derivative calculations in the finite-element-based Engineering Analysis Language (EAL) system

The implementation of static and dynamic structural-sensitivity derivative calculations in a general purpose, finite-element computer program denoted the Engineering Analysis Language (EAL) System is described. Derivatives are calculated with respect to structural parameters, specifically, member sectional properties including thicknesses, cross-sectional areas, and moments of inertia. Derivatives are obtained for displacements, stresses, vibration frequencies and mode shapes, and buckling loads and mode shapes. Three methods for calculating derivatives are implemented (analytical, semianalytical, and finite differences), and comparisons of computer time and accuracy are made. Results are presented for four examples: a swept wing, a box beam, a stiffened cylinder with a cutout, and a space radiometer-antenna truss.

Camarda, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

User's guide to resin infusion simulation program in the FORTRAN language

RTMCL is a user friendly computer code which simulates the manufacture of fabric composites by the resin infusion process. The computer code is based on the process simulation model described in reference 1. Included in the user's guide is a detailed step by step description of how to run the program and enter and modify the input data set. Sample input and output files are included along with an explanation of the results. Finally, a complete listing of the program is provided.

Weideman, Mark H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Shuttle user analysis (study 2.2): Volume 3. Business Risk And Value of Operations in space (BRAVO). Part 4: Computer programs and data look-up

Computer program listings as well as graphical and tabulated data needed by the analyst to perform a BRAVO analysis were examined. Graphical aid which can be used to determine the earth coverage of satellites in synchronous equatorial orbits was described. A listing for satellite synthesis computer program as well as a sample printout for the DSCS-11 satellite program and a listing of the symbols used in the program were included. The APL language listing for the payload program cost estimating computer program was given. This language is compatible with many of the time sharing remote terminals computers used in the United States. Data on the intelsat communications network was studied. Costs for telecommunications systems leasing, line of sight microwave relay communications systems, submarine telephone cables, and terrestrial power generation systems were also described.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1972

VISCEL: A general-purpose computer program for analysis of linear viscoelastic structures (user's manual), volume 1

This program, an extension of the linear equilibrium problem solver ELAS, is an updated and extended version of its earlier form (written in FORTRAN 2 for the IBM 7094 computer). A synchronized material property concept utilizing incremental time steps and the finite element matrix displacement approach has been adopted for the current analysis. A special option enables employment of constant time steps in the logarithmic scale, thereby reducing computational efforts resulting from accumulative material memory effects. A wide variety of structures with elastic or viscoelastic material properties can be analyzed by VISCEL. The program is written in FORTRAN 5 language for the Univac 1108 computer operating under the EXEC 8 system. Dynamic storage allocation is automatically effected by the program, and the user may request up to 195K core memory in a 260K Univac 1108/EXEC 8 machine. The physical program VISCEL, consisting of about 7200 instructions, has four distinct links (segments), and the compiled program occupies a maximum of about 11700 words decimal of core storage.

Gupta, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The force on the flex: Global parallelism and portability

A parallel programming methodology, called the force, supports the construction of programs to be executed in parallel by an unspecified, but potentially large, number of processes. The methodology was originally developed on a pipelined, shared memory multiprocessor, the Denelcor HEP, and embodies the primitive operations of the force in a set of macros which expand into multiprocessor Fortran code. A small set of primitives is sufficient to write large parallel programs, and the system has been used to produce 10,000 line programs in computational fluid dynamics. The level of complexity of the force primitives is intermediate. It is high enough to mask detailed architectural differences between multiprocessors but low enough to give the user control over performance. The system is being ported to a medium scale multiprocessor, the Flex/32, which is a 20 processor system with a mixture of shared and local memory. Memory organization and the type of processor synchronization supported by the hardware on the two machines lead to some differences in efficient implementations of the force primitives, but the user interface remains the same. An initial implementation was done by retargeting the macros to Flexible Computer Corporation's ConCurrent C language. Subsequently, the macros were caused to directly produce the system calls which form the basis for ConCurrent C. The implementation of the Fortran based system is in step with Flexible Computer Corporations's implementation of a Fortran system in the parallel environment.

Jordan, H. F.↗