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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Human Motion Tracking and Glove-Based User Interfaces for Virtual Environments in ANVIL

The Army/NASA Virtual Innovations Laboratory (ANVIL) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) provides an environment where engineers and other personnel can investigate novel applications of computer simulation and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. Among the many hardware and software resources in ANVIL are several high-performance Silicon Graphics computer systems and a number of commercial software packages, such as Division MockUp by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and Jack by Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. These hardware and software platforms are used in conjunction with various VR peripheral I/O (input / output) devices, CAD (computer aided design) models, etc. to support the objectives of the MSFC Engineering Systems Department/Systems Engineering Support Group (ED42) by studying engineering designs, chiefly from the standpoint of human factors and ergonomics. One of the more time-consuming tasks facing ANVIL personnel involves the testing and evaluation of peripheral I/O devices and the integration of new devices with existing hardware and software platforms. Another important challenge is the development of innovative user interfaces to allow efficient, intuitive interaction between simulation users and the virtual environments they are investigating. As part of his Summer Faculty Fellowship, the author was tasked with verifying the operation of some recently acquired peripheral interface devices and developing new, easy-to-use interfaces that could be used with existing VR hardware and software to better support ANVIL projects.

Joseph D. Dumas, II↗
NASA NTRS1981

Ultrasonic ranging for the oculometer

Ultrasonic tracking techniques are investigated for an oculometer. Two methods are reported in detail. The first is based on measurements of time from the start of a transmit burst to a received echo. Knowing the sound velocity, distance can be calculated. In the second method, a continuous signal is transmitted. Target movement causes phase shifting of the echo. By accumulating these phase shifts, tracking from a set point can be achieved. Both systems have problems with contoured targets, but work well on flat plates and the back of a human head. Also briefly reported is an evaluation of an ultrasonic ranging system. Interface circuits make this system compatible with the echo time design. While the system is consistently accurate, it has a beam too narrow for oculometer use. Finally, comments are provided on a tracking system using the Doppler frequency shift to give range data.

Guy, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Guidelines on ergonomic aspects of control rooms

The anthropometry, workstation design, and environmental design of control rooms are outlined. The automated interface and VDTs and displays and various modes of communication between the system and the human operator using VDTs are discussed. The man in the loop is examined, the single controller single task framework and multiple controller multiple tasks issues are considered.

Mitchell, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A human factors evaluation using tools for automated knowledge engineering

A human factors evaluation of the MH-53J helicopter cockpit is described. This evaluation was an application and futher development of Tools for Automated Knowledge Engineering (TAKE). TAKE is used to acquire and analyze knowledge from domain experts (aircrew members, system designers, maintenance personnel, human factors engineers, or others). TAKE was successfully utilized for the purpose of recommending improvements for the man-machine interfaces (MMI) in the MH-53J cockpit.

Gomes, Marie E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Crew Office Evaluation of a Precision Lunar Landing System

A representative Human System Interface for a precision lunar landing system, ALHAT, has been developed as a platform for prototype visualization and interaction concepts. This facilitates analysis of crew interaction with advanced sensors and AGNC systems. Human-in-the-loop evaluations with representatives from the Crew Office (i.e. astronauts) and Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) were performed to refine the crew role and information requirements during the final phases of landing. The results include a number of lessons learned from Shuttle that are applicable to the design of a human supervisory landing system and cockpit. Overall, the results provide a first order analysis of the tasks the crew will perform during lunar landing, an architecture for the Human System Interface based on these tasks, as well as details on the information needs to land safely.

Major, Laura M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

An application of distributed processing - In the TDRSS ground communication fault isolation and monitoring system

A computer interface has been designed for the Fault Isolation and Monitoring System, a system providing qualitative and quantitative assessment of the communications between the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System Ground Segment and NASA's Network Control Center. The functional requirements for the interface and the design philosophy are discussed, as are the methods and protocol used to implement the operator support software required to configure the monitoring system and to display and report the results of the analysis. The system relies on the use of intelligent terminals, with the human interface removed from the host computer.

Waddell, R. L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Automated fault-management in a simulated spaceflight micro-world

BACKGROUND: As human spaceflight missions extend in duration and distance from Earth, a self-sufficient crew will bear far greater onboard responsibility and authority for mission success. This will increase the need for automated fault management (FM). Human factors issues in the use of such systems include maintenance of cognitive skill, situational awareness (SA), trust in automation, and workload. This study examine the human performance consequences of operator use of intelligent FM support in interaction with an autonomous, space-related, atmospheric control system. METHODS: An expert system representing a model-base reasoning agent supported operators at a low level of automation (LOA) by a computerized fault finding guide, at a medium LOA by an automated diagnosis and recovery advisory, and at a high LOA by automate diagnosis and recovery implementation, subject to operator approval or veto. Ten percent of the experimental trials involved complete failure of FM support. RESULTS: Benefits of automation were reflected in more accurate diagnoses, shorter fault identification time, and reduced subjective operator workload. Unexpectedly, fault identification times deteriorated more at the medium than at the high LOA during automation failure. Analyses of information sampling behavior showed that offloading operators from recovery implementation during reliable automation enabled operators at high LOA to engage in fault assessment activities CONCLUSIONS: The potential threat to SA imposed by high-level automation, in which decision advisories are automatically generated, need not inevitably be counteracted by choosing a lower LOA. Instead, freeing operator cognitive resources by automatic implementation of recover plans at a higher LOA can promote better fault comprehension, so long as the automation interface is designed to support efficient information sampling.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗
NASA NTRS2026

Ultrasonic Washer–Dryer System for Space Habitats: Design Upgrades and Parabolic Flight Readiness

Clothing makes up nearly 25% of all non-food supplies sent to the International Space Station (ISS). To support sustainable human missions in deep space, NASA’s Life Support and Habitation Systems Focus Area looks to advance technologies to support and improve logistics. Our team is creating a compact ultrasonic clothing washer/dryer system that bypasses traditional limitations and is suitable for space. Thermal drying uses a lot of energy to evaporate water, while our ultrasonic drying method offers a quicker, more efficient alternative. It uses piezoelectric transducers to vibrate textiles at the micron scale, mechanically removing water as cold mist rather than evaporating it. This speeds up drying and reduces energy use, no matter the fabric makeup. This paper details recent upgrades to a full-scale ultrasonic washer–dryer system, readying it for parabolic flight testing. Improvements include an enhanced human–machine interface, better packaging, and optimized performance and control. We also present extensive pre-flight ground tests conducted to ensure reliability and identify potential risks. Collaborating with P&G, we report preliminary cleaning tests using various detergents. These results lay a crucial foundation for the laundry system designed specifically for space. By cutting clothing-related payload and waste by over 97%, this technology supports long-term human exploration missions on the ISS, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Ultrasonic↗
NASA NTRS2026

Ultrasonic Washer–Dryer System for Space Habitats: Design Upgrades and Parabolic Flight Readiness

Clothing makes up nearly 25% of all non-food supplies sent to the International Space Station (ISS). To support sustainable human missions in deep space, NASA’s Life Support and Habitation Systems Focus Area looks to advance technologies to support and improve logistics. Our team is creating a compact ultrasonic clothing washer/dryer system that bypasses traditional limitations and is suitable for space. Thermal drying uses a lot of energy to evaporate water, while our ultrasonic drying method offers a quicker, more efficient alternative. It uses piezoelectric transducers to vibrate textiles at the micron scale, mechanically removing water as cold mist rather than evaporating it. This speeds up drying and reduces energy use, no matter the fabric makeup. This paper details recent upgrades to a full-scale ultrasonic washer–dryer system, readying it for parabolic flight testing. Improvements include an enhanced human–machine interface, better packaging, and optimized performance and control. We also present extensive pre-flight ground tests conducted to ensure reliability and identify potential risks. Collaborating with P&G, we report preliminary cleaning tests using various detergents. These results lay a crucial foundation for the laundry system designed specifically for space. By cutting clothing-related payload and waste by over 97%, this technology supports long-term human exploration missions on the ISS, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Laundry↗
NASA NTRS1989

Test and validation for robot arm control dynamics simulation

The Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) program will require an ability to develop, in a cost effective manner, many simulation models for design, analysis, performance evaluation, and crew training. Computational speed and the degree of modeling fidelity associated with each simulation must be commensurate with problem objectives. To demonstrate evolving state-of-the-art general purpose multibody modeling capabilities, to validate these by laboratory testing, and to expose their modeling shortcomings, two focus problems at the opposite ends of the simulation spectrum are defined: (1) Coarse Acquisition Control Dynamics. Create a real time man-in-the-control-loop simulator. Provide animated graphical display of robot arm dynamics and tactile feedback sufficient for cueing the operator. Interface simulator software with human operated tactile feedback controller; i.e., the Kraft mini-master. (2) Fine, Precision Mode Control Dynamics. Create a high speed, high fidelity simulation model for the design, analysis, and performance evaluation of autonomous 7 degree-of-freedom (DOF) trajectory control algorithms. This model must contain detail dynamic models for all significant dynamics elements within the robot arm, such as joint drive mechanisms.

Yae, K. Harold↗
DOE OSTI2020

Enabling Deformable and Stretchable Batteries

Abstract Deformable energy storage devices are needed to power next‐generation wearable electronics that interface intimately with human skin. Currently, deformable energy storage devices demonstrate poor performance compared to their rigid lithium‐ion counterparts, forcing wearable manufacturers to design their devices around bulky battery compartments. However, technological advances to create deformable batteries at the component and device level have yielded continuous improvement in stretchable batteries over the last five years. In this Essay, the major strategies at the component and device level that have been successfully employed to create stretchable batteries are reviewed. The outstanding challenges facing deformable energy storage are also discussed, namely, energy density, packaging, delamination, device integration, and manufacturing. This Essay will give researchers who are interested in contributing to the development of deformable batteries a cursory understanding of the most successful strategies to date, and provide insights into the most important directions to pursue in the future.

Mackanic, David G.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Using Virtual Reality to Envision Deployment of Spacesuit-Compatible Augmented Reality Displays for Lunar Surface Operations

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aims to land crew on the lunar surface to establish a sustainable presence and develop operational concepts for future long-duration missions. New technologies will be necessary to extend planning and execution capabilities for lunar surface activities. NASA’s Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) is one such technology. Joint AR is a suit-mounted augmented reality (AR) display and computes system which facilitates unprecedented information exchange and data visualization capabilities between mission support operators and suited crew. This paper describes challenges associated with developing AR technology for an envisioned work domain by applying a sociotechnical lens to the iterative testing and development of novel AR technology through virtual reality (VR). A VR testbed was established to simulate a representative lunar surface environment, enabling a series of three human-in-the-loop (HITL) tests evaluating AR navigation interfaces for exploration extravehicular activity (xEVA). Our findings identify several considerations for future Joint AR design and testing efforts, including challenges with data overload, attentional demands, and environment-related perceptual challenges. Trade-offs and potential approaches are discussed to mitigate these challenges and improve future Joint AR testing fidelity.

Jacob Keller↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Using Virtual Reality to Envision Deployment of Spacesuit-Compatible Augmented Reality Displays for Lunar Surface Operations

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aims to land crew on the lunar surface to establish a sustainable presence and develop operational concepts for future long-duration missions. New technologies will be necessary to extend planning and execution capabilities for lunar surface activities. NASA’s Joint Augmented Reality Visual Informatics System (Joint AR) is one such technology. Joint AR is a suit-mounted augmented reality (AR) display and computes system which facilitates unprecedented information exchange and data visualization capabilities between mission support operators and suited crew. This paper describes challenges associated with developing AR technology for an envisioned work domain by applying a sociotechnical lens to the iterative testing and development of novel AR technology through virtual reality (VR). A VR testbed was established to simulate a representative lunar surface environment, enabling a series of three human-in-the-loop (HITL) tests evaluating AR navigation interfaces for exploration extravehicular activity (xEVA). Our findings identify several considerations for future Joint AR design and testing efforts, including challenges with data overload, attentional demands, and environment-related perceptual challenges. Trade-offs and potential approaches are discussed to mitigate these challenges and improve future Joint AR testing fidelity.

Matthew Miller↗
DOE OSTI2023

Approaches for Synthesis and Deployment of Controller Models on Automated Vehicles for Car-following in Mixed Autonomy

This paper describes the software design patterns and vehicle interfaces that were employed to transition vehicle controllers from simulation environments to open-road field experiments. The approach relies on a life cycle that utilizes model-based design and code generation, along with agile software development, and both software and hardware-in-the-loop testing, with additional safety margins. Autonomous designs should consider the dynamics of mixed autonomy in traffic to safely operate among humans. The software that provides a vehicle’s behavior intelligence is often developed through simulation, which may have a mismatch between dynamics, or as a result of a reinforcement learning workflow, which may be a black box with challenges to analyze. In each of these cases, it is important to have research interfaces that provide strongly typed data streams accessible to researchers who are not software experts while continuing to satisfy safety and liveness constraints. This paper describes how we design the hardware platform interfaces and software design process for a mixed autonomy traffic experiment with a leader-follower scenario. Controller synthesis for these vehicles requires clearly articulated vehicle interfaces and software design patterns for successful onboard deployment. Testing strategies for such controllers are also described before algorithms are transitioned to full-scale field experiments with safety operators for the vehicles. Testing strategies include software-in-the-loop simulation testing, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, ghost-car testing, and read-only testing in live traffic. With our approach, we were not only able to validate our controller synthesized in scripts and simulation, but also able to scale deployment to multiple vehicles.

Bhadani, Rahul↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Eleven Countries, an Integrated Spacecraft: the Story of International Collaboration that Built the Orion Spacecraft and Powered the Success of the Artemis I Mission

The quest to return humans to the Moon in the next step towards humanity's exploration of space is more alive than ever. After a great deal of achievements, failures, and lessons learned, the Artemis I mission set o to the Moon on November 16, 2022, with the goal of testing a new rocket, the Space Launch System, and a new spacecraft, Orion: designed, assembled, and tested across two continents, and 11 countries. Behind this mission, decades of experience with the International Space Station, Autonomous Transfer Vehicle operations, and many other program collaborations built the know-how on how to succeed together in the toughest environment | deep space. The Artemis I mission proved to be an incredible success, meeting 161 total mission objectives, including 21 developed during the flight based on outperforming spacecraft. It was also a case-study in international collaboration, given that ESA, NASA, and industry partners Airbus and Lockheed Martin for the first time had to design, build, test, and fly a fully integrated human-rated spacecraft, with most critical functions dependent and interconnected across U.S. and European systems. The U.S.-built Orion Crew Module and Crew Module Adapter and European-built European Service Module (ESM) shared critical interfaces and commodities, from propulsion, avionics, active/passive thermal, electrical power generation, storage and distribution to the software that managed it all. In this paper, we will describe relevant aspects of the integrated spacecraft design, providing context for the challenges that the team faced in all phases required to get Orion ready to fly, and provide a direct account of how the joint team formed, trained, and supported the operations of the successful Artemis I mission. We will also explore the evolution of the partnerships, given that these allow a multi-national e ort to sustain the program production, share costs, leverage a broader base of engineering expertise, and build more diverse capabilities over the long haul to support the Artemis goals and objectives. Lastly, we will cover critical lessons learned and how the Orion Program has implemented these in preparation of the next Artemis missions to repeat the success of Artemis I. The purpose of this paper is to document knowledge we gained and lessons we learned through the development of an integrated Orion spacecraft, since it is imperative we build on this now, at the dawn of the Artemis Program, an international endeavor to push human space exploration.

Deep Space Exploration↗
NASA NTRS1992

Evaluating human performance modeling for system assessment: Promise and problems

The development and evaluation of computational human performance models is examined. An intention is to develop models which can be used to interact with system prototypes and simulations to perform system assessment. Currently LR is working on a set of models emulating cognitive, psychomotor, auditory, and visual activity for multiple operator positions of a command and control simulation system. These models, developed in conjunction with BBN Systems and Technologies, function within the simulation environment and allow for both unmanned system assessment and manned (human-in-loop) assessment of system interface and team interactions. These are relatively generic models with built-in flexibility which allows modification of some model parameters. These models have great potential for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of system design, test, and evaluation. However, the extent of the practical utility of these models is unclear. Initial verification efforts comparing model performance within the simulation to actual human operators on a similar, independent simulation have been performed and current efforts are directed at comparing human and model performance within the same simulation environment.

Patterson, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

State transition storyboards: A tool for designing the Goldstone solar system radar data acquisition system user interface software

Effective user interface design in software systems is a complex task that takes place without adequate modeling tools. By combining state transition diagrams and the storyboard technique of filmmakers, State Transition Storyboards were developed to provide a detailed modeling technique for the Goldstone Solar System Radar Data Acquisition System human-machine interface. Illustrations are included with a description of the modeling technique.

Howard, S. D.↗