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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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NASA NTRS1993

The Consolidated Planning and Scheduling System for Space Transportation and Space Station operations - Successful development experience

In 1992, NASA made the decision to evolve a Consolidated Planning System (CPS) by adding the Space Transportation System (STS) requirements to the Space Station Freedom (SSF) planning software. This paper describes this evolutionary process, which began with a series of six-month design-build-test cycles, using a domain-independent architecture and a set of developmental tools known as the Advanced Scheduling Environment. It is shown that, during these tests, the CPS could be used at multiple organizational levels of planning and for integrating schedules from geographically distributed (including international) planning environments. The potential for using the CPS for other planning and scheduling tasks in the SSF program is being currently examined.

Hornstein, Rhoda S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Generic mission planning and scheduling: The AXAF solution

During SpaceOps 92 the idea of generic mission planning concepts for space astronomy missions, that could be applied to future missions in order to simplify software development, was introduced. It was proposed that mission planning systems could be decomposed into functional elements that could be standardized and then organized into optimal functional flows for each individual mission. In addition, it was further suggested that these flows themselves could be reduced to a small set of possibilities by describing them in terms of generic mission type, such as manned, unmanned, high orbit, low orbit, etc. The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), planned for launch in the latter part of '98, represents the first application of this idea on an unmanned mission. This paper examines the AXAF Mission Planning and Scheduling concept in light of the generic system theory. Each functional element is evaluated according to AXAF characteristics and requirements and then compared to its generic counterpart. Functional flow considerations are then derived from the overall AXAF mission planning concept to determine the viability and sensitivity of the generic flow to actual requirements. The results of this analysis are then used to update the generic system concept and to define the level of commonality and core system components that are practical to achieve across multiple missions.

Guffin, O. T.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Transport aircraft loading and balancing system: Using a CLIPS expert system for military aircraft load planning

The requirement for improving aircraft utilization and responsiveness in airlift operations has been recognized for quite some time by the Canadian Forces. To date, the utilization of scarce airlift resources has been planned mainly through the employment of manpower-intensive manual methods in combination with the expertise of highly qualified personnel. In this paper, we address the problem of facilitating the load planning process for military aircraft cargo planes through the development of a computer-based system. We introduce TALBAS (Transport Aircraft Loading and BAlancing System), a knowledge-based system designed to assist personnel involved in preparing valid load plans for the C130 Hercules aircraft. The main features of this system which are accessible through a convivial graphical user interface, consists of the automatic generation of valid cargo arrangements given a list of items to be transported, the user-definition of load plans and the automatic validation of such load plans.

Richardson, J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Automated Procurement System (APS): Project management plan (DS-03), version 1.2

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is implementing an Automated Procurement System (APS) to streamline its business activities that are used to procure goods and services. This Project Management Plan (PMP) is the governing document throughout the implementation process and is identified as the APS Project Management Plan (DS-03). At this point in time, the project plan includes the schedules and tasks necessary to proceed through implementation. Since the basis of APS is an existing COTS system, the implementation process is revised from the standard SDLC. The purpose of the PMP is to provide the framework for the implementation process. It discusses the roles and responsibilities of the NASA project staff, the functions to be performed by the APS Development Contractor (PAI), and the support required of the NASA computer support contractor (CSC). To be successful, these three organizations must work together as a team, working towards the goals established in this Project Plan. The Project Plan includes a description of the proposed system, describes the work to be done, establishes a schedule of deliverables, and discusses the major standards and procedures to be followed.

Murphy, Diane R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An empirical evaulation of computerized tools to aid in enroute flight planning

The paper describes an experiment using the Flight Planning Testbed (FPT) in which 27 airline dispatchers were studied. Five general questions was addresses in the study: Under what circumstances does the introduction of computer-generated suggestions (flight plans) influence the planning behavior of dispatchers; what is the nature of such influences; How beneficial are the general design concepts underlying FPT; How effective are the specific implementation decisions made in realizing these general design concepts; How effectively do dispatchers evaluate situations requiring replanning and how effectively do they identify appropriate solutions to these situations. The study leaves little doubt that the introduction of computer-generated suggestions for solving a flight planning problem can have a marked impact on the cognitive processes of the user and on the ultimate plan selected.

Smith, Philip J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Generic astronomy mission planning and scheduling: The AXAF solution

During SpaceOps 92 the idea of generic mission planning concepts for space astronomy missions, that could be applied to future missions in order to simplify software development, was introduced. It was proposed that mission planning systems could be decomposed into functional elements that could be standardized and then organized into optimal functional flows for each individual mission. In addition, it was further suggested that these flows themselves could be reduced to a small set of possibilities by describing them in terms of generic mission type, such as manned, unmanned, high orbit, low orbit, etc. The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), planned for launch in the latter part of 1998, represents the first application of this idea on an unmanned mission. This paper examines the AXAF Mission Planning and Scheduling concept in light of the generic system theory. Each functional element is evaluated according to AXAF characteristics and requirements and then compared to its generic counterpart. Functional flow considerations are then derived from the overall AXAF mission planning concept to determine the viability and sensitivity of the generic flow to actual requirements. The results of this analysis are then used to update the generic system concept and to define the level of commonality and core system components that are practical to achieve across multiple missions.

Guffin, O. T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Study and Demonstration of Planning and Scheduling Concepts for the Earth Observing System Data and Information System

The University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) along with the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed, implemented, tested, and demonstrated a prototype of the distributed, hierarchical planning and scheduling system comtemplated for the Earth Observing System (EOS) project. The planning and scheduling prototype made use of existing systems: CU/LASP's Operations and Science Instrument Support Planning and Scheduling (OASIS-PS) software package; GSFC's Request Oriented Scheduling Engine (ROSE); and JPL's Plan Integrated Timeliner 2 (Plan-It-2). Using these tools, four scheduling nodes were implemented and tied together using a new communications protocol for scheduling applications called the Scheduling Applications Interface Language (SAIL). An extensive and realistic scenario of EOS satellite operations was then developed and the prototype scheduling system was tested and demonstrated using the scenario. Two demonstrations of the system were given to NASA personnel and EOS core system (ECS) contractor personnel. A comprehensive volume of lessons learned was generated and a meeting was held with NASA and ECS representatives to review these lessons learned. A paper and presentation on the project's final results was given at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Computing in Aerospace 9 conference.

Davis, Randal↗
NASA NTRS1960

Investigation at Mach Numbers of 0.60 to 3.50 of Blended Wing-Body Combinations with Cambered and Twisted Wings with Diamond, Delta and Arrow Plan Forms

This investigation is a continuation of the experimental and theoretical evaluation of blended wing-body combinations. The basic diamond, delta, and arrow plan forms which had an aspect ratio of 2 with leading-edge sweeps of 45.00 deg., 59.04 deg., and 70.82 deg. and trailing edge of -45.00 deg., -18.43 deg., and 41.19 deg., respectively, are used herein as standards for evaluating the effects of camber and warp. The wing thickness distributions were computed by varying the section shape along with the body radii (blending process) to match the prescribed area distribution and wing plan form. The wing camber and warp were computed to try to obtain nearly elliptical spanwise and chordwise load distributions for each plan form and thus to obtain low drag due to lift for a range of Mach numbers for which the velocities normal to the wing leading edge are subsonic. Elliptical chordwise load distributions were not possible for the plan forms and design conditions selected, so these distributions were somewhat different for each plan form. The models were tested with transition fixed at Mach numbers from 0.60 to 3.50 and at Reynolds numbers, based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the wing, of roughly 4,000,000 to 9,000,000. At speeds where the velocities normal to the wing leading edges were supersonic, an increase in the experimental wave-drag coefficients due to camber and twist was evident, but this penalty decreased with increased sweep. Thus the minimum wave-drag coefficients for the cambered arrow model were almost identical with the zero-lift wave- drag coefficients for the uncambered arrow model at all test Mach numbers.

Holdaway, George H.↗
NASA NTRS1960

Evaluation of Blended Wing-Body Combinations with Curved Plan Forms at Mach Numbers Up to 3.50

This investigation is a continuation of the experimental and theoretical evaluation of the effects of wing plan-form variations on the aerodynamic performance characteristics of blended wing-body combinations. The present report compares previously tested straight-edged delta and arrow models which have leading-edge sweeps of 59.04 and 70-82 deg., respectively, with related models which have plan forms with curved leading and trailing edges designed to result in the same average sweeps in each case. All the models were symmetrical, without camber, and were generally similar having the same span, length, and aspect ratios. The wing sections had an average value of maximum thickness ratio of about 4 percent of the local wing chords in a streamwise direction. The wing sections were computed by varying their shapes along with the body radii (blending process) to match the selected area distribution and the given plan form. The models were tested with transition fixed at Reynolds numbers of roughly 4,000,000 to 9,000,000, based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the wing. The characteristic effect of the wing curvature of the delta and arrow models was an increase at subsonic and transonic speeds in the lift-curve slopes which was partially reflected in increased maximum lift-drag ratios. Curved edges were not evaluated on a diamond plan form because a preliminary investigation indicated that the curvature considered would increase the supersonic zero-lift wave drag. However, after the test program was completed, a suitable modification for the diamond plan form was discovered. The analysis presented in the appendix indicates that large reductions in the zero-lift wave drag would be obtained at supersonic Mach numbers if the leading- and trailing-edge sweeps are made to differ by indenting the trailing edge and extending the root of the leading edge.

Holdaway, George H.↗
NASA NTRS1996

NASA Science Institutes Plan. Report of the NASA Science Institutes Team: Final Publication (Incorporating Public Comments and Revisions)

This NASA Science Institute Plan has been produced in response to direction from the NASA Administrator for the benefit of NASA Senior Management, science enterprise leaders, and Center Directors. It is intended to provide a conceptual framework for organizing and planning the conduct of science in support of NASA's mission through the creation of a limited number of science Institutes. This plan is the product of the NASA Science Institute Planning Integration Team (see Figure A). The team worked intensively over a three-month period to review proposed Institutes and produce findings for NASA senior management. The team's activities included visits to current NASA Institutes and associated Centers, as well as approximately a dozen non-NASA research Institutes. In addition to producing this plan, the team published a "Benchmarks" report. The Benchmarks report provides a basis for comparing NASA's proposed activities with those sponsored by other national science agencies, and identifies best practices to be considered in the establishment of NASA Science Institutes. Throughout the team's activities, a Board of Advisors comprised of senior NASA officials (augmented as necessary with other government employees) provided overall advice and counsel.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

Automated Planning and Scheduling for Planetary Rover Distributed Operations

Automated planning and Scheduling, including automated path planning, has been integrated with an Internet-based distributed operations system for planetary rover operations. The resulting prototype system enables faster generation of valid rover command sequences by a distributed planetary rover operations team. The Web Interface for Telescience (WITS) provides Internet-based distributed collaboration, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment (ASPEN) provides automated planning and scheduling, and an automated path planner provided path planning. The system was demonstrated on the Rocky 7 research rover at JPL.

Backes, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS2001

General Temporal Knowledge for Planning and Data Mining

We consider the architecture of systems that combine temporal planning and plan execution and introduce a layer of temporal reasoning that potential1y improves both the communication between humans and such systems, and the performance of the temporal planner itself. In particular, this additional layer simultaneously supports more flexibility in specifying and maintaining temporal constraints on plans within an uncertain and changing execution environment, and the ability to understand and trace the progress of plan execution. It is shown how a representation based on single set of abstractions of temporal information can be used to characterize the reasoning underlying plan generation and execution interpretation. The complexity of such reasoning is discussed.

Morris, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2002

Science Planning for Multi-Spacecraft Coordinated Observations

Fulfilling the promise of an era of great observatories, NASA now has more than three space-based astronomical telescopes operating in different wavebands. This situation provides astronomers with a unique opportunity to simultaneously observe with multiple observatories. Yet scheduling multiple observatories simultaneously is highly inefficient when compared to single observatory observations. Thus, programs using multiple observatories are limited not due to scientific restrictions, but due to operational inefficiencies. Each year, a number of proposals are accepted by a space-based observatory for conduction of astronomical observations and gathering of science data for the study of galactic events. Since each space-based observatory uses a set of instruments designed to operate in specific energy regions, most such studies are conducted by submitting observation proposals to multiple observatories, with requests to coordinate among themselves. To assure that the proposed observations can be scheduled, each observatory's staff has to check that the observations are valid and meet all the constraints for their own observatory; in addition, they have to verify that the observations satisfy the constraints of the other observatories. Thus, coordinated observations require painstaking manual collaboration among the observatory staff at each observatory. In order to exploit new paradigms for observatory operation, the Goddard Space Flight Center's Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch has developed a prototype tool called the Visual Observation Layout Tool (VOLT). The main objective of VOLT is to provide a visual tool to automate the science planning of coordinated observations for multiple spacecraft, as well as to increase the scheduling probability of observations. However, VOLT is also useful for single observatory planning to optimize observatory control. Three space-based missions are interested in using VOLT (the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer). The VOLT team members have collaborated with these missions to gather requirements and obtain feedback on their mission planning processes. VOLT has been developed as a cross-platform Java client application for use by scientists and observatory science planning staff to visualize scheduling options and constraints. It also supports a lightweight graphical user interface for remote viewing via a Web front end. Additionally, it uniquely supports the ability to interact with multiple, diverse scheduling packages in order to determine windows of opportunity for observations and visually portray the constraints of each observation request. VOLT enables science data capture scenarios which are currently either impossible, or which require extensive time and manpower to coordinate amongst multiple observatories. it supports early detection of planning conflicts by generating coordinated solutions based on observatory schedulability and constraints. The project development approach has included frequent prototype demonstrations to our interested missions to obtain feedback after each release of the software. We will present an overview of our lessons learned in infusing the VOLT tool into the operations of the missions we have collaborated with and a brief demonstration of the software.

Maks, Lori↗
NASA NTRS2003

MAPGEN Planner: Mixed-Initiative Activity Planning for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission

This document describes the Mixed-initiative Activity Plan Generation system MAPGEN. The system is be- ing developed as one of the tools to be used during surface operations of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission (MER). However, the core technology is general and can be adapted to different missions and applications. The motivation for the system is to better support users that need to rapidly build activity plans that have to satisfy complex rules and fit within resource limits. The system therefore combines an existing tool for activity plan editing and resource modeling, with an advanced constraint-based reasoning and planning framework. The demonstration will show the key capabilities of the automated reasoning and planning component of the system, with emphasis on how these capabilities will be used during surface operations of the MER mission.

Ai-Chang, Mitch↗
NASA NTRS2004

Planning and Execution: The Spirit of Opportunity for Robust Autonomous Systems

One of the most exciting endeavors pursued by human kind is the search for life in the Solar System and the Universe at large. NASA is leading this effort by designing, deploying and operating robotic systems that will reach planets, planet moons, asteroids and comets searching for water, organic building blocks and signs of past or present microbial life. None of these missions will be achievable without substantial advances in.the design, implementation and validation of autonomous control agents. These agents must be capable of robustly controlling a robotic explorer in a hostile environment with very limited or no communication with Earth. The talk focuses on work pursued at the NASA Ames Research center ranging from basic research on algorithm to deployed mission support systems. We will start by discussing how planning and scheduling technology derived from the Remote Agent experiment is being used daily in the operations of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Planning and scheduling is also used as the fundamental paradigm at the core of our research in real-time autonomous agents. In particular, we will describe our efforts in the Intelligent Distributed Execution Architecture (IDEA), a multi-agent real-time architecture that exploits artificial intelligence planning as the core reasoning engine of an autonomous agent. We will also describe how the issue of plan robustness at execution can be addressed by novel constraint propagation algorithms capable of giving the tightest exact bounds on resource consumption or all possible executions of a flexible plan.

Muscettola, Nicola↗
NASA NTRS2004

Mixed-Initiative Planning and Scheduling for Science Missions

The objective of this joint NASA Ames/JPL/SRI project was to develop mixed-initiative planning and scheduling technology that would enable more effective and efficient planning of science missions. The original intent behind the project was to have all three organizations work closely on the overall research and technology development objectives. Shortly after the project began, however, the Ames and JPL project members made a commitment to develop and field an operational mixed-initiative planning and scheduling tool called MAPGEN for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission [Ai-Chang et al. 2003]. Because of the tremendous amounts of time and effort that went into making that tool a success, the Ames and JPL personnel were mostly unavailable for collaboration on the joint objectives of the original proposal. Until November of 2002, SRI postponed work on the project in the hope that the Ames and JPL personnel would be able to find time for the planned collaborative research. During discussions between Dr. Karen Myers (the SRI institutional PI) and Dr. John Bresina (the project PI) during November of 2002, it was mutually agreed that SRI should work independently to achieve some of the research objectives for the project. In particular, Dr. Bresina identified explanation of plans and planner behavior as a critical area for research, based on feedback from demonstrating an initial prototype of MAPGEN to the operational community. For that reason, our focus from November of 2002 through the end of the project was on designing explanation methods to address this need.

Myers, Karen L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Path Planning Algorithms for the Adaptive Sensor Fleet

The Adaptive Sensor Fleet (ASF) is a general purpose fleet management and planning system being developed by NASA in coordination with NOAA. The current mission of ASF is to provide the capability for autonomous cooperative survey and sampling of dynamic oceanographic phenomena such as current systems and algae blooms. Each ASF vessel is a software model that represents a real world platform that carries a variety of sensors. The OASIS platform will provide the first physical vessel, outfitted with the systems and payloads necessary to execute the oceanographic observations described in this paper. The ASF architecture is being designed for extensibility to accommodate heterogenous fleet elements, and is not limited to using the OASIS platform to acquire data. This paper describes the path planning algorithms developed for the acquisition phase of a typical ASF task. Given a polygonal target region to be surveyed, the region is subdivided according to the number of vessels in the fleet. The subdivision algorithm seeks a solution in which all subregions have equal area and minimum mean radius. Once the subregions are defined, a dynamic programming method is used to find a minimum-time path for each vessel from its initial position to its assigned region. This path plan includes the effects of water currents as well as avoidance of known obstacles. A fleet-level planning algorithm then shuffles the individual vessel assignments to find the overall solution which puts all vessels in their assigned regions in the minimum time. This shuffle algorithm may be described as a process of elimination on the sorted list of permutations of a cost matrix. All these path planning algorithms are facilitated by discretizing the region of interest onto a hexagonal tiling.

Stoneking, Eric↗
NASA NTRS2005

Intelligent Pilot Aids for Flight Re-Planning in Emergencies

Effective and safe control of an aircraft may be difficult or nearly impossible for a pilot following an unexpected system failure. Without prior training, the pilot must ascertain on the fly those changes in both manual control technique and procedures that will lead to a safe landing of the aircraft. Sophisticated techniques for determining the required control techniques are now available. Likewise, a body of literature on pilot decision making provides formalisms for examining how pilots approach discrete decisions framed as the selection between options. However, other aspects of behavior, such as the task of route planning and guidance, are not as well studied. Not only is the pilot faced with possible performance changes to the aircraft dynamics, but he or she is also tasked to create a plan of actions that will effectively take the aircraft down to a safe landing. In this plan, the many actions that the pilot can perform are closely intertwined with the trajectory of the aircraft, making it difficult to accurately predict the final outcome. Coupled with the vast number of potential actions to be taken, this problem may seem intractable. This is reflected in the lack of a pre-specified procedure capable of giving pilots the ability to find a resolution for this task. This report summarizes a multi-year effort to examine methods to aid pilots in planning an approach and arrival to an airport following an aircraft systems failure. Ultimately, we hypothesize that automatic assistance to pilots can be provided in real-time in the form of improving pilot control of a damaged aircraft and providing pilots with procedural directives suitable for critical flight conditions; such systems may also benefit pilot training and procedure design. To achieve this result, a systematic, comprehensive research program was followed, building on prior research. This approach included a pencil-and-paper study with airline pilots examining methods of representing a flight route in an immediately understandable manner, and in a manner that would allow the pilot to modify an automatically-generated route and/or detect any inappropriate elements in an automatically-generated route. Likewise, a flight simulator study examined different cockpit systems for the relative merits of providing pilots with any of a variety of automated functions for emergency flight planning. The results provide specific guidance for the design of such systems.

Pritchett, Amy R.↗