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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

BOREAS RSS-1 PARABOLA SSA Surface Reflectance and Transmittance Data

The BOREAS RSS-1 team collected surface reflectance and transmittance data from three forested sites in the SSA. This data set contains averaged reflectance factors and transmitted radiances measured by the PARABOLA instrument at selected sites in the BOREAS SSA at different view angles and at three wavelength bands throughout the day. PARABOLA measurements were made during each of the three BOREAS IFCs during the growing season of 1994 at three SSA tower flux sites as well as during the FFC-T. Additional measurements were made in early and mid-1996 during the FFC-W and during IFC-2. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files.

Hall, Forrest G.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Water Detection Based on Color Variation

This software has been designed to detect water bodies that are out in the open on cross-country terrain at close range (out to 30 meters), using imagery acquired from a stereo pair of color cameras mounted on a terrestrial, unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). This detector exploits the fact that the color variation across water bodies is generally larger and more uniform than that of other naturally occurring types of terrain, such as soil and vegetation. Non-traversable water bodies, such as large puddles, ponds, and lakes, are detected based on color variation, image intensity variance, image intensity gradient, size, and shape. At ranges beyond 20 meters, water bodies out in the open can be indirectly detected by detecting reflections of the sky below the horizon in color imagery. But at closer range, the color coming out of a water body dominates sky reflections, and the water cue from sky reflections is of marginal use. Since there may be times during UGV autonomous navigation when a water body does not come into a perception system s field of view until it is at close range, the ability to detect water bodies at close range is critical. Factors that influence the perceived color of a water body at close range are the amount and type of sediment in the water, the water s depth, and the angle of incidence to the water body. Developing a single model of the mixture ratio of light reflected off the water surface (to the camera) to light coming out of the water body (to the camera) for all water bodies would be fairly difficult. Instead, this software detects close water bodies based on local terrain features and the natural, uniform change in color that occurs across the surface from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

Rankin, Arturo L.↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA's EOSDIS, Trust and Certification

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been in operation since August 1994, managing most of NASA's Earth science data from satellites, airborne sensors, filed campaigns and other activities. Having been designated by the Federal Government as a project responsible for production, archiving and distribution of these data through its Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), the Earth Science Data and Information System Project (ESDIS) is responsible for EOSDIS, and is legally bound by the Office of Management and Budgets circular A-130, the Federal Records Act. It must follow the regulations of the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) and National Archive and Records Administration (NARA). It must also follow the NASA Procedural Requirement 7120.5 (NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management). All these ensure that the data centers managed by ESDIS are trustworthy from the point of view of efficient and effective operations as well as preservation of valuable data from NASA's missions. Additional factors contributing to this trust are an extensive set of internal and external reviews throughout the history of EOSDIS starting in the early 1990s. Many of these reviews have involved external groups of scientific and technological experts. Also, independent annual surveys of user satisfaction that measure and publish the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), where EOSDIS has scored consistently high marks since 2004, provide an additional measure of trustworthiness. In addition, through an effort initiated in 2012 at the request of NASA HQ, the ESDIS Project and 10 of 12 DAACs have been certified by the International Council for Science (ICSU) World Data System (WDS) and are members of the ICSUWDS. This presentation addresses questions such as pros and cons of the certification process, key outcomes and next steps regarding certification. Recently, the ICSUWDS and Data Seal of Approval (DSA) organizations merged their Core Trustworthy Data Repositories Requirements and require that members be recertified every three years. Given the rigor with which NASA manages the ESDIS Project and the DAACs, the recertification through WDSDSA, while involving some additional work, is a relatively simple process.

Certification↗
NASA NTRS2014

Simulation Technology at NASA

NASA Ames Research Center is home to several high-fidelity research flight and air-traffic control simulation facilities which, together with an experienced workforce, produce high-quality research data and findings that have proven to be applicable in the real world. These assets include the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS), Crew Vehicle Systems Research Facility (CVSRF), Future Flight Central (FFC) air traffic control tower simulator, and several air-traffic control (ATC) simulators. The VMS combines a high-fidelity simulation capability with an adaptable simulation environment, enabling customization for numerous human-in-the-loop research applications. The distinctive feature of the VMS is its unparalleled large amplitude, high-fidelity motion capability. In over 30 years of continuous operation, the VMS has contributed significantly to the body of knowledge in a range of disciplines directly benefiting several aerospace programs and flight safety, including the design and development of flight control systems for the Joint Strike Fighter, Space Shuttle Orbiter, and rotorcraft. It continues to be used for researching new vehicle configurations, vehicle control and safety, transfer-of-training, etc., by NASA, other government agencies, and Industry.The CVSRF includes two motion-based flight simulators: a Boeing 747-400 full flight simulator and the reconfigurable Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator (ACFS). These simulators are primarily used to research air-traffic management concepts and procedures, advanced navigation and avionics concepts, and cockpit human factors. FFC is a full-sized control tower simulator with a 360-degree external field-of-view display system and reconfigurable system architecture. FFC and the ATC simulators are used for testing air-traffic management automation and decision support tools and demonstrate their feasibility in a realistic environment prior to technology transfer for implementation in the National Airspace System (NAS).To support integrated simulations and flight-tests for NASA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project, NASA developed a distributed test environment incorporating Live, Virtual, Constructive, (LVC) concepts. Development of the software enabling the LVC is conducted primarily at the Distributed Simulation Research Lab (DSRL) at NASA Ames. The LVC components provide the core infrastructure supporting simulation of UAS operations by integrating live and virtual aircraft in a realistic air traffic environment. This provides the ability to conduct tests more efficiently by promoting the use of existing distributed assets. The LVC infrastructure was used in several human-in-the-loop simulations to evaluate acceptance of Detect and Avoid (DAA) advisories used by UAS pilots to maintain well clear of other virtual traffic and to negotiate maneuvers with air traffic control. It is currently being used to support testing of self-separation algorithms between unmanned and manned aircraft in live flight. Further simulations with more comprehensive air traffic scenarios mixing live and virtual aircraft is planned.In the current fiscal environment, maintaining and upgrading these high-fidelity simulation assets and retaining the skilled workforce necessary to meet future research needs is the primary non-technical challenge.

CVSRF↗
NASA NTRS2021

Polarimetric sensitivity of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols over ocean: A theoretical assessment

Visible-light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols within the boundary layer affect the radiance and polarization states of the radiation at the top of the atmosphere. Remote sensing from suborbital and satellite-based platforms utilizes these radiance and polarization signals to retrieve the key properties of these aerosols. Recent retrieval algorithms have shown a progressive trend toward including multi-angular and multi-spectral polarimetric measurements to produce better retrieval accuracy in comparison to those using measurements based on a single viewing angle. Here, we perform a theoretical investigation of the top of atmosphere (TOA) radiance-related reflectance factor (bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF)) and the two types of polarimetry-related factors (polarized bidirectional reflectance factor (pBRF) and the degree of linear polarization (DoLP)) for different types of atmospheric light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols as a function of particle size distribution. We selected three polarimetric bands corresponding to those utilized by NASA's Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)—near-UV (470 nm), visible (660 nm), and near-infrared (865 nm)—for our simulations which were performed over ocean surface using the successive order of scattering (SOS) algorithm coupled to a Lorenz-Mie aerosol optics model. The analysis of particle phase matrix elements indicates a close relationship between the angular dependencies of DoLP and associated phase matrix components at the shortest polarimetric band (470 nm). Using Jacobian analysis, we find that the radiance- and polarimetry-related reflectance factors of weakly light-absorbing aerosols, such as brown carbon, are more sensitive to changes in particle size and imaginary refractive index in comparison with those of black carbon, which is strongly light-absorbing. Our results suggest that the DoLP data could be used by future retrieval algorithms for reliably estimating microphysical properties of absorbing carbonaceous aerosols with imaginary refractive index less than 0.4.

refractive index↗
NASA NTRS2004

Can Effective Synthetic Vision System Displays be Implemented on Limited Size Display Spaces?

The Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) element of the NASA Aviation Safety Program is striving to eliminate poor visibility as a causal factor in aircraft accidents, and to enhance operational capabilities of all types or aircraft. To accomplish these safety and situation awareness improvements, the SVS concepts are designed to provide a clear view of the world ahead through the display of computer generated imagery derived from an onboard database of terrain, obstacle and airport information. An important issue for the SVS concept is whether useful and effective Synthetic Vision System (SVS) displays can be implemented on limited size display spaces as would be required to implement this technology on older aircraft with physically smaller instrument spaces. In this study, prototype SVS displays were put on the following display sizes: (a) size "A' (e.g. 757 EADI), (b) form factor "D" (e.g. 777 PFD), and (c) new size "X" (Rectangular flat-panel, approximately 20 x 25 cm). Testing was conducted in a high-resolution graphics simulation facility at NASA Langley Research Center. Specific issues under test included the display size as noted above, the field-of-view (FOV) to be shown on the display and directly related to FOV is the degree of minification of the displayed image or picture. Using simulated approaches with display size and FOV conditions held constant no significant differences by these factors were found. Preferred FOV based on performance was determined by using approaches during which pilots could select FOV. Mean preference ratings for FOV were in the following order: (1) 30 deg., (2) Unity, (3) 60 deg., and (4) 90 deg., and held true for all display sizes tested. Limitations of the present study and future research directions are discussed.

Comstock, J. Raymond, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Localization of Virtual Objects in the Near Visual Field (Operator Interaction with Simple Virtual Objects)

Errors in the localization of nearby virtual objects presented via see-through, helmet mounted displays are examined as a function of viewing conditions and scene content in four experiments using a total of 38 subjects. Monocular, biocular or stereoscopic presentation of the virtual objects, accommodation (required focus), subjects' age, and the position of physical surfaces are examined. Nearby physical surfaces are found to introduce localization errors that differ depending upon the other experimental factors. These errors apparently arise from the occlusion of the physical background by the optically superimposed virtual objects. But they are modified by subjects' accommodative competence and specific viewing conditions. The apparent physical size and transparency of the virtual objects and physical surfaces respectively are influenced by their relative position when superimposed. The design implications of the findings are discussed in a concluding section.

Ellis, Stephen R.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Upgrading Linear Fluorescent Fixtures to LED in Schools

Lighting is a key component to creating a functional and high-quality learning environment for students and staff. Light-emitting diode or LED lighting fixtures have gained traction in common commercial building applications and quality replacement options for common fixture types are widely available. Compared to most fluorescent lighting systems, using LEDs can reduce energy consumption and therefore decrease carbon dioxide emissions, reduce maintenance and operation cost, and improve the visual appearance and lighting quality of the classroom and school environments. When additional controls are considered, more energy can be saved and some controls, like dimming, can offer amenities to occupants. As LEDs become an even more prominent lighting technology, fluorescent equipment may become challenging or expensive to replace. Additionally, school buildings are typically in use for many decades; maintaining a long-term view can be important when deciding which upgrade path to take. This fact sheet provides guidance on the various factors to consider when deciding on an LED upgrade for fluorescent lighting systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1983

Pushbroom radiometry and its potential using large space antennas

Electromagnetic radiation is emitted by matter which was heated to a temperature above absolute zero. The amount of blackbody radiation in the microwave frequency region of interest (10 to the 8th power f 10 to the 10th power Hz) emitted by matter can be determined from the Rayleigh-Jeans approximation to Planck's Radiation Law. The amount of electromagnetic radiation from matter which is not a blackbody is a function of the emissivity of the material. The emissivity is a factor less than unity and is a function of several parameters including chemical composition, temperature, frequency, surface characteristics, and viewing angle. A radiometer is an instrument which detects and provides a measure of the electromagnetic radiation being emitted by a material or surface area within the radiometer's antenna beamwidth. Microwave radiometers provide the capability for remote measurements from Earth orbits of geophysical parameters. These measurements will require the use of a microwave imaging radiometer using a large aperture deployable antenna with multiple beams in a pushbroom mode to achieve high spatial resolution and large swath width.

Harrington, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Evaluation and application of a new interferometry technique for compressible flow research

A new method for obtaining large scale interferograms of flow fields in real time was investigated. The method was based on the point diffraction interferometry technique. The method was modified to accommodate the higher laser power required in recording transonic and supersonic flow fields. Basic tests were conducted in unsteady flows and flows about circulation control airfoils at transonic speeds. It was found that vibration was not a significant factor in the application of the system. In the case of the circulation control airfoils, the real-time viewing allowed the identification of the Coanda jet interaction with the external flow and the shedding of large scale vortices. The method proved to be very sensitive to the optical quality of the wind tunnel windows. The results obtained were compared with earlier interferograms obtained using interferometry. These results were in qualitative agreement.

Bachalo, William D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Using computer graphics to design Space Station Freedom viewing

An important aspect of planning for Space Station Freedom at the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the placement of the viewing windows and cameras for optimum crewmember use. Researchers and analysts are evaluating the placement options using a three-dimensional graphics program called PLAID. This program, developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), is being used to determine the extent to which the viewing requirements for assembly and operations are being met. A variety of window placement options in specific modules are assessed for accessibility. In addition, window and camera placements are analyzed to insure that viewing areas are not obstructed by the truss assemblies, externally-mounted payloads, or any other station element. Other factors being examined include anthropometric design considerations, workstation interfaces, structural issues, and mechanical elements.

Goldsberry, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Distributed Minimal Residual (DMR) method for acceleration of iterative algorithms

A new method for enhancing the convergence rate of iterative algorithms for the numerical integration of systems of partial differential equations was developed. It is termed the Distributed Minimal Residual (DMR) method and it is based on general Krylov subspace methods. The DMR method differs from the Krylov subspace methods by the fact that the iterative acceleration factors are different from equation to equation in the system. At the same time, the DMR method can be viewed as an incomplete Newton iteration method. The DMR method was applied to Euler equations of gas dynamics and incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. All numerical test cases were obtained using either explicit four stage Runge-Kutta or Euler implicit time integration. The formulation for the DMR method is general in nature and can be applied to explicit and implicit iterative algorithms for arbitrary systems of partial differential equations.

Lee, Seungsoo↗
NASA NTRS1990

Acquisition and production of skilled behavior in dynamic decision-making tasks

Ongoing research investigating perceptual and contextual influences on skilled human performance in dynamic decision making environments is discussed. The research is motivated by two general classes of findings in recent decision making research. First, many studies suggest that the concrete context in which a task is presented has strong influences on the psychological processes used to perform the task and on subsequent performance. Second, studies of skilled behavior in a wide variety of task environments typically implicate the perceptual system as an important contributor to decision-making performance, either in its role as a mediator between the current decision context and stored knowledge, or as a mechanism capable of directly initiating activity through the development of a 'trained eye.' Both contextual and perceptual influences place limits on the ability of traditional utility-theoretic accounts of decision-making to guide display design, as variance in behavior due to contextual factors or the development of a perceptual skill is left unexplained. The author outlines a framework in which to view questions of perceptual and contextual influences on behavior and describe an experimental task and analysis technique which will be used to diagnose the possible role of perception in skilled decision making performance.

Kirlik, Alex↗
NASA NTRS1992

The evaluation of partial binocular overlap on car maneuverability: A pilot study

An engineering approach to enlarge the helmet mounted display (HMD) field of view (FOV) and maintain resolution and weight by partially overlapping the binocular FOV has received renewed interest among human factors scientists. It is evident, based on the brief literature review, that any panoramic display with a binocular overlap, less than a minimum amount, annoys the viewer, degrades performance, and elicits undesirable behavior. The major finding is that across the 60 deg conditions, subjects moved their heads a greater distance (by about 5 degs on each side) than in the 180 deg condition, presumably to compensate for the lack of FOV. It is quite clear that the study, based on simple car maneuverability and two subjects, reveals differences in FOV, but nothing significant between binocular overlap levels and configurations. This tentatively indicates that some tradeoffs of binocular vision for a larger overall display FOV are acceptable.

Tsou, Brian H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The transition from columnar to equiaxed dendritic growth in proeutectic, low-volume fraction copper, Pb-Cu alloys

Lead, 17.1, 11.2, and 5 volume fraction copper (14, 9, and 4 wt pct Cu) alloys have been directionally solidified at constant growth velocities ranging from 1 to 100 microns/s. Serially increasing the growth velocity within this range results in a graded microstructural transition from fully columnar, albeit segregated, copper dendrites in a lead matrix to one consisting only of equiaxed grains. The imposed velocity necessary to effect fully equiaxed growth is found to drop rapidly as the volume fraction of copper is decreased. Factors which complicate the controlled, directional solidification of these alloys are discussed and the experimental results are interpreted in view of, and seen to be in qualitative agreement with, Hunt's theory on the transition from columnar to equiaxed growth of dendrites.

Kim, Shinwoo↗
NASA NTRS1993

Taking risks and taking advice: The role of experience in airline pilot diversions

The research asks how pilots make diversion decisions, what factors determine whether they are make well or poorly, and how they may be improved. The results support the view that experienced decision makers may solve problems in a way that is qualitatively different from the approaches of less experienced decision makers. The results also support a concept of expertise that goes beyond a stock of specialized recognitional templates, to include domain-specific methods for processing information. Such metacognitive skills evolve through long experience. They may enhance both the accuracy and the efficiency of decision processes.

Cohen, Marvin S.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Towards Automating Spacecraft Attitude Sensor Calibration

With a view towards reducing cost and complexity for spacecraft early mission support at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), efforts are being made to automate the attitude sensor calibration process. This paper addresses one of the major components needed by such a system. The beneficiaries of an improved calibration process are missions that demand moderate to high precision attitude knowledge or that need to perform accurate attitude slews. Improved slew accuracy reduces the time needed for re-acquisition of fine-pointing after each attitude maneuver, Rapid target acquisition can be very important for astronomical targeting or for off-nadir surface feature targeting by Earth-oriented spacecraft. The normal sequence of on-orbit calibration starts with alignment calibration of the star trackers and possibly the Sun sensor. Their relative alignment needs to be determined using a sufficiently large data set so their fields of view are adequately sampled. Next, the inertial reference unit (IRU) is calibrated for corrections to its alignment and scale factors. The IRU biases are estimated continuously by the onboard attitude control system, but the IRU alignment and scale factors are usually determined on the ground using a batch-processing method on a data set that includes several slews sufficient to give full observability of all the IRU calibration parameters. Finally, magnetometer biases, alignment, and its coupling to the magnetic torquers are determined in order io improve momentum management and occasionally for use in the attitude determination system. The detailed approach used for automating calibrations will depend on whether the automated system resides on the ground or on the spacecraft with an ultimate goal of autonomous calibration. Current efforts focus on a ground-based system driving subsystems that could run either on the ground or onboard. The distinction is that onboard calibration should process the data sequentially rather than in a single large batch since onboard computer data storage is limited. Very good batch- processing calibration utilities have been developed and used extensively at NASA/GSFC for mission support but no sequential calibration utilities are available. To meet this need, this paper presents the mathematical description of a sequential IRU calibration system. The system has been tested using flight data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) during a series of attitude slews. The paper also discusses the current state of the overall automated system and describes plans for adding sequential alignment calibration and other additions that will reduce the amount of analyst time and input.

Sedlak, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS2010

JMISR INteractive eXplorer

MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer) INteractive eXplorer (MINX) is an interactive visualization program that allows a user to digitize smoke, dust, or volcanic plumes in MISR multiangle images, and automatically retrieve height and wind profiles associated with those plumes. This innovation can perform 9-camera animations of MISR level-1 radiance images to study the 3D relationships of clouds and plumes. MINX also enables archiving MISR aerosol properties and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire radiative power along with the heights and winds. It can correct geometric misregistration between cameras by correlating off-nadir camera scenes with corresponding nadir scenes and then warping the images to minimize the misregistration offsets. Plots of BRF (bidirectional reflectance factor) vs. camera angle for points clicked in an image can be displayed. Users get rapid access to map views of MISR path and orbit locations and overflight dates, and past or future orbits can be identified that pass over a specified location at a specified time. Single-camera, level-1 radiance data at 1,100- or 275- meter resolution can be quickly displayed in color using a browse option. This software determines the heights and motion vectors of features above the terrain with greater precision and coverage than previous methods, based on an algorithm that takes wind direction into consideration. Human interpreters can precisely identify plumes and their extent, and wind direction. Overposting of MODIS thermal anomaly data aids in the identification of smoke plumes. The software has been used to preserve graphical and textural versions of the digitized data in a Web-based database.

Nelson, David L.↗