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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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Computer program modifies other source language programs as aid to debugging, checkout and final documentation to eliminate manual performance of rearranging and incrementing statement numbers, identifying and sequencing cards and inserting and/or removing end-of-batch symbols.
This table contains all of the input variables to the three programs. The variables are arranged according to the name list groups in which they appear in the data files. The program name, subroutine name, definition and, where appropriate, a default input value and any restrictions are listed with each variable. The default input values are user supplied, not generated by the computer. These values remove a specific effect from the calculations, as explained in the table. The phrase "not used' indicates that a variable is not used in the calculations and are for identification purposes only. The engineering symbol, where it exists, is listed to assist the user in correlating these inputs with the discussion in the Technical Manual.
This paper addresses the problem of detecting and describing anomalies in large sets of high-dimensional symbol sequences. The approach taken uses unsupervised clustering of sequences using the normalized longest common subsequence (LCS) as a similarity measure, followed by detailed analysis of outliers to detect anomalies. As the LCS measure is expensive to compute, the first part of the paper discusses existing algorithms, such as the Hunt-Szymanski algorithm, that have low time-complexity. We then discuss why these algorithms often do not work well in practice and present a new hybrid algorithm for computing the LCS that, in our tests, outperforms the Hunt-Szymanski algorithm by a factor of five. The second part of the paper presents new algorithms for outlier analysis that provide comprehensible indicators as to why a particular sequence was deemed to be an outlier. The algorithms provide a coherent description to an analyst of the anomalies in the sequence, compared to more normal sequences. The algorithms we present are general and domain-independent, so we discuss applications in related areas such as anomaly detection.
An interactive computer program was developed for wing flutter analysis in the conceptual design stage. The objective was to estimate the flutter instability boundary of a flexible cantilever wing, when well defined structural and aerodynamic data are not available, and then study the effect of change in Mach number, dynamic pressure, torsional frequency, sweep, mass ratio, aspect ratio, taper ratio, center of gravity, and pitch inertia, to guide the development of the concept. The software was developed on MathCad (trademark) platform for Macintosh, with integrated documentation, graphics, database and symbolic mathematics. The analysis method was based on nondimensional parametric plots of two primary flutter parameters, namely Regier number and Flutter number, with normalization factors based on torsional stiffness, sweep, mass ratio, aspect ratio, center of gravity location and pitch inertia radius of gyration. The plots were compiled in a Vaught Corporation report from a vast database of past experiments and wind tunnel tests. The computer program was utilized for flutter analysis of the outer wing of a Blended Wing Body concept, proposed by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Using a set of assumed data, preliminary flutter boundary and flutter dynamic pressure variation with altitude, Mach number and torsional stiffness were determined.
An advanced display format for the four dimensional commercial aircraft approach-to-landing is evaluated. The desired curved and descending approach path is presented by displaying the perspective image of a tunnel. Attention is focussed on the predictor symbology, superimposed on the tunnel image. A perspective three dimensional predictor symbol, providing future position, as well as future attitude information, is compared with a flat two dimensional version, which only provides the future position. In addition to this, the predictor displays the actual airspeed as well as the desired airspeed, prescribed by the four dimensional path. Results show that the three dimensional predictor symbol outperforms the two dimensional predictor in following the trajectory in a moderate-to-heavy turbulent environment, which is manifested in accurate manual true airspeed control was obtained without affecting the main task performance significantly.
A computer program is presented that was used to analyze and design dual-throat electromagnetic dc conduction pumps for the 5-kwe ZrH reactor thermoelectric system. In addition to a listing of the code and corresponding identification of symbols, the bases for this analytical model are provided.
A description of the rather general class of operations available is given and the operations are related to problems in satellite dynamics. The implementation of an algebra processor is discussed. The four main categories of symbol processors are related to list processing, string manipulation, symbol manipulation, and formula manipulation. Fundamental required operations for an algebra processor are considered. It is pointed out that algebra programs have been used for a number of problems in celestial mechanics with great success. The advantage of computer algebra is its accuracy and speed.
The development of a methodology for the production of highly reliable software is one of the greatest challenges facing the computer industry. Meeting this challenge will undoubtably involve the integration of many technologies. This paper describes the use of Artificial Intelligence technologies in the automated analysis of the formal algebraic specifications of abstract data types. These technologies include symbolic execution of specifications using techniques of automated deduction and machine learning through the use of examples. On-going research into the role of knowledge representation and problem solving in the process of developing software is also discussed.
Analysis of aeroelastic stability of helicopter rotor automated. Symbolic-manipulation program, HESL, written in FORTRAN, used to aid in derivation of government equations of motion for elastic-bladed rotor. Operates both on expressions and matrices. By transferring some burden of algebraic manipulations from human analyst to computer, program reduces tedium analysis and conequent opportunity for errors.
This paper studies, by computer simulations, the performance of deep space telemetry signals that employ PCM/PM/NRZ modulation technique under the separate and combined effects of an unbalanced data stream, data asymmetry, and band-limited channel. The study is based on measuring the Symbol Error Rate (SER) performance and comparing the results to the theoretical results presented in previous reports [1,2]. Only the effects of imperfect carrier tracking due to an imperfect data stream are considered.
A computer program has been developed that analyzes Deep Space Network monitor data, looking for changes of trends in critical parameters. This program represents a significant improvement over the previous practice of manually plotting data and visually inspecting the resulting graphs to identify trends. This program uses proven numerical techniques to identify trends. When a statistically significant trend is detected, then it is characterized by means of a symbol that can be used by pre-existing model-based reasoning software. The program can perform any of the following functions: Given an expectation that data in a given list should exhibit an upward, downward, constant, or unknown trend, it can determine whether the data do or do not follow such a trend. Given a list of data, it can identify which of the aforementioned trends the data follow. Given two lists of data, it can determine whether or not both follow the same trend. This program can be executed on a variety of computers. It can be distributed in either source code or binary code form. It must be run in conjunction with any one of a number of Lisp compilers that are available commercially or as shareware.
The perturbative effects, as cause by lateral inhomogeneities in the earth structure and by Coriolis force, contaminate the originally toroidal and spheroidal earth's oscillations, making them of mixed type. For this reason, in order to make the computation of the perturbations more uniform and homogeneous, it was suggested that the earth's free oscillations be expanded into a series in terms of generalized harmonics familiar from the theory of angular momentum in quantum mechanics. Making use of Gibbsian symbolism and of some operators from the theory of angular momentum, explicit expressions were deduced for the perturbative terms in the differential equation of the earth's free oscillations. Decomposition of the strain tensor in terms of canonical vectors was also obtained.
The Astronaut Science Advisor (ASA, also known as Principal-Investigator-in-a-Box) is an advanced engineering effort to apply expert systems technology to experiment monitoring and control. Its goal is to increase the scientific value of information returned from experiments on manned space missions. The first in-space test of the system will be in conjunction with Professor Larry Young's (MIT) vestibulo-ocular 'Rotating Dome' experiment on the Spacelab Life Sciences 2 mission (STS-58) in the Fall of 1993. In a cost-saving effort, off-the-shelf equipment was employed wherever possible. Several modifications were necessary in order to make the system flight-worthy. The software consists of three interlocking modules. A real-time data acquisition system digitizes and stores all experiment data and then characterizes the signals in symbolic form; a rule-based expert system uses the symbolic signal characteristics to make decisions concerning the experiment; and a highly graphic user interface requiring a minimum of user intervention presents information to the astronaut operator. Much has been learned about the design of software and user interfaces for interactive computing in space. In addition, we gained a great deal of knowledge about building relatively inexpensive hardware and software for use in space. New technologies are being assessed to make the system a much more powerful ally in future scientific research in space and on the ground.
Results of simulation of several short-constraint-length convolutional codes using a noisy symbol stream obtained via the turnaround ranging channels of the MVM'73 spacecraft are presented. First operational use of this coding technique is on the Voyager mission. The relative performance of these codes in this environment is as previously predicted from computer-based simulations.
The user interface of a computer system is a visual display that provides information about the status of operations on data within the computer and control options to the user that enable adjustments to these operations. From the very beginning of computer technology the user interface was a spatial display, although its spatial features were not necessarily complex or explicitly recognized by the users. All text and nonverbal signs appeared in a virtual space generally thought of as a single flat plane of symbols. Current technology of high performance workstations permits any element of the display to appear as dynamic, multicolor, 3-D signs in a virtual 3-D space. The complexity of appearance and the user's interaction with the display provide significant challenges to the graphic designer of current and future user interfaces. In particular, spatial depiction provides many opportunities for effective communication of objects, structures, processes, navigation, selection, and manipulation. Issues are presented that are relevant to the graphic designer seeking to optimize the user interface's spatial attributes for effective visual communication.
Prototype computer-based system developed to assist air-traffic controllers in scheduling arrivals of many airplanes at airport and at designated points along approaches to airport. Designed to follow as many as 100 airplanes within radius of 150 nautical miles. Software written in Symbolics Zetalisp language.
Report evaluates three similar video displays for guidance of helicopter pilots in low-level flight at night in adverse weather. Computer produces guidance information for pilot by integrating data from terrain-following radar, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery, and data from such autonomous navigation instruments as inertial navigation systems and Doppler radar. FLIR imagery, information on status of helicopter, and command symbols incorporated in one head-down display.
This expert system automates and optimizes radar tracker selection for shuttle missions. The expert system is written in the FORTRAN and C languages on an HP9000. It is portable to any UNIX machine having both ANSI-77 FORTRAN and C language compilers. It is a rule based expert system that selects tracking stations from the S-band and C-band radar stations and the TDRSS east and TDRSS west satellites under a variety of conditions. The expert system was prototyped on the Symbolics in the Automated Reasoning Tool (ART) and ZetaLisp. After the prototype demonstrated an acceptable automation of the process of selecting tracking stations to support the orbit determination requirements of Shuttle missions, the basic ART rules of the prototype were ported to the HP9000 computer using the CLIPS language. CLIPS is a forward-chaining rule-based expert system language written in C. Prior to the development of this expert system the selection process was a tedious manual process and expensive in terms of human resources. Manual tracking station selection required from 1 to 2 man weeks per mission; whereas the expert system can complete the selection process in about 2 hours.