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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 NTRSDate not supplied

Establishing the Assurance Efficacy of Automated Risk Mitigation Strategies

Verification and validation of increasingly autonomous aviation systems is a major challenge. Traditional techniques for the assurance of high-confidence, safety-critical systems are not equipped to handle the complexity, uncertainty, and lack of predictability inherent in non-deterministic systems. Techniques such as run time monitoring, formal methods, and testing and simulation have been applied to some effect, but it is difficult to properly assess the success of such measures. The authors propose the concept of Assurance Efficacy to address this gap. Assurance Efficacy is seen as a parameter, criteria, or perspective by which to evaluate, identify and explore safety risk mitigation strategies and operational assurance architectures. Validation of the utility of this concept through flight testing is a first step in determining its potential role in assessing the overall safety of complex, increasingly autonomous systems that cannot be fully assured in the design phase.

system safety↗
NASA NTRS2001

Real Automation in the Field

We provide a package of strategies for automation of non-linear arithmetic in PVS. In particular, we describe a simplication procedure for the field of real numbers and a strategy for cancellation of common terms.

Munoz, Cesar↗
NASA NTRS2010

Automation of Cassini Support Imaging Uplink Command Development

"Support imaging" is imagery requested by other Cassini science teams to aid in the interpretation of their data. The generation of the spacecraft command sequences for these images is performed by the Cassini Instrument Operations Team. The process initially established for doing this was very labor-intensive, tedious and prone to human error. Team management recognized this process as one that could easily benefit from automation. Team members were tasked to document the existing manual process, develop a plan and strategy to automate the process, implement the plan and strategy, test and validate the new automated process, and deliver the new software tools and documentation to Flight Operations for use during the Cassini extended mission. In addition to the goals of higher efficiency and lower risk in the processing of support imaging requests, an effort was made to maximize adaptability of the process to accommodate uplink procedure changes and the potential addition of new capabilities outside the scope of the initial effort.

Ly-Hollins, Lisa↗
NASA NTRS2009

Complexity Science Applications to Dynamic Trajectory Management: Research Strategies

The promise of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is strongly tied to the concept of trajectory-based operations in the national airspace system. Existing efforts to develop trajectory management concepts are largely focused on individual trajectories, optimized independently, then de-conflicted among each other, and individually re-optimized, as possible. The benefits in capacity, fuel, and time are valuable, though perhaps could be greater through alternative strategies. The concept of agent-based trajectories offers a strategy for automation of simultaneous multiple trajectory management. The anticipated result of the strategy would be dynamic management of multiple trajectories with interacting and interdependent outcomes that satisfy multiple, conflicting constraints. These constraints would include the business case for operators, the capacity case for the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), and the environmental case for noise and emissions. The benefits in capacity, fuel, and time might be improved over those possible under individual trajectory management approaches. The proposed approach relies on computational agent-based modeling (ABM), combinatorial mathematics, as well as application of "traffic physics" concepts to the challenge, and modeling and simulation capabilities. The proposed strategy could support transforming air traffic control from managing individual aircraft behaviors to managing systemic behavior of air traffic in the NAS. A system built on the approach could provide the ability to know when regions of airspace approach being "full," that is, having non-viable local solution space for optimizing trajectories in advance.

Sawhill, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS1999

Test Results for the Automated Rendezvous and Capture System

The Automated Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) system was designed and tested at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to demonstrate technologies and mission strategies for automated rendezvous and docking of spacecraft in Earth orbit, The system incorporates some of the latest innovations in Global Positioning, System space navigation, laser sensor technologies and automated mission sequencing algorithms. The system's initial design and integration was completed in 1998 and has undergone testing at MSFC. This paper describes the major components of the AR&C system and presents results from the official system tests performed in MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory with digital simulations and hardware in the loop tests. The results show that the AR&C system can safely and reliably perform automated rendezvous and docking missions in the absence of system failures with 100 percent success. When system failures are included, the system uses its automated collision avoidance maneuver logic to recover in a safe manner. The primary objective of the AR&C project is to prove that by designing a safe and robust automated system, mission operations cost can be reduced by decreasing the personnel required for mission design, preflight planning and training required for crewed rendezvous and docking missions.

Cruzen, Craig↗
NASA NTRS1998

Why is it Doing That? - Assumptions about the FMS

In the glass cockpit, it's not uncommon to hear exclamations such as "why is it doing that?". Sometimes pilots ask "what were they thinking when they set it this way?" or "why doesn't it tell me what it's going to do next?". Pilots may hold a conceptual model of the automation that is the result of fleet lore, which may or may not be consistent with what the engineers had in mind. But what did the engineers have in mind? In this study, we present some of the underlying assumptions surrounding the glass cockpit. Engineers and designers make assumptions about the nature of the flight task; at the other end, instructor and line pilots make assumptions about how the automation works and how it was intended to be used. These underlying assumptions are seldom recognized or acknowledged, This study is an attempt to explicitly arti culate such assumptions to better inform design and training developments. This work is part of a larger project to support training strategies for automation.

Feary, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1984

Administrative automation in a scientific environment

Although the scientific personnel at GSFC were advanced in the development and use of hardware and software for scientific applications, resistance to the use of automation or purchase of terminals, software and services, specifically for administrative functions was widespread. The approach used to address problems and constraints and plans for administrative automation within the Space and Earth Sciences Directorate are delineated. Accomplishments thus far include reduction of paperwork and manual efforts; improved communications through telemail and committees; additional support staff; increased awareness at all levels on ergonomic concerns and the need for training; better equipment; improved ADP skills through experience; management commitment; and an overall strategy for automating.

Jarrett, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Concepts to Automate Fluid Transfer Capability of Low Impact Docking System (LIDS)

The capability to transfer mass between spacecraft is necessary for many mission scenarios. Docking and berthing operations have enabled fluid, electrical, crew and equipment transfers to some degree on all manned space operations since the Gemini program. The Apollo program performed some sophisticated docking maneuvers to land men on the moon and return them safely to Earth. These programs primarily transferred crew, equipment, and pressurized atmosphere between docked spacecraft. The International Space Station (ISS) U.S. modules are connected by Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) portals. They provide many feed-through ports for electrical, and fluid transfer between modules, as well as a large diameter crew and equipment tunnel. Fluid and electrical jumpers are manually installed after the CBM sealing surfaces have been securely mated to maintain the pressurized cabin environment. CBM berthing and subsequent fluid transfer capability requires a lengthy manual process involving an active interface that mates with a passive half. The Androgynous Peripheral Attach System (MAS) a Russian technology that docked the Russian Zarya module to Unity, or Node 1, is a more complex system that also is capable of fuel transfer, enabling refueling of the Russian re-boost engines on ISS. For several years, a Low Impact Docking System (LIDS) has been under development at Johnson Space Center (JSC). This docking technology has a requirement to be androgynous in order to allow the fabrication of a single configuration that can dock with all other LIDS units. It is desired to make electrical and fluid coupling mating an automated process to enable routine docking and undocking operations to support future exploration missions. It is envisioned that modular design and vehicle assembly will require an efficient LIDS for fuel, electrical, crew, and equipment transfer. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has joined the LIDS development effort and plans to employ fluid transfer concepts and technology from previous development programs, such as the Automated Fluid Interface System (AFIS) and the Ohital Fluid Transfer System (OFTS) that were developed and tested by MSFC. Orbital Expressderived robotic satellite servicing technology is scheduled to fly soon to demonstrate fluid transfer technology developed for the Air Force. This paper will compare known technology against possible fluid transfer requirements for LIDS to develop design strategies for automated fluid transfer.

Miernik, Janie H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Spacecraft Autonomy and Automation: A Comparative Analysis of Strategies for Cost Effective Mission Operations

The evolution of satellite operations over the last 40 years has drastically changed. October 4, 1957 (during the cold war) the Soviet Union launched the world's first spacecraft into orbit. The Sputnik satellite orbited Earth for three months and catapulted the United States into a race for dominance in space. A year after Sputnik, President Dwight Eisenhower formed the National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA). With a team of scientists and engineers, NASA successfully launched Explorer 1, the first US satellite to orbit Earth. During these early years, massive amounts of ground support equipment and operators were required to successfully operate spacecraft vehicles. Today, budget reductions and technological advances have forced new approaches to spacecraft operations. These approaches require increasingly complex, on board spacecraft systems, that enable autonomous operations, resulting in more cost-effective mission operations. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, considered world class in satellite development and operations, has developed and operated over 200 satellites during its 40 years of existence. NASA Goddard is adopting several new millennium initiatives that lower operational costs through the spacecraft autonomy and automation. This paper examines NASA's approach to spacecraft autonomy and ground system automation through a comparative analysis of satellite missions for Hubble Space Telescope-HST, Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous-NEAR, and Solar Heliospheric Observatory-SoHO, with emphasis on cost reduction methods, risk analysis and anomalies and strategies employed for mitigating risk.

Wright, Nathaniel, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Separation of vegetation and rock signatures in Thematic Mapper and polarimetric SAR images

A technique for separating classes of surface roughness and vegetation in semiarid regions using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Thematic Mapper data is developed. Polarimetric SAR data may be used to separate areas with less than 10 percent vegetation cover where one suite of model inversions may be applicable for derivation of surface roughness. In more vegetated regions, visible/near-infrared data provide a mechanism for determining the relative contribution of vegetation to multiple scattering in the SAR data. Thus, the synergistic use of the two data sets provides a more complete characterization of surface units and cover. This result is critical when trying to monitor dielectric constant variations related to changes in moisture content of soil and vegetation cover in arid to semiarid regions. A strategy for automating a procedure for measurement of surface roughness is proposed.

Evans, Diane L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The formal verification used for the AAMP5 and AAMP-FV

The main goal of the project was two-fold: First, to investigate the feasibility of formally specifying and verifying a complex commercial microprocessor that was not expressly designed for formal verification. Second, to explore effective ways to transfer the technology to an industrial setting. The choice of the AAMP5 satisfied the first goal since the AAMP5 was not designed for formal verification, but to provide a more than threefold performance improvement while remaining object-code-compatible with the earlier AAMP2, which is used in numerous avionics applications, including the Boeing 737, 747, 757, and 767. To satisfy the technology transfer objective, we had to develop a suitable verification methodology and a formal infrastructure to make the technology usable by practicing engineers. This infrastructure includes techniques for decomposing the microcompressor verification problem into a st of verification conditions that the engineers can formulate and strategies to automate the proof of the verification conditions. The development of the infrastructure was one of the key accomplishments of the project. Most of the infrastructure and methodology are general enough to be reused for other microprocessors, certainly in the verification of another member of the AAMP family. This methodology was used to formally specify the entire microarchitecture and more than half of the instruction set and to verify a core set of eleven AAMP5 instructions representative of several instruction classes. However, the methodology and the formal machinery developed are adequate to cover most of the remaining AAMP5 instructions. Although PVS was the vehicle of the experiment, the methodology is applicable to other sufficiently powerful theorem provers.

Srivas, Mandayam↗
NASA NTRS2010

Data Validation in the Kepler Science Operations Center Pipeline

We present an overview of the Data Validation (DV) software component and its context within the Kepler Science Operations Center (SOC) pipeline and overall Kepler Science mission. The SOC pipeline performs a transiting planet search on the corrected light curves for over 150,000 targets across the focal plane array. We discuss the DV strategy for automated validation of Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs) generated in the transiting planet search. For each TCE, a transiting planet model is fitted to the target light curve. A multiple planet search is conducted by repeating the transiting planet search on the residual light curve after the model flux has been removed; if an additional detection occurs, a planet model is fitted to the new TCE. A suite of automated tests are performed after all planet candidates have been identified. We describe a centroid motion test to determine the significance of the motion of the target photocenter during transit and to estimate the coordinates of the transit source within the photometric aperture; a series of eclipsing binary discrimination tests on the parameters of the planet model fits to all transits and the sequences of odd and even transits; and a statistical bootstrap to assess the likelihood that the TCE would have been generated purely by chance given the target light curve with all transits removed. Keywords: photometry, data validation, Kepler, Earth-size planets

Wu, Hayley↗
NASA NTRS2019

Employing Automated Experimental Evolution to Understand Survival Strategies of Lab-Grown Extremophiles

Experimental evolution (EE) exposes microbes to intentional stressors to improve resistance through artificial mutation. The resulting changes to metabolic pathways, protein structure, and genetic sequences, along with traditional genetic engineering tools, to can help understand the mechanisms of improved tolerance. An automated experimental set-up -- the Automated Adaptive Directed Evolution Chamber (AADEC) -- with minimal scope for human interference was developed at NASA Ames. A second- generation device integrating more real-time biochemical sensors has been developed recently. Added sensors include pH for indicating metabolic products, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) for indicating available/consumed metabolic energy, dissolved oxygen (DO) for indicating aerobic/anaerobic growth cycles, and electrical conductivity (EC) as an additional indicator of metabolic products. With four additional sensors, the system is biochemically more informative in real-time. More importantly, each sensor parameter can be used as a selection pressure, individually or in combination with others, to artificially create and control inhospitable environments analogous to extremophile habitats for microbial growth in the lab. Potential stressors to be added in the future include thermal, reactive oxygen species, metal-ion concentrations, and varying nutrient availability.

Automated↗
NASA NTRS1986

Orbital transfer vehicle launch operations study: Automated technology knowledge base, volume 4

A simplified retrieval strategy for compiling automation-related bibliographies from NASA/RECON is presented. Two subsets of NASA Thesaurus subject terms were extracted: a primary list, which is used to obtain an initial set of citations; and a secondary list, which is used to limit or further specify a large initial set of citations. These subject term lists are presented in Appendix A as the Automated Technology Knowledge Base (ATKB) Thesaurus.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2023

Leveraging Automated Fiber Placement Computer Aided Process Planning Framework for Defect Validation and Dynamic Layup Strategies

Process planning represents an essential stage of the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) workflow. It develops useful and efficient machine processes based upon the working material, composite design, and manufacturing resources. The current state of process planning requires a high degree of interaction from the process planner and could greatly benefit from increased automation. Therefore, a list of key steps and functions are created to identify the more difficult and time-consuming phases of process planning. Additionally, a set of metrics must exist by which to evaluate the effectiveness of the manufactured laminate from the machine code created during the Process Planning stage. Layup strategies, in addition to dog ears, stagger shifts, steering constraints, and starting points, represented the group of functions labeled as process optimization and ranked the highest in terms of priority for automation. The laminates resulting from the selected parameters are evaluated through the occurrences of principal defect metrics such as fiber gaps, overlaps, angle deviation and steering violations. This document presents an automated software solution to the layup strategy and starting point selection phase of process planning. A series of ply scenarios are generated with variations of these ply parameters and evaluated according to a set of metrics entered by the Process Planner. These metrics are generated through use of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), where relative importance between each of the fiber features are defined. The ply scenarios are selected which reduce the overall fiber feature scores based on the defects the Process Planner wishes to minimize.

HiCAM↗
NASA NTRS2004

Space Technology 5: Pathfinder for Future Micro-Sat Constellations

The Space Technology 5 (ST-5) Project, currently in the implementation phase, is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) s New Millennium Program (NMP). ST-5 will consist of a constellation of three miniature satellites, each with mass less than 25 kg and size approximately 60 cm by 30 cm. ST-5 addresses technology challenges, as well as fabrication, assembly, test and operations strategies for future micro-satellite missions. ST-5 will be deployed into a highly eccentric, geo-transfer orbit (GTO). This will expose the spacecraft to a high radiation environment as well as provide a low level magnetic background. A three-month flight demonstration phase is planned to validate the technologies and demonstrate concepts for future missions. Each ST-5 spacecraft incorporates NMP competitively-selected breakthrough technologies. These include Cold Gas Micro-Thrusters for propulsion and attitude control, miniature X-band transponder for space-ground communications, Variable Emittance Coatings for dynamic thermal control, and CULPRiT ultra low power logic chip used for Reed-Solomon encoding. The ST-5 spacecraft itself is a technology that can be infused into future missions. It is a fully functional micro-spacecraft built within tight volume and mass constraints. It is built to withstand a high radiation environment, large thermal variations, and high launch loads. The spacecraft power system is low-power and low-voltage, and is designed to turn on after separation &om the launch vehicle. Some of the innovations that are included in the ST-5 design are a custom spacecraft deployment structure, magnetometer deployment boom, nutation damper, X-band antenna, miniature spinning sun sensor, solar array with triple junction solar cells, integral card cage assembly containing single card Command and Data Handling and Power System Electronics, miniature magnetometer, and lithium ion battery. ST-5 will demonstrate the ability of a micro satellite to perform research-quality science. Each ST-5 spacecraft will deploy a precision magnetometer to be used both for attitude determination and as a representative science instrument. The spacecraft has been developed with a low magnetic signature to avoid interference with the magnetometer. The spacecraft will be able to detect and respond autonomously to science events, i.e. significant changes in the magnetic field measurements. The three spacecraft will be a pathfinder for future constellation missions. They will be deployed to demonstrate an appropriate geometry for scientific measurements as a constellation. They will be operationally managed as a constellation, demonstrating automation and communication strategies that will be useful for future missions. The technologies and future mission concepts will be validated both on the ground and in space. Technologies will be validated on the ground by a combination of component level and system level testing of the flight hardware in a thermal vacuum environment. In flight, specific validation runs are planned for each of the technologies. Each validation run consists of one or more orbits with a specific validation objective. This paper will describe the ST-5 mission, and the applicability of the NMP technologies, spacecraft, and mission concepts to future missions. It will also discuss the validation approach for the ST-5 technologies and mission concepts.

Carlisle, Candace↗
NASA NTRS1991

Automation for deep space vehicle monitoring

Information on automation for deep space vehicle monitoring is given in viewgraph form. Information is given on automation goals and strategy; the Monitor Analyzer of Real-time Voyager Engineering Link (MARVEL); intelligent input data management; decision theory for making tradeoffs; dynamic tradeoff evaluation; evaluation of anomaly detection results; evaluation of data management methods; system level analysis with cooperating expert systems; the distributed architecture of multiple expert systems; and event driven response.

Schwuttke, Ursula M.↗