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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Survey Protocol to Assess Meaningfulness and Usefulness of Automated Topic Finding in the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System

Context: The NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) is a voluntary confidential aviation safety reporting system. The ASRS receives reports from pilots, air traffic controllers, flight attendants and other involved in aviation operations. The reports are de-identified and coded by ASRS expert safety analysts and a short descriptive synopsis is written to describe the safety issue. The de-identified reports are then disseminated to the aviation community in a number of ways including entry into an online database, Safety Alert Bulletins and For Your Information Notices, and the CALLBACK newsletter. Key to these publications are the timely processing (de-identification, coding and summarization) of new reports, which is currently done by ASRS expert safety analysts. Thus, we believe topic modelling could decrease effort in ASRS, if topics are comprehensible. Aim: We propose a methodology to evaluate whether automated topic finding using topic modelling provides meaningful and useful topics. Method: We extend the total error survey methodology to evaluate user topic comprehension of machine learning outputs. To accomplish this we performed a literature review to identify existing methods and define a construct for topic comprehension, utilizing existing ASRS synopsis writing practices to more precisely define meaningfulness and usefulness. Results: A survey protocol was created that addresses the limitations of other survey protocols found in the literature review, which we found lacking in rationale and clear protocol definition. Conclusion: The surveying of user understanding in machine learning outputs presents challenges due to the explosion of parameters to control for and the lack of systematic approach presented in the literature. More reproducible work and survey protocols are needed in the literature and our work is one step towards that direction.

topic finding↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Identifying Emerging Safety Threats Through Topic Modeling in the Aviation Safety Reporting System: A COVID-19 Study

The NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) is a voluntary, confidential aviation safety reporting system. The ASRS receives reports from pilots, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, and others involved in aviation operations. The reports are de-identified and coded by ASRS expert safety analysts, and a short descriptive synopsis is written to describe the safety issue. The de-identified reports are then disseminated to the aviation community in many ways, including via an online database, Safety Alert Bulletins, For Your Information Notices, and the CALLBACK newsletter. In this work, we consider whether we can improve the grouping, linking, and understanding of safety concerns through topic modeling. Specifically, we use topic modeling as a building block to identify emerging safety threats over time. This unsupervised approach, we argue, offers the flexibility to identify new emerging themes in this large dataset by constructing different timelines based on the content similarity of ASRS report narratives. This method's unsupervised nature improves upon related research, which is limited to pre-defined labels and therefore can not fully capture emerging safety threats. We apply our method to all ASRS reports in 2020 to assess if the generated timelines can highlight COVID-19 as it is emerging as a safety threat in incoming ASRS reports. We perform both a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the automatically constructed timelines. The qualitative evaluation is performed by describing the evolution of top terms in the timelines, generated by our method, which we found explicitly convey the themes of COVID-19. Separately, we use a set of 1,213 COVID-19 reports from 2020 that were manually identified by ASRS analysts to quantitatively evaluate the COVID-19 reports distribution across the timelines. Our results have shown that COVID-19 emergence can be identified using the top terms that were generated by topic modeling. The top terms in topic modeling therefore can serve as a summary alternative to manually inspecting reports. Moreover, leveraging the manually identified COVID-19 reports, we found the manually identified timelines accounted for over 70% of the COVID-19 reports curated by the ASRS analysts, which demonstrates the potential of this approach for facilitating the understanding of safety concerns as they emerge and evolve. This method shows great potential to understand aerospace safety threats and other narrative- driven incident report databases.

ASRS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing the use of UAS-related terms in ASRS using Seed Topic Modeling

LDA↗

NASA NTRS2023

Sleep Issues in Aviation and Space

This article describes the factors that cause sleep issues in aviation and spaceflight. There are many causes of sleep disruption that are common to both domains, including, irregular schedules, circadian misalignment, and inadequate sleep environment. There are also factors that are unique to each type of operation that may lead to the manifestation of sleep disorders among these populations. Each of these factors, and their subsequent impact on sleep, are reviewed in this article.

Astronaut↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Extracting Lessons of Resilience Using Machine Mining of the ASRS Database

NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database is the world's largest repository of voluntary, confidential safety information provided by aviation's frontline personnel, including pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, flight attendants, dispatchers, and other members of the aviation community and the public. The database contains close to 2 million narratives, many of which describe everyday situations in which people saved the day. In these situations, people’s resilient behavior solved a problem, dealt with a malfunction, and maintained a safe operation despite a serious perturbation. To be able to extract lessons of such resilience from this large database, the use of machine learning algorithms is being explored. In this report, we describe a comparison between two such algorithms: Perilog and Word2Vec. An identical search using both programs was done on a database containing approximately 470,000 ASRS reports submitted between 1988 and 2022. The comparison reveals some of the strength and weaknesses of each algorithm as well as the challenges inherent in using such algorithms to extract lessons of resilience from the ASRS database.

resilience↗

NASA NTRS1996

Spaceflight and Development of Immune Responses

Evidence from both human and rodent studies has indicated that alterations in immunological parameters occur after space flight. The number of flight experiments has been small, and the full breadth of immunological alterations occurring after space flight remains to be established. Among the major effects on immune responses after space flight that have been reported are: alterations in lymphocyte blastogenesis and natural killer cell activity, alterations in production of cytokines, changes in leukocyte sub-population distribution, and decreases in the ability of bone marrow cells to respond to colony stimulating factors. Changes have been reported in immunological parameters of both humans and rodents. The significance of these alterations in relation to resistance to infection remains to be established. The objective of the studies contained in this project was to determine the effects of space flight on immune responses of pregnant rats and their offspring. The hypothesis was that space flight and the attendant period of microgravity will result in alteration of immunological parameters of both the pregnant rats as well as their offspring carried in utero during the flight. The parameters tested included: production of cytokines, composition of leukocyte sub- populations, response of bone marrow/liver cells to granulocyte/monocyte colony stimulating factor, and leukocyte blastogenesis. Changes in immune responses that could yield alterations in resistance to infection were determined. This yielded useful information for planning studies that could contribute to crew health. Additional information that could eventually prove useful to determine the potential for establishment of a permanent colony in space was obtained.

Sonnenfeld, Gerald↗

NASA NTRS1987

Mechanistic studies of polymeric samples exposed aboard STS 8

The early Shuttle flights and the attendant opportunity to deploy material samples to the near-Earth space environment, along well-defined trajectories and accompanied by detailed characterization of these samples prior to and following the flight exposure, have brought to light several novel phenomena associated with interaction of these materials with the space environment. JPL, in coordination with other NASA Centers, has carried out a research program to study the degradation and oxidation processes caused by interaction of these materials with atomic oxygen at an energy of 5 eV. In addition, energetic atomic oxygen is believed to be responsible for the shuttle glow first observed during the flight of STS-3. The shuttle glow phenomenon has been extensively studied and modeled because of its long-range potential impact on optical communication schemes and its more immediate impact on the Space Telescope. This report summarizes the results of certian material degradation and erosion experiments carried out aboard STS-8 between August 30, 1983 and September 5, 1983. Based on these data, a generic degradation model has been developed for common structural polymers.

Liang, Ranty H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

STS utilization planning

The paper shows how NASA plans to utilize the Shuttle to carry a wide variety of payloads. Topics covered include: Shuttle Transportation System (STS) description and capabilities, payload integration and manifesting payload business today, and NASA-JSC user services. Consideration is given to the flight assignment process and flight manifest which is a listing of flights with their attendant launch dates, payload names, days on-orbit, altitude, inclination, and crew required. Additional data such as weight, center of gravity, payload-on-orbit capability, and launch windows are checked to see if the manifest is still valid. The STS traffic model is described along with the small self-contained payloads.

Bauch, G. T.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Agile Approach to Assuring Software for NASA's Orion Spacecraft

Agile software development is prevalent throughout the Government, and NASA is no exception. NASA's Orion spacecraft is being developed to return Astronauts to the moon in the next 5 years, and the role of software in achieving the ambitious mission objectives has expanded dramatically in the last few decades. This presentation is the story of how the Independent Verification and Validation team for Orion adapted to the Agile approach that the Orion Program was using to develop the flight software. Consider attending this session if you are working with software developers utilizing Agile development approaches, or are interested in learning about Agile and Lean principles that could help improve communication within your own team.

Smith, Justin↗

NASA NTRS1994

Alertness Management In Flight Operations: A NASA Education and Training Module

Since 1980, the NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Program has been conducting research on sleep, circadian rhythms, and fatigue in a variety of flight operations 1. An original goal of the program was to return the scientific and operational knowledge to the aviation industry. To meet this goal, the NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Program has created an Education and Training Module entitled, "Strategies for Alertness Management in Flight Operations." The Module was designed to meet three objectives: 1) explain the current state of knowledge about the physiological mechanisms underlying fatigue, 2) demonstrate how this knowledge can be applied to improve flight crew sleep, performance, and alertness, and 3) offer countermeasure recommendations. The Module is composed of two components: 1) a 60-minute live presentation provided by a knowledgeable individual and 2) a NASA/FAA Technical Memorandum (TM) that contains the presentation materials and appendices with complementary information. The TM is provided to all individuals attending the live presentation. The Module content is divided into three parts: 1) basic information on sleep, sleepiness, circadian rhythms, fatigue, and how flight operations affect these physiological factors, 2) common misconceptions about sleep, sleepiness, and fatigue, and 3) alertness management strategies. The Module is intended for pilots, management personnel, schedulers, flight attendants, and the many other individuals involved in the aviation system.

Rosekind, Mark R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

A flexible flight display research system using a ground-based interactive graphics terminal

Requirements and research areas for the air transportation system of the 1980 to 1990's were reviewed briefly to establish the need for a flexible flight display generation research tool. Specific display capabilities required by aeronautical researchers are listed and a conceptual system for providing these capabilities is described. The conceptual system uses a ground-based interactive graphics terminal driven by real-time radar and telemetry data to generate dynamic, experimental flight displays. These displays are scan converted to television format, processed, and transmitted to the cockpits of evaluation aircraft. The attendant advantages of a Flight Display Research System (FDRS) designed to employ this concept are presented. The detailed implementation of an FDRS is described. The basic characteristics of the interactive graphics terminal and supporting display electronic subsystems are presented and the resulting system capability is summarized. Finally, the system status and utilization are reviewed.

Hatfield, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1997

PM Science Working Group Meeting on Spacecraft Maneuvers

The EOS PM Science Working Group met on May 6, 1997, to examine the issue of spacecraft maneuvers. The meeting was held at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and was attended by the Team Leaders of all four instrument science teams with instruments on the PM-1 spacecraft, additional representatives from each of the four teams, the PM Project management, and random others. The meeting was chaired by the PM Project Scientist and open to all. The meeting was called in order to untangle some of the concerns raised over the past several months regarding whether or not the PM-1 spacecraft should undergo spacecraft maneuvers to allow the instruments to obtain deep-space views. Two of the Science Teams, those for the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), had strongly expressed the need for deep-space views in order to calibrate their instruments properly and conveniently. The other two teams, those for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB), had expressed concerns that the maneuvers involve risks to the instruments and undesired gaps in the data sets.

Parkinson, Claire L.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Preparation of Flight Operations and IWS Integration of the CELIAS Experiment on the SOHO Spacecraft

During this annual progress report time period, the following activities took place: (1) Generation of several versions of the CELIAS (STOF/SEM/CTOF/MTOF/DPU) commissioning timeline for the first 180 days after launch. These were written and submitted by A. Galvin after consultation (phone, fax, e-mail, meetings) with the CELIAS Instrument Manager and Lead-Co-I's. (2) Identification of several problems with the CELIAS portion of the Project Data Base (PDB). (3) Meetings with the Flight Operations Team regarding PDB, critical commands, etc. (4) Attend Science Operations Working Group (SOWG) Meetings (November 1994, February 1995, May 1995) and Flight Operations Review Meeting (July 1995). (5) Participate in Flight Operation Simulations SIM 1 (November 14-18, 1994), SIM 2 (May 1-4, 1995) and SIM3 (August 7-11, 1995). (6) Participate in the Ground System Compatibility Test Rehearsal (April 24- 28, 1995), GSCT #2 (May 30-June 14, 1995), GSCT #3 (September 12-22, 1995), and GSCT #4b (October 30-November 5, 1995). A small portion of the documentation for the above cited activities is appended.

Ipavich, Fred↗

NASA NTRS2006

Education and Training Module in Alertness Management

The education and training module (ETM) in alertness management has now been integrated as part of the training regimen of the Pilot Proficiency Awards Program ("WINGS") of the Federal Aviation Administration. Originated and now maintained current by the Fatigue Countermeasures Group at NASA Ames Research Center, the ETM in Alertness Management is designed to give pilots the benefit of the best and most recent research on the basics of sleep physiology, the causes of fatigue, and strategies for managing alertness during flight operations. The WINGS program is an incentive program that encourages pilots at all licensing levels to participate in recurrent training, upon completion of which distinctive lapel or tie pins (wings) and certificates of completion are awarded. In addition to flight training, all WINGS applicants must attend at least one FAA-sponsored safety seminar, FAA-sanctioned safety seminar, or industry recurrent training program. The Fatigue Countermeasures Group provides an FAA-approved industry recurrent training program through an on-line General Aviation (GA) WINGS ETM in alertness management to satisfy this requirement. Since 1993, the Fatigue Countermeasures Group has translated fatigue and alertness information to operational environments by conducting two-day ETM workshops oriented primarily toward air-carrier operations subject to Part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations pertaining to such operations. On the basis of the information presented in the two-day ETM workshops, an ETM was created for GA pilots and was transferred to a Web-based version. To comply with the requirements of the WINGS Program, the original Web-based version has been modified to include hypertext markup language (HTML) content that makes information easily accessible, in-depth testing of alertness-management knowledge, new interactive features, and increased informational resources for GA pilots. Upon successful completion of this training module, a participant receives a computer- screen display of a certificate of completion. The certificate, which includes the pilot s name and an identifying number, can be printed out and submitted, for ground training credit, with the pilot s WINGS application.

Mallis, M. M.↗

NASA NTRS1950

NACA Conference on Some Problems of Aircraft Operation: A Compilation of the Papers Presented

This volume contains copies of the technical papers presented at the NACA Conference on Some Problems of Aircraft Operation on October 9 and 10, 1950 at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. This conference was attended by members of the aircraft industry and military services. The original presentation and this record are considered as complementary to, rather than as substitutes for, the Committee's system of complete and formal reports. A list of the conferees is included. [Contents include four subject areas: Atmospheric Turbulence and its Effect on Aircraft Operation; Some Aspects of Aircraft Safety - Icing, Ditching and Fire; Aerodynamic Considerations for High-Speed Transport Airplanes; Propulsion Considerations for High-Speed Transport Airplanes.]

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1974

Theoretical nitric oxide production incidental to autoignition and combustion of several fuels homogeneously dispersed in air under some typical hypersonic flight conditions

A reaction package of 100 chemical reactions and attendant reaction rate constants defined for the autoignition and combustion of four carbonaceous fuels, CH4, CH3OH, C2H6, and C2H5OH. Definition of the package was made primarily by means of comparison between trial calculations and experimental data for the autoignition of CH4. Autoignition and combustion of each of these four fuels was calculated under three sets of conditions realistic for hypersonic flight applications, for comparison to hydrogen fuel, particularly with respect to formation of nitric oxide. Results show that, for all of the fuels including hydrogen, if NO production is a significant problem, compromise must be made between approaching equilibrium heat release and approaching equilibrium NO concentration.

Bahn, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS1977

The 1977 Goddard Space Flight Center Battery Workshop

The papers presented were derived from transcripts taken at the Tenth Annual Battery Workshop held at the Goddard Space Flight Center, November 15-17, 1977. The Workshop was attended by manufacturers, users, and government representatives interested in the latest results of testing, analysis, and development of the sealed nickel cadmium cell system. The purpose of the Workshop was to share flight and test experience, stimulate discussion on problem areas, and to review the latest technology improvements.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1947

A Low-Speed Investigation of a Fuselage-Side Air Inlet for use at Transonic Flight Speeds

A low-speed investigation in the Langley propeller-research tunnel of annular air inlets designed to avoid compression shocks and attendant boundary-layer separation on the fuselage ahead of the inlets at transonic flight speeds by maintaining substream flow velocities on the fuselage nose was reported in NACA RM No. L6J04. In the present investigation, one of the original annular inlets was converted by the installation of a canopy and a nose-wheel fairing into a twin side inlet in order to study problems involved in applying such an inlet to a fighter-type airplane. Extensive measurements of pressures on the surface of the model and surveys of the internal flow were conducted at angles of attack of 0 degrees, 3 degrees, and 6 degrees over a wide range of inlet-velocity ratio.

Nichols, Mark R.↗