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NASA NTRS2003

Evaluation of a Dispatcher's Route Optimization Decision Aid to Avoid Aviation Weather Hazards

This document describes the results and analysis of the formal evaluation plan for the Honeywell software tool developed under the NASA AWIN (Aviation Weather Information) 'Weather Avoidance using Route Optimization as a Decision Aid' project. The software tool aims to provide airline dispatchers with a decision aid for selecting optimal routes that avoid weather and other hazards. This evaluation compares and contrasts route selection performance with the AWIN tool to that of subjects using a more traditional dispatcher environment. The evaluation assesses gains in safety, in fuel efficiency of planned routes, and in time efficiency in the pre-flight dispatch process through the use of the AWIN decision aid. In addition, we are interested in how this AWIN tool affects constructs that can be related to performance. The construct of Situation Awareness (SA), workload, trust in an information system, and operator acceptance are assessed using established scales, where these exist, as well as through the evaluation of questionnaire responses and subject comments. The intention of the experiment is to set up a simulated operations area for the dispatchers to work in. They will be given scenarios in which they are presented with stored company routes for a particular city-pair and aircraft type. A diverse set of external weather information sources is represented by a stand-alone display (MOCK), containing the actual historical weather data typically used by dispatchers. There is also the possibility of presenting selected weather data on the route visualization tool. The company routes have not been modified to avoid the weather except in the case of one additional route generated by the Honeywell prototype flight planning system. The dispatcher will be required to choose the most appropriate and efficient flight plan route in the displayed weather conditions. The route may be modified manually or may be chosen from those automatically displayed.

Dorneich, Michael C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Object oriented fault diagnosis system for space shuttle main engine redlines

A great deal of attention has recently been given to Artificial Intelligence research in the area of computer aided diagnostics. Due to the dynamic and complex nature of space shuttle red-line parameters, a research effort is under way to develop a real time diagnostic tool that will employ historical and engineering rulebases as well as a sensor validity checking. The capability of AI software development tools (KEE and G2) will be explored by applying object oriented programming techniques in accomplishing the diagnostic evaluation.

Rogers, John S.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Robonaut's Flexible Information Technology Infrastructure

Robonaut, NASA's humanoid robot, is designed to work as both an astronaut assistant and, in certain situations, an astronaut surrogate. This highly dexterous robot performs complex tasks under telepresence control that could previously only be carried out directly by humans. Currently with 47 degrees of freedom (DOF), Robonaut is a state-of-the-art human size telemanipulator system. while many of Robonaut's embedded components have been custom designed to meet packaging or environmental requirements, the primary computing systems used in Robonaut are currently commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products which have some correlation to flight qualified computer systems. This loose coupling of information technology (IT) resources allows Robonaut to exploit cost effective solutions while floating the technology base to take advantage of the rapid pace of IT advances. These IT systems utilize a software development environment, which is both compatible with COTS hardware as well as flight proven computing systems, preserving the majority of software development for a flight system. The ability to use highly integrated and flexible COTS software development tools improves productivity while minimizing redesign for a space flight system. Further, the flexibility of Robonaut's software and communication architecture has allowed it to become a widely used distributed development testbed for integrating new capabilities and furthering experimental research.

Askew, Scott↗

NASA NTRS2006

Design and Testing of Space Telemetry SCA Waveform

A Software Communications Architecture (SCA) Waveform for space telemetry is being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The space telemetry waveform is implemented in a laboratory testbed consisting of general purpose processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and digital-to-analog converters (DACs). The radio hardware is integrated with an SCA Core Framework and other software development tools. The waveform design is described from both the bottom-up signal processing and top-down software component perspectives. Simulations and model-based design techniques used for signal processing subsystems are presented. Testing with legacy hardware-based modems verifies proper design implementation and dynamic waveform operations. The waveform development is part of an effort by NASA to define an open architecture for space based reconfigurable transceivers. Use of the SCA as a reference has increased understanding of software defined radio architectures. However, since space requirements put a premium on size, mass, and power, the SCA may be impractical for today s space ready technology. Specific requirements for an SCA waveform and other lessons learned from this development are discussed.

Mortensen, Dale J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Software for Training in Pre-College Mathematics

The Intelligent Math Tutor (IMT) is a computer program for training students in pre-college and college-level mathematics courses, including fundamentals, intermediate algebra, college algebra, and trigonometry. The IMT can be executed on a server computer for access by students via the Internet; alternatively, it can be executed on students computers equipped with compact- disk/read-only-memory (CD-ROM) drives. The IMT provides interactive exercises, assessment, tracking, and an on-line graphing calculator with algebraic-manipulation capabilities. The IMT provides an innovative combination of content, delivery mechanism, and artificial intelligence. Careful organization and presentation of the content make it possible to provide intelligent feedback to the student based on performance on exercises and tests. The tracking and feedback mechanisms are implemented within the capabilities of a commercial off-the-shelf development software tool and are written in the Unified Modeling Language to maximize reuse and minimize development cost. The graphical calculator is a standard feature of most college and pre-college algebra and trigonometry courses. Placing this functionality in a Java applet decreases the cost, provides greater capabilities, and provides an opportunity to integrate the calculator with the lessons.

Shelton, Robert O.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Virtual Diagnostics Interface (ViDI) for Planning Laser-Based Wind Tunnel Experiments

Virtual Diagnostics Interface (ViDI), originally introduced by Richard Schwartz in 2004 and described again by Alderfer, et. al., in 2007, is an interactive 3D software tool developed at NASA Langley Research Center to serve three main purposes: assist in pre-test planning, enhance post-test image analysis and visualization, and serve as a central location for data storage and distribution.1,2 ViDI is composed of custom-developed software and Autodesk® 3ds Max® as it incorporates Computer Aided Design (CAD) models with the results obtained from optical diagnostics.3 This software tool has proven useful in the field of optical diagnostics where pre-test planning of beam paths, optical elements, and test articles must be carried out to avoid interference, ensure spatial resolution is sufficient, and the camera Field of View (FoV) is adequate for the field of interest. Typically, practical considerations such as the distance a camera is from the region of interest, the angles at which the camera is oriented and issues such as the size of the camera and its sensor and size and focal length lens as well as the path of the laser need to be taken into account to predict a successful measurement. An example application of ViDI is shown in Fig.1 where an experiment to investigate flow separation over the wing of the High Lift Common Research Model (HL-CRM) is currently being planned in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at NASA Langley Research Center.

virtual diagnostics interface↗

NASA NTRS2004

Refinement and Use of the OTIS Program for RLV and Low-Thrust Mission Design

NASA Glenn's Systems Analysis Branch (SAB) is involved in mission analysis and associated software tool development for Earth-to-Orbit and In-Space (low thrust) missions. One of the key software analysis programs used by the SAB is the Optimal Trajectories by Implicit Simulation (OTIS) program. This program is developed and managed by NASA Glenn s SAB and is used on a national level by government and contractor affiliates. The SAB is also involved in the mission design activities for the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program as well as In-Space mission design involving new In-Space propulsion technologies. It is in these two main areas that support, in-depth studies, and development were performed. Below is a brief summary of the study and development activities.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2017

Update: Advancement of Contact Dynamics Modeling for Human Spaceflight Simulation Applications

Pong is a new software tool developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center that advances interference-based geometric contact dynamics based on 3D graphics models. The Pong software consists of three parts: a set of scripts to extract geometric data from 3D graphics models, a contact dynamics engine that provides collision detection and force calculations based on the extracted geometric data, and a set of scripts for visualizing the dynamics response with the 3D graphics models. The contact dynamics engine can be linked with an external multibody dynamics engine to provide an integrated multibody contact dynamics simulation. This paper provides a detailed overview of Pong including the overall approach and modeling capabilities, which encompasses force generation from contact primitives and friction to computational performance. Two specific Pong-based examples of International Space Station applications are discussed, and the related verification and validation using this new tool are also addressed.

Contact dynamics↗

DOE OSTI2025

Improving Dose Modeling With Dynamic Modeling Tools [Slides]

Utilities aiming for higher fuel enrichment for power uprates or extended operation times before refueling must conduct a new dose analysis. Current conservative dose estimation standards may cause utilities to exceed regulatory limits for proposed increased fuel enrichment. A more accurate modeling of doses from reactor accidents can lower these conservative assumptions. Prescott et al. (2022) demonstrated that the Event Modeling Risk Assessment using Linked Diagrams (EMRALD) software tool, developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), can be coupled with the Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP5) for dynamic accident analysis in reactor plants. EMRALD forms models of potential accident scenarios, while MAAP5 simulates the accident progression and dose consequences. By integrating these software tools with utility-specific data, a more precise estimation of dose consequences from plant accidents can be achieved. Preliminary findings indicate that EMRALD provides accurate mean core damage frequencies for generalized accident scenarios. Future work includes expanding the model to account for plant-specific data and mitigation factors.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2000

Remote Control and Data Acquisition: A Case Study

This paper details software tools developed to remotely command experimental apparatus, and to acquire and visualize the associated data in soft real time. The work was undertaken because commercial products failed to meet the needs. This work has identified six key factors intrinsic to development of quality research laboratory software. Capabilities include access to all new instrument functions without any programming or dependence on others to write drivers or virtual instruments, simple full screen text-based experiment configuration and control user interface, months of continuous experiment run-times, order of 1% CPU load for condensed matter physics experiment described here, very little imposition of software tool choices on remote users, and total remote control from anywhere in the world over the Internet or from home on a 56 Kb modem as if the user is sitting in the laboratory. This work yielded a set of simple robust tools that are highly reliable, resource conserving, extensible, and versatile, with a uniform simple interface.

DeGennaro, Alfred J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

The effects of clutter-rejection filtering on estimating weather spectrum parameters

The effects of clutter-rejection filtering on estimating the weather parameters from pulse Doppler radar measurement data are investigated. The pulse pair method of estimating the spectrum mean and spectrum width of the weather is emphasized. The loss of sensitivity, a measure of the signal power lost due to filtering, is also considered. A flexible software tool developed to investigate these effects is described. It allows for simulated weather radar data, in which the user specifies an underlying truncated Gaussian spectrum, as well as for externally generated data which may be real or simulated. The filter may be implemented in either the time or the frequency domain. The software tool is validated by comparing unfiltered spectrum mean and width estimates to their true values, and by reproducing previously published results. The effects on the weather parameter estimates using simulated weather-only data are evaluated for five filters: an ideal filter, two infinite impulse response filters, and two finite impulse response filters. Results considering external data, consisting of weather and clutter data, are evaluated on a range cell by range cell basis. Finally, it is shown theoretically and by computer simulation that a linear phase response is not required for a clutter rejection filter preceeding pulse-pair parameter estimation.

Davis, W. T.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Decision Support Methods and Tools

This paper is one of a set of papers, developed simultaneously and presented within a single conference session, that are intended to highlight systems analysis and design capabilities within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC). This paper focuses on the specific capabilities of uncertainty/risk analysis, quantification, propagation, decomposition, and management, robust/reliability design methods, and extensions of these capabilities into decision analysis methods within SACD. These disciplines are discussed together herein under the name of Decision Support Methods and Tools. Several examples are discussed which highlight the application of these methods within current or recent aerospace research at the NASA LaRC. Where applicable, commercially available, or government developed software tools are also discussed

Green, Lawrence L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

A framework for assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of software development methodologies

Tools, techniques, environments, and methodologies dominate the software engineering literature, but relatively little research in the evaluation of methodologies is evident. This work reports an initial attempt to develop a procedural approach to evaluating software development methodologies. Prominent in this approach are: (1) an explication of the role of a methodology in the software development process; (2) the development of a procedure based on linkages among objectives, principles, and attributes; and (3) the establishment of a basis for reduction of the subjective nature of the evaluation through the introduction of properties. An application of the evaluation procedure to two Navy methodologies has provided consistent results that demonstrate the utility and versatility of the evaluation procedure. Current research efforts focus on the continued refinement of the evaluation procedure through the identification and integration of product quality indicators reflective of attribute presence, and the validation of metrics supporting the measure of those indicators. The consequent refinement of the evaluation procedure offers promise of a flexible approach that admits to change as the field of knowledge matures. In conclusion, the procedural approach presented in this paper represents a promising path toward the end goal of objectively evaluating software engineering methodologies.

Arthur, James D.↗

DOE OSTI2026

ACDC (Automated Campbell Diagram Code) [SWR-26-042]

This application provides a web-based graphical user interface to generating Campbell Diagrams and visualizing mode shapes for OpenFAST turbine models. Determining the aeroelastic stability and dynamic characteristics of wind turbines is a critical step in turbine design and analysis. Historically, extracting natural frequencies and mode shapes from OpenFAST—the industry-standard whole-turbine simulation code—has been a fragmented and tedious process. It required manual model configuration, command-line linearization execution, and complex post-processing via proprietary scripts to handle rotating-frame dynamics. To address these workflow bottlenecks, we present the Automated Campbell Diagram Code (ACDC), an open-source graphical software tool developed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) under the DOE-funded Distributed Wind Aeroelastic Modeling (dWAM) project. ACDC streamlines the end-to-end linearization and stability analysis workflow into a single, intuitive cross-platform application. The software guides users through OpenFAST model configuration, definition of operating points, and the automated execution of steady-state trim and linearization simulations. Under the hood, ACDC automates the complex mathematical post-processing steps required for rotating systems, including Multi-Blade Coordinate (MBC) transformations, eigenanalysis, and advanced modal tracking utilizing the Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC) and spectral clustering. Finally, ACDC processes these results to automatically generate Campbell diagrams and features a robust 3D visualization engine to animate full-system mode shapes. By eliminating the reliance on external post-processing environments and manual data manipulation, ACDC significantly accelerates dynamic analysis and lowers the barrier to entry for wind energy researchers and engineers.

Summerville, Brent [National Laboratory of the Roc↗

NASA NTRS1998

Embedded Web Technology: Internet Technology Applied to Real-Time System Control

The NASA Lewis Research Center is developing software tools to bridge the gap between the traditionally non-real-time Internet technology and the real-time, embedded-controls environment for space applications. Internet technology has been expanding at a phenomenal rate. The simple World Wide Web browsers (such as earlier versions of Netscape, Mosaic, and Internet Explorer) that resided on personal computers just a few years ago only enabled users to log into and view a remote computer site. With current browsers, users not only view but also interact with remote sites. In addition, the technology now supports numerous computer platforms (PC's, MAC's, and Unix platforms), thereby providing platform independence.In contrast, the development of software to interact with a microprocessor (embedded controller) that is used to monitor and control a space experiment has generally been a unique development effort. For each experiment, a specific graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed. This procedure works well for a single-user environment. However, the interface for the International Space Station (ISS) Fluids and Combustion Facility will have to enable scientists throughout the world and astronauts onboard the ISS, using different computer platforms, to interact with their experiments in the Fluids and Combustion Facility. Developing a specific GUI for all these users would be cost prohibitive. An innovative solution to this requirement, developed at Lewis, is to use Internet technology, where the general problem of platform independence has already been partially solved, and to leverage this expanding technology as new products are developed. This approach led to the development of the Embedded Web Technology (EWT) program at Lewis, which has the potential to significantly reduce software development costs for both flight and ground software.

Daniele, Carl J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Astronomer's Proposal Tool

Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) is a computer program that assists astronomers in preparing their Phase 1 and Phase 2 Hubble Space Telescope science programs. APT is a successor to the Remote Proposal Submission System 2 (RPS2) program, which has been rendered obsolete by more recent advances in computer software and hardware. APT exploits advances associated with widespread use of the Internet, multiplatform visual development software tools, and overall increases in the power of desktop computer hardware, all in such a way as to make the preparation and submission of proposals more intuitive and make observatory operations less cumbersome. APT provides documentation and help that are friendly, up to date, and easily accessible to users of varying levels of expertise, while defining an extensible framework that is responsive to changes in both technology and observatory operations. APT consists of two major components: (1) a set of software tools that are intuitive, visual, and responsive and (2) an integrated software environment that unifies all the tools and makes them interoperable. The APT tools include the Visual Target Tuner, Proposal Editor, Exposure Planner, Bright Object Checker, and Visit Planner.

Krueger, Tony↗

NASA NTRS2002

CAPRI: Using a Geometric Foundation for Computational Analysis and Design

CAPRI (Computational Analysis Programming Interface) is a software development tool intended to make computerized design, simulation and analysis faster and more efficient. The computational steps traditionally taken for most engineering analysis (Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), structural analysis, etc.) are: Surface Generation, usually by employing a Computer Aided Design (CAD) system; Grid Generation, preparing the volume for the simulation; Flow Solver, producing the results at the specified operational point; Post-processing Visualization, interactively attempting to understand the results. It should be noted that the structures problem is more tractable than CFD; there are fewer mesh topologies used and the grids are not as fine (this problem space does not have the length scaling issues of fluids). For CFD, these steps have worked well in the past for simple steady-state simulations at the expense of much user interaction. The data was transmitted between phases via files. In most cases, the output from a CAD system could go IGES files. The output from Grid Generators and Solvers do not really have standards though there are a couple of file formats that can be used for a subset of the gridding (i.e. PLOT3D) data formats and the upcoming CGNS). The user would have to patch up the data or translate from one format to another to move to the next step. Sometimes this could take days. Instead of the serial approach to analysis, CAPRI takes a geometry centric approach. CAPRI is a software building tool-kit that refers to two ideas: (1) A simplified, object-oriented, hierarchical view of a solid part integrating both geometry and topology definitions, and (2) programming access to this part or assembly and any attached data. The connection to the geometry is made through an Application Programming Interface (API) and not a file system.

Haimes, Robert↗

DOE OSTI2025

MARLOWE: An Untargeted Proteomics, Statistical Approach to Taxonomic Classification for Forensics

General proteomics research for fundamental science typically addresses laboratory- or patient-derived samples of known origin and composition. However, in a few research areas, such as environmental proteomics, clinical identification of infectious organisms, archeology, art/cultural history, and forensics, attributing the origin of a protein-containing sample to the organisms that produced it is a central focus. A small number of groups have approached this problem and developed software tools for taxonomic characterization and/or identification using bottom-up proteomics. Most such tools identify peptides via database search, and many rely on organism-specific peptides as markers. Our group recently introduced MARLOWE, a software tool for taxonomic characterization of unknown samples based on de novo peptide identification and signal-erosion-resistant strong peptides, which are shared peptides distributed in a taxonomy-dependent manner. In the current work, we further characterize the utility of MARLOWE using publicly available proteomics data from forensically-relevant samples. MARLOWE characterizes samples based on their protein profile, and returns ranked organism lists of potential contributors and taxonomic scores based on shared strong peptides between organisms. Overall, the correct characterization rate ranges between 44 and 100%, depending on the sample type and data acquisition parameters (with lower numbers associated with lower-quality data sets). MARLOWE demonstrates successful characterization of true contributors and close relatives, and provides sufficient specificity to distinguish certain microbial species. MARLOWE demonstrates its ability to provide insight into potential taxonomic sources for a wide range of sample types without prior assumptions about sample contents. As a result, this approach can find utility in forensic science and also broadly in bioanalytical applications that utilize proteomics approaches for taxonomic characterization.

Bacteria↗