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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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At least 379 records · Page 21

Ground data systems resource allocation process

The Ground Data Systems Resource Allocation Process at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory provides medium- and long-range planning for the use of Deep Space Network and Mission Control and Computing Center resources in support of NASA's deep space missions and Earth-based science. Resources consist of radio antenna complexes and associated data processing and control computer networks. A semi-automated system was developed that allows operations personnel to interactively generate, edit, and revise allocation plans spanning periods of up to ten years (as opposed to only two or three weeks under the manual system) based on the relative merit of mission events. It also enhances scientific data return. A software system known as the Resource Allocation and Planning Helper (RALPH) merges the conventional methods of operations research, rule-based knowledge engineering, and advanced data base structures. RALPH employs a generic, highly modular architecture capable of solving a wide variety of scheduling and resource sequencing problems. The rule-based RALPH system has saved significant labor in resource allocation. Its successful use affirms the importance of establishing and applying event priorities based on scientific merit, and the benefit of continuity in planning provided by knowledge-based engineering. The RALPH system exhibits a strong potential for minimizing development cycles of resource and payload planning systems throughout NASA and the private sector.

Berner, Carol A.↗

The Solar Optical Telescope /SOT/

The Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) is a 1-m class, high resolution solar telescope which NASA plans to operate on the Shuttle Spacelab during the mid and late 1980's. SOT will provide resolution down to 0.1 arcsec, and can therefore be used to solve many problems of solar atmosphere structure and dynamics. In particular, SOT should provide definite data on (1) the source of the sun's magnetic field, (2) the amount of power in waves generated in the photosphere, (3) the heating of the chromosphere, and (4) the local and global mass and energy balance in the solar transition region. The SOT Scientific Working Group will help plan, develop, and update the overall scientific plan for the SOT, as well as make recommendations with regard to the SOT project, instrumentation optimization, and scientific data management.

Jordan, S. D.↗

Development and integration of Spacelab payloads

Planning of payloads for future space missions requires that goals and objectives established by the scientific community be transformed into various instruments and equipment which can most effectively gather the scientific data necessary to realize these goals and objectives. The methodology for accomplishing this transformation is discussed, including the specific application of these methods to the development of Spacelab payloads. Several Spacelab payloads currently undergoing preliminary design are described together with their objectives, potential benefits, and the scientific requirements which 'drive' the payload concept and design. The concept for integrating the instruments and equipment into a Spacelab payload is discussed. This integration process is highlighted by describing two classes of Spacelab flights - one where the entire Spacelab is dedicated to a single scientific discipline and the other where the Spacelab is configured to accommodate payloads from several scientific disciplines. A brief description of the engineering approaches to the solution of some of the more interesting design problems is included.

Murphy, J. T.↗

Study of meteoroid impact craters on various materials (A0138-1)

Interplanetary dust particles (micrometeoroids) are expected to form well-defined craters upon impacting exposed material in space. Studying the frequency and features of these craters will provide data on the mass-flux distribution of micrometeoroids and, to a lesser extent, on the velocity magnitude and direction. This experiment will study impact craters produced by micrometeoroids on selected materials (metals and glasses in the form of thick targets) to obtain valuable technological and scientific data. Specifically, the studies will focus on determining micrometeoroid composition and mass-flux distribution. Analyses will also be made on the distribution of impact velocity vectors.

Mandeville, J. C.↗

Noncausal telemetry data recovery techniques

Cost efficiency is becoming a major driver in future space missions. Because of the constraints on total cost, including design, implementation, and operation, future spacecraft are limited in terms of their size power and complexity. Consequently, it is expected that future missions will operate on marginal space-to-ground communication links that, in turn, can pose an additional risk on the successful scientific data return of these missions. For low data-rate and low downlink-margin missions, the buffering of the telemetry signal for further signal processing to improve data return is a possible strategy; it has been adopted for the Galileo S-band mission. This article describes techniques used for postprocessing of buffered telemetry signal segments (called gaps) to recover data lost during acquisition and resynchronization. Two methods, one for a closed-loop and the other one for an open-loop configuration, are discussed in this article. Both of them can be used in either forward or backward processing of signal segments, depending on where a gap is specifically situated in a pass.

Tsou, H.↗

Robotic precursor missions to the moon and Mars

NASA's Office of Exploration has determined that both the global and the more focused data sets required for the engineering development of manned lunar and Martian exploration systems call for the running of robotic precursor missions. Accounts are presented of the nature of such robotic precursor efforts, which must conduct (1) resource characterization and location, (2) site selection, and (3) fundamental scientific data acquisition tasks. Attention is given to the configurations and instrument suites of prospective robotic lander designs.

Smith, William L.↗

The Echoes of Earth Science

NASA s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) acquires, archives, and manages data from all of NASA s Earth science satellites, for the benefit of the Space Agency and for the benefit of others, including local governments, first responders, the commercial remote sensing industry, teachers, museums, and the general public. EOSDIS is currently handling an extraordinary amount of NASA scientific data. To give an idea of the volume of information it receives, NASA s Terra Earth-observing satellite, just one of many NASA satellites sending down data, sends it hundreds of gigabytes a day, almost as much data as the Hubble Space Telescope acquires in an entire year, or about equal to the amount of information that could be found in hundreds of pickup trucks filled with books. To make EOSDIS data completely accessible to the Earth science community, NASA teamed up with private industry in 2000 to develop an Earth science "marketplace" registry that lets public users quickly drill down to the exact information they need. It also enables them to publish their research and resources alongside of NASA s research and resources. This registry is known as the Earth Observing System ClearingHOuse, or ECHO. The charter for this project focused on having an infrastructure completely independent from EOSDIS that would allow for more contributors and open up additional data access options. Accordingly, it is only fitting that the term ECHO is more than just an acronym; it represents the functionality of the system in that it can echo out and create interoperability among other systems, all while maturing with time as industry technologies and standards change and improve.

Source record↗

Aeroelastic Flight Data Analysis with the Hilbert-Huang Algorithm

This report investigates the utility of the Hilbert Huang transform for the analysis of aeroelastic flight data. It is well known that the classical Hilbert transform can be used for time-frequency analysis of functions or signals. Unfortunately, the Hilbert transform can only be effectively applied to an extremely small class of signals, namely those that are characterized by a single frequency component at any instant in time. The recently-developed Hilbert Huang algorithm addresses the limitations of the classical Hilbert transform through a process known as empirical mode decomposition. Using this approach, the data is filtered into a series of intrinsic mode functions, each of which admits a well-behaved Hilbert transform. In this manner, the Hilbert Huang algorithm affords time-frequency analysis of a large class of signals. This powerful tool has been applied in the analysis of scientific data, structural system identification, mechanical system fault detection, and even image processing. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate the potential applications of the Hilbert Huang algorithm for the analysis of aeroelastic systems, with improvements such as localized online processing. Applications for correlations between system input and output, and amongst output sensors, are discussed to characterize the time-varying amplitude and frequency correlations present in the various components of multiple data channels. Online stability analyses and modal identification are also presented. Examples are given using aeroelastic test data from the F-18 Active Aeroelastic Wing airplane, an Aerostructures Test Wing, and pitch plunge simulation.

Brenner, Martin J.↗

Aeroelastic Flight Data Analysis with the Hilbert-Huang Algorithm

This paper investigates the utility of the Hilbert-Huang transform for the analysis of aeroelastic flight data. It is well known that the classical Hilbert transform can be used for time-frequency analysis of functions or signals. Unfortunately, the Hilbert transform can only be effectively applied to an extremely small class of signals, namely those that are characterized by a single frequency component at any instant in time. The recently-developed Hilbert-Huang algorithm addresses the limitations of the classical Hilbert transform through a process known as empirical mode decomposition. Using this approach, the data is filtered into a series of intrinsic mode functions, each of which admits a well-behaved Hilbert transform. In this manner, the Hilbert-Huang algorithm affords time-frequency analysis of a large class of signals. This powerful tool has been applied in the analysis of scientific data, structural system identification, mechanical system fault detection, and even image processing. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential applications of the Hilbert-Huang algorithm for the analysis of aeroelastic systems, with improvements such as localized/online processing. Applications for correlations between system input and output, and amongst output sensors, are discussed to characterize the time-varying amplitude and frequency correlations present in the various components of multiple data channels. Online stability analyses and modal identification are also presented. Examples are given using aeroelastic test data from the F/A-18 Active Aeroelastic Wing aircraft, an Aerostructures Test Wing, and pitch-plunge simulation.

Brenner, Marty↗

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2006

Topics covered include: Improving Thermomechanical Properties of SiC/SiC Composites; Aerogel/Particle Composites for Thermoelectric Devices; Patches for Repairing Ceramics and Ceramic- Matrix Composites; Lower-Conductivity Ceramic Materials for Thermal-Barrier Coatings; An Alternative for Emergency Preemption of Traffic Lights; Vehicle Transponder for Preemption of Traffic Lights; Automated Announcements of Approaching Emergency Vehicles; Intersection Monitor for Traffic-Light-Preemption System; Full-Duplex Digital Communication on a Single Laser Beam; Stabilizing Microwave Frequency of a Photonic Oscillator; Microwave Oscillators Based on Nonlinear WGM Resonators; Pointing Reference Scheme for Free-Space Optical Communications Systems; High-Level Performance Modeling of SAR Systems; Spectral Analysis Tool 6.2 for Windows; Multi-Platform Avionics Simulator; Silicon-Based Optical Modulator with Ferroelectric Layer; Multiplexing Transducers Based on Tunnel-Diode Oscillators; Scheduling with Automated Resolution of Conflicts; Symbolic Constraint Maintenance Grid; Discerning Trends in Performance Across Multiple Events; Magnetic Field Solver; Computing for Aiming a Spaceborne Bistatic- Radar Transmitter; 4-Vinyl-1,3-Dioxolane-2-One as an Additive for Li-Ion Cells; Probabilistic Prediction of Lifetimes of Ceramic Parts; STRANAL-PMC Version 2.0; Micromechanics and Piezo Enhancements of HyperSizer; Single-Phase Rare-Earth Oxide/Aluminum Oxide Glasses; Tilt/Tip/Piston Manipulator with Base-Mounted Actuators; Measurement of Model Noise in a Hard-Wall Wind Tunnel; Loci-STREAM Version 0.9; The Synergistic Engineering Environment; Reconfigurable Software for Controlling Formation Flying; More About the Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System; Computing Flows Using Chimera and Unstructured Grids; Avoiding Obstructions in Aiming a High-Gain Antenna; Analyzing Aeroelastic Stability of a Tilt-Rotor Aircraft; Tracking Positions and Attitudes of Mars Rovers; Stochastic Evolutionary Algorithms for Planning Robot Paths; Compressible Flow Toolbox; Rapid Aeroelastic Analysis of Blade Flutter in Turbomachines; General Flow-Solver Code for Turbomachinery Applications; Code for Multiblock CFD and Heat-Transfer Computations; Rotating-Pump Design Code; Covering a Crucible with Metal Containing Channels; Repairing Fractured Bones by Use of Bioabsorbable Composites; Kalman Filter for Calibrating a Telescope Focal Plane; Electronic Absolute Cartesian Autocollimator; Fiber-Optic Gratings for Lidar Measurements of Water Vapor; Simulating Responses of Gravitational-Wave Instrumentation; SOFTC: A Software Correlator for VLBI; Progress in Computational Simulation of Earthquakes; Database of Properties of Meteors; Computing Spacecraft Solar-Cell Damage by Charged Particles; Thermal Model of a Current-Carrying Wire in a Vacuum; Program for Analyzing Flows in a Complex Network; Program Predicts Performance of Optical Parametric Oscillators; Processing TES Level-1B Data; Automated Camera Calibration; Tracking the Martian CO2 Polar Ice Caps in Infrared Images; Processing TES Level-2 Data; SmaggIce Version 1.8; Solving the Swath Segment Selection Problem; The Spatial Standard Observer; Less-Complex Method of Classifying MPSK; Improvement in Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation of Data; Using Heaps in Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation of Data; Tool for Statistical Analysis and Display of Landing Sites; Automated Assignment of Proposals to Reviewers; Array-Pattern-Match Compiler for Opportunistic Data Analysis; Pre-Processor for Compression of Multispectral Image Data; Compressing Image Data While Limiting the Effects of Data Losses; Flight Operations Analysis Tool; Improvement in Visual Target Tracking for a Mobile Robot; Software for Simulating Air Traffic; Automated Vectorization of Decision-Based Algorithms; Grayscale Optical Correlator Workbench; "One-Stop Shopping" for Ocean Remote-Sensing and Model Data; State Analysis Database Tool; Generating CAHV and CAHVOmages with Shadows in ROAMS; Improving UDP/IP Transmission Without Increasing Congestion; FORTRAN Versions of Reformulated HFGMC Codes; Program for Editing Spacecraft Command Sequences; Flight-Tested Prototype of BEAM Software; Mission Scenario Development Workbench; Marsviewer; Tool for Analysis and Reduction of Scientific Data; ASPEN Version 3.0; Secure Display of Space-Exploration Images; Digital Front End for Wide-Band VLBI Science Receiver; Multifunctional Tanks for Spacecraft; Lightweight, Segmented, Mostly Silicon Telescope Mirror; Assistant for Analyzing Tropical-Rain-Mapping Radar Data; and Anion-Intercalating Cathodes for High-Energy- Density Cells.

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First Impressions of Data Driven Printmaking: Preliminary Outcomes of an Art and Science Collaboration

Katie Baldwin (University of Alabama Huntsville) and Helen Parache (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center) collaborated on a pilot project with two upper division printmaking classes at the UAH Art Department in Spring 2023. Presentations and guided discussions focused on what artists and scientists can learn from each other, drawing from the larger discourse, and an introduction to artists that incorporate scientific data in their work. Parache and Baldwin facilitated a series of activities where students engaged with data to develop content. Each session ended with creating a plan with each student for a data-driven project utilizing printmaking which was shared in a talk open to the public. This pilot collaboration brought up themes of accessibility, social relevance, emotional truth, and creative solutions. Next steps include repeating the workshop with tweaks in Fall 2023 and strengthening relationships between artists and scientists co-located in Huntsville, Alabama.

data-driven art↗

The NASA Earth Science Program and Small Satellites

Earth's changing environment impacts every aspect of life on our planet and climate change has profound implications on society. Studying Earth as a single complex system is essential to understanding the causes and consequences of climate change and other global environmental concerns. NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) shapes an interdisciplinary view of Earth, exploring interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, land surface interior, and life itself. This enables scientists to measure global and climate changes and to inform decisions by Government, other organizations, and people in the United States and around the world. The data collected and results generated are accessible to other agencies and organizations to improve the products and services they provide, including air quality indices, disaster prediction and response, agricultural yield projections, and aviation safety. ESD's Flight Program provides the spacebased observing systems and supporting infrastructure for mission operations and scientific data processing and distribution that support NASA's Earth science research and modeling activities. The Flight Program currently has 21 operating Earth observing space missions, including the recently launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, and the International Space Station (ISS) RapidSCAT and Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instruments. The ESD has 22 more missions and instruments planned for launch over the next decade. These include first and second tier missions from the 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, Climate Continuity missions to assure availability of key climate data sets, and small-sized competitively selected orbital missions and instrument missions of opportunity belonging to the Earth Venture (EV) Program. Small satellites (~500 kg or less) are critical contributors to these current and future satellite missions. Some examples are the aforementioned Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE FO), and the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) microsatellite constellation. Small satellites also support ESD in space validation and risk reduction of enabling technologies (components and systems). The status of the ESD Flight Program and the role of small satellites will be discussed.

Earth Science Prog & Small Sat↗

Overview of NASARTI (NASA Radiation Track Image) Program: Highlights of the Model Improvement and the New Results

This presentation summarizes several years of research done by the co-authors developing the NASARTI (NASA Radiation Track Image) program and supporting it with scientific data. The goal of the program is to support NASA mission to achieve a safe space travel for humans despite the perils of space radiation. The program focuses on selected topics in radiation biology that were deemed important throughout this period of time, both for the NASA human space flight program and to academic radiation research. Besides scientific support to develop strategies protecting humans against an exposure to deep space radiation during space missions, and understanding health effects from space radiation on astronauts, other important ramifications of the ionizing radiation were studied with the applicability to greater human needs: understanding the origins of cancer, the impact on human genome, and the application of computer technology to biological research addressing the health of general population. The models under NASARTI project include: the general properties of ionizing radiation, such as particular track structure, the effects of radiation on human DNA, visualization and the statistical properties of DSBs (DNA double-strand breaks), DNA damage and repair pathways models and cell phenotypes, chromosomal aberrations, microscopy data analysis and the application to human tissue damage and cancer models. The development of the GUI and the interactive website, as deliverables to NASA operations teams and tools for a broader research community, is discussed. Most recent findings in the area of chromosomal aberrations and the application of the stochastic track structure are also presented.

Ponomarev, Artem L.↗

Hubble Space Telescope overview

A general overview of the performance and current status of the Hubble Space Telescope is presented. Most key spacecraft subsystems are operating well, equaling or exceeding specifications. Spacecraft thermal properties, power, and communications, are superb. The only spacecraft subsystem to have failed, a gyro, is briefly discussed. All science instruments are functioning extremely well and are returning valuable scientific data. The two significant problems effecting the Hubble Space Telescope science return, the pointing jitter produced by thermally induced bending of the solar array wings and the optical telescope assembly spherical aberration, are discussed and plans to repair both problems are mentioned. The possible restoration of full optical performance of the axial scientific instruments through the use of the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement, currently under study for the 1993 servicing mission, is discussed. In addition, an overview of the scientific performance of the Hubble Space Telescope is presented.

Polidan, Ronald S.↗

Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Launch and Commissioning

During launch and early operation of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) analysis team encountered four main on orbit anomalies. These include: (1) unexpected shock from Solar Array deployment, (2) momentum buildup from the Magnetic Torquer Bars (MTBs) phasing errors, (3) transition into Safehold due to albedo-induced Course Sun Sensor (CSS) anomaly, and (4) a flight software error that could cause a Safehold transition due to a Star Tracker occultation. This paper will discuss ways GNC engineers identified and tracked down the root causes. Flight data and GNC on board models will be shown to illustrate how each of these anomalies were investigated and mitigated before causing any harm to the spacecraft. On May 29, 2014, GPM was handed over to the Mission Flight Operations Team after a successful commissioning period. Currently, GPM is operating nominally on orbit, collecting meaningful scientific data that will significantly improve our understanding of the Earth's climate and water cycle.

Guidance Navigation and Control↗

Effects of prolonged exposure to pure oxygen on human performance

In view of the pure oxygen atmosphere selected for Project Mercury, and in anticipation of subsequent manned space missions of increasing duration, it was apparent that there was a need to obtain more extensive physiological data on the prolonged effects of pure oxygen environments on the crews. This study, conducted by Republic Aviation Corporation under Contract NASR-92, was initiated in collaboration with General Charles Roadman, USAF (MC), Director of Aerospace Medicine (formerly the Office of Life Sciences, NASA Headquarters), and his staff in an effort to provide a greater breadth of scientific data on the prolonged effects of such an environment on human performance. Although the 5 psi environment of Project Mercury was the focal point of the study, a broader appraisal of the effects of pure oxygen in the absence of nitrogen was attempted by including studies at 7.4 psi and 3.8 psi in addition to a control group at sea level atmospheric conditions. After award of the contract, the technical monitoring of the study was provided by the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, where Mr. Edward Michel served as monitor and coordinator for these and related studies subsequently established in laboratories of the U.S. Navy and U. S. Air Force.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT↗

Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Launch and Commissioning

During launch and early operation of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) analysis team encountered four main on-orbit anomalies. These include: (1) unexpected shock from Solar Array deployment, (2) momentum buildup from the Magnetic Torquer Bars (MTBs) phasing errors, (3) transition into Safehold due to albedo induced Course Sun Sensor (CSS) anomaly, and (4) a flight software error that could cause a Safehold transition due to a Star Tracker occultation. This paper will discuss ways GN&C engineers identified the anomalies and tracked down the root causes. Flight data and GN&C on-board models will be shown to illustrate how each of these anomalies were investigated and mitigated before causing any harm to the spacecraft. On May 29, 2014, GPM was handed over to the Mission Flight Operations Team after a successful commissioning period. Currently, GPM is operating nominally on orbit, collecting meaningful scientific data that will significantly improve our understanding of the Earth's climate and water cycle.

Guidance Navigation and Control↗

Report on Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Strategic Planning and Science Prioritization

This report details the observations from a two-day virtual workshop, held May 12-13, 2020, focused on whether, and how, artificial intelligence (AI) could assist humans in strategic planning, specifically in science and technology prioritization. The participants identified several “key challenges” that AI might tackle in this area. To further understand the value of these key challenges the workshop then developed related test cases that would demonstrate specifically how AI/machine learning (ML) could provide assistance to humans. Approximately 40 subject matter experts (SMEs), with backgrounds in AI, strategic planning for science, and scientific data, were gathered for the conference. This report collates the details of the output of the workshop. The “best” test cases include (in no particular order):Use of AI to assist in selecting Decadal Survey priorities. * Use of AI to identify new, or previously unidentified, science topics for prioritization. * Using AI to better label and increase discoverability of scientific literature and proposals. * Use of AI to enhance current observation capabilities for scientific missions. * Using AI to mitigate biases in selection of proposal reviewers and membership of advisory committees. Examination of these test cases indicates that Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a common capability found in most of the ”best” (top-rated) test cases and is a valuable, multi-purpose tool which enables ML in this area.

strategic planning↗