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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Mitigation of Polystyrene Microsphere Surface Contamination for Wind Tunnel Applications

Polystyrene latex (PSL) microspheres have been utilized as seed material for flow visualization in wind tunnels. However, PSL microspheres have been observed to strongly adhere to wind tunnel and model surfaces. Surface contamination on the cleaning screens that remove vorticity and provide laminar flow in the test section, is particularly problematic. Agglomeration of particles on these screens cause constriction of the airflow through the screen resulting in inconsistent airflow properties in the test section. The adhesion mechanism of PSL microspheres to wind tunnel screens and 316 stainless steel flat plates, were evaluated in a contamination apparatus where small sections of screen material were exposed to PSL-seeded airflow. Using a design of experiments (DOE) methodology airflow seeding parameters were changed to evaluate how these modifications affected the degree of surface contamination. The solution composition, comprised of ethanol and water, was determined to be the most significant factor in particle adhesion. Utilizing image analysis software, data were collected from the contaminated surfaces and incorporated to generate predictive particle contamination models. A relationship was identified between the solvent evaporation rate, and the morphology and magnitude of PSL contaminants on the test surfaces. This analysis can be extended to other solvent mixtures to provide insight into simultaneously improving wind tunnel testing capabilities while diminishing facility contamination.

Wohl, Christopher J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Design considerations for a space database

Part of the information used in a real-time simulator is stored in the visual database. This information is processed by an image generator and displayed as a real-time visual image. The database must be constructed in a specific format, and it should efficiently utilize the capacities of the image generator that is was created for. A visual simulation is crucially dependent upon the success with which the database provides visual cues and recognizable scenes. For this reason, more and more attention is being paid to the art and science of creating effective real-time visual databases. Investigated here are the database design considerations required for a space-oriented real-time simulator. Space applications often require unique designs that correspond closely to the particular image-generator hardware and visual-database-management software. Specific examples from the databases constructed for NASA and its Evans and Sutherland CT6 image generator illustrate the various design strategies used in a space-simulation environment. These database design considerations are essential for all who would create a space database.

Moss, Lance M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Enhanced Vision for All-Weather Operations Under NextGen

Recent research in Synthetic/Enhanced Vision technology is analyzed with respect to existing Category II/III performance and certification guidance. The goal is to start the development of performance-based vision systems technology requirements to support future all-weather operations and the NextGen goal of Equivalent Visual Operations. This work shows that existing criteria to operate in Category III weather and visibility are not directly applicable since, unlike today, the primary reference for maneuvering the airplane is based on what the pilot sees visually through the "vision system." New criteria are consequently needed. Several possible criteria are discussed, but more importantly, the factors associated with landing system performance using automatic and manual landings are delineated.

Bailey, Randall E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Visual Odometry for Autonomous Deep-Space Navigation Project

Autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D) is a critical need for manned spaceflight, especially in deep space where communication delays essentially leave crews on their own for critical operations like docking. Previously developed AR&D sensors have been large, heavy, power-hungry, and may still require further development (e.g. Flash LiDAR). Other approaches to vision-based navigation are not computationally efficient enough to operate quickly on slower, flight-like computers. The key technical challenge for visual odometry is to adapt it from the current terrestrial applications it was designed for to function in the harsh lighting conditions of space. This effort leveraged Draper Laboratory’s considerable prior development and expertise, benefitting both parties. The algorithm Draper has created is unique from other pose estimation efforts as it has a comparatively small computational footprint (suitable for use onboard a spacecraft, unlike alternatives) and potentially offers accuracy and precision needed for docking. This presents a solution to the AR&D problem that only requires a camera, which is much smaller, lighter, and requires far less power than competing AR&D sensors. We have demonstrated the algorithm’s performance and ability to process ‘flight-like’ imagery formats with a ‘flight-like’ trajectory, positioning ourselves to easily process flight data from the upcoming ‘ISS Selfie’ activity and then compare the algorithm’s quantified performance to the simulated imagery. This will bring visual odometry beyond TRL 5, proving its readiness to be demonstrated as part of an integrated system.Once beyond TRL 5, visual odometry will be poised to be demonstrated as part of a system in an in-space demo where relative pose is critical, like Orion AR&D, ISS robotic operations, asteroid proximity operations, and more.

Robinson, Shane↗
NASA NTRS2016

Visual Odometry for Autonomous Deep-Space Navigation Project

Autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D) is a critical need for manned spaceflight, especially in deep space where communication delays essentially leave crews on their own for critical operations like docking. Previously developed AR&D sensors have been large, heavy, power-hungry, and may still require further development (e.g. Flash LiDAR). Other approaches to vision-based navigation are not computationally efficient enough to operate quickly on slower, flight-like computers. The key technical challenge for visual odometry is to adapt it from the current terrestrial applications it was designed for to function in the harsh lighting conditions of space. This effort leveraged Draper Laboratory's considerable prior development and expertise, benefitting both parties. The algorithm Draper has created is unique from other pose estimation efforts as it has a comparatively small computational footprint (suitable for use onboard a spacecraft, unlike alternatives) and potentially offers accuracy and precision needed for docking. This presents a solution to the AR&D problem that only requires a camera, which is much smaller, lighter, and requires far less power than competing AR&D sensors. We have demonstrated the algorithm's performance and ability to process 'flight-like' imagery formats with a 'flight-like' trajectory, positioning ourselves to easily process flight data from the upcoming 'ISS Selfie' activity and then compare the algorithm's quantified performance to the simulated imagery. This will bring visual odometry beyond TRL 5, proving its readiness to be demonstrated as part of an integrated system. Once beyond TRL 5, visual odometry will be poised to be demonstrated as part of a system in an in-space demo where relative pose is critical, like Orion AR&D, ISS robotic operations, asteroid proximity operations, and more.

Robinson, Shane↗
NASA NTRS1987

Some advances in digital flow visualization

The ability to visualize complex objects, concepts, interactions, and phenomena, to 'SEE' them in the mind's eye, has always been a fundamental component of the engineering discipline. Today, driven by increasingly demanding design requirements and an avalanche of data from powerful new computers and sophisticated experimental devices, the need to visualize data effectively is more important than ever before. This pressing need has resulted in the rapid increase in the use of computer-generated graphics in engineering. This is particularly true in the field of fluid dynamics where the internal structure of flow, not just surface or geometric effects, must be interpreted and communicated. This paper reports on several recent developments in the application of digital computer-generated graphics to engineering requirements for visualization of flow.

Belie, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Identification and evaluation of lubricants, adhesives, and seals used on LDEF

A variety of lubricants, adhesives, and seals were flown on Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). They were used in the fabrication and assembly of the experiments similar to other spacecraft applications. Typically, these materials were not exposed to U.V. radiation or atomic oxygen, except possibly around the perimeter of the joints. Most of these materials were of secondary interest and were only investigated by visual examination and a 'Did they fall?' criteria. Because of this role, most applications had only a few specimens, not enough for statistical data generation. Often, no control samples were kept, and documentation of what was used was occasionally sketchy.

Keough, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS2000

Visualization of In-Flight Flow Phenomena Using Infrared Thermography

Infrared thermography was used to obtain data on the state of the boundary layer of a natural laminar flow airfoil in supersonic flight. In addition to the laminar-to-turbulent transition boundary, the infrared camera was able to detect shock waves and present a time dependent view of the flow field. A time dependent heat transfer code was developed to predict temperature distributions on the test subject and any necessary surface treatment. A commercially available infrared camera was adapted for airborne use in this application. Readily available infrared technology has the capability to provide detailed visualization of various flow phenomena in subsonic to hypersonic flight regimes.

Banks, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Supporting automation in spacecraft activity planning with simulation and visualization

Automation is gaining momentum in spacecraft operations, however, at a much slower pace than comparable application domains. The reasons behind slow adoption is (1) the need for high reliability and (2) the limited interaction between human operators and the automated systems. For automated systems to be adopted and trusted by humans, humans need to gain intuition about the decision making process of the automated system and trust in its execution [1]. In this paper, we present how simulation and visualization can enhance adoption of an automated on-board activity scheduling system, specifically in the context of Mars2020 rover mission[2]. The visualization aims to communicate to the users degree of variance and uncertainty in possible schedule execution. Our preliminary validation results suggest that the proposed visualization increases operators’ confidence in—and likelihood of adopting—the automated scheduling system.

Chien, Steve↗
NASA NTRS1983

Motion/visual cueing requirements for vortex encounters during simulated transport visual approach and landing

This paper addresses the issues of motion/visual cueing fidelity requirements for vortex encounters during simulated transport visual approaches and landings. Four simulator configurations were utilized to provide objective performance measures during simulated vortex penetrations, and subjective comments from pilots were collected. The configurations used were as follows: fixed base with visual degradation (delay), fixed base with no visual degradation, moving base with visual degradation (delay), and moving base with no visual degradation. The statistical comparisons of the objective measures and the subjective pilot opinions indicated that although both minimum visual delay and motion cueing are recommended for the vortex penetration task, the visual-scene delay characteristics were not as significant a fidelity factor as was the presence of motion cues. However, this indication was applicable to a restricted task, and to transport aircraft. Although they were statistically significant, the effects of visual delay and motion cueing on the touchdown-related measures were considered to be of no practical consequence.

Parrish, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Visualization of Traffic Accidents

Traffic accidents have tremendous impact on society. Annually approximately 6.4 million vehicle accidents are reported by police in the US and nearly half of them result in catastrophic injuries. Visualizations of traffic accidents using geographic information systems (GIS) greatly facilitate handling and analysis of traffic accidents in many aspects. Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Inc. is the world leader in GIS research and development. ArcGIS, a software package developed by ESRI, has the capabilities to display events associated with a road network, such as accident locations, and pavement quality. But when event locations related to a road network are processed, the existing algorithm used by ArcGIS does not utilize all the information related to the routes of the road network and produces erroneous visualization results of event locations. This software bug causes serious problems for applications in which accurate location information is critical for emergency responses, such as traffic accidents. This paper aims to address this problem and proposes an improved method that utilizes all relevant information of traffic accidents, namely, route number, direction, and mile post, and extracts correct event locations for accurate traffic accident visualization and analysis. The proposed method generates a new shape file for traffic accidents and displays them on top of the existing road network in ArcGIS. Visualization of traffic accidents along Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Wang, Jie↗
NASA NTRS1995

Event-Based Study of the Effect of Execution Environments on Parallel Program Performance

In this paper we seek to demonstrate the importance of studying the effect of changes in execution environment parameters, on parallel applications executed on state-of-the-art multiprocessors. A comprehensive methodology for event-based analysis of program behavior is introduced. This methodology is used to study the performance significance of various system parameters such as processor speed, message-buffer size, buffer copy speed, network bandwidth, communication latency, interrupt overheads and other system parameters. With the help cf a few CFD examples, we illustrate the use of our technique in determining suitable parameter values of the execution environment for three applications. We also demonstrate how this approach can be used to predict performance across architectures and illustrate the use of visual and profile-like feedback to expose the effect of system parameters changes on the performance of specific applications module.

Sarukkai, Sekhar R.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Eddy Current System for Material Inspection and Flaw Visualization

Eddy current methods have been successfully used in a variety of non-destructive evaluation applications including detection of cracks, measurements of material thickness, determining metal thinning due to corrosion, measurements of coating thickness, determining electrical conductivity, identification of materials, and detection of corrosion in heat exchanger tubes. This paper describes the development of an eddy current prototype that combines positional and eddy-current data to produce a C-scan of tested material. The preliminary system consists of an eddy current probe, a position tracking mechanism, and basic data visualization capability. Initial test results of the prototype are presented in this paper.

Bachnak, R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Data Communications Requirements for CAS Applications

This paper discusses the long-haul data communications requirements needed to support visualization of Computational Aeroscience (CAS) simulations. A scientific computing model is presented, from which current communications requirements are derived. This model is then expanded to describe the CAS Collaborative Visualization Environment, in which scientists from multiple NASA centers will collaborate on multidisciplinary, time-accurate simulations. An analysis of this model, along with data from the TFCC Workload Model, shows that CAS data communications requirements will increase to 10-100 megabytes/second by 1996.

McCabe, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A 500 megabyte/second disk array

Applications at the Army High Performance Computing Research Center's (AHPCRC) Graphic and Visualization Laboratory (GVL) at the University of Minnesota require a tremendous amount of I/O bandwidth and this appetite for data is growing. Silicon Graphics workstations are used to perform the post-processing, visualization, and animation of multi-terabyte size datasets produced by scientific simulations performed of AHPCRC supercomputers. The M.A.X. (Maximum Achievable Xfer) was designed to find the maximum achievable I/O performance of the Silicon Graphics CHALLENGE/Onyx-class machines that run these applications. Running a fully configured Onyx machine with 12-150MHz R4400 processors, 512MB of 8-way interleaved memory, 31 fast/wide SCSI-2 channel each with a Ciprico disk array controller we were able to achieve a maximum sustained transfer rate of 509.8 megabytes per second. However, after analyzing the results it became clear that the true maximum transfer rate is somewhat beyond this figure and we will need to do further testing with more disk array controllers in order to find the true maximum.

Ruwart, Thomas M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Science Planning for Multi-Spacecraft Coordinated Observations

Fulfilling the promise of an era of great observatories, NASA now has more than three space-based astronomical telescopes operating in different wavebands. This situation provides astronomers with a unique opportunity to simultaneously observe with multiple observatories. Yet scheduling multiple observatories simultaneously is highly inefficient when compared to single observatory observations. Thus, programs using multiple observatories are limited not due to scientific restrictions, but due to operational inefficiencies. Each year, a number of proposals are accepted by a space-based observatory for conduction of astronomical observations and gathering of science data for the study of galactic events. Since each space-based observatory uses a set of instruments designed to operate in specific energy regions, most such studies are conducted by submitting observation proposals to multiple observatories, with requests to coordinate among themselves. To assure that the proposed observations can be scheduled, each observatory's staff has to check that the observations are valid and meet all the constraints for their own observatory; in addition, they have to verify that the observations satisfy the constraints of the other observatories. Thus, coordinated observations require painstaking manual collaboration among the observatory staff at each observatory. In order to exploit new paradigms for observatory operation, the Goddard Space Flight Center's Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch has developed a prototype tool called the Visual Observation Layout Tool (VOLT). The main objective of VOLT is to provide a visual tool to automate the science planning of coordinated observations for multiple spacecraft, as well as to increase the scheduling probability of observations. However, VOLT is also useful for single observatory planning to optimize observatory control. Three space-based missions are interested in using VOLT (the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer). The VOLT team members have collaborated with these missions to gather requirements and obtain feedback on their mission planning processes. VOLT has been developed as a cross-platform Java client application for use by scientists and observatory science planning staff to visualize scheduling options and constraints. It also supports a lightweight graphical user interface for remote viewing via a Web front end. Additionally, it uniquely supports the ability to interact with multiple, diverse scheduling packages in order to determine windows of opportunity for observations and visually portray the constraints of each observation request. VOLT enables science data capture scenarios which are currently either impossible, or which require extensive time and manpower to coordinate amongst multiple observatories. it supports early detection of planning conflicts by generating coordinated solutions based on observatory schedulability and constraints. The project development approach has included frequent prototype demonstrations to our interested missions to obtain feedback after each release of the software. We will present an overview of our lessons learned in infusing the VOLT tool into the operations of the missions we have collaborated with and a brief demonstration of the software.

Maks, Lori↗
NASA NTRS2002

The D3 Middleware Architecture

DARWIN is a NASA developed, Internet-based system for enabling aerospace researchers to securely and remotely access and collaborate on the analysis of aerospace vehicle design data, primarily the results of wind-tunnel testing and numeric (e.g., computational fluid-dynamics) model executions. DARWIN captures, stores and indexes data; manages derived knowledge (such as visualizations across multiple datasets); and provides an environment for designers to collaborate in the analysis of test results. DARWIN is an interesting application because it supports high-volumes of data. integrates multiple modalities of data display (e.g., images and data visualizations), and provides non-trivial access control mechanisms. DARWIN enables collaboration by allowing not only sharing visualizations of data, but also commentary about and views of data. Here we provide an overview of the architecture of D3, the third generation of DARWIN. Earlier versions of DARWIN were characterized by browser-based interfaces and a hodge-podge of server technologies: CGI scripts, applets, PERL, and so forth. But browsers proved difficult to control, and a proliferation of computational mechanisms proved inefficient and difficult to maintain. D3 substitutes a pure-Java approach for that medley: A Java client communicates (though RMI over HTTPS) with a Java-based application server. Code on the server accesses information from JDBC databases, distributed LDAP security services, and a collaborative information system. D3 is a three tier-architecture, but unlike 'E-commerce' applications, the data usage pattern suggests different strategies than traditional Enterprise Java Beans - we need to move volumes of related data together, considerable processing happens on the client, and the 'business logic' on the server-side is primarily data integration and collaboration. With D3, we are extending DARWIN to handle other data domains and to be a distributed system, where a single login allows a user transparent access to test results from multiple servers and authority domains.

Walton, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2010

Applications of Modeling and Simulation for Flight Hardware Processing at Kennedy Space Center

The Boeing Design Visualization Group (DVG) is responsible for the creation of highly-detailed representations of both on-site facilities and flight hardware using computer-aided design (CAD) software, with a focus on the ground support equipment (GSE) used to process and prepare the hardware for space. Throughout my ten weeks at this center, I have had the opportunity to work on several projects: the modification of the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) High Bay, weekly mapping of the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) floor layout, kinematics applications for the Orion Command Module (CM) hatches, and the design modification of the Ares I Upper Stage hatch for maintenance purposes. The main goal of each of these projects was to generate an authentic simulation or representation using DELMIA V5 software. This allowed for evaluation of facility layouts, support equipment placement, and greater process understanding once it was used to demonstrate future processes to customers and other partners. As such, I have had the opportunity to contribute to a skilled team working on diverse projects with a central goal of providing essential planning resources for future center operations.

Marshall, Jennifer L.↗