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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

An “EPIIC” Vision to Evolve Project Integration, Innovation, and Collaboration with Broad Impact for How NASA Executes Complex Projects

Evolving Project Integration, Innovation, and Collaboration (EPIIC) is a vision defined to transform the way projects manage information to support real-time decisions, capture best practices and lessons learned, perform assessments, and manage risk across a portfolio of projects. The foundational project management needs for data and information will be revolutionized through innovations on how we manage and access that data, implement configuration control, and certify compliance. The embedded intelligence of new interactive data interfaces integrate technical and programmatic data such that near real time analytics can be accomplished to more efficiently and accurately complete systems engineering and project management tasks. The system-wide data analytics that are integrated into customized data interfaces allows the growing team of engineers and managers required to develop and implement major NASA missions the ability to access authoritative source(s) of system information while greatly reducing the labor required to complete system assessments. This would allow, for example, much of what is accomplished in a scheduled design review to take place as needed, between any team members, at any time. An intelligent data interface that rigorously integrates systems engineering and project management information in near real time can provide substantially greater insight for systems engineers, project managers, and the large diverse teams required to complete a complex project. System engineers, programmatic personnel (those who focus on cost, schedule, and risk), the technical engineering disciplines, and project management can realize immediate benefit from the shared vision described herein. Implementation of the vision also enables significant improvements in the performance of the engineered system being developed.

Moreland, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS2024

MBSE (SysML) and Digital Twin Integration to Support Engineering Analysis & Design

Problem Statement: The complexity of Gateway systems and of managing the integrated safety analysis have made traditional methods of engineering analysis and design increasingly challenging. To address these challenges, a prototype that integrate Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) with Digital Twin technology has been developed to demonstrate the utilities and functions. Project Goal: Develop a prototype of a Digital Twin Of Gateway ECLSS IMV system to enhance fault management analysis through collaboration, visualization, and simulation. Overall Project Results / Accomplishments: - Developed extension to streamline the integration of SysML models with the Digital Twin platform - Demonstrated the capability to aggregate any relevant information and provide simulation integration within the DT prototype. - Generated digital twin simulation using SysML Activity Diagrams - Implemented a complex trade study use case based on the integrated SysML-Digital Twin infrastructure

MBSE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data Management in the Continuum: Cross-facility Object-based Data Transfers

Scientific workflows are evolving from relying on a monolithic storage subsystem at a single High-Performance Computing (HPC) facility to using geographically distributed file systems, repositories, and cloud storage. As a result, storing, accessing, transferring, and managing scientific data have become highly complex and prone to performance inefficiencies. This paper delves into these challenges by exploring an optimized end-to-end interface designed to seamlessly connect various local and remote storage systems, enabling efficient data movement of objects across HPC–Cloud and HPC–HPC environments. We showcase this capability through an object-focused data management runtime system, discuss the effects of relaxed consistency semantics in distributed object scenarios, and illustrate its application in an earthquake simulation workflow. Besides reducing the amount of data by selectively transferring regions of interest, our facility-local results achieved a speedup of 45 × over an optimized HDF5 usage and 15 × over the HDF5 with caching by using the new interface in PDC-XF.

Bez, Jean Luca↗
NASA NTRS1994

Program control in NASA: Needs and opportunities

NASA has successfully managed some of this country's most complex technology and development programs. These successes have included the application of sound program control processes. The impetus for this study arose from the NASA Management Study Group findings that over time, some program control tools and disciplined procedures and processes had weakened. The Study Group recommended that steps be taken to establish a comprehensive training approach in program management, and specifically, in program control functions. This study looks at program control processes within NASA currently in use, defines a 'model' of program control functions, and provides recommendations on program control training needs and opportunities.

Lilly, William E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Data management in the mission data system

As spacecraft evolve from simple embedded devices to become more sophisticated computing platforms with complex behaviors it is increasingly necessary to model and manage the flow of data, and to provide uniform models for managing data that promote adaptability, yet pay heed to the physical limitations of the embedded and space environments.

mission data system (MDS)↗
NASA NTRS1989

DeMAID: A Design Manager's Aide for Intelligent Decomposition user's guide

A design problem is viewed as a complex system divisible into modules. Before the design of a complex system can begin, the couplings among modules and the presence of iterative loops is determined. This is important because the design manager must know how to group the modules into subsystems and how to assign subsystems to design teams so that changes in one subsystem will have predictable effects on other subsystems. Determining these subsystems is not an easy, straightforward process and often important couplings are overlooked. Moreover, the planning task must be repeated as new information become available or as the design specifications change. The purpose of this research is to develop a knowledge-based tool called the Design Manager's Aide for Intelligent Decomposition (DeMAID) to act as an intelligent advisor for the design manager. DeMaid identifies the subsystems of a complex design problem, orders them into a well-structured format, and marks the couplings among the subsystems to facilitate the use of multilevel tools. DeMAID also provides the design manager with the capability of examining the trade-offs between sequential and parallel processing. This type of approach could lead to a substantial savings or organizing and displaying a complex problem as a sequence of subsystems easily divisible among design teams. This report serves as a User's Guide for the program.

Rogers, James L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Ground Data System, Receivables and Deliverables (REC/DELs)

This paper presents one JPL element manager's approach to describe a complex Ground Data System (GDS) with its receivables and deliverables (REC/DEL). The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Ground Data System is the integrated set of ground software, hardware, facilities and networks that support mission operation. REC/DEL is a powerful tool for specifying hierarchy of commitments among systems and teams. Receivable of a system is a deliverable of another system. Focusing on tangible products enables the manager to objectively measure progress in a schedule. Jet Propulsion Laboratory mandates the use of REC/DEL for flight projects. Tutorial and training is provided for managers to create integrated REC/DEL database using automated systems. Project schedules are based on REC/DELs. This paper is not focusing on the mechanics of REC/DEL database creation, but it provides a guideline how one systematically creates categories of deliverables and receivables for ground data system components.

guidelines↗
NASA NTRS2006

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Ground Data System, Receivables and Deliverables (REC/DELs)

This paper presents one JPL element manager's approach to describe a complex Ground Data System (GDS) with its receivables and deliverables (REC/DEL). The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Ground Data System is the integrated set of ground software, hardware, facilities and networks that support mission operation. REC/DEL is a powerful tool for specifying hierarchy of commitments among systems and teams. Receivable of a system is a deliverable of another system. Focusing on tangible products enables the manager to objectively measure progress in a schedule. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory mandates the use of REC/DEL for flight projects. Tutorial and training is provided for managers to create an integrated REC/DEL database using automated systems. Project schedules are based on REC/DELs. This paper is not focusing on the mechanics of REC/DEL database creation, but it provides a guideline how one systematically creates categories of deliverables and receivables for ground data system components...

ground data system (GDS)↗
NASA NTRS2004

Weight Optimization of Active Thermal Management Using a Novel Heat Pump

Efficient lightweight power generation and thermal management are two important aspects for space applications. Weight is added to the space platforms due to the inherent weight of the onboard power generation equipment and the additional weight of the required thermal management systems. Thermal management of spacecraft relies on rejection of heat via radiation, a process that can result in large radiator mass, depending upon the heat rejection temperature. For some missions, it is advantageous to incorporate an active thermal management system, allowing the heat rejection temperature to be greater than the load temperature. This allows a reduction of radiator mass at the expense of additional system complexity. A particular type of active thermal management system is based on a thermodynamic cycle, developed by the authors, called the Solar Integrated Thermal Management and Power (SITMAP) cycle. This system has been a focus of the authors research program in the recent past (see Fig. 1). One implementation of the system requires no moving parts, which decreases the vibration level and enhances reliability. Compression of the refrigerant working fluid is accomplished in this scheme via an ejector.

Lear, William E.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission: Fault Management Design Analyses

As a general trend, the complexities of modern spacecraft are increasing to include more ambitious mission goals with tighter timing requirements and on-board autonomy. As a byproduct, the protective features that monitor the performance of these systems have also increased in scope and complexity. Given cost and schedule pressures, there is an increasing emphasis on understanding the behavior of the system at design time. Formal test-driven verification and validation (V&V) is rarely able to test the significant combinatorics of states, and often finds problems late in the development cycle forcing design changes that can be costly. This paper describes the approach the SMAP Fault Protection team has taken to address some of the above-mentioned issues.

Earth↗
NASA NTRS2011

Progress Toward Future Runway Management

The runway is universally acknowledged as a constraining factor to capacity in the National Airspace System (NAS). It follows that investigation of the effective use of runways, both in terms of selection and assignment, is paramount to the efficiency of future NAS operations. The need to address runway management is not a new idea; however, as the complexities of factors affecting runway selection and usage increase, the need for effective research in this area correspondingly increases. Under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Airspace Systems Program, runway management is a key research area. To address a future NAS which promises to be a complex landscape of factors and competing interests among users and operators, effective runway management strategies and capabilities are required. This effort has evolved from an assessment of current practices, an understanding of research activities addressing surface and airspace operations, traffic flow management enhancements, among others. This work has yielded significant progress. Systems analysis work indicates that the value of System Oriented Runway Management tools is significantly increased in the metroplex environment over that of the single airport case. Algorithms have been developed to provide runway configuration recommendations for a single airport with multiple runways. A benefits analysis has been conducted that indicates the SORM benefits include supporting traffic growth, cost reduction as a result of system efficiency, NAS optimization from metroplex operations, fairness in aircraft operations, and rational decision making.

Lohr, Gary W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Dynamic Flow Management Problems in Air Transportation

In 1995, over six hundred thousand licensed pilots flew nearly thirty-five million flights into over eighteen thousand U.S. airports, logging more than 519 billion passenger miles. Since demand for air travel has increased by more than 50% in the last decade while capacity has stagnated, congestion is a problem of undeniable practical significance. In this thesis, we will develop optimization techniques that reduce the impact of congestion on the national airspace. We start by determining the optimal release times for flights into the airspace and the optimal speed adjustment while airborne taking into account the capacitated airspace. This is called the Air Traffic Flow Management Problem (TFMP). We address the complexity, showing that it is NP-hard. We build an integer programming formulation that is quite strong as some of the proposed inequalities are facet defining for the convex hull of solutions. For practical problems, the solutions of the LP relaxation of the TFMP are very often integral. In essence, we reduce the problem to efficiently solving large scale linear programming problems. Thus, the computation times are reasonably small for large scale, practical problems involving thousands of flights. Next, we address the problem of determining how to reroute aircraft in the airspace system when faced with dynamically changing weather conditions. This is called the Air Traffic Flow Management Rerouting Problem (TFMRP) We present an integrated mathematical programming approach for the TFMRP, which utilizes several methodologies, in order to minimize delay costs. In order to address the high dimensionality, we present an aggregate model, in which we formulate the TFMRP as a multicommodity, integer, dynamic network flow problem with certain side constraints. Using Lagrangian relaxation, we generate aggregate flows that are decomposed into a collection of flight paths using a randomized rounding heuristic. This collection of paths is used in a packing integer programming formulation, the solution of which generates feasible and near-optimal routes for individual flights. The algorithm, termed the Lagrangian Generation Algorithm, is used to solve practical problems in the southwestern portion of United States in which the solutions are within 1% of the corresponding lower bounds.

Patterson, Sarah Stock↗
NASA NTRS2019

Controlled Rest on the Flight Deck: Profile of Use, Challenges, and Best Practices

Managing fatigue in 24/7 operations is complex; fatigue and performance degradation can have health and safety consequences for the workers and can have economic and community consequences. We will present new findings on sleep, circadian misalignment, and performance in operational personnel. The presentations will shed light on how sleep and circadian misalignment affect workers' performance, safety, and health across multiple operations, and their application in fatigue risk management.As part of this symposium, I will discuss how pilots can use short naps (controlled rest) as a countermeasure to elevated sleepiness in-flight. My presentation will describe how and when controlled rest is used operationally and outline best practice guidelines for maximizing the benefits while managing the associated risks.

aviation↗
NASA NTRS1998

Intelligent Systems and Advanced User Interfaces for Design, Operation, and Maintenance of Command Management Systems

Historically Command Management Systems (CMS) have been large, expensive, spacecraft-specific software systems that were costly to build, operate, and maintain. Current and emerging hardware, software, and user interface technologies may offer an opportunity to facilitate the initial formulation and design of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as a to develop a more generic or a set of core components for CMS systems. Current MOC (mission operations center) hardware and software include Unix workstations, the C/C++ and Java programming languages, and X and Java window interfaces representations. This configuration provides the power and flexibility to support sophisticated systems and intelligent user interfaces that exploit state-of-the-art technologies in human-machine systems engineering, decision making, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. One of the goals of this research is to explore the extent to which technologies developed in the research laboratory can be productively applied in a complex system such as spacecraft command management. Initial examination of some of the issues in CMS design and operation suggests that application of technologies such as intelligent planning, case-based reasoning, design and analysis tools from a human-machine systems engineering point of view (e.g., operator and designer models) and human-computer interaction tools, (e.g., graphics, visualization, and animation), may provide significant savings in the design, operation, and maintenance of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as continuity for CMS design and development across spacecraft with varying needs. The savings in this case is in software reuse at all stages of the software engineering process.

Mitchell, Christine M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Complex Fluid‐Driven Fractures Caused by Crack‐Parallel Stress

Abstract Managing fluid‐driven fracture networks is crucial for subsurface resource utilization, yet the current understanding of the key controlling factors remains insufficient. While geologic discontinuities have been shown to significantly influence fracture network complexity, this study identifies another major contributor. We conducted a new set of experiments using a transparent true triaxial cell, which enabled video recording of the temporal evolution of fluid‐driven fracture paths. Using pseudo‐2D samples without macroscale structural discontinuities, we observed multiple occurrences of hydraulic fracture curving and branching under anisotropic boundary stresses. We proposed a theoretical model demonstrating that the stress parallel to the crack line in the solid matrix near the crack tip (i.e., the T ‐stress) accounts for the observed fracture curving behavior. This finding suggests that T ‐stress is an additional mechanism contributing to the complexity of fluid‐driven fracture networks in the subsurface, besides the geologic discontinuities.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

CTGAN-TVAE

SAND2026-18914O CTGAN-TVAE (Conditional Tabular Generative Adversarial Networks-Tabular Variational Autoencoders) generates extensive sets of variable generation data through a hybrid framework. It enhances latent space representation by combining TVAE's robust feature-embedding with CTGAN's ability to condition categorical variables such as time. CTGAN-TVAE employs a fully connected neural network within a conditional generative adversarial network framework to manage continuous and categorical data effectively, capturing complex feature interactions without needing sequential modeling. This was developed as part of NNSA-MSIPP: Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program, Grant Number DE-NA0004016. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Newlun, Cody [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Liver↗
NASA NTRS1993

Intelligent systems and advanced user interfaces for design, operation, and maintenance of command management systems

Historically, command management systems (CMS) have been large and expensive spacecraft-specific software systems that were costly to build, operate, and maintain. Current and emerging hardware, software, and user interface technologies may offer an opportunity to facilitate the initial formulation and design of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as to develop a more generic CMS system. New technologies, in addition to a core CMS common to a range of spacecraft, may facilitate the training and enhance the efficiency of CMS operations. Current mission operations center (MOC) hardware and software include Unix workstations, the C/C++ programming languages, and an X window interface. This configuration provides the power and flexibility to support sophisticated and intelligent user interfaces that exploit state-of-the-art technologies in human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. One of the goals of this research is to explore the extent to which technologies developed in the research laboratory can be productively applied in a complex system such as spacecraft command management. Initial examination of some of these issues in CMS design and operation suggests that application of technologies such as intelligent planning, case-based reasoning, human-machine systems design and analysis tools (e.g., operator and designer models), and human-computer interaction tools (e.g., graphics, visualization, and animation) may provide significant savings in the design, operation, and maintenance of the CMS for a specific spacecraft as well as continuity for CMS design and development across spacecraft. The first six months of this research saw a broad investigation by Georgia Tech researchers into the function, design, and operation of current and planned command management systems at Goddard Space Flight Center. As the first step, the researchers attempted to understand the current and anticipated horizons of command management systems at Goddard. Preliminary results are given on CMS commonalities and causes of low re-use, and methods are proposed to facilitate increased re-use.

Potter, William J.↗