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At least 469 records · Page 26

Command Generation and Control of Momentum Exchange Electrodynamic Reboost Tethered Satellite

The research completed for this NASA Graduate Student Research Program Fellowship sought to enhance the current state-of-the-art dynamic models and control laws for Momentum Exchange Electrodynamic Reboost satellite systems by utilizing command generation, specifically Input Shaping. The precise control of tethered spacecraft with flexible appendages is extremely difficult. The complexity is magnified many times when the satellite must interact with other satellites as in a momentum exchange via a tether. The Momentum Exchange Electronic Reboost Tether (MXER) concept encapsulates all of these challenging tasks [l]. Input Shaping is a command generation technique that allows flexible spacecraft to move without inducing residual vibration [2], limit transient deflection [3] and utilize fuel-efficient actuation [4]. Input shaping is implemented by convolving a sequence of impulses, known as the input shaper, with a desired system command to produce a shaped input that is then used to drive the system. This process is demonstrated in Figure 1. The shaped command is then use to drive the system without residual vibration while meeting many other performance specifications. The completed work developed tether control algorithms for retrieval. A simple model of the tether response has been developed and command shaping was implemented to minimize unwanted dynamics. A model of a flexible electrodynamic tether has been developed to investigate the tether s response during reboost. Command shaping techniques have been developed to eliminate the tether oscillations and reduce the tether s deflection to pre-specified levels during reboost. Additionally, a model for the spin-up of a tethered system was developed. This model was used in determining the parameters for optimization the resulting angular velocity.

Robertson, Michael J.↗

Rigid Body Rate Inference from Attitude Variation

In this paper we research the extraction of the angular rate vector from attitude information without differentiation, in particular from quaternion measurements. We show that instead of using a Kalman filter of some kind, it is possible to obtain good rate estimates, suitable for spacecraft attitude control loop damping, using simple feedback loops, thereby eliminating the need for recurrent covariance computation performed when a Kalman filter is used. This considerably simplifies the computations required for rate estimation in gyro-less spacecraft. Some interesting qualities of the Kalman filter gain are explored, proven and utilized. We examine two kinds of feedback loops, one with varying gain that is proportional to the well known Q matrix, which is computed using the measured quaternion, and the other type of feedback loop is one with constant coefficients. The latter type includes two kinds; namely, a proportional feedback loop, and a proportional-integral feedback loop. The various schemes are examined through simulations and their performance is compared. It is shown that all schemes are adequate for extracting the angular velocity at an accuracy suitable for control loop damping.

Bar-Itzhack, I. Y.↗

Tides in Titan

Tides raised in Titan by Saturn give rise to a static and a periodic deformation; both will be measured with Doppler tracking during the CASSINI Tour of the Saturnian System. The latter deformation is due to the significant eccentricity of Titan's orbit and has a frequency equal to the orbital angular velocity of Titan.

Tides Titan CASSINI Saturnian System↗

Neuro-Motor Responses to Daily Centrifugation in Bed-Rested Subjects

It is well known from numerous space flight studies that exposure to micro-g produces both morphological and neural adaptations in the major postural muscles. However, the characteristics and mechanism of these changes, particularly when it may involve the central nervous system are not defined. Furthermore, it is not known what role unloading of the muscular system may have on central changes in sensorimotor function or if centrifugation along the +Gz direction (long body axis) can mitigate both the peripheral changes in muscle function and modification of the central changes in sensorimotor adaptation to the near weightless environment of space flight. The purpose of this specific effort was, therefore, to investigate the efficacy of artificial gravity (AG) as a method for maintaining sensorimotor function in micro-g. Eight male subjects were exposed to daily 1 hr centrifugation during a 21 day 6 degree head-down bed rest study. Seven controls were placed on the centrifuge without rotation. The radius and angular velocity of the centrifuge were adjusted such that each subject experienced a centripetal acceleration of 2.5g at the feet, and approximately 1.0g at the heart. Both the tendon (MSR) and functional stretch reflexes (FSR) were collected using an 80 lb. ft. servomotor controlled via position feedback to provide a dorsiflexion step input to elicit the MSR, and the same step input with a built in 3 sec hold to evoke the FSR. EMG data were obtained from the triceps surae. Supplementary torque, velocity and position data were collected with the EMG responses. All data were digitized and sampled at 4 kHz. Only the MSR data has been analyzed at this time, and preliminary results suggest that those subjects exposed to active centrifugation (treatment group) show only minor changes in MSR peak latency times, either as a function of time spent in bed rest or exposure to centrifugation, while the control subjects show delays in the MSR peak latencies that are typical of bed rested subjects. There also appears to be a trend in the treatment group where centrifugation results in peak latencies that are shorter than the control group. This trend is supported by the observation that peak reflex amplitudes are larger (up to 40% in magnitude)than those of the control subjects. Furthermore, centrifugation tends, by day 21 of bed rest, to normalize the peak amplitudes to the amplitudes observed prior to bed rest or centrifugation. From a preliminary point of view, centrifugation appears to have a positive effect on the sensorimotor system, and specifically on those muscles that provide anti-gravity and postural support.

Reschke, Millard F.↗

Development of a Smooth Trajectory Maneuver Method to Accommodate the Ares I Flight Control Constraints

Six degree-of-freedom (DOF) launch vehicle trajectories are designed to follow an optimized 3-DOF reference trajectory. A vehicle has a finite amount of control power that it can allocate to performing maneuvers. Therefore, the 3-DOF trajectory must be designed to refrain from using 100% of the allowable control capability to perform maneuvers, saving control power for handling off-nominal conditions, wind gusts and other perturbations. During the Ares I trajectory analysis, two maneuvers were found to be hard for the control system to implement; a roll maneuver prior to the gravity turn and an angle of attack maneuver immediately after the J-2X engine start-up. It was decided to develop an approach for creating smooth maneuvers in the optimized reference trajectories that accounts for the thrust available from the engines. A feature of this method is that no additional angular velocity in the direction of the maneuver has been added to the vehicle after the maneuver completion. This paper discusses the equations behind these new maneuvers and their implementation into the Ares I trajectory design cycle. Also discussed is a possible extension to adjusting closed-loop guidance.

Pinson, Robin M.↗

Monitoring and Controlling an Underwater Robotic Arm

The SSRMS Module 1 software is part of a system for monitoring an adaptive, closed-loop control of the motions of a robotic arm in NASA s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where buoyancy in a pool of water is used to simulate the weightlessness of outer space. This software is so named because the robot arm is a replica of the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). This software is distributed, running on remote joint processors (RJPs), each of which is mounted in a hydraulic actuator comprising the joint of the robotic arm and communicating with a poolside processor denoted the Direct Control Rack (DCR). Each RJP executes the feedback joint-motion control algorithm for its joint and communicates with the DCR. The DCR receives joint-angular-velocity commands either locally from an operator or remotely from computers that simulate the flight like SSRMS and perform coordinated motion calculations based on hand-controller inputs. The received commands are checked for validity before they are transmitted to the RJPs. The DCR software generates a display of the statuses of the RJPs for the DCR operator and can shut down the hydraulic pump when excessive joint-angle error or failure of a RJP is detected.

Haas, John↗

Combining Multiple Gyroscope Outputs for Increased Accuracy

A proposed method of processing the outputs of multiple gyroscopes to increase the accuracy of rate (that is, angular-velocity) readings has been developed theoretically and demonstrated by computer simulation. Although the method is applicable, in principle, to any gyroscopes, it is intended especially for application to gyroscopes that are parts of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The method is based on the concept that the collective performance of multiple, relatively inexpensive, nominally identical devices can be better than that of one of the devices considered by itself. The method would make it possible to synthesize the readings of a single, more accurate gyroscope (a virtual gyroscope) from the outputs of a large number of microscopic gyroscopes fabricated together on a single MEMS chip. The big advantage would be that the combination of the MEMS gyroscope array and the processing circuitry needed to implement the method would be smaller, lighter in weight, and less power-hungry, relative to a conventional gyroscope of equal accuracy. The method (see figure) is one of combining and filtering the digitized outputs of multiple gyroscopes to obtain minimum-variance estimates of rate. In the combining-and-filtering operations, measurement data from the gyroscopes would be weighted and smoothed with respect to each other according to the gain matrix of a minimum- variance filter. According to Kalman-filter theory, the gain matrix of the minimum-variance filter is uniquely specified by the filter covariance, which propagates according to a matrix Riccati equation. The present method incorporates an exact analytical solution of this equation.

Bayard, David S.↗

The Evolution of Friction Stir Welding Theory at Marshall Space Flight Center

From 1995 to the present the friction stir welding (FSW) process has been under study at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This is an account of the progressive emergence of a set of conceptual tools beginning with the discovery of the shear surface, wiping metal transfer, and the invention of a kinematic model and making possible a treatment of both metallurgical structure formation and process dynamics in friction stir welding from a unified point of view. It is generally observed that the bulk of the deformation of weld metal around the FSW pin takes place in a very narrow, almost discontinuous zone with high deformation rates characteristic of metal cutting. By 1999 it was realized that this zone could be treated as a shear surface like that in simple metal cutting models. At the shear surface the seam is drawn out and compressed and pressure and flow conditions determine whether or not a sound weld is produced. The discovery of the shear surface was followed by the synthesis of a simple 3- flow kinematic model of the FSW process. Relative to the tool the flow components are: (1) an approaching translational flow at weld speed V, (2) a rotating cylindrical plug flow with the angular velocity of the tool , and (3) a relatively slow ring vortex flow (like a smoke ring) encircling the tool and driven by shoulder scrolls and pin threads. The rotating plug flow picks up an element of weld metal, rotates it around with the tool, and deposits it behind the tool ( wiping metal transfer ); it forms plan section loops in tracers cut through by the tool. Radially inward flow from the ring vortex component retains metal longer in the rotating plug and outward flow expels metal earlier; this interaction forms the looping weld seam trace and the tongue and groove bimetallic weld contour. The radial components of the translational and ring vortex flows introduce parent metal intrusions into the small grained nugget material close to the tool shoulder; if this feature is pronounced, nugget collapse may result. Certain weld features, in particular internal banding seen in transverse section as onion rings and associated surface ridges called tool marks , have long implied an oscillation flow component, but have only recently been attributed in the literature to tool eccentricity. Rotating plug shape, typically a hollow cylinder flared at the end where it sticks to the shoulder, varies as pressure distribution on the tool determines where sticking occurs. Simplified power input estimates balanced against heat loss estimates give reasonable temperature estimates, explain why the power requirement changes hardly at all over a wide range of RPM s, and yield isotherms that seem to fall along boundaries of parameter windows of operation.

Nunes, Arthur C.↗

The Meteoroid Environment and Spacecraft

Difference between a meteoroid and asteroid? center dot It's all a matter of size, but there is no formal limit on the size of the biggest meteoroid or smallest asteroid. center dot Generally anything bigger than 10 meters in diameter is considered an asteroid. center dot However, the currently accepted process is that if it is detected in space and given a designation by the Minor Planet Center, it is an asteroid, no matter how big - example: 2008 TC3 is listed as an asteroid, despite being only 2 meters in diameter. Dynamical studies (e.g. Wiegert & Vaubaillon, 2008) indicate that - Helion sources originate mainly from Jupiter family comets (JFCs) - Apex sources from retrograde Halley family comets (HFCs) and long period comets. - Toroidal sources from prograde HFCs? center dot >90% of meteoroids in inner Solar System come from comets. Three main sources - Photographic (Super‐Schmidt) - Specular Radar center dot (Harvard Radio Meteor Project (HRMP) center dot CMOR center dot AMOR - HPLA center dot ALTAIR center dot Jicamarca center dot Arecibo center dot Photographic have lower number statistics and unique biases - Nighttime only - approx. V3.5 dependence on light production - Detection sensitivity is function of angular velocity center dot Radar has different biases - Ionization production also steep function of velocity (V3.5‐4) - Initial trail radius, finite velocity and diffusion attenuation center dot HPLA biases - Still controversy over how much and what sort of biases may or may not be present.

Cooke, William J.↗

The Force-Free Magnetosphere of a Rotating Black Hole

We revisit the Blandford-Znajek process and solve the fundamental equation that governs the structure of the steady-state force-free magnetosphere around a Kerr black hole. The solution depends on the distributions of the magnetic field angular velocity and the poloidal electric current. These are not arbitrary. They are determined self-consistently by requiring that magnetic field lines cross smoothly the two singular surfaces of the problem: the inner "light surface" located inside the ergosphere and the outer "light surface" which is the generalization of the pulsar light cylinder.We find the solution for the simplest possible magnetic field configuration, the split monopole, through a numerical iterative relaxation method analogous to the one that yields the structure of the steady-state axisymmetric force-free pulsar magnetosphere. We obtain the rate of electromagnetic extraction of energy and confirm the results of Blandford and Znajek and of previous time-dependent simulations. Furthermore, we discuss the physical applicability of magnetic field configurations that do not cross both "light surfaces."

Contopoulos, Ioannis↗

4DoF Drift Free Navigation Using Inertial Cues and Optical Flow

In this paper, we describe a novel approach in fusing optical flow with inertial cues (3D acceleration and 3D angular velocities) in order to navigate a Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) drift free in 4DoF and metric velocity. Our approach only requires two consecutive images with a minimum of three feature matches. It does not require any (point) map nor any type of feature history. Thus it is an inherently failsafe approach that is immune to map and feature-track failures. With these minimal requirements we show in real experiments that the system is able to navigate drift free in all angles including yaw, in one metric position axis, and in 3D metric velocity. Furthermore, it is a power-on-and-go system able to online self-calibrate the inertial biases, the visual scale and the full 6DoF extrinsic transformation parameters between camera and IMU.

reconnissance↗

Plasma in Saturn's Nightside Magnetosphere and the Implications for Global Circulation

We present a bulk ion flow map from the nightside, equatorial region of Saturn's magnetosphere derived from the Cassini CAPS ion mass spectrometer data. The map clearly demonstrates the dominance of corotation flow over radial flow and suggests that the flux tubes sampled are still closed and attached to the planet up to distances of 50RS. The plasma characteristics in the near-midnight region are described and indicate a transition between the region of the magnetosphere containing plasma on closed drift paths and that containing flux tubes which may not complete a full rotation around the planet. Data from the electron spectrometer reveal two plasma states of high and low density. These are attributed either to the sampling of mass-loaded and depleted flux tubes, respectively, or to the latitudinal structure of the plasma sheet. Depleted, returning flux tubes are not, in general, directly observed in the ions, although the electron observations suggest that such a process must take place in order to produce the low-density population. Flux-tube content is conserved below a limit defined by the mass-loading and magnetic field strength and indicates that the flux tubes sampled may survive their passage through the tail. The conditions for mass-release are evaluated using measured densities, angular velocities and magnetic field strength. The results suggest that for the relatively dense ion populations detectable by the ion mass spectrometer (IMS), the condition for flux-tube breakage has not yet been exceeded. However, the low-density regimes observed in the electron data suggest that loaded flux tubes at greater distances do exceed the threshold for mass-loss and subsequently return to the inner magnetosphere significantly depleted of plasma.

Saturn↗

Criteria for Control and Response Characteristics of Helicopters and VTOL Aircraft in Hovering and Low-Speed Flight

Criteria for satisfactory control and response characteristics of low-speed aircraft are presented and discussed. The basis for the discussion is the results of a study of the effects of various control power (angular acceleration per unit control deflection) and angular velocity damping on pilots' opinions and on pilots' ability to perform precision tasks during hovering and low speed. The control response characteristics resulting in large improvements in the capability of the pilot-helicopter combination, particularly during instrument flight are discussed. A variation of the criteria with aircraft size is presented. The applicability of the criteria to aircraft of varying types is illustrated.

Tapscott, Robert J.↗

A Study of the Free Oscillations of the Earth

Published observations on the toroidal oscillations of the earth are critically reviewed. A supplementary analysis of the record obtained by the Lamont strain seismometer is presented. Eleven toroidal modes are identified, and it is concluded that the periods are known to within 1 per cent. A perturbation scheme involving the ratio of the angular velocity of the earth to the resonant frequency is used in calculating the effects due to the rotation of the earth on the resonant frequency. The free oscillations are viewed as a superposition of traveling waves. In a nonrotating system two traveling waves combine to produce a stationary standing wave. In a rotating system, the rotation distinguishes between waves that travel in the direction of rotation and those that travel in the opposite direction. Rotation removes a degeneracy and results in a splitting of a spectral peak of order l into 2 times l plus 1 peaks. The fractional displacement in frequency for the lowest-order toroidal oscillations is 1/206 and of the same order as the Q of the peak, so that splitting will probably not be observed in the toroidal oscillations. Viewed locally, rotation causes a particle to precess about a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. This precession will cause a variation of amplitude with time if the motion is recorded by an instrument with an anisotropic response function. Care is therefore needed in studying the time decay of a given spectral peak. Rotation also couples the normal coordinates so that a motion that is initially purely horizontal will develop a vertical component. It is expected that vertical seismometers should record particle motion with the toroidal frequencies. The perturbations of the toroidal oscillations due to core-mantle interaction are treated in detail. An exact expression is obtained for the rate of energy dissipated by a finitely conducting plate oscillating across a magnetic field. The energy dissipated at the core-mantle boundary due to viscous and hydromagnetic coupling is shown to be insignificant as compared with the energy dissipated within the mantle. The toroidal magnetic field leaking into the lower mantle combines with the dipole field, resulting in a stress on the mantle, tending to stiffen the lower boundary. The stress is of sufficient magnitude to produce a displacement toward higher frequency in the lower-order toroidal oscillations. Observations on the (sub 0) T (sub 2) oscillations lead to an estimate of the toroidal magnetic field in the lower mantle. A calculation of elastic energy in the low-order oscillations suggests a value of 10 (sup 18) ergs per cycles per hour for the energy density at low frequencies in the Chilean earthquake. Each mode of oscillation has a characteristic radial distribution of elastic energy associated with it. This distribution determines which parts of the earth contribute most heavily in determining a particular resonant frequency. The distribution of energy for the lower 17 modes for a homogeneous and a Gutenberg model earth is calculated. The resonant frequencies for models of the earth based on the Gutenberg and Lehmann distribution of elastic properties are presented. It is shown that the Gutenberg model earth fits the observations more closely than the Lehmann model and that a slight alteration of the Gutenberg model gives a significantly better fit to the observations. The alteration involves a lower shear-wave velocity in the lower mantle while the Gutenberg velocity distribution is maintained in the upper mantle. Various studies of the earth's oscillations coupled with surface-wave investigations substantiate Gutenberg's hypothesis of a layer of low velocity in the upper mantle. The physical conditions required for the formation of a region of low velocity are examined in detail. The results confirm Birch's earlier statement that a temperature gradient in excess of 6 degrees to 7 degrees per kilometer is needed to produce a decrease in velocity. The low-velocity layer does not require that the temperature approach or exceed the melting temperature. If tile upper mantle is homogeneous, the region of lower velocity should commence at the base of the crust and extend to 150 kilometers under the oceans and about 100 kilometers under continental regions. The distribution of thermal conductivity and radioactivity consistent with the low-velocity layer is also considered.

MacDonald, Gordon J. F.↗

Dynamic Beam Solutions for Real-Time Simulation and Control Development of Flexible Rockets

In this study, flexible rockets are structurally represented by linear beams. Both direct and indirect solutions of beam dynamic equations are sought to facilitate real-time simulation and control development for flexible rockets. The direct solution is completed by numerically integrate the beam structural dynamic equation using an explicit Newmark-based scheme, which allows for stable and fast transient solutions to the dynamics of flexile rockets. Furthermore, in the real-time operation, the bending strain of the beam is measured by fiber optical sensors (FOS) at intermittent locations along the span, while both angular velocity and translational acceleration are measured at a single point by the inertial measurement unit (IMU). Another study in this paper is to find the analytical and numerical solutions of the beam dynamics based on the limited measurement data to facilitate the real-time control development. Numerical studies demonstrate the accuracy of these real-time solutions to the beam dynamics. Such analytical and numerical solutions, when integrated with data processing and control algorithms and mechanisms, have the potential to increase launch availability by processing flight data into the flexible launch vehicle's control system.

flexible body dyanmics fiber optic strain sensor p↗

Determination of the Limiting Magnitude

The limiting magnitude of an optical camera system is an important property to understand since it is used to find the completeness limit of observations. Limiting magnitude depends on the hardware and software of the system, current weather conditions, and the angular speed of the objects observed. If an object exhibits a substantial angular rate during the exposure, its light spreads out over more pixels than the stationary stars. This spreading causes the limiting magnitude to be brighter when compared to the stellar limiting magnitude. The effect, which begins to become important when the object moves a full width at half max during a single exposure or video frame. For targets with high angular speeds or camera systems with narrow field of view or long exposures, this correction can be significant, up to several magnitudes. The stars in an image are often used to measure the limiting magnitude since they are stationary, have known brightness, and are present in large numbers, making the determination of the limiting magnitude fairly simple. In order to transform stellar limiting magnitude to object limiting magnitude, a correction must be applied accounting for the angular velocity. This technique is adopted in meteor and other fast-moving object observations, as the lack of a statistically significant sample of targets makes it virtually impossible to determine the limiting magnitude before the weather conditions change. While the weather is the dominant factor in observing satellites, the limiting magnitude for meteors also changes throughout the night due to the motion of a meteor shower or sporadic source radiant across the sky. This paper presents methods for determining the limiting stellar magnitude and the conversion to the target limiting magnitude.

Kingery, Aaron↗

Chasing Shadows: Rotation of the Azimuthal Asymmetry in the TW Hya Disk

We have obtained new images of the protoplanetary disk orbiting TW Hya in visible, total intensity light with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), using the newly commissioned BAR5 occulter. These HSTSTIS observations achieved an inner working angle of approximately 0 "2, or11.7 au, probing the system at angular radii coincident with recent images of the disk obtained by ALMA and in polarized intensity near-infrared light. By comparing our new STIS images to those taken with STIS in 2000 and with NICMOS in 1998, 2004, and 2005, we demonstrate that TW Hyas azimuthal surface brightness asymmetry moves coherently in position angle. Between 50 au and 141 au we measure a constant angular velocity in the azimuthal brightness asymmetry of 22.deg7 yr(exp -1) in a counterclockwise direction, equivalent to a period of 15.9yrassuming circular motion. Both the (short) inferred period and lack of radial dependence of the moving shadow pattern are inconsistent with Keplerian rotation at these disk radii. We hypothesize that the asymmetry arises from the fact that the disk interior to 1 au is inclined and precessing owing to a planetary companion, thus partially shadowing the outer disk. Further monitoring of this and other shadows on protoplanetary disks potentially opens anew avenue for indirectly observing the sites of planet formation.

protoplanetary disk orbiting TW Hya↗

Airborne Trajectory Management for Urban Air Mobility

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has captured the imagination of the public and the aviation industry for someday soon moving people and goods through and around metropolitan areas using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) that are electrically powered, environmentally friendly, and autonomously operated. Significant investment and rapid development of vehicles for this activity is taking place, with package delivery services already beginning in some areas. However, the ability to manage thousands of these vehicles safely in a congested urban area presents a challenge unprecedented in air traffic management. Initial studies of this problem led by NASA under the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) initiative have primarily focused on geo-fencing and centralized reservation of airspace for individual flights. This paper proposes an extension of UTM using a de-centralized approach employing airborne surveillance, self-separation, and a minimized “design separation” approach to permit the optimization and safety of each flight in very high traffic densities and close proximities. The concept employs Airborne Trajectory Management (ABTM) principles and a novel new concept for variable separation criteria to manage the angular velocity of a passing vehicle, thus eliminating the "startle factor" and perceived hazard of very close operations. ABTM also accomplishes most of the services required for safe planning and execution of normal flights and recovery from abnormal or emergency operations while accommodating conventional piloted flights using the current air traffic control paradigm. The environment for UAM operations is described along with the proposed means for autonomous, tactical separation of the vehicles. Sample geometries of traffic conflicts and resolutions are shown and the airspace definitions, rules for flight within them, and additions and exemptions to the rules for these flights are listed and explained.

Cotton, William↗