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At least 541 records · Page 30

StarView: The object oriented design of the ST DADS user interface

StarView is the user interface being developed for the Hubble Space Telescope Data Archive and Distribution Service (ST DADS). ST DADS is the data archive for HST observations and a relational database catalog describing the archived data. Users will use StarView to query the catalog and select appropriate datasets for study. StarView sends requests for archived datasets to ST DADS which processes the requests and returns the database to the user. StarView is designed to be a powerful and extensible user interface. Unique features include an internal relational database to navigate query results, a form definition language that will work with both CRT and X interfaces, a data definition language that will allow StarView to work with any relational database, and the ability to generate adhoc queries without requiring the user to understand the structure of the ST DADS catalog. Ultimately, StarView will allow the user to refine queries in the local database for improved performance and merge in data from external sources for correlation with other query results. The user will be able to create a query from single or multiple forms, merging the selected attributes into a single query. Arbitrary selection of attributes for querying is supported. The user will be able to select how query results are viewed. A standard form or table-row format may be used. Navigation capabilities are provided to aid the user in viewing query results. Object oriented analysis and design techniques were used in the design of StarView to support the mechanisms and concepts required to implement these features. One such mechanism is the Model-View-Controller (MVC) paradigm. The MVC allows the user to have multiple views of the underlying database, while providing a consistent mechanism for interaction regardless of the view. This approach supports both CRT and X interfaces while providing a common mode of user interaction. Another powerful abstraction is the concept of a Query Model. This concept allows a single query to be built form a single or multiple forms before it is submitted to ST DADS. Supporting this concept is the adhoc query generator which allows the user to select and qualify an indeterminate number attributes from the database. The user does not need any knowledge of how the joins across various tables are to be resolved. The adhoc generator calculates the joins automatically and generates the correct SQL query.

Williams, J. D.↗

Automating the training development process for mission flight operations

Traditional methods of developing training do not effectively support the changing needs of operational users in a multimission environment. The Automated Training Development System (ATDS) provides advantages over conventional methods in quality, quantity, turnaround, database maintenance, and focus on individualized instruction. The Operations System Training Group at the JPL performed a six-month study to assess the potential of ATDS to automate curriculum development and to generate and maintain course materials. To begin the study, the group acquired readily available hardware and participated in a two-week training session to introduce the process. ATDS is a building activity that combines training's traditional information-gathering with a hierarchical method for interleaving the elements. The program can be described fairly simply. A comprehensive list of candidate tasks determines the content of the database; from that database, selected critical tasks dictate which competencies of skill and knowledge to include in course material for the target audience. The training developer adds pertinent planning information about each task to the database, then ATDS generates a tailored set of instructional material, based on the specific set of selection criteria. Course material consistently leads students to a prescribed level of competency.

Scott, Carol J.↗

Graphical programming: A systems approach for telerobotic servicing of space assets

Satellite servicing is in many ways analogous to subsea robotic servicing in the late 1970's. A cost effective, reliable, telerobotic capability had to be demonstrated before the oil companies invested money in deep water robot serviceable production facilities. In the same sense, aeronautic engineers will not design satellites for telerobotic servicing until such a quantifiable capability has been demonstrated. New space servicing systems will be markedly different than existing space robot systems. Past space manipulator systems, including the Space Shuttle's robot arm, have used master/slave technologies with poor fidelity, slow operating speeds and most importantly, in-orbit human operators. In contrast, new systems will be capable of precision operations, conducted at higher rates of speed, and be commanded via ground-control communication links. Challenge presented by this environment include achieving a mandated level of robustness and dependability, radiation hardening, minimum weight and power consumption, and a system which accommodates the inherent communication delay between the ground station and the satellite. There is also a need for a user interface which is easy to use, ensures collision free motions, and is capable of adjusting to an unknown workcell (for repair operations the condition of the satellite may not be known in advance). This paper describes the novel technologies required to deliver such a capability.

Pinkerton, James T.↗

Architectural design of the science complex at Elizabeth City State University

This paper gives an overall view of the architectural design process and elements in taking an idea from conception to execution. The project presented is an example for this process. Once the need for a new structure is established, an architect studies the requirements, opinions and limits in creating a structure that people will exist in, move through, and use. Elements in designing a building include factors such as volume and surface, light and form changes of scale and view, movement and stasis. Some of the other factors are functions and physical conditions of construction. Based on experience, intuition, and boundaries, an architect will utilize all elements in creating a new building. In general, the design process begins with studying the spatial needs which develop into an architectural program. A comprehensive and accurate architectural program is essential for having a successful building. The most attractive building which does not meet the functional needs of its users has failed at the primary reason for its existence. To have a good program an architect must have a full understanding of the daily functions that will take place in the building. The architectural program along with site characteristics are among a few of the important guidelines in studying the form, adjacencies, and circulation for the structure itself and also in relation to the adjacent structures. Conceptual studies are part of the schematic design, which is the first milestone in the design process. The other reference points are design development and construction documents. At each milestone, review and coordination with all the consultants is established, and the user is essential in refining the project. In design development phase, conceptual diagrams take shape, and architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical systems are developed. The final phase construction documents convey all the information required to construct the building. The design process and elements described were applied in the following project.

Jahromi, Soheila↗

Users manual for the improved NASA Lewis ice accretion code LEWICE 1.6

This report is intended as an update/replacement to NASA CR 185129 'User's Manual for the NASALewis Ice Accretion Prediction Code (LEWICE)' and as an update to NASA CR 195387 'Update to the NASA Lewis Ice Accretion Code LEWICE'. In addition to describing the changes specifically made for this version, information from previous manuals will be duplicated so that the user will not need three manuals to use this code.

Wright, William B.↗

Program Simulates A Modular Manufacturing System

SSE computer program provides simulation environment for modeling manufacturing systems containing relatively small numbers of stations and operators. Designed to simulate manufacturing of apparel, also used in other manufacturing domains. Excellent for small or medium-size firms including those lacking expertise to develop detailed models or have only minimal knowledge in describing manufacturing systems and in analyzing results of simulations on mathematical models. User does not need to know simulation language to use SSE. Used to design new modules and to evaluate existing modules. Originally written in Turbo C v2.0 for IBM PC-compatible computers running MS-DOS and successfully implemented by use of Turbo C++ v3.0.

Schroer, Bernard J.↗

An Analytical Tool for Fracture Control

The structural integrity of critical NASA space flight hardware is ensured through a damage tolerance program which is dictated in the fracture control requirements. The goal of a fracture control program is to ensure proper material selection and control, control of working stress levels, use of fracture resistant design concepts, manufacturing process control, and the use of qualified inspection procedures. The damage tolerance philosophy assumes that all components contain initial defects and the damage accumulation process is thus entirely crack propagation. The service capability of fracture critical components is determined by analysis and/or test. A large percentage of NASA fracture critical hardware is certified by analysis only and it is therefore imperative that the analysis code utilized contain the latest state of the art technology. Not all space contractors and vendors are able to develop and maintain an analysis code which meets this requirement. A response to this need has been fulfilled by the development of the NASA/FLAGRO (NASGRO) fracture mechanics code here at the Johnson Space Center. The NASGRO code is based primarily in Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) and is continually updated to meet to needs of the user community. Development assistance comes from other NASA centers as well as the European Space Agency (ESA). The code currently has a vast materials data file (over 350 different entries) which defines the material strength, fracture toughness, crack growth rate, and crack growth threshold. The code also allows for user defined inputs of data from other sources. The code also provides a large library of stress intensity factor solutions for numerous geometries and loading conditions.

Patin, Raymond M.↗

DIstributed VIRtual System (DIVIRS) Project

The development of Prospero moved from the University of Washington to ISI and several new versions of the software were released from ISI during the contract period. Changes in the first release from ISI included bug fixes and extensions to support the needs of specific users. Among these changes was a new option to directory queries that allows attributes to be returned for all files in a directory together with the directory listing. This change greatly improves the performance of their server and reduces the number of packets sent across their trans-pacific connection to the rest of the internet. Several new access method were added to the Prospero file method. The Prospero Data Access Protocol was designed, to support secure retrieval of data from systems running Prospero.

Schorr, Herbert↗

High-Performance, Reliable Multicasting: Foundations for Future Internet Groupware Applications

Network protocols that provide efficient, reliable, and totally-ordered message delivery to large numbers of users will be needed to support many future Internet applications. The Reliable Multicast Protocol (RMP) is implemented on top of IP multicast to facilitate reliable transfer of data for replicated databases and groupware applications that will emerge on the Internet over the next decade. This paper explores some of the basic questions and applications of reliable multicasting in the context of the development and analysis of RMP.

Callahan, John↗

User Manual for the NASA Glenn Ice Accretion Code LEWICE: Version 2.0

A research project is underway at NASA Glenn to produce a computer code which can accurately predict ice growth under a wide range of meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present a description of the code inputs and outputs from version 2.0 of this code, which is called LEWICE. This version differs from previous releases due to its robustness and its ability to reproduce results accurately for different spacing and time step criteria across computing platform. It also differs in the extensive effort undertaken to compare the results against the database of ice shapes which have been generated in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) 1. This report will only describe the features of the code related to the use of the program. The report will not describe the inner working of the code or the physical models used. This information is available in the form of several unpublished documents which will be collectively referred to as a Programmers Manual for LEWICE 2 in this report. These reports are intended as an update/replacement for all previous user manuals of LEWICE. In addition to describing the changes and improvements made for this version, information from previous manuals may be duplicated so that the user will not need to consult previous manuals to use this code.

Wright, William B.↗

The Impact of System Latency on Dynamic Performance In Virtual Acoustic Environments

Engineering constraints that may be encountered when implementing interactive virtual acoustic displays are examined In particular, system parameters such as the update rate and total system latency are defined and the impact they may have on perception is discussed. For example, examination of the head motions that listeners used to aid localization in a previous study suggests that some head motions may be as fast as about 400 degrees/sec for short time periods. Analysis of latencies in virtual acoustic environments (VAEs) suggests that: (1) commonly-specified parameters such as the audio update rate determine only the "best-case" latency possible in a VAE, (2) total system latency and individual latencies of system components, including head-trackers, are frequently not measured by VAE developers, and (3) typical system latencies may result in under-sampling of relative listener-source motion of 400 degrees/sec as well as positional "jitter" in the simulated source. To clearly specify the dynamic performance of a particular VAE, users and developers need to make measurements of average system latency, update rate, and their variability using standardized rendering scenarios. a parameters such as the minimum audible movement angle can then be used as target guidelines to assess whether a given system meets perceptual requirements.

Wenzel, Elizabeth M.↗

User Manual for the NASA Glenn Ice Accretion Code LEWICE. Version 2.2.2

A research project is underway at NASA Glenn to produce a computer code which can accurately predict ice growth under a wide range of meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present a description of the code inputs and outputs from version 2.2.2 of this code, which is called LEWICE. This version differs from release 2.0 due to the addition of advanced thermal analysis capabilities for de-icing and anti-icing applications using electrothermal heaters or bleed air applications. An extensive effort was also undertaken to compare the results against the database of electrothermal results which have been generated in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) as was performed for the validation effort for version 2.0. This report will primarily describe the features of the software related to the use of the program. Appendix A of this report has been included to list some of the inner workings of the software or the physical models used. This information is also available in the form of several unpublished documents internal to NASA. This report is intended as a replacement for all previous user manuals of LEWICE. In addition to describing the changes and improvements made for this version, information from previous manuals may be duplicated so that the user will not need to consult previous manuals to use this code.

Wright, William B.↗

Concept of Operations for the NASA Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP) Project

The Weather Accident Prevention Concept of Operations (CONOPS) serves as a decision-making framework for research and technology development planning. It is intended for use by the WxAP members and other related programs in NASA and the FAA that support aircraft accident reduction initiatives. The concept outlines the project overview for program level 3 elements-such as AWIN, WINCOMM, and TPAWS (Turbulence)-that develop the technologies and operating capabilities to form the building blocks for WxAP. Those building blocks include both retrofit of equipment and systems and development of new aircraft, training technologies, and operating infrastructure systems and capabilities. This Concept of operations document provides the basis for the WxAP project to develop requirements based on the operational needs ofthe system users. It provides the scenarios that the flight crews, airline operations centers (AOCs), air traffic control (ATC), and flight service stations (FSS) utilize to reduce weather related accidents. The provision to the flight crew of timely weather information provides awareness of weather situations that allows replanning to avoid weather hazards. The ability of the flight crew to locate and avoid weather hazards, such as turbulence and hail, contributes to safer flight practices.

Green, Walter S.↗

Software Package Completed for Alloy Design at the Atomic Level

As a result of a multidisciplinary effort involving solid-state physics, quantum mechanics, and materials and surface science, the first version of a software package dedicated to the atomistic analysis of multicomponent systems was recently completed. Based on the BFS (Bozzolo, Ferrante, and Smith) method for the calculation of alloy and surface energetics, this package includes modules devoted to the analysis of many essential features that characterize any given alloy or surface system, including (1) surface structure analysis, (2) surface segregation, (3) surface alloying, (4) bulk crystalline material properties and atomic defect structures, and (5) thermal processes that allow us to perform phase diagram calculations. All the modules of this Alloy Design Workbench 1.0 (ADW 1.0) are designed to run in PC and workstation environments, and their operation and performance are substantially linked to the needs of the user and the specific application.

Bozzolo, Guillermo H.↗

The Challenges of Interoperable Data Discovery

The Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) assists the oceanographic community in data discovery and access through its online metadata directory. The directory also offers data holders a means to post and search their oceanographic data through the GCMD portals, i.e. online customized subset metadata directories. The Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) has expressed interest in using the GCMD portals to increase the visibility of their data holding throughout the Gulf of Maine region and beyond. The purpose of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) is to "promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, electronic dissemination, and use of data on the Gulf of Maine region". The participants have decided that a "coordinated effort is needed to enable users throughout the Gulf of Maine region and beyond to discover and put to use the vast and growing quantities of data in their respective databases". GoMODP members have invited the GCMD to discuss further collaborations in view of this effort. This presentation. will focus on the GCMD GoMODP Portal - demonstrating its content and use for data discovery, and will discuss the challenges of interoperable data discovery. interoperability among metadata standards and vocabularies will be discussed. A short overview of the lessons learned at the Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI) metadata workshop held in Boulder, Colorado on August 9-11, 2005 will be given.

Meaux, Melanie F.↗

Online Metadata Directories: A way of preserving, sharing and discovering scientific information

The Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) assists the scientific community in the discovery of and linkage to Earth Science data and provides data holders a means to advertise their data to the community through its portals, i.e. online customized subset metadata directories. These directories are effectively serving communities like the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM), the Global Observing System Information Center (GOSIC), and the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamic Program (GLOBEC) by increasing the visibility of their data holding. The purpose of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) is to "promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, electronic dissemination, and use of data on the Gulf of Maine region". The participants have decided that a "coordinated effort is needed to enable users throughout the Gulf of Maine region and beyond to discover and put to use the vast and growing quantities of data in their respective databases". GoMODP members have invited the GCMD to discuss potential collaborations associated with this effort. The presentation will focus on the use of the GCMD s metadata directory as a powerful tool for data discovery and sharing. An overview of the directory and its metadata authoring tools will be given.

Meaux, M.↗

NASA Activities: SpaceWire Working Group Meeting

This brief presentation highlights the efforts of the SpaceWire working group. The European Space Agency (ESA) contracted with the University of Dundee (UoD) to develop a prototype SpaceFibre Codec, which UoD has been demonstrated in hardware. UoD released a SpaceFibre Outline Specification which NASA plans to evaluate using a SpaceFibre sub-orbital demonstration (in development). Comments, questions and recommendations for ESA and UoD are provided here to generate discussion and expand participation. General findings are that the system level behavior of SpaceFibre is missing from the SpaceFibre Outline Specification, there is a need to understand how SpaceWire maps to SpaceFibre (and vice versa), and there is a need to clarify user interface to resolve inconsistencies. Architecture, virtual channel and programmatic recommendations are presented.

Rakow, Glenn↗

User's Manual for LEWICE Version 3.2

A research project is underway at NASA Glenn to produce a computer code which can accurately predict ice growth under a wide range of meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present a description of the code inputs and outputs from version 3.2 of this software, which is called LEWICE. This version differs from release 2.0 due to the addition of advanced thermal analysis capabilities for de-icing and anti-icing applications using electrothermal heaters or bleed air applications, the addition of automated Navier-Stokes analysis, an empirical model for supercooled large droplets (SLD) and a pneumatic boot option. An extensive effort was also undertaken to compare the results against the database of electrothermal results which have been generated in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) as was performed for the validation effort for version 2.0. This report will primarily describe the features of the software related to the use of the program. Appendix A has been included to list some of the inner workings of the software or the physical models used. This information is also available in the form of several unpublished documents internal to NASA. This report is intended as a replacement for all previous user manuals of LEWICE. In addition to describing the changes and improvements made for this version, information from previous manuals may be duplicated so that the user will not need to consult previous manuals to use this software.

Wright, William↗