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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Maximum likelihood techniques applied to quasi-elastic light scattering

There is a necessity of having an automatic procedure for reliable estimation of the quality of the measurement of particle size from QELS (Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering). Getting the measurement itself, before any error estimates can be made, is a problem because it is obtained by a very indirect measurement of a signal derived from the motion of particles in the system and requires the solution of an inverse problem. The eigenvalue structure of the transform that generates the signal is such that an arbitrarily small amount of noise can obliterate parts of any practical inversion spectrum. This project uses the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) as a framework to generate a theory and a functioning set of software to oversee the measurement process and extract the particle size information, while at the same time providing error estimates for those measurements. The theory involved verifying a correct form of the covariance matrix for the noise on the measurement and then estimating particle size parameters using a modified histogram approach.

Edwards, Robert V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Theoretical Foundation of Copernicus: A Unified System for Trajectory Design and Optimization

The fundamental methods are described for the general spacecraft trajectory design and optimization software system called Copernicus. The methods rely on a unified framework that is used to model, design, and optimize spacecraft trajectories that may operate in complex gravitational force fields, use multiple propulsion systems, and involve multiple spacecraft. The trajectory model, with its associated equations of motion and maneuver models, are discussed.

Ocampo, Cesar↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Analysis of the Value Added When Deploying a Model-Based Approach for the Validation and Verification of the Medical Database Software

The Medical Database (MD) is a virtual repository consisting of two software components: Medical Item Database (MedID) and the Evidence Library (EL). MedID consists of engineering data and associated information for specific medical resource items (e.g., pharmaceutical, medical devices, and supporting components), while the EL is a tool which provides all of the medical evidence necessary. The MD will 1) serve as the single “source of truth” for the Informing Mission Planning via Analysis of Complex Tradespaces (IMPACT) tool suite for both medical evidence and medical resource engineering data and 2) will be used in conjunction with the IMPACT tool suite to inform research prioritizations and perform systematic trade study evaluations to aid stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding simulated human spaceflight missions. The MD project used a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach to support all life cycles of the software development, while in parallel the human factors engineering team used modeling to support Human Centered Design (HCD) strategies in an effort to improve software usability. HCD is a frequently used approach in design frameworks that develops resolutions to complexities and challenges by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process. By integrating the model-based approaches used for systems engineering and human factors activities, the project is able to leverage the model-based artifacts originally created for HCD activities for system level and human factors validation. In this presentation, our team highlights the value added when leveraging these model-based artifacts to support the on-going verification and validation activities.

C. Laing↗
NASA NTRS2003

Development of Algorithms for Control of Humidity in Plant Growth Chambers

Algorithms were developed to control humidity in plant growth chambers used for research on bioregenerative life support at Kennedy Space Center. The algorithms used the computed water vapor pressure (based on measured air temperature and relative humidity) as the process variable, with time-proportioned outputs to operate the humidifier and de-humidifier. Algorithms were based upon proportional-integral-differential (PID) and Fuzzy Logic schemes and were implemented using I/O Control software (OPTO-22) to define and download the control logic to an autonomous programmable logic controller (PLC, ultimate ethernet brain and assorted input-output modules, OPTO-22), which performed the monitoring and control logic processing, as well the physical control of the devices that effected the targeted environment in the chamber. During limited testing, the PLC's successfully implemented the intended control schemes and attained a control resolution for humidity of less than 1%. The algorithms have potential to be used not only with autonomous PLC's but could also be implemented within network-based supervisory control programs. This report documents unique control features that were implemented within the OPTO-22 framework and makes recommendations regarding future uses of the hardware and software for biological research by NASA.

Costello, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Emulated Spacecraft Communication Testbed for Evaluating Cognitive Networking Technology

The ability to emulate the full space protocol stack is an essential aspect required to evaluate and mature cognitive communication capabilities. The interaction between the physical layer and network layers is key to developing network optimizations for a dynamic and complex environment. We present a laboratory testbed for the evaluation of cognitive radio and networking techniques applied to space communications. The testbed is a high fidelity, flight-like hardware testbed consisting of software-defined radios, channel emulators, modems, and orbital analysis and scheduling software. The testbed uses RF links with signal quality, propagation delay, and Doppler effects driven by orbital mechanics simulations of emulated spacecraft. Our framework enables control of link bidirectionality, data rates, and interference sources. In addition to hardware radio nodes, the testbed can incorporate virtualized emulated nodes for larger and more challenging network scenarios. Our approach to a cognitive communication system uses delay tolerant networking (DTN) to mitigate the challenges of the space environment. While many DTN networks use only preplanned schedules, our system uses User-Initiated Service (UIS) to dynamically schedule service providers. Software-defined radio allows the system to adapt to a variety of service providers. Integration of DTN, UIS, and software-defined radio technologies provides a framework for the implementation of a cognitive communication system. This paper describes the testbed capabilities, network emulation approach, component integration, and initial end-to-end testing results.

cognitive radio↗
NASA NTRS2001

Using XML and Java Technologies for Astronomical Instrument Control

Traditionally, instrument command and control systems have been highly specialized, consisting mostly of custom code that is difficult to develop, maintain, and extend. Such solutions are initially very costly and are inflexible to subsequent engineering change requests, increasing software maintenance costs. Instrument description is too tightly coupled with details of implementation. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, under the Instrument Remote Control (IRC) project, is developing a general and highly extensible framework that applies to any kind of instrument that can be controlled by a computer. The software architecture combines the platform independent processing capabilities of Java with the power of the Extensible Markup Language (XML), a human readable and machine understandable way to describe structured data. A key aspect of the object-oriented architecture is that the software is driven by an instrument description, written using the Instrument Markup Language (IML), a dialect of XML. IML is used to describe the command sets and command formats of the instrument, communication mechanisms, format of the data coming from the instrument, and characteristics of the graphical user interface to control and monitor the instrument. The IRC framework allows the users to define a data analysis pipeline which converts data coming out of the instrument. The data can be used in visualizations in order for the user to assess the data in real-time, if necessary. The data analysis pipeline algorithms can be supplied by the user in a variety of forms or programming languages. Although the current integration effort is targeted for the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) and the Submillimeter and Far Infrared Experiment (SAFIRE), first-light instruments of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the framework is designed to be generic and extensible so that it can be applied to any instrument. Plans are underway to test the framework with other types of instruments, such as remote sensing earth science instruments.

Ames, Troy↗
DOE OSTI2026

Computational capacity in hydrodynamic real-time hybrid simulation applied to simulate the dynamic response of floating offshore wind turbines

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) mitigates similitude distortions in model-scale tests of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) by coupling physical experiments with numerical models in real time. The coupling requires faster-than-real-time numerical computations to satisfy temporal similitude with the physical experiment, presenting a bottleneck for using more complex numerical models in RTHS. This paper presents a hydrodynamic-RTHS (hydro-RTHS) framework for FOWTs that simulates the hydrodynamics physically and the aerodynamics numerically with sensor feedback from the physical testing. The framework adapts the three-loop hardware architecture to leverage greater computational resources and mitigate strict temporal requirements, enabling more computationally demanding numerical analyses in hydro-RTHS. The three-loop hardware architecture integrates multiple machines, each dedicated to either numerical analysis or RTHS controls, with a rate-transition algorithm to synchronize the tasks executed across the different machine processors. Virtual and physical tests verified and validated the hydro-RTHS framework, respectively. The ”virtual” tests, which approximates the physical domain numerically, verified the RTHS framework with respect to a numerical full-scale complete FOWT model simulated in the open-source software, OpenFAST. The virtual tests were able to maintain comparable control signals while enabling greater computational resources for the numerical calculations. Real-world physical tests demonstrated that the hydro-RTHS framework computes aerodynamic forces similar to the complete OpenFAST model, validating the hydro-RTHS framework using the three-loop hardware architecture. Findings show that the hydro-RTHS framework with the three-loop hardware architecture is computationally efficient, with reserve capacity to simulate more complex problems due to the customized software, hardware, and rate-transition algorithm.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2008

Random Testing and Model Checking: Building a Common Framework for Nondeterministic Exploration

Two popular forms of dynamic analysis, random testing and explicit-state software model checking, are perhaps best viewed as search strategies for exploring the state spaces introduced by nondeterminism in program inputs. We present an approach that enables this nondeterminism to be expressed in the SPIN model checker's PROMELA language, and then lets users generate either model checkers or random testers from a single harness for a tested C program. Our approach makes it easy to compare model checking and random testing for models with precisely the same input ranges and probabilities and allows us to mix random testing with model checking's exhaustive exploration of non-determinism. The PROMELA language, as intended in its design, serves as a convenient notation for expressing nondeterminism and mixing random choices with nondeterministic choices. We present and discuss a comparison of random testing and model checking. The results derive from using our framework to test a C program with an effectively infinite state space, a module in JPL's next Mars rover mission. More generally, we show how the ability of the SPIN model checker to call C code can be used to extend SPIN's features, and hope to inspire others to use the same methods to implement dynamic analyses that can make use of efficient state storage, matching, and backtracking.

dynamic analysis↗
NASA NTRS2005

Data-Acquisition Software for PSP/TSP Wind-Tunnel Cameras

Wing-Viewer is a computer program for acquisition and reduction of image data acquired by any of five different scientificgrade commercial electronic cameras used at Langley Research center to observe wind-tunnel models coated with pressure or temperature-sensitive paints (PSP/TSP). Wing-Viewer provides full automation of camera operation and acquisition of image data, and has limited data-preprocessing capability for quick viewing of the results of PSP/TSP test images. Wing- Viewer satisfies a requirement for a standard interface between all the cameras and a single personal computer: Written by use of Microsoft Visual C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Class Library as a framework, Wing-Viewer has the ability to communicate with the C/C++ software libraries that run on the controller circuit cards of all five cameras.

Amer, Tahani R.↗
NASA NTRS2022

An Advanced Open-Source Platform for Air Quality Analysis, Visualization, and Prediction

Ambient air pollution is the largest environmental health risk factor, leading to several million premature deaths globally per year. The challenge of combating poor air quality is exacerbated by growing urban populations, changing emissions, and a warming climate. While there have been many advances monitoring and modeling of atmospheric composition, reflected in the dramatic increase in archived Earth Observations, there is no single measurement or method that alone can provide an accurate depiction of the entire atmosphere. The rapidly growing collections of observational and modeling data require us to be smarter about what data to include, and how such data is used. In recent years, NASA has invested significantly in advancing the concepts for Analytics Collaborative Framework (ACF) [5] and New Observing Strategies (NOS) [4] to tackle our software infrastructure need for harmonized data management and dynamic acquisition of diverse measurements for on-demand, interactive, multivariate analysis, and access [3]. It is not enough to have a big data, standalone analytics solution; it is critical that we start integrating data from remote sensing, modeling, and in-situ networks in a harmonized manner that enables timely and data-driven decision-making for air quality management. This work presents the design and development of an Air Quality Analytics Collaborative Framework (AQ ACF), as part of NASA’s Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) effort, to establish a data, machine-learning, and numerically driven platform for air quality analysis, visualization, and prediction.

Liu, Qian↗
DOE OSTI2026

pyEF: A Python Framework for QM and QM/MM Atom-Wise Electric Field Analysis

We introduce pyEF, a software package for computing molecular electric fields, electrostatic interaction energies, and electrostatic potentials from quantum mechanical (QM) atom-centered multipole expansions with atom-wise decomposable contributions. We demonstrate the computational efficiency and accuracy of this QM-derived electric field evaluation tool through several tests. To assess the influence of the underlying QM method and charge partitioning scheme on these electrostatic quantities, we analyze over 250 configurations of an acetone solute molecule in five solvents of variable polarity. We find that electric field calculations are highly sensitive to the choice of charge partitioning method. Even among real-space charge schemes, acetone Stark tuning rates differ by up to a factor of 2. Benchmarking computed solvent dipole moments against experimental bulk values, we conclude that the CM5, ADCH, and Hirshfeld-I charge schemes most reliably capture solvent electrostatics and therefore provide a more faithful foundation for computing electric fields. When constructed from these real-space charges, electric fields are nearly insensitive to basis set size and monotonically increase in magnitude with higher Fock exchange. We also demonstrate efficient convergence of QM electrostatics when more distant molecules are represented solely by MM point charges, reducing computational overhead. Leveraging these findings, we demonstrate the use of pyEF to deduce environmental effects on a transition metal complex from a Ga 4 L 6 12– nanocage and quantify the dominant role of organic linkers in orchestrating electrostatic preorganization.

electric fields↗
NASA NTRS2020

Blackbird: Object-Oriented Planning, Simulation, and Sequencing Framework Used by Multiple Missions

Every JPL flight mission relies on activity planningand sequence generation software to perform operations. Mostsuch tools in use at JPL and elsewhere use attribute-basedschemas or domain-specific languages (DSLs) to defineactivities. This reliance poses user training, softwaremaintenance, performance, and other challenges. To solve thisproblem for future missions, a new software called Blackbirdwas developed which allows engineers to specify behavior instandard Java. The new code base has over an order ofmagnitude fewer lines of code than other JPL planningsoftware, since no DSL or schema interpreter is needed. Theuse of Java for defining activities also allows mission adaptersto debug their code in an integrated development environment,seamlessly call external libraries, and set up truly multimissionmodels. These efficiency gains have significantlyreduced the amount of development effort required to supportthe software. This paper discusses Blackbird’s design,principles, and use cases.

Rothstein-Dowden, Ansel↗
NASA NTRS1996

Investigations into Generalization of Constraint-Based Scheduling Theories with Applications to Space Telescope Observation Scheduling

This final report summarizes research performed under NASA contract NCC 2-531 toward generalization of constraint-based scheduling theories and techniques for application to space telescope observation scheduling problems. Our work into theories and techniques for solution of this class of problems has led to the development of the Heuristic Scheduling Testbed System (HSTS), a software system for integrated planning and scheduling. Within HSTS, planning and scheduling are treated as two complementary aspects of the more general process of constructing a feasible set of behaviors of a target system. We have validated the HSTS approach by applying it to the generation of observation schedules for the Hubble Space Telescope. This report summarizes the HSTS framework and its application to the Hubble Space Telescope domain. First, the HSTS software architecture is described, indicating (1) how the structure and dynamics of a system is modeled in HSTS, (2) how schedules are represented at multiple levels of abstraction, and (3) the problem solving machinery that is provided. Next, the specific scheduler developed within this software architecture for detailed management of Hubble Space Telescope operations is presented. Finally, experimental performance results are given that confirm the utility and practicality of the approach.

Muscettola, Nicola↗
NASA NTRS2022

Reliability-Aware Requirements Development for Autonomy Software

Autonomy is the ability of a system to make decisions and take actions in the presence of uncertainty. Validating autonomy, therefore, is a matter of validating that the system makes intelligent decisions even when there might be discrepancies between the observed and the expected state of the world as well as when the possible outcome of each of the possible courses of action is uncertain. During the requirements engineering phase, the functions, including those that are required to be autonomous and their expected behavior are specified. However, in the case of autonomous software system, it is challenging to specify all possible scenarios that the software may encounter. Additionally, since autonomous behaviors cannot always be fully predetermined, it is difficult to reason about their completeness and correctness. While these challenges are also faced with non-autonomous system, they are more prevalent for autonomous system due to their complexity and emergent behavior. Our efforts have been three-fold. On one hand, we have developed a goal-based method for requirements decomposition. We have embedded this approach into a higher-level systems engineering framework and then developed methods for decision and reliability analysis within this framework. And finally, we use simulation analysis to validate the more theoretical methods and provide a feedback mechanism. The decision analysis approach (DA) helps in identifying and mitigating the run-time risks, by bringing to the forefront the uncertainties, decisions, interactions, and other factors that may cause autonomous software to make erroneous decisions. The DA framework is used to quantify, for each decision that the software can make, failure risk due to uncertainties. The information about the key decisions and circumstances that can cause autonomous system to make incorrect decisions are used to generate test scenarios to be run in a simulator to ensure that the system can handle error-prone circumstances. The results or outcomes from decisions, based on the simulated scenarios, can then be leveraged to further gain insight of the assured system. We combine a goal-based approach with simulation analysis to facilitate requirements development for autonomous systems and further provide a method for run-time systems level reliability considerations during the autonomous software development process. The DA and the reliability analysis methods provide a formalism for the consideration of uncertainty in the run time decision-making process for autonomous software. This formalism considers the uncertainty involved in the outcome of different courses of action, in terms of performance and cost, as well as a method to consider the system level reliability implications. System level reliability considerations for autonomous software decision making contribute to the satisfaction of the system level goals over the lifecycle of a given mission. We demonstrate our approach using a hypothetical rover path planning example. The requirements for our rover simulator are based on existing literature about Mars rovers and lessons learned from real world observations at JPL. The specifics of the autonomy design for the Mars rovers, that have not been previously cleared for external release, are not used for our demonstrations.

Lindvall, Mikael↗
NASA NTRS2018

Using the cFS Command and Data Dictionary (CCDD) to Automate Software Development on Habulous

Final paper is attached. The NASA developed Core Flight System (cFS) is a reusable software architecture that has been used on multiple spaceflight missions. By using this framework, missions are able to reuse code from other missions, as well as leverage deployment onto similar computer architectures (i.e. not "reinvent the wheel" on each new mission). The success in the cFS concept can be seen in the large number of projects using cFS at FSW-2018. The Habulous project is an Earth-based testbed, used for hardware and software that may one day be used on a future space habitat unit, with many participating groups from various NASA centers and aerospace organizations around the country. The distributed nature of the various teams mean that defining (and following) an interface definition is critical on the project. Additionally, since various groups use various types of computer hardware (32/64-bit, big/little endian, Linux/VxWorks/Windows) many additional complications exist in interfacing all the various components into a final integrated system. cFS is used on the majority the flight software (FSW) in running in Habulous. But some subsystems have elected to not use cFS, and use a software bridge (called SBN_lib) to interact with the other cFS nodes in Habulous. In order to most efficiently develop the FSW, a central database is used to define and store each message sent by cFS. A Command and Data Dictionary (CDD) is something nearly universal on spacecraft, but as a team we worked to develop the CDD before the SW development was complete, and not treat it like "as built" documentation. To manage the CDD, the cFS Command and Data Dictionary (CCDD) tool was chosen (available from NASA as open source software). The CCDD tool has successfully been used to automate/autocode a large amount of software used on Habulous, as we are hoping to use it to define even more items in the future (time-triggered Ethernet (TTE) network maps, CPU scheduling). Additionally, Habulous has been exploring the use of cFS on wildly heterogeneous CPUs, and how to coordinate all those various machines using/extending the software bus – network (SBN) application in cFS, as well as TTE to coordinate message passing between various synchronized machines. The major topics to be covered in the presentation are: (1) Updating to the CCSDS_v2 extended headers (and using CPU# as subsystem ID). (2) Managing all the message identification numbers for each cFS message sent/received on any of the various CPUs. (3) Using the CCDD information to automatically generate the C-header files that define the structure for all software bus (SB) commands/telemetry messages. (4) Using the CCDD to automatically generate XML Telemetry and Command Exchange (XTCE) files, which streams display production/integration/testing in a web based display architecture (5) Extending/customizing SBN to pass messages among computers on multiple networks. (6) Using "Protobetter" inside SBN to manage different endian-ness/architectures. (7) Using SBN_lib to allow non-cFS node to communicate with cFS nodes. (8) Developing TTE network and schedule tables for all the various CPUs to use.

Hirsh, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Parallel Domain Decomposition Formulation and Software for Large-Scale Sparse Symmetrical/Unsymmetrical Aeroacoustic Applications

The overall objectives of this research work are to formulate and validate efficient parallel algorithms, and to efficiently design/implement computer software for solving large-scale acoustic problems, arised from the unified frameworks of the finite element procedures. The adopted parallel Finite Element (FE) Domain Decomposition (DD) procedures should fully take advantages of multiple processing capabilities offered by most modern high performance computing platforms for efficient parallel computation. To achieve this objective. the formulation needs to integrate efficient sparse (and dense) assembly techniques, hybrid (or mixed) direct and iterative equation solvers, proper pre-conditioned strategies, unrolling strategies, and effective processors' communicating schemes. Finally, the numerical performance of the developed parallel finite element procedures will be evaluated by solving series of structural, and acoustic (symmetrical and un-symmetrical) problems (in different computing platforms). Comparisons with existing "commercialized" and/or "public domain" software are also included, whenever possible.

Nguyen, D. T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

SAVS: A Space and Atmospheric Visualization Science system

The research environment faced by space and atmospheric scientists in the 1990s is characterized by unprecedented volumes of new data, by ever-increasing repositories of unexploited mission files, and by the widespread use of empirical and large-scale computational models needed for the synthesis of understanding across data sets and discipline boundaries. The effective analysis and interpretation of such massive amounts of information have become the subjects of legitimate concern. With SAVS (a Space and Atmospheric Visualization Science System), we address these issues by creating a 'push-button' software environment that mimics the logical scientific processes in data acquisition, reduction, and analysis without requiring a detailed understanding of the methods, networks, and modules that link the tools and effectively execute the functions. SAVS provides (1) a customizable framework for accessing a powerful set of visualization tools based on the popular AVS visualization software with hooks to PV-Wave and access to Khoros modules, (2) a set of mathematical and statistical tools, (3) an extensible library of discipline-specific functions and models (e.g., MSIS, IRI, Feldstein Oval, IGRF, satellite tracking with CADRE-3, etc.), and (4) capabilities for local and remote data base access. The system treats scalar, vector, and image data, and runs on most common Unix workstations. We present a description of SAVS and its components, followed by several applications based on generic research interests in interplanetary and magnetospheric physics (IMP/ISTP), active experiments in space (CRRES), and mission planning focused on the Earth's thermospheric, ionospheric, and mesospheric domains (TIMED).

Szuszczewicz, E. P.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Lessons Learned from Open-Source Software Training Toward Expanding the Fusion Workforce

Within the United States (U.S.), the Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives seek to accelerate fusion technology development through wide-ranging community-driven research activities that bring together industry, laboratories, research institutes, and academia. Increasing the maturity of key components and systems for future fusion power plants (FPPs) toward commercialization, will, by necessity, increase the need for knowledgeable engineers, designers, and researchers in industry capable of integrating and further improving these technologies within industry FPP concepts. Further, various modeling and simulation packages support these programs and are under-development within them to drive design iteration and the development of FPP digital twins. To derive the greatest benefit from model output and capabilities, training these same specialists will be vital. Thus, the development of effective and accessible software onboarding and professional development opportunities focused on fusion will be key to keeping the pace of growth high in the coming decade and beyond. A similar need exists within the advanced fission reactor community, driven by an ever-growing need for carbon-free baseload power for industrial and data center applications. Within the U.S. and around the world, several open-source packages and frameworks exist to support this endeavor, and two we will highlight here are the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework and OpenMC. These packages, notably, are also being utilized in the FIRE Collaboratives program. In this presentation, we will highlight the lessons learned from over 30 years of combined software development and training experience, focused on developing strong technical software foundations within the nuclear workforce, from students to professional engineers & scientists. We will connect this experience to present and emerging needs in the fusion energy community, and, finally, will outline possible paths forward to develop a large, robust, global fusion workforce.

70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗