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At least 595 records · Page 33

Flexible body stability analysis of Space Shuttle ascent flight control system by using lambda matrix solution techniques

A lambda matrix solution technique is being developed to perform an open loop frequency analysis of a high order dynamic system. The procedure evaluates the right and left latent vectors corresponding to the respective latent roots. The latent vectors are used to evaluate the partial fraction expansion formulation required to compute the flexible body open loop feedback gains for the Space Shuttle Digital Ascent Flight Control System. The algorithm is in the final stages of development and will be used to insure that the feedback gains meet the design specification.

Bown, R. L.↗

Performance characteristics of a variable-area vane nozzle for vectoring an ASTOVL exhaust jet up to 45 deg

Many conceptual designs for advanced short-takeoff, vertical landing (ASTOVL) aircraft need exhaust nozzles that can vector the jet to provide forces and moments for controlling the aircraft's movement or attitude in flight near the ground. A type of nozzle that can both vector the jet and vary the jet flow area is called a vane nozzle. Basically, the nozzle consists of parallel, spaced-apart flow passages formed by pairs of vanes (vanesets) that can be rotated on axes perpendicular to the flow. Two important features of this type of nozzle are the abilities to vector the jet rearward up to 45 degrees and to produce less harsh pressure and velocity footprints during vertical landing than does an equivalent single jet. A one-third-scale model of a generic vane nozzle was tested with unheated air at the NASA Lewis Research Center's Powered Lift Facility. The model had three parallel flow passages. Each passage was formed by a vaneset consisting of a long and a short vane. The longer vanes controlled the jet vector angle, and the shorter controlled the flow area. Nozzle performance for three nominal flow areas (basic and plus or minus 21 percent of basic area), each at nominal jet vector angles from -20 deg (forward of vertical) to +45 deg (rearward of vertical) are presented. The tests were made with the nozzle mounted on a model tailpipe with a blind flange on the end to simulate a closed cruise nozzle, at tailpipe-to-ambient pressure ratios from 1.8 to 4.0. Also included are jet wake data, single-vaneset vector performance for long/short and equal-length vane designs, and pumping capability. The pumping capability arises from the subambient pressure developed in the cavities between the vanesets, which could be used to aspirate flow from a source such as the engine compartment. Some of the performance characteristics are compared with characteristics of a single-jet nozzle previously reported.

Mcardle, Jack G.↗

Performance characteristics of a variable-area vane nozzle for vectoring an ASTOVL exhaust jet up to 45 deg

Many conceptual designs for advanced short-takeoff, vertical landing (ASTOVL) aircraft need exhaust nozzles that can vector the jet to provide forces and moments for controlling the aircraft's movement or attitude in flight near the ground. A type of nozzle that can both vector the jet and vary the jet flow area is called a vane nozzle. Basically, the nozzle consists of parallel, spaced-apart flow passages formed by pairs of vanes (vanesets) that can be rotated on axes perpendicular to the flow. Two important features of this type of nozzle are the abilities to vector the jet rearward up to 45 degrees and to produce less harsh pressure and velocity footprints during vertical landing than does an equivalent single jet. A one-third-scale model of a generic vane nozzle was tested with unheated air at the NASA Lewis Research Center's Powered Lift Facility. The model had three parallel flow passages. Each passage was formed by a vaneset consisting of a long and a short vane. The longer vanes controlled the jet vector angle, and the shorter controlled the flow area. Nozzle performance for three nominal flow areas (basic and plus or minus 21 percent of basic area), each at nominal jet vector angles from -20 deg (forward of vertical) to +45 deg (rearward of vertical) are presented. The tests were made with the nozzle mounted on a model tailpipe with a blind flange on the end to simulate a closed cruise nozzle, at tailpipe-to-ambient pressure ratios from 1.8 to 4.0. Also included are jet wake data, single-vaneset vector performance for long/short and equal-length vane designs, and pumping capability. The pumping capability arises from the subambient pressure developed in the cavities between the vanesets, which could be used to aspirate flow from a source such as the engine compartment. Some of the performance characteristics are compared with characteristics of a single-jet nozzle previously reported.

Mcardle, Jack G.↗

Nested Krylov methods and preserving the orthogonality

Recently the GMRESR inner-outer iteraction scheme for the solution of linear systems of equations was proposed by Van der Vorst and Vuik. Similar methods have been proposed by Axelsson and Vassilevski and Saad (FGMRES). The outer iteration is GCR, which minimizes the residual over a given set of direction vectors. The inner iteration is GMRES, which at each step computes a new direction vector by approximately solving the residual equation. However, the optimality of the approximation over the space of outer search directions is ignored in the inner GMRES iteration. This leads to suboptimal corrections to the solution in the outer iteration, as components of the outer iteration directions may reenter in the inner iteration process. Therefore we propose to preserve the orthogonality relations of GCR in the inner GMRES iteration. This gives optimal corrections; however, it involves working with a singular, non-symmetric operator. We will discuss some important properties, and we will show by experiments that, in terms of matrix vector products, this modification (almost) always leads to better convergence. However, because we do more orthogonalizations, it does not always give an improved performance in CPU-time. Furthermore, we will discuss efficient implementations as well as the truncation possibilities of the outer GCR process. The experimental results indicate that for such methods it is advantageous to preserve the orthogonality in the inner iteration. Of course we can also use iteration schemes other than GMRES as the inner method; methods with short recurrences like GICGSTAB are of interest.

Desturler, Eric↗

Lidar and Mission Parameter Trade Study of Space-Based Coherent Wind Measurement Centered on NASA's 2006 GWOS Wind Mission Study Parameters

The global measurement of vertical profiles of horizontal vector winds has been highly desired for many years by NASA, NOAA and the Integrated Program Office (IPO) implementing the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite Systems (NPOESS). Recently the global wind mission was one of 15 missions recommended to NASA by the first ever NRC Earth Sciences Decadal Survey. Since before 1978, the most promising method to make this space-based measurement has been pulsed Doppler lidar. The favored technology and technique has evolved over the years from obtaining line-of-sight (LOS) wind profiles from a single laser shot using pulsed CO2 gas laser technology to the current plans to use both a coherent-detection and direct-detection pulsed Doppler wind lidar systems with each lidar employing multiple shot accumulation to produce an LOS wind profile. The idea of using two lidars (hybrid concept) entails coherent detection using the NASA LaRC-developed pulsed 2-micron solid state laser technology, and direct detection using pulsed Nd:YAG laser technology tripled in frequency to 355 nm wavelength.

Kavaya, Michael J.↗

Fractal Characterization of Multitemporal Scaled Remote Sensing Data

Scale is an "innate" concept in geographic information systems. It is recognized as something that is intrinsic to the ingestion, storage, manipulation, analysis, modeling, and output of space and time data within a GIS purview, yet the relative meaning and ramifications of scaling spatial and temporal data from this perspective remain enigmatic. As GISs become more sophisticated as a product of more robust software and more powerful computer systems, there is an urgent need to examine the issue of scale, and its relationship to the whole body of spatiotemporal data, as imparted in GISS. Scale is fundamental to the characterization of geo-spatial data as represented in GISS, but we have relatively little insight on the effects of, or how to measure the effects of, scale in representing multiscaled data; i.e., data that are acquired in different formats (e.g., map, digital) and exist in varying spatial, temporal, and in the case of remote sensing data, radiometric, configurations. This is particularly true in the emerging era of Integrated GISs (IGIS), wherein spatial data in a variety of formats (e.g., raster, vector) are combined with multiscaled remote sensing data, capable of performing highly sophisticated space-time data analyses and modeling. Moreover, the complexities associated with the integration of multiscaled data sets in a multitude of formats are exacerbated by the confusion of what the term "scale" is from a multidisciplinary perspective; i.e., "scale" takes on significantly different meanings depending upon one's disciplinary background and spatial perspective which can lead to substantive confusion in the input, manipulation, analyses, and output of IGISs (Quattrochi, 1993). Hence, we must begin to look at the universality of scale and begin to develop the theory, methods, and techniques necessary to advance knowledge on the "Science of Scale" across a wide number of spatial disciplines that use GISs.

Quattrochi, Dale A.↗

An operational satellite scatterometer for wind vector measurements over the ocean

Performance requirements and design characteristics of a microwave scatterometer wind sensor for measuring surface winds over the oceans on a global basis are described. Scatterometer specifications are developed from user requirements of wind vector measurement range and accuracy, swath width, resolution cell size and measurement grid spacing. A detailed analysis is performed for a baseline fan-beam scatterometer design, and its performance capabilities for meeting the SeaSat-A user requirements. Various modes of operation are discussed which will allow the resolution of questions concerning the effects of sea state on the scatterometer wind sensing ability and to verify design boundaries of the instrument.

Grantham, W. L.↗

Study of wind change for the development of loads reduction techniques for the space shuttle

Wind change statistics are analyzed for Vandenberg AFB, California (VAFB) and Kennedy Space Center, Florida (KSC). Means and standard deviations of wind component change and vector wind change modulus within 3-9 and 9-16 km altitude bands are tabulated. The contribution to 3.5 hr wind component change by wind perturbations in various wavelength bands is evaluated. Probability distributions of maximum 3.5 hr wind change in an altitude band are presented and a model for wind change at a specified altitude is tested with data derived from six data bases from VAFB and Santa Monica, California.

Adelfang, S. I.↗

Particle image velocimetry for the surface tension driven convection experiment using a particle displacement tracking technique

The Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment (STDCE) is a Space Transportation System flight experiment to study both transient and steady thermocapillary fluid flows aboard the USML-1 Spacelab mission planned for 1992. One of the components of data collected during the experiment is a video record of the flow field. This qualitative data is then quantified using an all electronic, two-dimensional particle image velocimetry technique called particle displacement tracking (PDT) which uses a simple space domain particle tracking algorithm. The PDT system is successful in producing velocity vector fields from the raw video data. Application of the PDT technique to a sample data set yielded 1606 vectors in 30 seconds of processing time. A bottom viewing optical arrangement is used to image the illuminated plane, which causes keystone distortion in the final recorded image. A coordinate transformation was incorporated into the system software to correct this viewing angle distortion. PDT processing produced 1.8 percent false identifications, due to random particle locations. A highly successful routine for removing the false identifications was also incorporated, reducing the number of false identifications to 0.2 percent.

Wernet, Mark P.↗

Particle image velocimetry for the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment using a particle displacement tracking technique

The Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment (STDCE) is a Space Transportation System flight experiment to study both transient and steady thermocapillary fluid flows aboard the USML-1 Spacelab mission planned for 1992. One of the components of data collected during the experiment is a video record of the flow field. This qualitative data is then quantified using an all electronic, two-dimensional particle image velocimetry technique called particle displacement tracking (PDT) which uses a simple space domain particle tracking algorithm. The PDT system is successful in producing velocity vector fields from the raw video data. Application of the PDT technique to a sample data set yielded 1606 vectors in 30 seconds of processing time. A bottom viewing optical arrangement is used to image the illuminated plane, which causes keystone distortion in the final recorded image. A coordinate transformation was incorporated into the system software to correct this viewing angle distortion. PDT processing produced 1.8 percent false identifications, due to random particle locations. A highly successful routine for removing the false identifications was also incorporated, reducing the number of false identifications to 0.2 percent.

Wernet, Mark P.↗

Feature extraction and classification algorithms for high dimensional data

Feature extraction and classification algorithms for high dimensional data are investigated. Developments with regard to sensors for Earth observation are moving in the direction of providing much higher dimensional multispectral imagery than is now possible. In analyzing such high dimensional data, processing time becomes an important factor. With large increases in dimensionality and the number of classes, processing time will increase significantly. To address this problem, a multistage classification scheme is proposed which reduces the processing time substantially by eliminating unlikely classes from further consideration at each stage. Several truncation criteria are developed and the relationship between thresholds and the error caused by the truncation is investigated. Next an approach to feature extraction for classification is proposed based directly on the decision boundaries. It is shown that all the features needed for classification can be extracted from decision boundaries. A characteristic of the proposed method arises by noting that only a portion of the decision boundary is effective in discriminating between classes, and the concept of the effective decision boundary is introduced. The proposed feature extraction algorithm has several desirable properties: it predicts the minimum number of features necessary to achieve the same classification accuracy as in the original space for a given pattern recognition problem; and it finds the necessary feature vectors. The proposed algorithm does not deteriorate under the circumstances of equal means or equal covariances as some previous algorithms do. In addition, the decision boundary feature extraction algorithm can be used both for parametric and non-parametric classifiers. Finally, some problems encountered in analyzing high dimensional data are studied and possible solutions are proposed. First, the increased importance of the second order statistics in analyzing high dimensional data is recognized. By investigating the characteristics of high dimensional data, the reason why the second order statistics must be taken into account in high dimensional data is suggested. Recognizing the importance of the second order statistics, there is a need to represent the second order statistics. A method to visualize statistics using a color code is proposed. By representing statistics using color coding, one can easily extract and compare the first and the second statistics.

Lee, Chulhee↗

Loading, electromyograph, and motion during exercise

A system is being developed to gather kineto-dynamic data for a study to determine the load vectors applied to bone during exercise on equipment similar to that used in space. This information will quantify bone loading for exercise countermeasures development. Decreased muscle loading and external loading of bone during weightlessness results in cancellous bone loss of 1 percent per month in the lower extremities and 2 percent per month in the calcaneous. It is hypothesized that loading bone appropriately during exercise may prevent the bone loss. The system consists of an ergometer instrumented to provide position of the pedal (foot), pedaling forces on the foot (on the sagittal plane), and force on the seat. Accelerometers attached to the limbs will provide acceleration. These data will be used as input to an analytical model of the limb to determine forces on the bones and on groups of muscles. EMG signals from activity in the muscles will also be used in conjunction with the equations of mechanics of motion to be able to discern forces exerted by specific muscles. The tasks to be carried out include: design of various mechanical components to mount transducers, specification of mechanical components, specification of position transducers, development of a scheme to control the data acquisition instruments (TEAC recorder and optical encoder board), development of a dynamic model of the limbs in motion, and development of an overall scheme for data collection analysis and presentation. At the present time, all the hardware components of the system are operational, except for a computer board to gather position data from the pedals and crank. This board, however, may be put to use by anyone with background in computer based instrumentation. The software components are not all done. Software to transfer data recorded from the EMG measurements is operational, software to drive the optical encoder card is mostly done. The equations to model the kinematics and dynamics of motion of the limbs have been developed, but they have not yet been implemented in software. Aside from the development of the hardware and software components of the system, the methodology to use accelerometers and encoders and the formulation of the appropriate equations are an important contribution to the area of biomechanics, particularly in space applications.

Figueroa, Fernando↗

Interactive method for planning constrained, fuel-optimal orbital proximity operations

An interactive graphical method for planning fuel-efficient rendezvous trajectories in the multi-spacecraft environment of the space station is presented. The method allows the operator to compose a multi-burn transfer trajectory between arbitrary initial chaser and target trajectories. The available task time of the mission is limited and the maneuver is subject to various operational constraints, such as departure, arrival, plume impingement and spatial constraints. The maneuvers are described in terms of the relataive motion experienced in a Space-Station centered coordinate system. The optimization method is based on the primer vector and its extension to non-optimal trajectories. The visual feedback of trajectory shapes, operational constraints, and optimization functions, provided by user-transparaent and continuously active background computations, allows the operator to make fast, iterative design changes which rapidly converge to fuel-efficient solutions. The optimization functions are presented. A variety of simple design examples has been presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the method. In many cases the addition of a properly positioned intermediate waypoint resulted in fuel savings of up to 30%. Furthermore, due to the counter-intuitive character of the optimization functions, most fuel-optimal solutions could not have been found without the aid of the optimization tools. Operating the system was found to be very easy, and did not require any previous in-depth knowledge of orbital dynamics or trajectory. The planning tool is an example of operator assisted optimization of nonlinear cost-functions.

Abramovitz, Adrian↗

Development of the Space Debris Sensor (SDS)

Debris Resistive/Acoustic Grid Orbital Navy-NASA Sensor (DRAGONS) is an impact sensor designed to detect and characterize collisions with small orbital debris: from 50 microns to greater than 1millimeter debris size detection; Characterizes debris size, speed, direction, and density. The Space Debris Sensor (SDS) is a flight demonstration of DRAGONS on the International Space Station: Approximately 1 square meter of detection area facing the ISS velocity vector; Minimum two year mission on Columbus External Payloads Facility (EPF); Minimal obstruction from ISS hardware; Development is nearing final checkout and integration with the ISS; Current launch schedule is SpaceX13, about September 2017, or SpaceX14, about Jan 2018.

Hamilton, Joe↗

Trajectory Optimization Methods and Applications at NASA Goddard

The process of spacecraft trajectory design frequently incorporates an optimization step in which one or more objectives, such as propellant consumption or time of flight, is minimized. Optimization is especially crucial for low-thrust mission design, due to the need to specify a thrust vector at every instant in time along a trajectory. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) a number of open-source tools have been developed for spacecraft trajectory optimization that utilize direct shooting and collocation methods. These tools have been effectively applied to cislunar, libration point, and interplanetary mission design for the Lunar IceCube, SWFO, and DAVINCI missions, among others. This presentation outlines the theory underlying these optimization tools along with the details of their application to several trajectory design problems, with a focus on the Lunar IceCube (LIC) mission. The LIC mission required a low-thrust trajectory from a high-energy deployment state to a lunar orbit, and its limited control authority necessitated the use of optimization tools and low-energy trajectory design techniques. The tools discussed demonstrate how the use of optimization methods expands mission capabilities and enables transformational science.

Robert Pritchett↗

Generative models on phase space

Deep generative models such as diffusion and flow matching are powerful machine learning tools capable of learning and sampling from high-dimensional distributions. They are particularly useful when the training data appears to be concentrated on a submanifold of the data embedding space. For high-energy physics data, consisting of collections of relativistic energy-momentum 4-vectors, this submanifold can enforce extremely strong physically-motivated priors, such as energy and momentum conservation. If these constraints are learned only approximately, rather than exactly, this can inhibit the interpretability and reliability of such generative models. To remedy this deficiency, we introduce generative models which are, by construction, confined at every step of their sampling trajectory to the manifold of massless N-particle Lorentz-invariant phase space in the center-of-momentum frame. In the case of diffusion models, the "pure noise" forward process endpoint corresponds to the uniform distribution on phase space, which provides a clear starting point from which to identify how correlations among the particles emerge during the reverse (de-noising) process. We demonstrate that our models are able to learn both few-particle and many-particle distributions with various singularity structures, paving the way for future interpretability studies using generative models trained on simulated jet data.

Bogorad, Zachary [Fermilab]↗

On the electromagnetic fields, Poynting vector, and peak power radiated by lightning return strokes

The initial radiation fields, Poynting vector, and total electromagnetic power that a vertical return stroke radiates into the upper half space have been computed when the speed of the stroke, nu, is a significant fraction of the speed of light, c, assuming that at large distances and early times the source is an infinitesimal dipole. The initial current is also assumed to satisfy the transmission-line model with a constant nu and to be perpendicular to an infinite, perfectly conducting ground. The effect of a large nu is to increase the radiation fields by a factor of (1-beta-sq cos-sq theta) exp -1, where beta = nu/c and theta is measured from the vertical, and the Poynting vector by a factor of (1-beta-sq cos-sq theta) exp -2.

Krider, E. P.↗

Closed-Loop Simulation Study of the Ares I Upper Stage Thrust Vector Control Subsystem for Nominal and Failure Scenarios

As a replacement to the current Shuttle, the Ares I rocket and Orion crew module are currently under development by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This new launch vehicle is segmented into major elements, one of which is the Upper Stage (US). The US is further broken down into subsystems, one of which is the Thrust Vector Control (TVC) subsystem which gimbals the US rocket nozzle. Nominal and off-nominal simulations for the US TVC subsystem are needed in order to support the development of software used for control systems and diagnostics. In addition, a clear and complete understanding of the effect of off-nominal conditions on the vehicle flight dynamics is desired. To achieve these goals, a simulation of the US TVC subsystem combined with the Ares I vehicle as developed. This closed-loop dynamic model was created using Matlab s Simulink and a modified version of a vehicle simulation, MAVERIC, which is currently used in the Ares I project and was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). For this report, the effects on the flight trajectory of the Ares I vehicle are investigated after failures are injected into the US TVC subsystem. The comparisons of the off-nominal conditions observed in the US TVC subsystem with those of the Ares I vehicle flight dynamics are of particular interest.

Chicatelli, Amy↗