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At least 631 records · Page 35

Assessing Tactical Scheduler Options for Time-Based Surface Metering

NASA is committed to demonstrating a concept of integrated arrival, departure, and surface operations by 2020 under the Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD2) sub-project. This will be accomplished starting with a demonstration of flight specific time-based departure metering at Charlotte Douglass International Airport (CLT). ATD2 tactical metering capability is based on NASAs Spot And Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) which has been tested successfully in human-in-the-loop simulations of CLT. SARDA makes use of surface surveillance data and surface modeling to estimate the earliest takeoff time for each flight active on the airport surface or ready for pushback from the gate. The system then schedules each flight to its assigned runway in order of earliest takeoff time and assigns a target pushback time, displayed to ramp controllers as an advisory gate hold time. The objective of this method of departure metering is to move as much delay as possible to the gate to minimize surface congestion and engine on-time, while keeping sufficient pressure on the runway to maintain throughput. This flight specific approached enables greater flight efficiency and predictability, facilitating trajectory-based operations and surface-airspace integration, which ATD2 aims to achieve.Throughout ATD2 project formulation and system development, researchers have continuously engaged with stakeholders and future users, uncovering key system requirements for tactical metering that SARDA did not address. The SARDA scheduler is updated every 10 seconds using real-time surface surveillance data to ensure the most up-to-date information is used to predict runway usage. However, rapid updates also open the potential for fluctuating advisories, which Ramp controllers at a busy airport like CLT find unacceptable. Therefore, ATD2 tactical metering requires that all advisories freeze once flights are ready so that Ramp controllers may communicate a single hold time when responding to pilot ready calls.

Zelinski, Shannon↗

Development of the ITACA Network Loading Analysis Tool's Scheduling Techniques

NASA's SCENIC project aims to simplify and reduce the cost of space mission planning by creating analysis capabilities which are integrated with relevant analysis parameters specific to SCaN assets and SCaN supported user missions. The Integrated Tradespace Analysis of Communications Architectures (ITACA) will provide an all-in-one package for various analysis capabilities that normally require add-ons or multiple tools to complete. The ITACA tool will be responsible for assessing the given network architecture and generating a schedule for the missions as well as the assets. ITACA will allow users to evaluate the quality of service of a given network and determine whether or not the network will satisfy the mission's requirements. ITACA is currently under development, and during the spring of 2018 major development in the tools scheduling techniques were completed. A total of seven different techniques were completed.

space communications↗

Designing and Building a Crew-Centric Mobile Scheduling and Planning Tool for Exploring Crew Autonomy Concepts Onboard the International Space Station

During 2015, as part of our ongoing research on crew autonomy, our team adapted and extended the plan viewing tool, Playbook, into a mobile tool for exploring crew autonomy onboard the International Space Station (ISS). This work enables crewmembers to intuitively re-plan and schedule on their own with limited input from mission control. Designed for ease of use, re-planning is composed of simple drag and drop interactions and learning the tool requires little to no training. Playbook was successfully uplinked onto ISS as a technology demonstration and completed its onboard ground and crew checkouts in August and September 2015, respectively. We will discuss and describe how Playbook was able to integrate with actual ISS operational plans and operational procedures without disrupting real mission operations. This work will also outline the design and technical constraints required to build a collaborative tool that allows multiple users to simultaneously self-schedule and synchronize during communication dropouts in the restricted networking and computing environment onboard ISS. Finally, we will explore the aspects of crew autonomy that this technology enables as well as discuss our next steps and possible extensions.

ISS↗

Scheduling and Airport Taxiway Path Planning Under Uncertainty

Congestion and uncertainty on the airport surface are major constraints to the available capacity of the air transport system. This project is to study the problem of planning and scheduling airport surface movement at large airports. Specifically, we focus on the departure time scheduling and taxiway path planning of multiple aircraft under uncertainty. We also developed a simulation tool that is capable of simulating aircraft movement along the taxiway and possible uncertainty during the movement.

Li, Jiaoyang↗

Simulation-to-Flight 1 (STF-1): Automating the Planning, Scheduling, Assessment and Data Processing/Reduction for a Small Satellite

On December 16, 2019, a 3-U CubeSat named STF-1 launched as West Virginia's first spacecraft. This event marked the culmination of a run-up to launch involving the production of the spacecraft, creation/configuration of command and control infrastructure, and the evolution of its co-creation, the NASA Operational Simulator for Small Satellites (NOS3). This event also marked the beginning of a new phase: operations. While plans, procedures, and infrastructure were already in place or started for operations, many lessons were learned during the operations phase, especially during early operations (first month/commissioning phase). Additional plans, procedures, and infrastructure, especially related to communication planning and automated data processing, were created and developed to fill needs for the operation of the STF-1 mission.This paper and presentation will overview the STF-1 operations team's solutions to addressing the many needs of operating a low-earth orbiting CubeSat mission with a single ground antenna that is shared and scheduled with several other missions. The STF-1 operations team deployed a combination of virtualization technologies, ground station technology solutions, collaboration software, custom planning software solutions, and existing ground antenna scheduling solutions to create an effective and efficient CubeSat operations environment. The end-solution satisfied the operations stakeholders, which include NASA, its industry partner TMC Technologies, and four independent professor-student teams at West Virginia University.

CubeSat↗

Modeling Deicing Operations in Departure Scheduling Using Fast Time Simulation

In winter snow conditions, aircraft need inspection for deicing service before takeoff. Deicing service is a procedure to remove frost, ice, slush, or snow from aircraft for safe operation. Deicing operations vary by airport in many ways. Some airports have designated deicing zones, whereas some use a closed runway or terminal area to perform the procedure. Nonetheless, deicing operations add extra workloads to controllers, and cause increased taxi traffic on the ground. NASA and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) have been collaborating to model deicing operations at Incheon International Airport (ICN). This paper describes the deicing model and the study of deicing operations in departure scheduling using fast time simulations. The deicing model uses a heuristic algorithm for deicing zone assignment. In the fast time simulations, the model uses probability distributions derived from actual operation data to model deicing request and deicing zone time. It is envisioned that such a deicing model can be useful in airport surface scheduling to provide decision support and improve traffic management performance in winter snow operations.

modeling and simulation↗

Modeling Deicing Operations in Departure Scheduling using Fast Time Simulation

In winter snow conditions, aircraft need inspection for deicing service before takeoff. Deicing service is a procedure to remove frost, ice, slush, or snow from aircraft for safe operation. Deicing operations vary by airport in many ways. Some airports have designated deicing zones, whereas some use a closed runway or terminal area to perform the procedure. Nonetheless, deicing operations add extra workloads to controllers, and cause increased taxi traffic on the ground. NASA and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) have been collaborating to model deicing operations at Incheon International Airport (ICN). This paper describes the deicing model and the study of deicing operations in departure scheduling using fast time simulations. The deicing model uses a heuristic algorithm for deicing zone assignment. In the fast time simulations, the model uses probability distributions derived from actual operation data to model deicing request and deicing zone time. It is envisioned that such a deicing model can be useful in airport surface scheduling to provide decision support and improve traffic management performance in winter snow operations.

surface operation↗

STF-1 Ground Operations - Automating the Planning, Scheduling, Assessment and Data Processing/Reduction for a Small Satellite

On December 16, 2018, a 3-U CubeSat named STF-1 launched as West Virginia's first spacecraft. This event marked the culmination of a run-up to launch involving the production of the spacecraft, creation/configuration of command and control infrastructure, and the evolution of its co-creation, the NASA Operational Simulator for Small Satellites (NOS3). This event also marked the beginning of a new phase: operations. While plans, procedures, and infrastructure were already in place or started for operations, many lessons were learned during the operations phase, especially during early operations (first month/commissioning phase). Additional plans, procedures, and infrastructure, especially related to communication planning and automated data processing, were created and developed to fill needs for the operation of the STF-1 mission.This paper and presentation will overview the STF-1 operations team's solutions to addressing the many needs of operating a low-earth orbiting CubeSat mission with a single ground antenna that is shared and scheduled with several other missions. The STF-1 operations team deployed a combination of virtualization technologies, ground station technology solutions, collaboration software, custom planning software solutions, and existing ground antenna scheduling solutions to create an effective and efficient CubeSat operations environment. The end-solution satisfied the operations stakeholders, which include NASA, its industry partner TMC2 Technologies, and four independent professor-student teams at West Virginia University.

Suder, Mark↗

Work Scheduling and Fatigue Management

There are physiological limits to human performance, influenced by the internal programming of the sleep homeostat and circadian rhythms. There are known fatigue-related risks related to different work scheduling factors. This presentation was for presentation to supervisors and managers at Stennis Space Center to provide information about physiological risks factors associated with shiftwork scheduling practices and facilitate discussion about approaches to manage the related risks.

Gregory, Kevin↗

Load Schedule Design Improvements for the Calibration of NASA's Semi-span Balances

Improvements of the load schedule design for the calibration of NASA's semi-span balances are discussed. These improvements became possible after a minor hardware change was made to Calspan's Large Load Rig. This change moves normal and axial force load points 12 inches closer to the balance moment center. Resulting data quality improvements are significant because Calspan's Large Load Rig cannot currently apply forces at the balance moment center of a semi-span balance. Now, the supported set of rolling and yawing moment arms is 28 inches, 38 inches, and 48 inches. Consequently, the new load schedule design better supports expected normal and axial force locations on semi-span models that are tested in the NASA Ames 11-ft Transonic Wind Tunnel. In addition, estimates of the primary sensitivities of the normal force, axial force, rolling moment, and yawing moment have become more accurate as the applied normal and axial forces have moved closer to the balance moment center. Fundamental moment arm range requirements and Calspan's hardware updates are discussed in detail. In addition, calibration analysis results of NASA's ARC30K semi-span balance are presented to illustrate benefits of the hardware changes.

wind tunnel test↗

Load Schedule Design Improvements for the Calibration of NASA's Semi-span Balances

Improvements of the load schedule design for the calibration of NASA's semi-span balances are discussed. These improvements became possible after a minor hardware change was made to Calspan's Large Load Rig. This change moves normal and axial force load points 12 inches closer to the balance moment center. Resulting data quality improvements are significant because Calspan's Large Load Rig cannot currently apply forces at the balance moment center of a semi-span balance. Now, the supported set of rolling and yawing moment arms is 28, 38, and 48 inches. Consequently, the new load schedule design better supports expected normal and axial force locations on semi-span models that are tested in the NASA Ames 11-ft Transonic Wind Tunnel. In addition, estimates of the primary sensitivities of the normal force, axial force, rolling moment, and yawing moment have become more accurate as the applied normal and axial forces have moved closer to the balance moment center. Fundamental moment arm range requirements and Calspan's hardware updates are discussed. In addition, calibration and check load analysis results of NASA's ARC30K semi-span balance are presented to illustrate benefits of the hardware changes.

wind tunnel test↗

Fatigue, Schedules, Sleep, and Sleepiness in U.S. Commercial Pilots During COVID-19

Introduction: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the aviation industry. While reduced flying capacity may intuitively translate to reduced fatigue risk by way of fewer flights and duty hours, the actual impact of the pandemic on pilot fatigue is unknown. Methods: We surveyed US commercial airline pilots in late 2020 (n = 669) and early 2021 (n = 156) to assess the impact of COVID-19 on schedules and fatigue during the pandemic. Results: Overall, pilots reported reduced flight and duty hours compared to pre-pandemic. Average sleep on workdays was slightly shorter in late 2020 (6.88 h) and recovered to pre-pandemic levels in early 2021 (6.95 h). Similarly, the frequency of sleepiness on days off and in-flight increased in late 2020, with 54% of pilots reporting an increase in in-flight sleepiness, then returned to pre-pandemic levels in early 2021. The use of in-flight sleepiness countermeasures remained the same across assessed time points. Pilots highlighted several factors which impacted their sleep and job performance, including limited access to nutritional food during duty days and layovers, reduced access to exercise facilities during layovers, increased stress due to job insecurity and health concerns, increased distractions and workload, and changes to scheduling. Discussion: Despite a reduction in flights and duty days, COVID-19 led to increased sleepiness on days off and in-flight, potentially due to the negative impact of lack of access to essential needs and heightened stress on sleep. Operators need to monitor the change in these COVID-19 related risks as the industry returns to full service.

sleep↗

Sailing Towards an Expressive Scheduling Language for Europa Clipper

The mission planners for NASA's Europa Clipper deep-space mission use automated scheduling software to generate activity plans and command sequences for multiple instruments and subsystems before sending the sequences for execution on board. Both science and engineering planners must translate their intents into expressions of mission constraints, goals, and preferences that the scheduling engine understands. This paper describes the ongoing development of a dedicated domain-specific java-embedded language that can efficiently and accurately capture such concerns for the Europa Clipper mission, along with a user-interface companion for the language.

Schaffer, Steve↗

An Efficient Approach for Scheduling Imaging Tasks Across a Fleet of Satellites

Dynamically retasking satellites in response to scientific alerts is challenging because the tasks and opportunities of one satellite can influence this of another. This abstract focuses on our high-level approach for scheduling imaging tasks across a constellation of satellite, which is subject to orbital and other practical constraints such as finding a feasible up-/down- link schedule. Our approach is inspired by combining insights from two existing approaches about the structure of these problems to create an efficient, new approach. We show that our approach stacks up favorably against two baselines–an optimal solver as well as a naive, greedy approach.

Maillard, Adrien↗

The Human Research Program Grant Lifecycle & Data Integration Schedule: Infographic

The Human Research Program (HRP) Grant Lifecycle process can be described using information from several government authoritative sources with overlapping generalizations. It is the responsibility of the HRP Program Planning & Control (PP&C) Office and the Data Management Integration Office (DMIO)to interpret this information into a cohesive process that can be communicated to the human research organization. PP&C and DMIO have been exploring training opportunities to facilitate understanding through the form of infographics. This communication tool combines eye-catching visuals and text making complex information and data more digestible and shareable. The infographic poster tells a short story about a federally awarded grant and is intended to help both the new and experienced HRP workforce understand the timeline for a research procurement and where their specific tasks fall within the 4 phases of the grant lifecycle. The Pre-Award, Award, Post-Award, and Closeout phases are overlayed with business swimlanes so HRP stakeholders can see where they fit into the timeline rather than working in an isolated part. This includes the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), PP&C, the Data Management Integration Office (DMIO), the Principal Investigator (PI), the Element stakeholders, the LSDA Archivists, and the Research & Operations Integration (ROI) team along with the stakeholders in the Human Health and Performance Directorate. Additionally, the poster introduces (1) the HRP Data Integration Schedule identified in the HRP Data Management Plan HRP-48047, Table 8-2 and (2) a Smartsheet Solution to automate the grants tracking business process. Emphasis is given to the Data Integration Schedule which is the basis for the milestone tasks that are to be completed during the Post-Award phase in the grant lifecycle. The poster is also an opportunity to present the Smartsheet Solution, a software collaboration and work management tool used to assign tasks and track project progress. This PP&C FY24 effort will facilitate an end-to-end solution to track grants and provide insight to the health of HRP grant research procurements using metrics, reports, and dashboards.

J Peace↗

Spitzer Operations: Scheduling the Out Years

Spitzer Warm Mission operations have remained robust and exceptionally efficient since the cryogenic mission ended in mid-2009. The distance to the now exceeds 1 AU, making telecommunications increasingly difficult; however, analysis has shown that two-way communication could be maintained through at least 2017 with minimal loss in observing efficiency. The science program continues to emphasize the characterization of exoplanets, time domain studies, and deep surveys, all of which can impose interesting scheduling constraints. Recent changes have significantly improved on-board data compression, which both enables certain high volume observations and reduces Spitzer's demand for competitive Deep Space Network resources.

Spitzer↗

Alternative mixed integer linear programming optimization for joint job scheduling and data allocation in grid computing

This paper presents a novel approach to the joint optimization of job scheduling and data allocation in grid computing environments. We formulate this joint optimization problem as a mixed integer quadratically constrained program. To tackle the nonlinearity in the constraint, we alternatively fix a subset of decision variables and optimize the remaining ones via Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). We solve the MILP problem at each iteration via an off-the-shelf MILP solver. Our experimental results show that our method significantly outperforms existing heuristic methods, employing either independent optimization or joint optimization strategies. We have also verified the generalization ability of our method over grid environments with various sizes and its high robustness to the algorithm setting.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Stochastic Microgrid Scheduling With Chance‐Constrained Resilience Consideration

Traditionally, it is assumed that microgrids transition seamlessly from grid‐connected operation to islanded mode in the event of sudden main grid outages. In reality, the islanding process, especially unintentional islanding, is rarely seamless. Instead, it is subject to voltage and frequency fluctuations caused by the instantaneous disconnection of the point of common coupling (PCC) switch, variations in loads and renewable generation output and even the protection tripping of distributed energy resources (DERs). To mitigate these fluctuations and facilitate a smooth islanding process, we propose a stochastic microgrid scheduling model that incorporates chance‐constrained resilience measures. Specifically, the resilience measure is defined as the probability of successful islanding (PSI), that is, the probability that a microgrid can mitigate the generation‐demand imbalance caused by the disconnection of the PCC switch, variations in load and renewable generation and DER tripping. This measure is modelled using chance constraints. Unlike existing reliability and resilience indices, which typically neglect the possibility of microgrid/DER failure under extreme events and assume their survival while primarily focussing on reducing impact duration or magnitude, the proposed PSI‐based framework explicitly addresses microgrid and DER survival during the islanding transition. The formulated nonlinear chance constraints are approximated using a multiinterval approach and equivalently represented as a mixed‐integer linear programming (MILP) formulation. Case study results validate the proposed method, showing that the PSI estimation error is reduced to less than 8%, compared to approximately 28% with existing methods. Various sensitivity analyses on the DER tripping rate and PSI settings were performed to validate the robustness of the proposed method. In particular, the necessity of accounting for DER tripping in the PSI calculation was demonstrated.

chance constrained optimization↗