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NASA NTRS1980

Decentralized control of Markovian decision processes: Existence Sigma-admissable policies

The problem of formulating and analyzing Markov decision models having decentralized information and decision patterns is examined. Included are basic examples as well as the mathematical preliminaries needed to understand Markov decision models and, further, to superimpose decentralized decision structures on them. The notion of a variance admissible policy for the model is introduced and it is proved that there exist (possibly nondeterministic) optional policies from the class of variance admissible policies. Directions for further research are explored.

Greenland, A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

STS pricing policy

In 1977 NASA published Shuttle Reimbursement Policies for Civil U.S. Government, DOD and Commercial and Foreign Users. These policies were based on the principle of total cost recovery over a period of time with a fixed flat price for initial period to time to enhance transition. This fixed period was to be followed with annual adjustments thereafter, NASA is establishing a new price for 1986 and beyond. In order to recover costs, that price must be higher than the initial fixed price through FY 1985. NASA intends to remain competitive. Competitive posture includes not only price, but other factors such as assured launch, reliability, and unique services. NASA's pricing policy considers all these factors.

Lee, C. M.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Rail transit fare collection: Policy and technology assessment

The impact of fare policies and fare structure on the selection of equipment was investigated, fare collection systems are described, hardware and technology related problems are documented, and the requirements of a fare collection simulation model are outlined. Major findings include: (1) a wide variation in the fare collection systems and equipment, caused primarily by historical precedence; (2) the reliability of AFC equipment used at BART and WMATA discouraged other properties from considering use of similar equipment; (3) existing equipment may not meet the fare collection needs of properties in the near future; (4) the cost of fare collection operation and maintenance is high; and (5) the relatively small market in fare collection equipment discourages new product development by suppliers. Recommendations for fare collection R&D programs include development of new hardware to meet rail transit needs, study of impacts of alternate fare policies increased communication among policymakers, and consensus on fare policy issues.

Deshpande, G. K.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Debris in the geostationary orbit ring, the endless shooting gallery: The necessity for a disposal policy

NASA is considering establishing a policy for the limitation of the physical crowding of the geostationary orbit. The proposed policy is intended to address the following issues: (1) deal only with geostationary altitudes; (2) illustrate the unique value and usefulness of the geostationary orbit ring; (3) describe the orbital dynamics as simply as possible; (4) describe the current spacecraft and debris situation; (5) briefly review current industry and agency policies; (6) project future trends of physical crowding with the present nonpolicy; (7) propose solutions that can be implemented in the near future; and (8) use previous work as much as desirable.

Suddeth, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Considerations for policy on man-made debris propagation control

The present rates of man-made, space object propagation are such that there is a real probability of self propagation which, if uncontrolled can lead to a serious limitation to future uses of spacecraft for beneficial purposes. Effective control over the debris issue requires adoption and adherence to policy at a world wide level (any one nation's unknowing, selfish or deliberately adverse action can conceivably jeopardize other useful applications of space satellites for years into the future). The near-term environment may not seriously jeopardize the near-term missions. However, absence of control and/or nonadherence to a control policy in the near-term can result in a debris environment that can severely limit long - term mission opportunities. The data upon which these observations are based continues to be investigated. These investigations tend to validate the preceding observations and emphasize the need for near-term action to establish responsible control policy and implementation actions.

Fielder, D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Opportunities for policy historians: The evolution of the US civilian space program

The evolution of U.S. civilian space policy and the institutional framework through which that policy was implemented are discussed. Space policy principles the governed decision making between 1957 and 1962 are identified. The government/industry relations regarding space related research and development are discussed.

Logsdon, J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Revised planetary protection policy for solar system exploration

In order to control contamination of planets by terrestrial microorganisms and organic constituents, U.S. planetary missions have been governed by a planetary protection (or planetary quarantine) policy which has changed little since 1972. This policy has recently been reviewed in light of new information obtained from planetary exploration during the past decade and because of changes to, or uncertainties in, some parameters used in the existing quantitative approach. On the basis of this analysis, a revised planetary protection policy with the following key features is proposed: deemphasizing the use of mathematical models and quantitative analyses; establishing requirements for target planet/mission type (i.e., Orbiter, Lander, etc.) combinations; considering sample return missions a separate category; simplifying documentation; and imposing implementing procedures (i.e., trajectory biasing, cleanroom assembly, spacecraft sterilization, etc.) by exception, i.e., only if the planet/mission combination warrants such controls.

Devincenzi, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

An optimal repartitioning decision policy

A central problem to parallel processing is the determination of an effective partitioning of workload to processors. The effectiveness of any given partition is dependent on the stochastic nature of the workload. The problem of determining when and if the stochastic behavior of the workload has changed enough to warrant the calculation of a new partition is treated. The problem is modeled as a Markov decision process, and an optimal decision policy is derived. Quantification of this policy is usually intractable. A heuristic policy which performs nearly optimally is investigated empirically. The results suggest that the detection of change is the predominant issue in this problem.

Nicol, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Planetary protection policy overview and application to future missions

The current status of planetary protection (quarantine) policy within NASA is discussed, together with the issues of planetary protection and back-contamination as related to future missions. The policy adopted by COSPAR in 1984 (and recently reaffirmed by the NASA Administrator) for application to all unmanned missions to other solar system bodies and all manned and unmanned sample return missions is examined. Special attention is given to the implementation of the policy and to the specific quarantine-related constraints on spacecraft involved in solar system exploration that depend on the nature of the mission and the identity of the target body.

Rummel, John D.↗

NASA NTRS1992

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 27: Knowledge diffusion and US government technology policy: Issues and opportunities for sci/tech librarians

Federal involvement in simulating economic growth through the development and application of technology policy is currently the subject of serious debate. A recession and the recognition that an internationally competitive economy is a prerequisite for the attainment of national goals have fostered a number of technology policy initiatives aimed at improving the economic competitiveness of American industry. This paper suggests that the successful implementation of U.S. technology policy will require the adoption of a knowledge diffusion model, the development of user oriented information products and services, and a more 'activist' approach on the part of sci/tech librarians in the provision of scientific and technical information (STI). These changes will have a dramatic impact on the sci/tech library of the future and the preparation of sci/tech librarians.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. XXVII - Knowledge diffusion and U.S. government technology policy: Issues and opportunities for sci/tech librarians

Federal involvement in stimulating economic growth through the development and application of technology policy is currently the subject of serious debate. A recession and the recognition that an internationally competitive economy is a prerequisite for the attainment of national goals have fostered a number of technology policy initiatives aimed at improving the economic competitiveness of American industry. This paper suggests that the successful implementation of U.S. technology policy will require the adoption of a knowledge diffusion model, the development of user oriented information products and services, and a more 'activist' approach on the part of sci/tech librarians in the provision of scientific and technical information (STI). These changes will have a dramatic impact on the sci/tech library of the future and the preparation of sci/tech librarians.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗

NASA NTRS2000

An Examination of the U.S. Regional Airline Policies Regarding Child Restraint Systems

A prior study examined the policies of U.S. air carriers with regard to the use of infant restraint systems on board commercial aircraft. This study expands on that earlier study by examining the policies of commuter air carriers in the United States regarding the use of infant restraint systems. The management policy of the commuter air carriers has been investigated and officials of the commuter air carriers were surveyed to determine how the carriage of infants onboard their aircraft varied among commuter airlines. The topics investigated included seat space for infants, restraint systems for infants, and amenities for infant passengers. The results of this study have been analyzed to ascertain if any recommendations can be made to the commuter airlines regarding the carriage of infants onboard their aircraft.

Carstenson, Larry↗

NASA NTRS1994

Revision to Planetary Protection Policy for Mars Missions

Under existing COSPAR policy adopted in 1984, missions to Mars (landers, probes, and some orbiters) are designated as Category IV missions. As such, the procedures for implementing planetary protection requirements could include trajectory biasing, cleanrooms, bioload reduction, sterilization of hardware, and bioshields, i. e. requirements could be similar to Viking. However, in 1992, a U. S. National Academy of Sciences study recommended that controls on forward contamination of Mars be tied to specific mission objectives. The report recommended that Mars landers with life detection instruments be subject to at least Viking-level sterilization procedures for bioload reduction, while spacecraft (including orbiters) without life detection instruments be subject to at least Viking-level pre sterilization procedures for bioload reduction but need not be sterilized. In light of this, it is proposed that the current policy's Category IV missions and their planetary protection requirements be divided into two subcategories as follows: Category IV A, for missions comprising landers and probes without life detection experiments and some orbiters, which will meet a specified bioburden limit for exposed surfaces; Category IV B, for landers and probes with life detection experiments, which will require complete system sterilization. For Category IV A missions, bioburden specifications will be proposed and implementing procedures discussed. A resolution will be proposed to modify the existing COSPAR policy to reflect these changes. Similar specifications, procedures, and resolution for Category IV B missions will be the subject of a later study.

DeVincenzi, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Certifying Domain-Specific Policies

Proof-checking code for compliance to safety policies potentially enables a product-oriented approach to certain aspects of software certification. To date, previous research has focused on generic, low-level programming-language properties such as memory type safety. In this paper we consider proof-checking higher-level domain -specific properties for compliance to safety policies. The paper first describes a framework related to abstract interpretation in which compliance to a class of certification policies can be efficiently calculated Membership equational logic is shown to provide a rich logic for carrying out such calculations, including partiality, for certification. The architecture for a domain-specific certifier is described, followed by an implemented case study. The case study considers consistency of abstract variable attributes in code that performs geometric calculations in Aerospace systems.

Lowry, Michael↗

NASA NTRS2004

Extreme Environments Development of Decision Processes and Training Programs for Medical Policy Formulation

The purpose of this workshop was to survey existing health and safety policies as well as processes and practices for various extreme environments; to identify strengths and shortcomings of these processes; and to recommend parameters for inclusion in a generic approach to policy formulation, applicable to the broadest categories of extreme environments. It was anticipated that two additional workshops would follow. The November 7, 2003 workshop would be devoted to the evaluation of different model(s) and a concluding expert evaluation of the usefulness of the model using a policy formulation example. The final workshop was planned for March 2004.

Stough, Roger↗

NASA NTRS2006

The New Jettison Policy for the International Space Station

During more than seven years of operations by the International Space Station (ISS), approximately three dozen pieces of debris were released and subsequently cataloged by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The individual mass of these objects ranged from less than 1 kg to 70 kg. Although some of these debris were separated from the ISS accidentally, some were intentionally cast-off, especially the larger items. In addition, small operational satellites are candidates for launch from the ISS, such as the TNS-O satellite deployed from ISS in March 2005. Recently an official ISS Jettison Policy was developed to ensure that decisions to deliberately release objects in the future were based upon a complete evaluation of the benefits and risks to the ISS, other resident space objects, and people on the Earth. The policy identifies four categories of items which might be considered for release: (1) items that pose a safety issue for return on-board a visiting vehicle, (2) items that negatively impact ISS utilization, return, or on-orbit stowage manifests, (3) items that represent an EVA timeline savings, and (4) items that are designed for jettison. Some of the principal issues to be addressed during this evaluation process are the potential for the object to recontact the ISS within the first two days after jettison, the potential of the object to breakup prior to reentry, the ability of the SSN to track the object, and the risk to people on Earth from components which might survive reentry. This paper summarizes the history of objects released from ISS, examines the specifics of the ISS jettison policy, and addresses the overall impact of ISS debris on the space environment.

Johnson, Nicholas L.↗

NASA NTRS2006

A Model-Driven Architecture Approach for Modeling, Specifying and Deploying Policies in Autonomous and Autonomic Systems

Autonomic Computing (AC), self-management based on high level guidance from humans, is increasingly gaining momentum as the way forward in designing reliable systems that hide complexity and conquer IT management costs. Effectively, AC may be viewed as Policy-Based Self-Management. The Model Driven Architecture (MDA) approach focuses on building models that can be transformed into code in an automatic manner. In this paper, we look at ways to implement Policy-Based Self-Management by means of models that can be converted to code using transformations that follow the MDA philosophy. We propose a set of UML-based models to specify autonomic and autonomous features along with the necessary procedures, based on modification and composition of models, to deploy a policy as an executing system.

Pena, Joaquin↗

NASA NTRS2011

Systems, methods and apparatus for modeling, specifying and deploying policies in autonomous and autonomic systems using agent-oriented software engineering

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some embodiments, an agent-oriented specification modeled with MaCMAS, is analyzed, flaws in the agent-oriented specification modeled with MaCMAS are corrected, and an implementation is derived from the corrected agent-oriented specification. Described herein are systems, method and apparatus that produce fully (mathematically) tractable development of agent-oriented specification(s) modeled with methodology fragment for analyzing complex multiagent systems (MaCMAS) and policies for autonomic systems from requirements through to code generation. The systems, method and apparatus described herein are illustrated through an example showing how user formulated policies can be translated into a formal mode which can then be converted to code. The requirements-based programming systems, method and apparatus described herein may provide faster, higher quality development and maintenance of autonomic systems based on user formulation of policies.

Hinchey, Michael G.↗