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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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At least 91 records · Page 5

Simulation and Flight Test Data Collection to Support Phase 1 Detect-and-Avoid MOPS

The UAS Integration into the NAS (UASNAS) project is studying the minimum operational performance standards for unmanned aerial system (UAS) detect-and-avoid (DAA) systems in order to operate in the National Airspace System (NAS). The project is executing a series of fast-time simulation, human-in-the-loop experiments, and flight tests in support of this effort. Armstrong Flight Research Center is hosting a VIP Day in conjunction with the UAS-NAS Project's Flight Test 4 activity, and the Ames Project Engineer (or designate) will be presenting a briefing. This briefing will review the data collection and analysis activities for Flight Test 4 within the Separation assurance-Sense-and-avoid Interoperability (SSI) team.

data analysis↗

Simulation and Flight Test Data Collection Review for Supporting Phase 1 Detect and Avoid MOPS

RTCA Special Committee 228 is a consortium of government, industry, and academic organizations tasked to develop minimum operational performance standards for UAS detect and avoid systems. The UAS in the NAS (National Airspace System) project is studying the minimum operational performance standards for unmanned aerial systems (UAS's) detect-and-avoid (DAA) system in order to operate in the National Airspace System. Over the past 3 years, the project has executed a series of fast-time simulation, human-in-the-loop experiments, and flight tests in support of this effort. The purpose of this briefing is to summarize the models developed and data collected to overcome UAS integration barriers, so UAS can remain well clear of all traffic.

Santiago, Confesor↗

Controller Inhibition of Automated Conflict Resolutions in a Maximum NextGen Condition

With the continued projection of increases in air traffic density, operations in the National Airspace System are expected to exceed human capabilities in the near future. In order to address the bottleneck of human workload capacity, highly automated safety-critical systems are under development to support air traffic controllers. A human-in-the-loop experiment examined controllers transition through four NextGen automation stages: Current-Day, Minimum, Moderate, and Maximum. Maximum NextGen simulated a fully automated environment where the automation was responsible for detecting and resolving conflicts within simulation parameters in high-density airspace. By allocating these tasks to the automation, the controllers task changed. The human moved to primarily a supervisory position- typically only regaining control over separation assurance tasks during conflict situations deferred by the automation. While tasks were allocated a-priori between the controller and automated agent, controllers maintained authority to inhibit the automation from interacting with particular aircraft. Preliminary work is complete, where significant differences were found in inhibition frequency between simulation participants. However, the contexts in which the controllers inhibited the automation, and their reasons for doing so, remain unclear. This analysis attempts to identity factors contributing to human controllers inhibition of the automation in the Maximum NextGen condition.

adaptable automation↗

TPSAS-NF1676L-9785-DND

Evaluate feasibility of inferring aspects of pilot state using active (force-feedback) side-stick, including a) contact with stick (haptic monitoring), b) Desire to change automation support level, c) pilot workload, and d) stress. Conduct human-in-the loop experiment to generate database for off-line investigation of potential signals and identification methods

Ken Goodrich↗

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In-Trail Procedures (ITP)

Aircraft in oceanic and remote non-radar airspace frequently fly for extended periods of time in the same direction, at the same time, along similar flight paths as other aircraft. Since there is no radar surveillance, controllers use procedural separation to ensure that aircraft remain separated. Procedural separation distances are typically larger than radar separation distances and as a result aircraft operating in oceanic airspace are sometimes held at non-optimal flight levels due to conflicting traffic at intervening flight levels. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In-Trail Procedures (ITP) were developed to enable flight level change maneuvers that would otherwise not be possible with current procedural separation standards. Aircraft operators choosing to equip with an ADS-B transceiver and an appropriate onboard decision support system would be able to take advantage of these procedures when operating in proximity to aircraft equipped with a suitable ADS-B transmitter (“ADS-B Out”). The ability to perform in-trail maneuvers to achieve more time at optimum altitudes could result in more efficient and predictable flight profiles thereby saving fuel and in some cases allowing operators to make beneficial operational decisions. NASA first began developing ADS-B ITP in 2003 as a result of a desire to develop methodologies, concepts, and procedures to reduce separation requirements for future air transportation systems using airborne ADS-B. The objectives were to provide insight into the details necessary to reduce separation requirements for the future and to develop applications that could provide incentives for operators to voluntarily equip with transformational technologies. From 2003 to 2008, NASA conducted research that supported the development of ITP including batch simulations, human-in-the-loop experiments and avionics and separation standards development. This research showed enough maturity and benefit that in 2008, the FAA Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) program adopted ADS-B ITP as one of their three key, near-term applications to make use of ADS-B-In. The FAA developed an agreement with NASA to transition the technology and established an FAA project for the purpose of performing an operational trial of ADS-B ITP in revenue service in the summer of 2011. The objectives of the project are to a) validate the operational performance and economic benefits of ITP; and b) develop and validate ADS-B ITP Minimum Operational Performance Specifications (MOPS) material. As a part of this project, the FAA established agreements with United Airlines and Honeywell. The agreements include the work necessary for the development, certification and installation of onboard systems for twelve United Airlines 747-400s. ITP system development is nearly complete and certification activities are underway. The FAA project has also been working with Oakland Oceanic Control Center (ZOA) and the FAA’s Oceanic and Offshore Operations Office to develop controller procedures and safety analyses that are required to support the flight trial. The FAA has also been working on the development of an ITP Operational Specification that should be approved this April. The presentation will cover some of the key aspects of the development, challenges, and integration required to successfully transition ADS-B ITP from a concept in 2003 to flight trials in revenue service in 2011.

Kenneth M Jones↗

Reach Performance Using Touchscreens Under G and Vibration Conditions

This presentation summarizes prior results from human-in-the-loop experiments that measured the accuracy and precision of human reaches to a touchscreen under a range of altered gravitational and vibrational conditions. From the data, this presentation proposes a method for estimating the worst-case reach accuracy and precision during lunar landings with an eye towards supporting engineering design decisions about human control interfaces and crew operations for lunar missions.

human performance↗

Multi-Evaporator Miniature Loop Heat Pipe for Small Spacecraft Thermal Control: New Technologies and Validation Approach - Part 1

Under NASA s New Millennium Program Space Technology 8 (ST 8) Project, four experiments Thermal Loop, Dependable Microprocessor, SAILMAST, and UltraFlex - were conducted to advance the maturity of individual technologies from proof of concept to prototype demonstration in a relevant environment , i.e. from a technology readiness level (TRL) of 3 to a level of 6. This paper presents the new technologies and validation approach of the Thermal Loop experiment. The Thermal Loop is an advanced thermal control system consisting of a miniature loop heat pipe (MLHP) with multiple evaporators and multiple condensers designed for future small system applications requiring low mass, low power, and compactness. The MLHP retains all features of state-of-the-art loop heat pipes (LHPs) and offers additional advantages to enhance the functionality, performance, versatility, and reliability of the system. Details of the thermal loop concept, technical advances, benefits, objectives, level 1 requirements, and performance characteristics are described. Also included in the paper are descriptions of the test articles and mathematical modeling used for the technology validation. An MLHP breadboard was built and tested in the laboratory and thermal vacuum environments for TRL 4 and TRL 5 validations, and an MLHP proto-flight unit was built and tested in a thermal vacuum chamber for the TRL 6 validation. In addition, an analytical model was developed to simulate the steady state and transient behaviors of the MLHP during various validation tests. Capabilities and limitations of the analytical model are also addressed.

Ku, Jentung↗

Development and integration of the capillary pumped loop GAS and Hitchhiker flight experiments

The Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) is a thermal control system with high density heat acquisition and transport capability. A small spaceflight version of the CPL was built and flown as a GAS experiment on STS 51-D in April 1985 and STS 51-G in June 1985, and as a Hitchhiker-G experiment on STS 61-C in January 1986. The purpose of the experiments was to demonstrate the capability of a capillary pumped system under microgravity conditions for use in the thermal control of large scientific instruments, advanced orbiting spacecraft, and space station components. The development, integration, and test activities of the CPL are described.

Butler, D.↗

Test results of prototype two-phase reservoirs for the CAPL flight experiment

The Capillary Pumped Loop Flight Experiment (CAPL) was designed to test components being considered for inclusion in the Earth Observing System (EOS) instrument thermal control system. The thermal operating conditions of a capillary pumped loop (CPL) heat transport system are controlled by a two-phase reservoir. Three prototype two-phase reservoirs designed for use in microgravity applications were built to CAPL specifications and performance tested at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center using anhydrous ammonia as the working fluid. Test results for liquid expulsion rates and CPL operational control are presented for each reservoir.

Buchko, Matthew T.↗

Closed-Loop System Identification Experience for Flight Control Law and Flying Qualities Evaluation of a High Performance Fighter Aircraft

This paper highlights some of the results and issues associated with estimating models to evaluate control law design methods and design criteria for advanced high performance aircraft. Experimental fighter aircraft such as the NASA High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) have the capability to maneuver at very high angles of attack where nonlinear aerodynamics often predominate. HARV is an experimental F/A-18, configured with thrust vectoring and conformal actuated nose strakes. Identifying closed-loop models for this type of aircraft can be made difficult by nonlinearities and high-order characteristics of the system. In this paper only lateral-directional axes are considered since the lateral-directional control law was specifically designed to produce classical airplane responses normally expected with low-order, rigid-body systems. Evaluation of the control design methodology was made using low-order equivalent systems determined from flight and simulation. This allowed comparison of the closed-loop rigid-body dynamics achieved in flight with that designed in simulation. In flight, the On Board Excitation System was used to apply optimal inputs to lateral stick and pedals at five angles of attack: 5, 20, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. Data analysis and closed-loop model identification were done using frequency domain maximum likelihood. The structure of the identified models was a linear state-space model reflecting classical 4th-order airplane dynamics. Input time delays associated with the high-order controller and aircraft system were accounted for in data preprocessing. A comparison of flight estimated models with small perturbation linear design models highlighted nonlinearities in the system and indicated that the estimated closed-loop rigid-body dynamics were sensitive to input amplitudes at 20 and 30 degrees angle of attack.

Murphy, Patrick C.↗

Closed-Loop System Identification Experience for Flight Control Law and Flying Qualities Evaluation of a High Performance Fighter Aircraft

This paper highlights some of the results and issues associated with estimating models to evaluate control law design methods and design criteria for advanced high performance aircraft. Experimental fighter aircraft such as the NASA-High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) have the capability to maneuver at very high angles of attack where nonlinear aerodynamics often predominate. HARV is an experimental F/A-18, configured with thrust vectoring and conformal actuated nose strakes. Identifying closed-loop models for this type of aircraft can be made difficult by nonlinearities and high order characteristics of the system. In this paper, only lateral-directional axes are considered since the lateral-directional control law was specifically designed to produce classical airplane responses normally expected with low-order, rigid-body systems. Evaluation of the control design methodology was made using low-order equivalent systems determined from flight and simulation. This allowed comparison of the closed-loop rigid-body dynamics achieved in flight with that designed in simulation. In flight, the On Board Excitation System was used to apply optimal inputs to lateral stick and pedals at five angles at attack : 5, 20, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. Data analysis and closed-loop model identification were done using frequency domain maximum likelihood. The structure of identified models was a linear state-space model reflecting classical 4th-order airplane dynamics. Input time delays associated with the high-order controller and aircraft system were accounted for in data preprocessing. A comparison of flight estimated models with small perturbation linear design models highlighted nonlinearities in the system and indicated that the closed-loop rigid-body dynamics were sensitive to input amplitudes at 20 and 30 degrees angle of attack.

Murphy, Patrick C.↗

In-Space technology experiments program. A high efficiency thermal interface (using condensation heat transfer) between a 2-phase fluid loop and heatpipe radiator: Experiment definition phase

Space Station elements and advanced military spacecraft will require rejection of tens of kilowatts of waste heat. Large space radiators and two-phase heat transport loops will be required. To minimize radiator size and weight, it is critical to minimize the temperature drop between the heat source and sink. Under an Air Force contract, a unique, high-performance heat exchanger is developed for coupling the radiator to the transport loop. Since fluid flow through the heat exchanger is driven by capillary forces which are easily dominated by gravity forces in ground testing, it is necessary to perform microgravity thermal testing to verify the design. This contract consists of an experiment definition phase leading to a preliminary design and cost estimate for a shuttle-based flight experiment of this heat exchanger design. This program will utilize modified hardware from a ground test program for the heat exchanger.

Pohner, John A.↗

SATS HVO Concept Validation Experiment

A human-in-the-loop simulation experiment was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center s (LaRC) Air Traffic Operations Lab (ATOL) in an effort to comprehensively validate tools and procedures intended to enable the Small Aircraft Transportation System, Higher Volume Operations (SATS HVO) concept of operations. The SATS HVO procedures were developed to increase the rate of operations at non-towered, non-radar airports in near all-weather conditions. A key element of the design is the establishment of a volume of airspace around designated airports where pilots accept responsibility for self-separation. Flights operating at these airports, are given approach sequencing information computed by a ground based automated system. The SATS HVO validation experiment was conducted in the ATOL during the spring of 2004 in order to determine if a pilot can safely and proficiently fly an airplane while performing SATS HVO procedures. Comparative measures of flight path error, perceived workload and situation awareness were obtained for two types of scenarios. Baseline scenarios were representative of today s system utilizing procedure separation, where air traffic control grants one approach or departure clearance at a time. SATS HVO scenarios represented approaches and departure procedures as described in the SATS HVO concept of operations. Results from the experiment indicate that low time pilots were able to fly SATS HVO procedures and maintain self-separation as safely and proficiently as flying today's procedures.

Consiglio, Maria↗

Capillary pumped loop GAS and Hitchhiker flight experiments

Flight experiments of a capillary pumped loop (CPL) aboard the Space Shuttle on both the Get Away Special (GAS) and Hitchhiker-G (H/H-G) carriers are described. These tests have shown that a two-phase heat transfer loop utilizing a wicking material as the system pumping mechanism can operate successfully in a zero-g environment. The CPL operating modes demonstrated were start-up, heat load sharing/natural priming, liquid inventory and temperature control via the reservoir, dryout recovery, and isolation of a single pump deprime. Also investigated were high and low power limits, and inlet subcooling requirements. In these CPL flight experiments, successful system operation was demonstrated at input power levels up to 560 watts and inlet subcooling below 2 C.

Ku, J.↗

Preliminary structural control results from the Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE)

Results are presented of on-going closed-loop ground experiments on the MACE test article, the objective of which is to investigate the extent to which closed-loop behavior of flexible spacecraft in zero gravity can be predicted, as well as to examine orbit system identification and control reconfiguration. The MACE hardware consists of three torque wheels, a two-axis gimballing payload, inertial sensors, and a flexible support structure. With the acquisition of a second payload, this is to represent a multiple payload platform with significant structural flexibility. When linear quadratic Gaussian control is used, payload pointing accuracy is improved by an order of magnitude when disturbed by a broadband torque disturbance. The successes and failures of the design and implementation process are discussed.

Miller, David W.↗

Preparing for Crew-Control of Surface Robots from Orbit

Since 2010, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been developing robots that can be remotely operated on planetary surfaces by astronauts in orbiting spacecraft. A primary objective of this work has been to test telerobotic technologies that are needed for future deep-space human exploration missions. Specifically, ESA's Multi-Purpose End-To-End Robotic Operations Network (METERON) project and NASA's Human Exploration Telerobotics (HET) project are complementary initiatives that aim to validate communications, operations and robotic systems through a range of ground and flight experiments with humans and robots in the loop. Several experiments have already been successfully completed and others are now in preparation for flight.

telerobotics↗

Closing the loop on improvement: Packaging experience in the Software Engineering Laboratory

As part of its award-winning software process improvement program, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) has developed an effective method for packaging organizational best practices based on real project experience into useful handbooks and training courses. This paper shares the SEL's experience over the past 12 years creating and updating software process handbooks and training courses. It provides cost models and guidelines for successful experience packaging derived from SEL experience.

Waligora, Sharon R.↗