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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

In-Space Transportation Sensitivity to Roundtrip Mission Duration and Mars Vicinity Stay Time

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate has been developing architecture concepts for human missions to Mars in alignment with the agency’s Moon-to-Mars Strategy & Objectives. One of the key components of a human Mars mission is the in-space transportation system that delivers crew and cargo to Mars vicinity and returns the crew safely back to Earth. The Mars Architecture Team within ESDMD’s Strategy and Architecture Office has been evaluating multiple in-space transportation options to satisfy this functional need. The first step of this evaluation is to understand key architectural drivers for in-space transportation systems. Lunar and Mars missions have unique challenges, and systems designed for one may not be directly applicable to the other as they have different energy and mission needs. In addition, the time and distance for a Mars mission will be drastically different from the historical and current programs, requiring a new paradigm for mission architects. This paper investigates the impact of mission duration on a variety of different transportation options. As mission duration decreases, the total energy required to perform a roundtrip Mars mission increases exponentially, significantly increasing the required Earth departure mass. Sensitivity analyses of various in-space transportation system concepts were shown in this paper to begin mapping out the in-space transportation trade space. Each of the transportation systems has its own strengths and weaknesses, especially in the context of the continuous mission duration and vicinity stay time trade space. Although mission duration and Mars vicinity stay time may be key architecture drivers from an in-space transportation perspective, the decision of acceptable mission duration cannot be made solely from this perspective. Mission duration also has tangible impacts to crew health and performance, as well as system reliability and other key architecture considerations. The integrated nature of the architecture decision road map will be the primary focus of the Mars Architecture Team in the coming analysis cycle. This in-space transportation analysis will serve as the first guidepost of this critical activity that will guide the Moon-to-Mars Architecture into the humans to Mars segment.

Mars↗

NASA NTRS2006

User-Defined Data Distributions in High-Level Programming Languages

One of the characteristic features of today s high performance computing systems is a physically distributed memory. Efficient management of locality is essential for meeting key performance requirements for these architectures. The standard technique for dealing with this issue has involved the extension of traditional sequential programming languages with explicit message passing, in the context of a processor-centric view of parallel computation. This has resulted in complex and error-prone assembly-style codes in which algorithms and communication are inextricably interwoven. This paper presents a high-level approach to the design and implementation of data distributions. Our work is motivated by the need to improve the current parallel programming methodology by introducing a paradigm supporting the development of efficient and reusable parallel code. This approach is currently being implemented in the context of a new programming language called Chapel, which is designed in the HPCS project Cascade.

physically distributed memory↗

NASA NTRS1984

Formal verification of mathematical software

Methods are investigated for formally specifying and verifying the correctness of mathematical software (software which uses floating point numbers and arithmetic). Previous work in the field was reviewed. A new model of floating point arithmetic called the asymptotic paradigm was developed and formalized. Two different conceptual approaches to program verification, the classical Verification Condition approach and the more recently developed Programming Logic approach, were adapted to use the asymptotic paradigm. These approaches were then used to verify several programs; the programs chosen were simplified versions of actual mathematical software.

Sutherland, D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Space transportation alternatives for large space programs: The International Space University Summer Session, 1992

In 1992, the International Space University (ISU) held its Summer Session in Kitakyushu, Japan. This paper summarizes and expands upon some aspects of space solar power and space transportation that were considered during that session. The issues discussed in this paper are the result of a 10-week study by the Space Solar Power Program design project members and the Space Transportation Group to investigate new paradigms in space propulsion and how those paradigms might reduce the costs for large space programs. The program plan was to place a series of power satellites in Earth orbit. Several designs were studied where many kW, MW, or GW of power would be transmitted to Earth or to other spacecraft in orbit. During the summer session, a space solar power system was also detailed and analyzed. A high-cost space transportation program is potentially the most crippling barrier to such a space power program. At ISU, the focus of the study was to foster and develop some of the new paradigms that may eliminate the barriers to low cost for space exploration and exploitation. Many international and technical aspects of a large multinational program were studied. Environmental safety, space construction and maintenance, legal and policy issues of frequency allocation, technology transfer and control and many other areas were addressed. Over 120 students from 29 countries participated in this summer session. The results discussed in this paper, therefore, represent the efforts of many nations.

Palaszewski, Bryan A.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Radiation Risk Assessment of the Individual Astronaut: A Complement to Radiation Interests at the NIH

Predicting human risks following exposure to space radiation is uncertain in part because of unpredictable distribution of high-LET and low-dose-derived damage amongst cells in tissues, unknown synergistic effects of microgravity upon gene- and protein-expression, and inadequately modeled processing of radiation-induced damage within cells to produce rare and late-appearing malignant cancers. Furthermore, estimation of risks of radiogenic outcome within small numbers of astronauts is not possible using classic epidemiologic study. It therefore seems useful to develop strategies of risk-assessment based upon large datasets acquired from correlated biological models useful for resolving radiogenic risk-assessment for irradiated individuals. In this regard, it is suggested that sensitive cellular biodosimeters that simultaneously report 1) the quantity of absorbed dose after exposure to ionizing radiation, 2) the quality of radiation delivering that dose, and 3) the biomolecular risk of malignant transformation be developed in order to resolve these NASA-specific challenges. Multiparametric cellular biodosimeters could be developed using analyses of gene-expression and protein-expression whereby large datasets of cellular response to radiation-induced damage are analyzed for markers predictive for acute response as well as cancer-risk. A new paradigm is accordingly addressed wherein genomic and proteomic datasets are registered and interrogated in order to provide statistically significant dose-dependent risk estimation in individual astronauts. This evaluation of the individual for assessment of radiogenic outcomes connects to NIH program in that such a paradigm also supports assignment of a given patient to a specific therapy, the diagnosis of response of that patient to therapy, and the prediction of risks accumulated by that patient during therapy - such as risks incurred by scatter and neutrons produced during high-energy Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy. Value of assessment of radiogenic outcome for individuals exposed to radiation is suggested to be common to both NASA and NIH.

Richmond, Robert C.↗

NASA NTRS2003

NASA GPM GV Science Requirements

An important scientific objective of the NASA portion of the GPM Mission is to generate quantitatively-based error characterization information along with the rainrate retrievals emanating from the GPM constellation of satellites. These data must serve four main purposes: (1) they must be of sufficient quality, uniformity, and timeliness to govern the observation weighting schemes used in the data assimilation modules of numerical weather prediction models; (2) they must extend over that portion of the globe accessible by the GPM core satellite to which the NASA GV program is focused - (approx.65 degree inclination); (3) they must have sufficient specificity to enable detection of physically-formulated microphysical and meteorological weaknesses in the standard physical level 2 rainrate algorithms to be used in the GPM Precipitation Processing System (PPS), i.e., algorithms which will have evolved from the TRMM standard physical level 2 algorithms; and (4) they must support the use of physical error modeling as a primary validation tool and as the eventual replacement of the conventional GV approach of statistically intercomparing surface rainrates fiom ground and satellite measurements. This approach to ground validation research represents a paradigm shift vis-&-vis the program developed for the TRMM mission, which conducted ground validation largely as a statistical intercomparison process between raingauge-derived or radar-derived rainrates and the TRMM satellite rainrate retrievals -- long after the original satellite retrievals were archived. This approach has been able to quantify averaged rainrate differences between the satellite algorithms and the ground instruments, but has not been able to explain causes of algorithm failures or produce error information directly compatible with the cost functions of data assimilation schemes. These schemes require periodic and near-realtime bias uncertainty (i.e., global space-time distributed conditional accuracy of the retrieved rainrates) and local error covariance structure (i.e., global space-time distributed error correlation information for the local 4-dimensional space-time domain -- or in simpler terms, the matrix form of precision error). This can only be accomplished by establishing a network of high quality-heavily instrumented supersites selectively distributed at a few oceanic, continental, and coastal sites. Economics and pragmatics dictate that the network must be made up of a relatively small number of sites (6-8) created through international cooperation. This presentation will address some of the details of the methodology behind the error characterization approach, some proposed solutions for expanding site-developed error properties to regional scales, a data processing and communications concept that would enable rapid implementation of algorithm improvement by the algorithm developers, and the likely available options for developing the supersite network.

Smith, E.↗

NASA NTRS1996

The Design, Planning and Control of Robotic Systems in Space

Dubowsky, Steven↗

NASA NTRS1996

The Design, Planning and Control of Robotic Systems in Space

In the future, robotic systems will be expected to perform important tasks in space, in orbit and in planetary exploration. In orbit, current technology requires that tasks such as the repair, construction and maintenance of space stations and satellites be performed by astronaut Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). Eliminating, the need for astronaut EVA through the use of space manipulators would greatly reduce both mission costs and hazards to astronauts. In planetary exploration, cost and logistical considerations clearly make the use of autonomous and telerobotic systems also very attractive, even in cases where an astronaut explorer might be in the area. However, such applications introduce a number of technical problems not found in conventional earth-bound industrial robots. To design useful and practical systems to meet the needs of future space missions, substantial technical development is required, including in the areas of the design, control and planning. The objectives of this research program were to develop such design paradigms and control and planning algorithms to enable future space robotic systems to meet their proposed mission objectives. The underlying intellectual focus of the program is to construct a set of integrated design, planning and control techniques based on an understanding of the fundamental mechanics of space robotic systems. This work was to build upon the results obtained in our previous research in this area supported by NASA Langley Research Center in which we have made important contributions to the area of space robotics. This program was proposed and accepted as a three year research program, a period of time necessary to make the type of fundamental developments to make a significant contributions to space robotics. Unfortunately, less than a year into the program it became clear that the NASA Langley Research Center would be forced by budgetary constraints to essentially leave this area of research. As a result, the total funding we received under this grant represented approximately one year of the original, proposed and approved, funding. For some time, there was substantial uncertainty that even this very reduced level of funding would be provided. The spending of the reduced available funds was spread just over two years to provide the support to permit the MS students who had joined the program to receive their master's degree and terminate their studies in this area.

Dubowsky, Steven↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling Interoperability in Earth System Digital Twins (ESDT): Integrating Observations, Models, and AI for Actionable Insights Through NASA'S Intelligent Systems Technology Program

NASA’s Intelligent Systems Technology Program (IST) is driving a paradigm shift in Earth science through the development of Earth System Digital Twins (ESDT). These integrated information systems create a dynamic "digital replica" of the Earth by harmonizing continuous, multi-source observations with high-fidelity models and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) that enable “What now?”, “What next?”, and “What if?” scenario building. These scenarios are reflected in NASA IST’s series of ESDTs, from the Coastal Zone Digital Twin that integrates complex data on the current state of the Chesapeake Bay to the Terrestrial Environmental Rapid-Replication and Assimilation Hydrometeorological (TerraHydro) AI-based ESDT that forecasts water movement across Earth’s surface, to the Agriculture Land Information System (AgLIS) which can be used to assess optimal planting dates and crop yield estimates. By bridging the gap between vast data archives and actionable insights, these projects enable a system-of-systems approach to understanding complex, interacting Earth processes. This poster will highlight recent innovations and future directions from NASA’s ESDT initiatives: Continuous Data Assimilation & Multi-Source Fusion. A core requirement of the ESDT work is the transition from static models to dynamic "living" replicas. This involves creating frameworks for the continual assimilation of near-real-time data from uncoordinated, heterogeneous sources, including satellite observations and airborne assets, and ground-based Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. These systems link design, operational status, and environmental data, ensuring the digital twin accurately reflects the current state of the physical Earth system. High-Fidelity Hybrid Modeling & Computational Acceleration to enable interactive "what-if" explorations, programs are moving beyond traditional, slow physical solvers by developing fast surrogate machine learning models and Deep Generative Models (DGMs). These hybrid approaches use neural networks to emulate complex physics, such as cloud feedback or ocean dynamics, at a fraction of the original computing cost, often leveraging advanced hardware like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to achieve the necessary scale. Federated Ecosystems & Interoperable Frameworks rather than building isolated tools, NASA IST is moving toward federated ESDTs and reusable analytic collaborative frameworks. This theme focuses on interoperability standards and common ontologies that allow specialized digital twins to interact and share data. This system-of-systems architecture supports multi-discipline investigations, such as analyzing how upstream watershed changes impact downstream urban flooding or how wildfire emissions affect regional air quality. By leveraging these advancements, ESDTs empower researchers and decision-makers to conduct real-time analysis and run complex hypothetical scenarios, ultimately improving our understanding of Earth’s evolving systems and informing critical real-world applications.

Earth System↗

NASA NTRS1985

ENCOMPASS: A SAGA based environment for the compositon of programs and specifications, appendix A

ENCOMPASS is an example integrated software engineering environment being constructed by the SAGA project. ENCOMPASS supports the specification, design, construction and maintenance of efficient, validated, and verified programs in a modular programming language. The life cycle paradigm, schema of software configurations, and hierarchical library structure used by ENCOMPASS is presented. In ENCOMPASS, the software life cycle is viewed as a sequence of developments, each of which reuses components from the previous ones. Each development proceeds through the phases planning, requirements definition, validation, design, implementation, and system integration. The components in a software system are modeled as entities which have relationships between them. An entity may have different versions and different views of the same project are allowed. The simple entities supported by ENCOMPASS may be combined into modules which may be collected into projects. ENCOMPASS supports multiple programmers and projects using a hierarchical library system containing a workspace for each programmer; a project library for each project, and a global library common to all projects.

Terwilliger, Robert B.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Development of visual programming techniques to integrate theoretical modeling into the scientific planning and instrument operations environment of ISTP

The goal of this project is to investigate the use of visualization software based on the visual programming and data-flow paradigms to meet the needs of the SPOF and through it the International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) science community. Specific needs we address include science planning, data interpretation, comparisons of data with simulation and model results, and data acquisition. Our accomplishments during the twelve month grant period are discussed below.

Goodrich, Charles C.↗

NASA NTRS2006

The 'Biologically-Inspired Computing' Column

The field of Biology changed dramatically in 1953, with the determination by Francis Crick and James Dewey Watson of the double helix structure of DNA. This discovery changed Biology for ever, allowing the sequencing of the human genome, and the emergence of a "new Biology" focused on DNA, genes, proteins, data, and search. Computational Biology and Bioinformatics heavily rely on computing to facilitate research into life and development. Simultaneously, an understanding of the biology of living organisms indicates a parallel with computing systems: molecules in living cells interact, grow, and transform according to the "program" dictated by DNA. Moreover, paradigms of Computing are emerging based on modelling and developing computer-based systems exploiting ideas that are observed in nature. This includes building into computer systems self-management and self-governance mechanisms that are inspired by the human body's autonomic nervous system, modelling evolutionary systems analogous to colonies of ants or other insects, and developing highly-efficient and highly-complex distributed systems from large numbers of (often quite simple) largely homogeneous components to reflect the behaviour of flocks of birds, swarms of bees, herds of animals, or schools of fish. This new field of "Biologically-Inspired Computing", often known in other incarnations by other names, such as: Autonomic Computing, Pervasive Computing, Organic Computing, Biomimetics, and Artificial Life, amongst others, is poised at the intersection of Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and the Life Sciences. Successes have been reported in the fields of drug discovery, data communications, computer animation, control and command, exploration systems for space, undersea, and harsh environments, to name but a few, and augur much promise for future progress.

Hinchey, Mike↗

NASA NTRS2011

Next Steps in the Evolution of Human Spaceflight Training

Train before you fly has always been a watchword at NASA, and consequently, NASA has been conducting training for human spaceflight missions for longer than it has been involved in the actual conduct of human spaceflight missions. Throughout that time, NASA s approach to human spaceflight training has continuously evolved to keep pace with the technology of the modern world, but the approach to training itself has not changed significantly. Today, there are more tools and technologies that enable learning than ever before. This paper intends to review the challenges of human spaceflight training and how modern technology and an updated approach could improve that training. The Spaceflight Training Management Office (DA7) within the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) has been investigating the current training of instructors, flight controllers and astronauts in order to identify where a new approach to training and training management may be necessary to improve the efficacy of the training provided. Through this investigation, the DA7 team has identified potential areas of improvement within International Space Station (ISS) training in a wide range of areas, including the delivery of training, the structure of the training program, the concept of what is considered training, and the management of that training. The ISS is an operational program with an established training paradigm. As such, the implementation of these concepts will be met with several challenges that may prevent or preclude them from being adopted. These challenges include demonstrating return-on-investment (ROI) and overcoming cultural or technological obstacles. This report will delve into the possible improvement areas for training, the future training concepts that are being considered, and the challenges associated with implementation. The paper will include concepts for utilization of Web 2.0 technologies, electronic learning, digital media, and other technologies in the development, management, and conduct of human spaceflight training.

Balmain, Clint↗

NASA NTRS2010

Orion FSW V and V and Kedalion Engineering Lab Insight

NASA, along with its prime Orion contractor and its subcontractor s are adapting an avionics system paradigm borrowed from the manned commercial aircraft industry for use in manned space flight systems. Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) techniques have been proven as a robust avionics solution for manned commercial aircraft (B737/777/787, MD 10/90). This presentation will outline current approaches to adapt IMA, along with its heritage FSW V&V paradigms, into NASA's manned space flight program for Orion. NASA's Kedalion engineering analysis lab is on the forefront of validating many of these contemporary IMA based techniques. Kedalion has already validated many of the proposed Orion FSW V&V paradigms using Orion's precursory Flight Test Article (FTA) Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) program. The Kedalion lab will evolve its architectures, tools, and techniques in parallel with the evolving Orion program.

Mangieri, Mark L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Space transportation alternatives for large space programs - The International Space University summer session - 1992

The issues discussed in this paper are the result of a 10-week study by the Space Solar Power Program design project members and the Space Transportation Group at the International Space University (ISU) summer session of 1992 to investigate new paradigms in space propulsion and how those paradigms might reduce the costs for large space programs. The program plan was to place a series of power satellites in Earth orbit. Several designs were studied where many kW, MW or GW of power would be transmitted to Earth or to other spacecraft in orbit. During the summer session, a space solar power system was also detailed and analyzed. At ISU, the focus of the study was to foster and develop some of the new paradigms that may eliminate the barriers to low cost for space exploration and exploitation. Many international and technical aspects of a large multinational program were studied. Environmental safety, space construction and maintenance, legal and policy issues of frequency allocation, technology transfer and control and many other areas were addressed.

Palaszewski, Bryan↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

How the Open Data Policy of the Landsat Program Has Advanced Our Understanding of Environmental Change

A time series is a sequence of observations of a phenomenon taken sequentially in time. A crucial characteristic of a time series is the dependence among adjacent observations – techniques for analyzing this dependence are referred to as time series analysis. This analytical approach enables us to predict or forecast future values of a time series, study the impact of various inputs on the observed phenomenon, and examine interrelationships among related time series variables. Within the geographical sciences, time series analysis has historically been limited to coarse-resolution satellite data, as constructing time series of data suitable for studying land cover and land use dynamics, such as Landsat data, were prohibitively costly. A transformative shift occurred in 2008 when the U.S. Government decided to make free and open all past and future data collected by the Landsat satellite program. The decision brought about a paradigm shift away from analyzing individual images or observations to continuous monitoring in time. Of particular relevance to environmental remote sensing is the ability to forecast observations – if we can predict how future observations should behave, we can infer information about how the land surface is changing. In this presentation, we will examine literature examples that showcase scientific gains enabled by time series analysis of satellite data. We will delve into how the analysis of dense time series of satellite data revealed that overall rate of forest disturbance in the Amazon has increased despite a reduction in deforestation; how different types of forest degradation, previously unquantified, are now being accurately assessed in the Caucasus region; and how we now can study the highly dynamic and intricate patterns of shifting cultivation in Southeast Asia.

Pontus Olofsson↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Leveraging the SPoRT Paradigm and Best Practices for Elevating Severe Weather Responses by the NASA Applied Science Disasters Program

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Jordan R Bell↗

NASA NTRS1987

NAS-current status and future plans

The Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) has met its first major milestone, the NAS Processing System Network (NPSN) Initial Operating Configuration (IOC). The program has met its goal of providing a national supercomputer facility capable of greatly enhancing the Nation's research and development efforts. Furthermore, the program is fulfilling its pathfinder role by defining and implementing a paradigm for supercomputing system environments. The IOC is only the begining and the NAS Program will aggressively continue to develop and implement emerging supercomputer, communications, storage, and software technologies to strengthen computations as a critical element in supporting the Nation's leadership role in aeronautics.

Bailey, F. R.↗