Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “consistency checking”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

NASA Aviation Safety Program Systems Analysis/Program Assessment Metrics Review

The goal of this project is to evaluate the metrics and processes used by NASA's Aviation Safety Program in assessing technologies that contribute to NASA's aviation safety goals. There were three objectives for reaching this goal. First, NASA's main objectives for aviation safety were documented and their consistency was checked against the main objectives of the Aviation Safety Program. Next, the metrics used for technology investment by the Program Assessment function of AvSP were evaluated. Finally, other metrics that could be used by the Program Assessment Team (PAT) were identified and evaluated. This investigation revealed that the objectives are in fact consistent across organizational levels at NASA and with the FAA. Some of the major issues discussed in this study which should be further investigated, are the removal of the Cost and Return-on-Investment metrics, the lack of the metrics to measure the balance of investment and technology, the interdependencies between some of the metric risk driver categories, and the conflict between 'fatal accident rate' and 'accident rate' in the language of the Aviation Safety goal as stated in different sources.

Louis, Garrick E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Model checking

Automatic formal verification methods for finite-state systems, also known as model-checking, successfully reduce labor costs since they are mostly automatic. Model checkers explicitly or implicitly enumerate the reachable state space of a system, whose behavior is described implicitly, perhaps by a program or a collection of finite automata. Simple properties, such as mutual exclusion or absence of deadlock, can be checked by inspecting individual states. More complex properties, such as lack of starvation, require search for cycles in the state graph with particular properties. Specifications to be checked may consist of built-in properties, such as deadlock or 'unspecified receptions' of messages, another program or implicit description, to be compared with a simulation, bisimulation, or language inclusion relation, or an assertion in one of several temporal logics. Finite-state verification tools are beginning to have a significant impact in commercial designs. There are many success stories of verification tools finding bugs in protocols or hardware controllers. In some cases, these tools have been incorporated into design methodology. Research in finite-state verification has been advancing rapidly, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Recent results include probabilistic algorithms for verification, exploitation of symmetry and independent events, and the use symbolic representations for Boolean functions and systems of linear inequalities. One of the most exciting areas for further research is the combination of model-checking with theorem-proving methods.

Dill, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Meter-wavelength VLBI. II - The observations

Observations made during a series of meter-wavelength very-long-baseline (VLBI) experiments conducted during 1971-1973 are reported. A wide variety of objects was observed, including many extragalactic sources known to have compact components, several strong pulsars (especially the Crab nebula pulsar), and a selection of supernova remnants. The experiments are discussed in detail, and tests made to check the consistency of the results are described. The measured correlated flux densities are presented for each source as a function of interferometer baseline and observing frequency. An assessment is made of the measurement errors and of the possibility of confusion within the interferometer beam. The results show that all sources except the pulsars, which are known to have intrinsically small sizes, are resolved on the longest baseline. We also conclude that no supernova remnants except the Crab nebula and Cassiopeia A gave evidence of compact components.

Clark, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Space Shuttle Orbiter approach and landing program status

The space shuttle approach and landing test (ALT) program is being conducted in four phases. The first phase, completed in March of 1977, consisted of verifying the airworthiness of the mated B-747 shuttle carrier aircraft and orbiter. The second phase consists of checking the orbiter systems in captive flight. The third phase is to be confined to launching the orbiter with and without the tail cone installed to evaluate the final landing phase of the shuttle operations through the verification of the automatic landing system. The fourth and final phase of the program is to document the mated configuration's performance relative to the ferry operations to be conducted between the return from the orbiter's landing sites and launch sites. This paper presents the results of the SCA inert orbiter flight testing and the program plans up to the completion of the ALT program.

Andrews, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Wave scattering from a periodic dielectric surface for a general angle of incidence

Electromagnetic waves scattered from a periodic dielectric and perfectly conducting surface are studied for a general angle of incidence. It is shown that the one-dimensional corrugated surface can be solved by using two scalar functions: the components of the electric and magnetic fields along the row direction of the surface, and appropriate boundary conditions to obtain simple matrix equations. Results are compared to the case where the incident angle wave vector is perpendicular to the row direction. Numerical results demonstrate that energy conservation and reciprocity are obeyed for scattering by sinusoidal surfaces for the general case, which checks the consistency of the formalism.

Chuang, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The vector structure of active magnetic fields

Observations are needed to show the form of the strains introduced into the fields above the surface of the Sun. The longitudinal component alone does not provide the basic information, so that it has been necessary in the past to use the filamentary structure observed in H sub alpha to supplement the longitudinal information. Vector measurements provide the additional essential information to determine the strains, with the filamentary structure available as a check for consistency. It is to be expected, then, that vector measurements will permit a direct mapping of the strains imposed on the magnetic fields of active regions. It will be interesting to study the relation of those strains to the emergence of magnetic flux, flares, eruptive prominences, etc. In particular we may hope to study the relaxation of the strains via the dynamical nonequilibrium.

Parker, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Flight testing a V/STOL aircraft to identify a full-envelope aerodynamic model

Flight-test techniques are being used to generate a data base for identification of a full-envelope aerodynamic model of a V/STOL fighter aircraft, the YAV-8B Harrier. The flight envelope to be modeled includes hover, transition to conventional flight and back to hover, STOL operation, and normal cruise. Standard V/STOL procedures such as vertical takeoff and landings, and short takeoff and landings are used to gather data in the powered-lift flight regime. Long (3 to 5 min) maneuvers which include a variety of input types are used to obtain large-amplitude control and response excitations. The aircraft is under continuous radar tracking; a laser tracker is used for V/STOL operations near the ground. Tracking data are used with state-estimation techniques to check data consistency and to derive unmeasured variables, for example, angular accelerations. A propulsion model of the YAV-8B's engine and reaction control system is used to isolate aerodynamic forces and moments for model identification. Representative V/STOL flight data are presented. The processing of a typical short takeoff and slow landing maneuver is illustrated.

Mcnally, B. David↗
NASA NTRS1988

Flight testing a V/STOL aircraft to identify a full-envelope aerodynamic model

Flight-test techniques are being used to generate a data base for identification of a full-envelope aerodynamic model of a V/STOL fighter aircraft, the YAV-8B Harrier. The flight envelope to be modeled includes hover, transition to conventionally flight and back to hover, STOL operation, and normal cruise. Standard V/STOL operation, and normal cruise. Standard V/STOL procedures such as vertical takeoff and landings, and short takeoff and landings are used to gather data in the powered-lift flight regime. Long (3-5-min) maneuvers which include a variety of input types are used to obtain large-amplitude control and response excitations. The aircraft is under continuous radar tracking; a laser tracker is used for V/STOL operations near the ground. Tracking data are used with state-estimation techniques to check data consistency and to derive unmeasured variables, for example, angular accelerations. A propulsion model of the YAV-8B's engine and reaction control system is used to isolate aerodynamic forces and moments for model identification. Representative V/STOL flight data are presented. The processing of a typical short-takeoff and slow-landing maneuver is illustrated.

Mcnally, B. David↗
NASA NTRS1988

Testing expert systems

Software quality is of primary concern in all large-scale expert system development efforts. Building appropriate validation and test tools for ensuring software reliability of expert systems is therefore required. The Expert Systems Validation Associate (EVA) is a validation system under development at the Lockheed Artificial Intelligence Center. EVA provides a wide range of validation and test tools to check correctness, consistency, and completeness of an expert system. Testing a major function of EVA. It means executing an expert system with test cases with the intent of finding errors. In this paper, we describe many different types of testing such as function-based testing, structure-based testing, and data-based testing. We describe how appropriate test cases may be selected in order to perform good and thorough testing of an expert system.

Chang, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Charge-coupled device spectra of asteroids. I - Near-earth and 3:1 resonance asteroids

Main-belt asteroids and cometary nuclei are both frequently suggested sources of the relatively short-lived near-earth asteroids (NEAs). The asteroidal origin hypothesis is studied by obtaining new high-quality reflectivity spectra of 19 NEAs and 23 asteroids near the 3:1 resonance, and by performing a systematic comparison of these two groups of spectra. Nonparametric statistical tests are used to check for consistency between the color distributions of the two populations. The tests indicate that the difference between the two distributions is generally not significant at the 3 sigma level. However, this conclusion is dependent on the (unknown) size distribution of the NEAs. The observations are compatible with the hypothesis that the NEAs are derived from the 3:1 resonance region, but do not imply that this is the only possible source region.

Luu, Jane X.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The P/Halley: Spatial distribution and scale lengths for C2, CN, NH2, and H2O

From P/Halley long slit spectroscopic exposures on 12 dates, extending from Oct. 1985 to May 1986, spatial profiles were obtained for emissions by C2, CN, NH2, and OI(1D). Haser model scale lengths were fitted to these data. The extended time coverage allowed the checking for consistency between the various dates. The time varying production rate of P/Halley severely affected the profiles after perihelion, which is shown in two profile sequences on adjacent dates. Because of the time varying production rate, it was not possible to obtain reliable Haser model scale lengths after perihelion. The pre-perihelion analysis yielded Haser model scale lengths of sufficient consistency that they can be used for production rate determinations, whenever it is necessary to extrapolate from observed column densities within finite observing apertures. Results of scale lengths reduced to 1 AU are given and discussed.

Fink, Uwe↗
NASA NTRS1994

Double vision: Remote sensing of a flux transfer event with ISEE 1 and 2

A flux transfer event recorded by the International Sun-Earth Explorers (ISEE) 1 and 2 spacecraft in the northern hemisphere near local noon is examined using analysis techniques developed recently for determination from single satellite magnetometer data of the orientation and cross-sectional shape of a two-dimensional disturbance moving along the magnetopause. The analysis is performed independently on the magnetic field data recorded by each satellite, enabling us to check the consistency of the results and thus to benchmark the method. The analysis is also extended to utilize the dual magnetometer measurements for determination of the event speed and size (which for a single spacecraft requires use of three-dimensional plasma velocity data to obtain a deHoffmann-Teller frame velocity) and for accommodating acceleration of the magnetopause normal to itself, which results in a curved spacecraft trajectory in the frame of reference moving with the disturbance. The analysis of the disturbance reveals that while its overall size is about 34,000 km in a direction parallel to the magnetopause but perpendicular to the event axis, the actual size of the bulge causing the field disturbance may have been as small as 9000 km with a dimension perpendicular to the magnetopause of the order of 1200 km. The bulge is found to be traveling at a speed of about 140 km/s toward the northern dawn quadrant of the dayside magnetopause. While plasma data from ISEE 2 provides evidence of plasma jetting, which suggests the event may be associated with reconnection, the orientation of the flux tube axis obtained from analysis is significantly different from the expected reconnection line direction. A discussion of possible interpretations of this bulge orientation and motion is provided.

Walthour, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Diffusion lengths in irradiated N/P InP-on-Si solar cells

Indium phosphide (InP) solar cells are being made on silicon (Si) wafers (InP/Si) to take advantage of both the radiation-hardness properties of the InP solar cell and the light weight and low cost of Si wafers compared to InP or germanium (Ge) wafers. The InP/Si cell application is for long duration and/or high radiation orbit space missions. InP/Si cells have higher absolute efficiency after a high radiation dose than gallium arsenide (GaAs) or silicon (Si) solar cells. In this work, base electron diffusion lengths in the N/P cell are extracted from measured AM0 short-circuit photocurrent at various irradiation levels out to an equivalent 1 MeV fluence of 1017 1 MeV electrons/sq cm for a 1 sq cm 12% BOL InP/Si cell. These values are then checked for consistency by comparing measured Voc data with a theoretical Voc model that includes a dark current term that depends on the extracted diffusion lengths.

Wojtczuk, Steven↗
NASA NTRS1997

Measurement and Analysis of Failures in Computer Systems

This thesis presents a study of software failures spanning several different releases of Tandem's NonStop-UX operating system running on Tandem Integrity S2(TMR) systems. NonStop-UX is based on UNIX System V and is fully compliant with industry standards, such as the X/Open Portability Guide, the IEEE POSIX standards, and the System V Interface Definition (SVID) extensions. In addition to providing a general UNIX interface to the hardware, the operating system has built-in recovery mechanisms and audit routines that check the consistency of the kernel data structures. The analysis is based on data on software failures and repairs collected from Tandem's product report (TPR) logs for a period exceeding three years. A TPR log is created when a customer or an internal developer observes a failure in a Tandem Integrity system. This study concentrates primarily on those TPRs that report a UNIX panic that subsequently crashes the system. Approximately 200 of the TPRs fall into this category. Approximately 50% of the failures reported are from field systems, and the rest are from the testing and development sites. It has been observed by Tandem developers that fewer cases are encountered from the field than from the test centers. Thus, the data selection mechanism has introduced a slight skew.

Thakur, Anshuman↗
NASA NTRS1998

Estimating Soil Moisture from Satellite Microwave Observations

Cooperative research in microwave remote sensing between the Hydrological Sciences Branch of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Earth Sciences Faculty of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam began with the Botswana Water and Energy Balance Experiment and has continued through a series of highly successful International Research Programs. The collaboration between these two research institutions has resulted in significant scientific achievements, most notably in the area of satellite-based microwave remote sensing of soil moisture. The Botswana Program was the first joint research initiative between these two institutions, and provided a unique data base which included historical data sets of Scanning Multifrequency Microwave Radiometer (SN4NM) data, climate information, and extensive soil moisture measurements over several large experimental sites in southeast Botswana. These data were the basis for the development of new approaches in physically-based inverse modelling of soil moisture from satellite microwave observations. Among the results from this study were quantitative estimates of vegetation transmission properties at microwave frequencies. A single polarization modelling approach which used horizontally polarized microwave observations combined with monthly composites of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was developed, and yielded good results. After more precise field experimentation with a ground-based radiometer system, a dual-polarization approach was subsequently developed. This new approach realized significant improvements in soil moisture estimation by satellite. Results from the Botswana study were subsequently applied to a desertification monitoring study for the country of Spain within the framework of the European Community science research programs EFEDA and RESMEDES. A dual frequency approach with only microwave data was used for this application. The Microwave Polarization Difference Index (MPDI) was calculated from 37 GHz data and used to derive the one-way canopy transmissivity. Using a simple radiative transfer model, this information was combined with horizontally polarized 6.6 GHz SMMR observations to derive a 9-year time series of soil moisture for all of Spain at a one quarter degree spatial scale. Both day and night SMMR observations were used independently, in order to check the consistency of the results. A first order Fourier Transform was performed on the mean monthly soil moisture values to identify major characteristics of time series such as trend, amplitude, and phase shift.

Owe, M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Computational Predictions of the Performance Wright 'Bent End' Propellers

Computational analysis of two 1911 Wright brothers 'Bent End' wooden propeller reproductions have been performed and compared with experimental test results from the Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel. The purpose of the analysis was to check the consistency of the experimental results and to validate the reliability of the tests. This report is one part of the project on the propeller performance research of the Wright 'Bent End' propellers, intend to document the Wright brothers' pioneering propeller design contributions. Two computer codes were used in the computational predictions. The FLO-MG Navier-Stokes code is a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code based on the Navier-Stokes Equations. It is mainly used to compute the lift coefficient and the drag coefficient at specified angles of attack at different radii. Those calculated data are the intermediate results of the computation and a part of the necessary input for the Propeller Design Analysis Code (based on Adkins and Libeck method), which is a propeller design code used to compute the propeller thrust coefficient, the propeller power coefficient and the propeller propulsive efficiency.

Wang, Xiang-Yu↗
NASA NTRS2002

Universal Quantification in a Constraint-Based Planner

Constraints and universal quantification are both useful in planning, but handling universally quantified constraints presents some novel challenges. We present a general approach to proving the validity of universally quantified constraints. The approach essentially consists of checking that the constraint is not violated for all members of the universe. We show that this approach can sometimes be applied even when variable domains are infinite, and we present some useful special cases where this can be done efficiently.

Golden, Keith↗