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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 901 records · Page 50

NASA's Virtual Product Laboratory Overview

The Virtual Product Laboratory (VPL) developed at Stennis Space Center is a tool that enables design and verification of remote sensing systems within a software (virtual) environment. The VPL can serve NASA's industry, government, and university partners by providing a means to conduct system trade studies, visual modeling, and data product simulations entirely in a virtual environment. The VPL can serve as a complete end-to-end simulation tool capable of producing system-level compatability assessments, performance characterizations, and simulated data products. In this paper, we present an overview of the VPL's current functions and planned capabilities. The VPL functional areas include Requirements, Design and Analysis, Simulation, Project Management, and Knowledge Base. A description of each function, along with the tools and techniques used to accomplish these functions, is provided.

Gasser, Gerald↗

TetrUSS Capabilities for S and C Applications

TetrUSS is a suite of loosely coupled computational fluid dynamics software that is packaged into a complete flow analysis system. The system components consist of tools for geometry setup, grid generation, flow solution, visualization, and various utilities tools. Development began in 1990 and it has evolved into a proven and stable system for Euler and Navier-Stokes analysis and design of unconventional configurations. It is 1) well developed and validated, 2) has a broad base of support, and 3) is presently is a workhorse code because of the level of confidence that has been established through wide use. The entire system can now run on linux or mac architectures. In the following slides, I will highlight more of the features of the VGRID and USM3D codes.

Frink, Neal T.↗

Development and Evaluation of Sensor Concepts for Ageless Aerospace Vehicles: Report 5 - Phase 2 Implementation of the Concept Demonstrator

This report describes the second phase of the implementation of the Concept Demonstrator experimental test-bed system containing sensors and processing hardware distributed throughout the structure, which uses multi-agent algorithms to characterize impacts and determine a suitable response to these impacts. This report expands and adds to the report of the first phase implementation. The current status of the system hardware is that all 192 physical cells (32 on each of the 6 hexagonal prism faces) have been constructed, although only four of these presently contain data-acquisition sub-modules to allow them to acquire sensor data. Impact detection.. location and severity have been successfully demonstrated. The software modules for simulating cells and controlling the test-bed are fully operational. although additional functionality will be added over time. The visualization workstation displays additional diagnostic information about the array of cells (both real and simulated) and additional damage information. Local agent algorithms have been developed that demonstrate emergent behavior of the complex multi-agent system, through the formation of impact damage boundaries and impact networks. The system has been shown to operate well for multiple impacts. and to demonstrate robust reconfiguration in the presence of damage to numbers of cells.

Batten, Adam↗

Automated Performance Characterization of DSN System Frequency Stability Using Spacecraft Tracking Data

This software provides an automated capability to measure and qualify the frequency stability performance of the Deep Space Network (DSN) ground system, using daily spacecraft tracking data. The results help to verify if the DSN performance is meeting its specification, therefore ensuring commitments to flight missions; in particular, the radio science investigations. The rich set of data also helps the DSN Operations and Maintenance team to identify the trends and patterns, allowing them to identify the antennas of lower performance and implement corrective action in a timely manner. Unlike the traditional approach where the performance can only be obtained from special calibration sessions that are both time-consuming and require manual setup, the new method taps into the daily spacecraft tracking data. This new approach significantly increases the amount of data available for analysis, roughly by two orders of magnitude, making it possible to conduct trend analysis with good confidence. The software is built with automation in mind for end-to-end processing. From the inputs gathering to computation analysis and later data visualization of the results, all steps are done automatically, making the data production at near zero cost. This allows the limited engineering resource to focus on high-level assessment and to follow up with the exceptions/deviations. To make it possible to process the continual stream of daily incoming data without much effort, and to understand the results quickly, the processing needs to be automated and the data summarized at a high level. Special attention needs to be given to data gathering, input validation, handling anomalous conditions, computation, and presenting the results in a visual form that makes it easy to spot items of exception/ deviation so that further analysis can be directed and corrective actions followed.

Pham, Timothy T.↗

Automated Performance Characterization of DSN System Frequency Stability Using Spacecraft Tracking Data

This software provides an automated capability to measure and qualify the frequency stability performance of the Deep Space Network (DSN) ground system, using daily spacecraft tracking data. The results help to verify if the DSN performance is meeting its specification, therefore ensuring commitments to flight missions; in particular, the radio science investigations. The rich set of data also helps the DSN Operations and Maintenance team to identify the trends and patterns, allowing them to identify the antennas of lower performance and implement corrective action in a timely manner. Unlike the traditional approach where the performance can only be obtained from special calibration sessions that are both time-consuming and require manual setup, the new method taps into the daily spacecraft tracking data. This new approach significantly increases the amount of data available for analysis, roughly by two orders of magnitude, making it possible to conduct trend analysis with good confidence. The software is built with automation in mind for end-to-end processing. From the inputs gathering to computation analysis and later data visualization of the results, all steps are done automatically, making the data production at near zero cost. This allows the limited engineering resource to focus on high-level assessment and to follow up with the exceptions/deviations. To make it possible to process the continual stream of daily incoming data without much effort, and to understand the results quickly, the processing needs to be automated and the data summarized at a high level. Special attention needs to be given to data gathering, input validation, handling anomalous conditions, computation, and presenting the results in a visual form that makes it easy to spot items of exception/deviation so that further analysis can be directed and corrective actions followed.

Pham, Timothy T.↗

A Scalable Distributed Approach to Mobile Robot Vision

This paper documents our progress during the first year of work on our original proposal entitled 'A Scalable Distributed Approach to Mobile Robot Vision'. We are pursuing a strategy for real-time visual identification and tracking of complex objects which does not rely on specialized image-processing hardware. In this system perceptual schemas represent objects as a graph of primitive features. Distributed software agents identify and track these features, using variable-geometry image subwindows of limited size. Active control of imaging parameters and selective processing makes simultaneous real-time tracking of many primitive features tractable. Perceptual schemas operate independently from the tracking of primitive features, so that real-time tracking of a set of image features is not hurt by latency in recognition of the object that those features make up. The architecture allows semantically significant features to be tracked with limited expenditure of computational resources, and allows the visual computation to be distributed across a network of processors. Early experiments are described which demonstrate the usefulness of this formulation, followed by a brief overview of our more recent progress (after the first year).

Kuipers, Benjamin↗

Upcoming Lunar Mission Landing Sites: Viewing and Analysis with Celestial Mapping System

The Celestial Mapping System (CMS) is a powerful software platform designed to create virtual 3D globes for celestial bodies within our solar system, with a specific focus on lunar mapping. CMS offers a rich array of functionalities, including high-resolution imagery visualization, precise measurement tools, and analytical capabilities that cater to the needs of planetary scientists and mission planners. This abstract explores how CMS has been leveraged to conduct in-depth analyses of 12 lunar missions to the South Pole, including missions like Chandraayan 3, Russian Space Agency's Luna 25, Xelene 1, and Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander I. Moreover, the integration of HORUS (Hyper-effective nOise Removal Unit Software) into CMS enhances its capabilities, allowing for the rendering of images in a 3D globe format and providing visibility into permanently shadowed regions. CMS represents a cutting-edge tool for lunar surface awareness, equipment placement planning, and traverse path optimization

Moon↗

Preliminary In-Flight Loads Analysis of In-Line Launch Vehicles using the VLOADS 1.4 Program

To calculate structural loads of in-line launch vehicles for preliminary design, a very useful computer program is VLOADS 1.4. This software may also be used to calculate structural loads for upper stages and planetary transfer vehicles. Launch vehicle inputs such as aerodynamic coefficients, mass properties, propellants, engine thrusts, and performance data are compiled and analyzed by VLOADS to produce distributed shear loads, bending moments, axial forces, and vehicle line loads as a function of X-station along the vehicle's length. Interface loads, if any, and translational accelerations are also computed. The major strength of the software is that it enables quick turnaround analysis of structural loads for launch vehicles during the preliminary design stage of its development. This represents a significant improvement over the alternative-the time-consuming, and expensive chore of developing finite element models. VLOADS was developed as a Visual BASIC macro in a Microsoft Excel 5.0 work book on a Macintosh. VLOADS has also been implemented on a PC computer using Microsoft Excel 7.0a for Windows 95. VLOADS was developed in 1996, and the current version was released to COSMIC, NASA's Software Technology Transfer Center, in 1997. The program is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA.

Graham, J. B.↗

Automated Testing Experience of the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) Controller

System controllers must be fail-safe, low cost, flexible to software changes, able to output health and status words, and permit rapid retest qualification. The system controller designed and tested for the aerospike engine program was an attempt to meet these requirements. This paper describes (1) the aerospike controller design, (2) the automated simulation testing techniques, and (3) the real time monitoring data visualization structure. Controller cost was minimized by design of a single-string system that used an off-the-shelf 486 central processing unit (CPU). A linked-list architecture, with states (nodes) defined in a user-friendly state table, accomplished software changes to the controller. Proven to be fail-safe, this system reported the abort cause and automatically reverted to a safe condition for any first failure. A real time simulation and test system automated the software checkout and retest requirements. A program requirement to decode all abort causes in real time during all ground and flight tests assured the safety of flight decisions and the proper execution of mission rules. The design also included health and status words, and provided a real time analysis interpretation for all health and status data.

Larson, Richard R.↗

Performance Measurement, Visualization and Modeling of Parallel and Distributed Programs

This paper presents a methodology for debugging the performance of message-passing programs on both tightly coupled and loosely coupled distributed-memory machines. The AIMS (Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System) toolkit, a suite of software tools for measurement and analysis of performance, is introduced and its application illustrated using several benchmark programs drawn from the field of computational fluid dynamics. AIMS includes (i) Xinstrument, a powerful source-code instrumentor, which supports both Fortran77 and C as well as a number of different message-passing libraries including Intel's NX Thinking Machines' CMMD, and PVM; (ii) Monitor, a library of timestamping and trace -collection routines that run on supercomputers (such as Intel's iPSC/860, Delta, and Paragon and Thinking Machines' CM5) as well as on networks of workstations (including Convex Cluster and SparcStations connected by a LAN); (iii) Visualization Kernel, a trace-animation facility that supports source-code clickback, simultaneous visualization of computation and communication patterns, as well as analysis of data movements; (iv) Statistics Kernel, an advanced profiling facility, that associates a variety of performance data with various syntactic components of a parallel program; (v) Index Kernel, a diagnostic tool that helps pinpoint performance bottlenecks through the use of abstract indices; (vi) Modeling Kernel, a facility for automated modeling of message-passing programs that supports both simulation -based and analytical approaches to performance prediction and scalability analysis; (vii) Intrusion Compensator, a utility for recovering true performance from observed performance by removing the overheads of monitoring and their effects on the communication pattern of the program; and (viii) Compatibility Tools, that convert AIMS-generated traces into formats used by other performance-visualization tools, such as ParaGraph, Pablo, and certain AVS/Explorer modules.

Yan, Jerry C.↗

A software architecture for automating operations processes

The Operations Engineering Lab (OEL) at JPL has developed a software architecture based on an integrated toolkit approach for simplifying and automating mission operations tasks. The toolkit approach is based on building adaptable, reusable graphical tools that are integrated through a combination of libraries, scripts, and system-level user interface shells. The graphical interface shells are designed to integrate and visually guide a user through the complex steps in an operations process. They provide a user with an integrated system-level picture of an overall process, defining the required inputs and possible output through interactive on-screen graphics. The OEL has developed the software for building these process-oriented graphical user interface (GUI) shells. The OEL Shell development system (OEL Shell) is an extension of JPL's Widget Creation Library (WCL). The OEL Shell system can be used to easily build user interfaces for running complex processes, applications with extensive command-line interfaces, and tool-integration tasks. The interface shells display a logical process flow using arrows and box graphics. They also allow a user to select which output products are desired and which input sources are needed, eliminating the need to know which program and its associated command-line parameters must be executed in each case. The shells have also proved valuable for use as operations training tools because of the OEL Shell hypertext help environment. The OEL toolkit approach is guided by several principles, including the use of ASCII text file interfaces with a multimission format, Perl scripts for mission-specific adaptation code, and programs that include a simple command-line interface for batch mode processing. Projects can adapt the interface shells by simple changes to the resources configuration file. This approach has allowed the development of sophisticated, automated software systems that are easy, cheap, and fast to build. This paper will discuss our toolkit approach and the OEL Shell interface builder in the context of a real operations process example. The paper will discuss the design and implementation of a Ulysses toolkit for generating the mission sequence of events. The Sequence of Events Generation (SEG) system provides an adaptable multimission toolkit for producing a time-ordered listing and timeline display of spacecraft commands, state changes, and required ground activities.

Miller, Kevin J.↗

Development of a speech autocuer

A wearable, visually based prosthesis for the deaf based upon the proven method for removing lipreading ambiguity known as cued speech was fabricated and tested. Both software and hardware developments are described, including a microcomputer, display, and speech preprocessor.

Bedles, R. L.↗

Research review for information management

The goal of RICIS research in information management is to apply currently available technology to existing problems in information management. Research projects include the following: the Space Business Research Center (SBRC), the Management Information and Decision Support Environment (MIDSE), and the investigation of visual interface technology. Several additional projects issued reports. New projects include the following: (1) the AdaNET project to develop a technology transfer network for software engineering and the Ada programming language; and (2) work on designing a communication system for the Space Station Project Office at JSC. The central aim of all projects is to use information technology to help people work more productively.

Bishop, Peter C.↗

Annotated Bibliography of Enabling Technologies for the Small Aircraft Transportation System

The following collection of research summaries are submitted as fulfillment of a request from NASA LaRC to conduct research into existing enabling technologies that support the development of the Small Aircraft Transportation System aircraft and accompanying airspace management infrastructure. Due to time and fiscal constraints, the included studies focus primarily on visual systems and architecture, flight control design, instrumentation and display, flight deck design considerations, Human-Machine Interface issues, and supporting augmentation technologies and software. This collation of summaries is divided in sections in an attempt to group similar technologies and systems. However, the reader is advised that many of these studies involve multiple technologies and systems that span across many categories. Because of this fact, studies are not easily categorized into single sections. In an attempt to help the reader more easily identify topics of interest, a SATS application description is provided for each summary. In addition, a list of acronyms provided at the front of the report to aid the reader.

ONeil, Patrick D.↗

The CCD/Transit Instrument (CTI) data-analysis system

The automated software system for archiving, analyzing, and interrogating data from the CCD/Transit Instrument (CTI) is described. The CTI collects up to 450 Mbytes of image-data each clear night in the form of a narrow strip of sky observed in two colors. The large data-volumes and the scientific aims of the project make it imperative that the data are analyzed within the 24-hour period following the observations. To this end a fully automatic and self evaluating software system has been developed. The data are collected from the telescope in real-time and then transported to Tucson for analysis. Verification is performed by visual inspection of random subsets of the data and obvious cosmic rays are detected and removed before permanent archival is made to the optical disc. The analysis phase is performed by a pair of linked algorithms, one operating on the absolute pixel-values and the other on the spatial derivative of the data. In this way both isolated and merged images are reliably detected in a single pass. In order to isolate the latter algorithm from the effects of noise spikes a 3x3 Hanning filter is applied to the raw data before the analysis is run. The algorithms reduce the input pixel-data to a database of measured parameters for each image which has been found. A contrast filter is applied in order to assign a detection-probability to each image and then x-y calibration and intensity calibration are performed using known reference stars in the strip. These are added to as necessary by secondary standards boot-strapped from the CTI data itself. The final stages involve merging the new data into the CTI Master-list and History-list and the automatic comparison of each new detection with a set of pre-defined templates in parameter-space to find interesting objects such as supernovae, quasars and variable stars. Each stage of the processing from verification to interesting image selection is performed under a data-logging system which both controls the pipe-lining of data through the system and records key performance monitor parameters which are built into the software. Furthermore, the data from each stage are stored in databases to facilitate evaluation, and all stages offer the facility to enter keyword-indexed free-format text into the data-logging system. In this way a large measure of certification is built into the system to provide the necessary confidence in the end results.

Cawson, M. G. M.↗

Full Lunar Surface Visualization and Simulation Platform

This paper reports the results of the innovative work completed to facilitate the creation of a lunar surface visualization and simulation platform for the entire surface of the moon as a design, test, training, verification, and mission support environment. The mathematical approach to the visualization of the data sets utilizes fractal mathematics to generate not only the highest possible detail that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) data can provide, but it also additionally supplies an estimation of surface reflectivity and lighting based upon location on the lunar surface. This level of detail and accuracy is required to conduct accurate integrated crew / vehicle risk assessment throughout the design-to-disposal life cycle of vehicles and their supporting procedures and mission priorities. This process starts with safety assessments of integrated hardware / software / crew/ and support environments. Unlike the Apollo Program, the Artemis Program is not risk tolerant.

Simulation↗

Geodetic Accuracy of LANDSAT-4 Multispectral Scanner and Thematic Mapper Data

The geodetic accuracy of an MSS or TM scene is assessed using a minicomputer and appropriate software, a digitizer, and an image display device. The calculated image location of a selected feature is compared with the actual image location obtained though visual inspection of the image on the display. Measurements of 15 to 20 features evenly distributed throughout the image provide an estimate of the geodetic accuracy of the scene. Tests of two system-corrected MSS scenes measured geodetic registration root-mean-square (RMS) errors of approximately 3,200 m or 57 pixels. Tests of two TM system-corrected scenes measured RMS errors of approximately 1,250 and 1,000 m, or 44 and 35 pixels, respectively. All errors were primarily translational, implying good internal scene registration of both MSS and TM data. The one MSS GCP-corrected scene which was evaluated had an RMS error of approximately 325 m or 6 pixels.

Thormodsgard, J. M.↗