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At least 937 records · Page 52

Fuzzy set methods for object recognition in space applications

Progress on the following tasks is reported: (1) fuzzy set-based decision making methodologies; (2) feature calculation; (3) clustering for curve and surface fitting; and (4) acquisition of images. The general structure for networks based on fuzzy set connectives which are being used for information fusion and decision making in space applications is described. The structure and training techniques for such networks consisting of generalized means and gamma-operators are described. The use of other hybrid operators in multicriteria decision making is currently being examined. Numerous classical features on image regions such as gray level statistics, edge and curve primitives, texture measures from cooccurrance matrix, and size and shape parameters were implemented. Several fractal geometric features which may have a considerable impact on characterizing cluttered background, such as clouds, dense star patterns, or some planetary surfaces, were used. A new approach to a fuzzy C-shell algorithm is addressed. NASA personnel are in the process of acquiring suitable simulation data and hopefully videotaped actual shuttle imagery. Photographs have been digitized to use in the algorithms. Also, a model of the shuttle was assembled and a mechanism to orient this model in 3-D to digitize for experiments on pose estimation is being constructed.

Keller, James M.↗

Method for Molding Planar Billet of Thermally Insulative Material Into Predetermined Non-Planar Shape

A method and apparatus is discussed for molding thermal protection system (TPS) tiles for spacecraft. The apparatus and method include a bottom mold member defining a mold surface shaped like a surface of the spacecraft, e.g., the nose cap of wing leading edge, sought to be thermally protected. A flat billet of TPS material is positioned over the periphery of the mold surface, and a hollow weight element that has a periphery configured like the periphery of the mold surface is positioned on the billet. The billet is then heated in accordance with a predetermined heating regime, and during the heating process the weight of the weight element causes the billet to deform to assume the shape of the mold surface. If desired, a TUFI coating is impregnated into the billet prior to heating, and the coating is sintered to the billet during heating. After heating, a composite matrix material, e.g., a graphite or fiberglass cloth which is impregnated with epoxy or polimide, is bonded to the now-shaped tile to support the tile. Silicone can then be impregnated into the now-formed tile to provide flexibility of the tile.

Kolodziej, Paul↗

Comparison of DSMC and CFD Solutions of Fire II Including Radiative Heating

The ability to compute rarefied, ionized hypersonic flows is becoming more important as missions such as Earth reentry, landing high mass payloads on Mars, and the exploration of the outer planets and their satellites are being considered. These flows may also contain significant radiative heating. To prepare for these missions, NASA is developing the capability to simulate rarefied, ionized flows and to then calculate the resulting radiative heating to the vehicle's surface. In this study, the DSMC codes DAC and DS2V are used to obtain charge-neutral ionization solutions. NASA s direct simulation Monte Carlo code DAC is currently being updated to include the ability to simulate charge-neutral ionized flows, take advantage of the recently introduced Quantum-Kinetic chemistry model, and to include electronic energy levels as an additional internal energy mode. The Fire II flight test is used in this study to assess these new capabilities. The 1634 second data point was chosen for comparisons to be made in order to include comparisons to computational fluid dynamics solutions. The Knudsen number at this point in time is such that the DSMC simulations are still tractable and the CFD computations are at the edge of what is considered valid. It is shown that there can be quite a bit of variability in the vibrational temperature inferred from DSMC solutions and that, from how radiative heating is computed, the electronic temperature is much better suited for radiative calculations. To include the radiative portion of heating, the flow-field solutions are post-processed by the non-equilibrium radiation code HARA. Acceptable agreement between CFD and DSMC flow field solutions is demonstrated and the progress of the updates to DAC, along with an appropriate radiative heating solution, are discussed. In addition, future plans to generate more high fidelity radiative heat transfer solutions are discussed.

Liechty, Derek S.↗

Design and Analysis of A Jet Stretcher for High-Altitude Supersonic Free Jet Testing

A jet stretcher can be used to extend the region of clean flow for a test article in a supersonic free jet. The device acts to shield the article from shock waves reflected from the free jet shear layer. It can also allow for overexpanded nozzle operation through blocking shocks emanating from the nozzle lip, enlarging the potential test envelope. The FUN3D computational fluid dynamics solver was used to test a design process for developing jet stretchers. The inner surface of the axisymmetric jet stretcher was obtained from a streamline extracted from a free flight simulation around a notional test article at the intended test condition of Mach 3.2, 53,000 ft. The test article and jet stretcher were then simulated in a free jet nozzle exhaust, and the flowfield within a notional inlet aperture was compared between the installed and free flight calculations. Ambient pressure was increased until separation within the free jet nozzle finally induced disturbances at the inlet. The jet stretcher was shown to provide clean flow to the inlet at cell pressure ratios up to 2.8. A process for trimming the axisymmetric jet stretcher was also tested. This was intended to provide blockage relief for complex test articles, aiding with starting, as well as reducing weight and fabrication cost. The trimmed jet stretcher performed identically to the axisymmetric model at slightly-overexpanded conditions, but at cell pressure ratios above 1.3 allowed disturbances from the trailing edge to reach the inlet.

free jet↗

Physical processes in eclipsing pulsars: Eclipse mechanisms and diagnostics

We investigate how the radio emission of a pulsar interacts with plasma derived from a stellar companion. Various physical mechanisms that can cause radio pulse eclipse are discussed, and predictions are made for the polarization properties of the emergent radio wave. We consider eclipses by a wind from the stellar companion, by a stellar magnetosphere, or by material entrained in the pulsar wind. Eclipses due to refraction require either a relatively high plasma density or a sharp edge to the plasma distribution. The conditions that must prevail for free-free absorption to be effective in eclipsing a radio beam are also outlined. Pulse smearing may be important at higher frequencies; related eclipse mechanisms include pulse spreading due to a rapidly changing electron column, and scattering by Langmuir turbulence. The high brightness temperature radio beam can generate its own plasma turbulence via a number of nonlinear parametric instabilities, such as the instability associated with stimulated Raman scattering. When the plasma turbulence is heavily damped, the radio bean can still undergo induced Compton scattering. Stimulated scattering effects such as these are very sensitive to the presence of narrow-band substructure in the pulsar radio emission. Finally, we consider the possibility that plasma derived from a stellar companion may mix with the relativistic pulsar wind and cause cyclotron absorption at low radio frequencies. Even if the cyclotron optical depth is small, fluctuations in the emergent polarization of the radio beam on the timescale of a few seconds are a very sensitive probe of the spatial structure of the magnetic field in the pulsar wind. The current observational properties of two known eclipsing pulsar systems, PSR 1957+20 and PSR 1744-24A, are used to construct tentative eclipse models. The favored model for PSR 1957+20 is cyclotron or synchrotron absorption by plasma embedded in the pulsar wind combined with pulse smearing at high frequency, and the favored model for PSR 1744-24A is backscattering off plasma turbulence generated by the stimulated Raman scattering parametric instability. Pulsar eclipses promise to provide a good diagnostic of pulsar winds and possible of the pulse emission mechanism.

Thompson, C.↗

Polymer Infused Composite Metal Foam as a Potential Aircraft Leading Edge Material

The leading edge of the aircraft wings must be free from three-dimensional disturbances caused by insect adhesion, ice accretion, and particle wear in order to improve flight performance, safety, and fuel efficiency of the aircraft. An innovative solution was explored in this work by infusing stainless steel composite metal foam (SS CMF) with a hydrophobic epoxy resin system. S-S CMF was made with 100% stainless steel using a powder metallurgy technique. The infused epoxy filled the macro- and microporosities, unique to SS CMF’s structure, creating a product with a density similar to that of aluminum. The contact angle, wear rate, erosion resistance, and insect adhesion of the novel infused composite metal foam were measured and compared to aluminum, epoxy and stainless steel. The infusion process was determined to fill up to 88% of the pores within the SS CMF and was found to reduce wettability and insect residue accretion. The contact angle of the infused SS CMF was 43% higher than its parent material, stainless steel, and 130% higher than aluminum. Insect residue maximum height and areal coverage were reduced by 60 and 30%, respectively, compared to aluminum. Grit blast experiments to simulate erosion resulted in a greater roughness increase for aluminum than for the parent epoxy resin or the resin-infused SS CMF. These results suggest that the durability and performance of infused SS CMF was superior compared to aluminum, which is the current leading edge material of choice. Based on the promising results under relevant wear and erosion conditions, it is concluded that the infused SS CMF can offer a potential tailored replacement to aluminum leading edge material.

Jacob C. Marx↗

Development of perturbations in the boundary layer

The transition of laminar flows into turbulent flows in a boundary layer is discussed. The individual aspects of the transition process, observed under controllable model conditions are examined. The aspect of this problem, namely the development or excitation of the natural oscillations in the boundary layer, the so-called Tollmin-Schlichting waves is covered. Three types of excitation of these waves are considered: (1) distributed generation throughout the boundary layer; (2) generation in the vicinity of the forward edge of a model, having either a sharp edge or an edge with a large radius or curvature, and (3) generation in a developed boundary layer by means of a focused effect.

Dovgal, A. V.↗

Photon noise and constant-volume operators

In a previous paper, a class of constant volume (CV) operators designed to maximize spatial resolution in the presence of photon noise was introduced. In this paper, the statistical properties are derived of the output images created by CV operators applied to photon-noisy versions of input images consisting of edges, spots, and gratings. The results are used to calculate the input image parameters that would permit any test image to be discriminated from a uniform field with a given level of reliability and consequently to compare the predictions of a CV operator model with psychophysical data. These results also allow the potential usefulness of CV operators in artificial image processing applications to be assessed.

Yellott, John I., Jr.↗

Integrated G and C Implementation within IDOS: A Simulink Based Reusable Launch Vehicle Simulation

The implementation of multiple Integrated Guidance and Control (IG&C) algorithms per flight phase within a vehicle simulation poses a daunting task to coordinate algorithm interactions with the other G&C components and with vehicle subsystems. Currently being developed by Universal Space Lines LLC (USL) under contract from NASA, the Integrated Development and Operations System (IDOS) contains a high fidelity Simulink vehicle simulation, which provides a means to test cutting edge G&C technologies. Combining the modularity of this vehicle simulation and Simulink s built-in primitive blocks provide a quick way to implement algorithms. To add discrete-event functionality to the unfinished IDOS simulation, Vehicle Event Manager (VEM) and Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM) subsystems were created to provide discrete-event and pseudo-health monitoring processing capabilities. Matlab's Stateflow is used to create the IVHM and Event Manager subsystems and to implement a supervisory logic controller referred to as the Auto-commander as part of the IG&C to coordinate the control system adaptation and reconfiguration and to select the control and guidance algorithms for a given flight phase. Manual creation of the Stateflow charts for all of these subsystems is a tedious and time-consuming process. The Stateflow Auto-builder was developed as a Matlab based software tool for the automatic generation of a Stateflow chart from information contained in a database. This paper describes the IG&C, VEM and IVHM implementations in IDOS. In addition, this paper describes the Stateflow Auto-builder.

Fisher, Joseph E.↗

An Assessment of CFD Effectiveness for Vortex Flow Simulation to Meet Preliminary Design Needs

The low-speed flight and transonic maneuvering characteristics of combat air vehicles designed for efficient supersonic flight are significantly affected by the presence of free vortices. At moderate-to-high angles of attack, the flow invariably separates from the leading edges of the swept slender wings, as well as from the forebodies of the air vehicles, and rolls up to form free vortices. The design of military vehicles is heavily driven by the need to simultaneously improve performance and affordability.1 In order to meet this need, increasing emphasis is being placed on using Modeling & Simulation environments employing the Integrated Product & Process Development (IPPD) concept. The primary focus is on expeditiously providing design teams with high-fidelity data needed to make more informed decisions in the preliminary design stage. Extensive aerodynamic data are needed to support combat air vehicle design. Force and moment data are used to evaluate performance and handling qualities; surface pressures provide inputs for structural design; and flow-field data facilitate system integration. Continuing advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) provide an attractive means of generating the desired data in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the preliminary design efforts. The responsiveness is readily characterized as timely delivery of quality data at low cost.

Raj, P.↗

Spatial Resolution Characterization for QuickBird Image Products 2003-2004 Season

This presentation focuses on spatial resolution characterization for QuickBird panochromatic images in 2003-2004 and presents data measurements and analysis of SSC edge target deployment and edge response extraction and modeling. The results of the characterization are shown as values of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) at the Nyquist spatial frequency and as the Relative Edge Response (RER) components. The results show that RER is much less sensitive to accuracy of the curve fitting than the value of MTF at Nyquist frequency. Therefore, the RER/edge response slope is a more robust estimator of the digital image spatial resolution than the MTF. For the QuickBird panochromatic images, the RER is consistently equal to 0.5 for images processed with the Cubic Convolution resampling and to 0.8 for the MTF resampling.

Blonski, Slawomir↗

Optimize Use of Space Research and Technology for Medical Devices

systems, and cutting-edge component technologies to conduct a wide range of scientific observations and measurements. These technologies are also considered for practical applications that benefit society in remarkable ways. At NASA Goddard, the technology transfer initiative promotes matching technologies from Earth and space science needs to targeted industry sectors. This requires clear knowledge of industry needs and priorities and social demands. The process entails matching mature technologies where there are known innovation challenges and good opportunities for matching technology needs. This requires creative thinking and takes commitment of time and resources. Additionally, we also look at applications for known hot industry or societal needs. Doing so has given us occasion to host discussions with representatives from industry, academia, government organizations, and societal special interest groups about the application of NASA Goddard technologies for devices used in medical monitoring and detection tools. As a result, partnerships have been established. Innovation transpired when new products were enabled because of NASA Goddard research and technology programs.

Optimize↗

Repurposing Drilling Control Diagnostics for Subsurface Edge Detection and Boundary Advisement During Planetary Drilling

Informed decision-making during lunar drilling and sampling missions will require data monitoring tools and specialized ground data systems. Accurate and updated situational awareness, with ongoing data monitoring, is critical for timely responses by to incoming science data. Traverse plans and scheduled activities may need to be flexibly changed in order to react to unexpected data or situations. Unlike (for example) Mars missions, the relative lightspeed closeness of the Moon allows for near-real-time ground processing of incoming mission and instrument data. An Apollo-class lunar regolith drill will in a sense “travel” a meter or two vertically at a given subsurface characterization site. As the drill penetrates into lunar regolith, it is likely to encounter a range of material densities, orientations, fracture toughness, and (perhaps) ice percentages. Lunar drill telemetry can provide science teams with a valuable first look into the subsurface structure, the regolith bulk properties, and constituents at each drilled site. Real-time AI-based recognition and reaction to downhole situations has been developed for automated deeper drilling on Mars and beyond. We can leverage the same knowledge bases and pattern-matching as areal-time interpreter of the subsurface, a situational awareness tool during drilling operations. We recently (Sept. 2019) demonstrated this AI drilling monitoring and analysis capability, in control of in-situ drilling and sampling operations, mounted on a KREX-2 rover in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Terrestrial automated drilling log analyses in oil exploration have used similar machine learning techniques in classifying and identifying features in drilling logs –but these typically are designed assuming a drilling fluid influencing downhole measurements and data (permeability, resistivity). Drilling models and existing AI software designed to detect and respond to drilling faults and hard materials can be repurposed, for near-real-time (ground-based) interpretation of drilling telemetry –a potentially valuable advisory tool for strata boundaries and changes in drilling parameters. On the Moon, this approach could be used to study the structure and to some extent the composition of lunar regolith vs. borehole depth, based on recognizable variations in fracture hardness, drilling energy and penetration rates while actively drilling. Since the early 2000s, a series of increasingly-capable real-time drilling telemetry interpretation and characterization software tools have been developed. These subsurface models and software tools have monitored the real-time drilling data received, and automatically identified changes in drill behavior (e.g., encountering a harder target layer, bit inclusions, drill choking due to infall downhole, and others) correlating these with subsurface structures and features. We discuss the mappings between drill borehole parameters, faults or events detected, and modeled changes in rock layer boundaries, in examples drawn from field testing at analog sites in an Arctic impact crater, Rio Tinto, and Chile’s Atacama Desert. These demonstrate how subsurface structural boundaries led to fault detections and responses by the software.

drilling advisor↗

Ceramic Adhesive and Methods for On-Orbit Repair of Re-Entry Vehicles

This adhesive is capable of repairing damaged leading edge components of reentry vehicles while in space, and is novel with regard to its ability to be applied in the vacuum of space, and in a microgravity environment. Once applied, the adhesive provides thermal and oxidation protection to the substrate (in this case, reinforced carbon/carbon composites, RCCs) during re-entry of a space vehicle. Although there may be many formulations for repair adhesives, at the time of this reporting, this is the first known adhesive capable of an on-orbit repair. The adhesive is an engineered ceramic material composed of a pre-ceramic polymer and refractory powders in the form of a paste or putty that can be applied to a scratched, cracked, or fractured composite surface, covering and protecting the damaged area. The adhesive is then "cured" with a heat cycle, thereby cross-linking the polymer into a hardened material and bonding it to the substrate. During the heat of reentry, the material is converted to a ceramic coating that provides thermal and oxidative stability to the repaired area, thus allowing the vehicle to pass safely from space into the upper atmosphere. Ceramic powders such as SiC, ZrB2 and Y2O3 are combined with allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS) resin, and are mixed to form a paste adhesive. The material is then applied to the damaged area by brush, spatula, trowel, or other means to fill cracks, gaps, and holes, or used to bond patches onto the damaged area. The material is then cured, in a vacuum, preferably at 250F (approximately equal to 121C) for two hours. The re-entry heating of the vehicle at temperatures in excess of 3,000F (approximately equal to 1,650C) then converts this material into a ceramic coating. This invention has demonstrated advantages in resistance to high temperatures, as was demonstrated in more than 100 arc-jet tests in representative environments at NASA. Extensive testing verified oxidation protection for the repaired substrate (RCC), and confirmed that the microstructure of the resulting repair leads to durability and resistance to melting or flow. Its processability and working life in a vacuum was demonstrated by NASA astronauts in glovebox processing studies, as well as on-orbit in the open space shuttle bay. All of these advantages increase the working life of NASA vehicles, as well as improve safety for any crew on a manned vehicle. The adhesive, trademarked NOAX(TM). or Non-Oxide Adhesive Experimental, flew on all space shuttle missions from Return To Flight (STS-114) until the final flight (STS- 135) as a crack repair material for the leading edges and nose cap of the vehicle. NOAX(TM) was patented under U.S. Patents 7,628,878 and 7,888,277.

Riedell, James A.↗

A large-scale computer facility for computational aerodynamics

As a result of advances related to the combination of computer system technology and numerical modeling, computational aerodynamics has emerged as an essential element in aerospace vehicle design methodology. NASA has, therefore, initiated the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) Program with the objective to provide a basis for further advances in the modeling of aerodynamic flowfields. The Program is concerned with the development of a leading-edge, large-scale computer facility. This facility is to be made available to Government agencies, industry, and universities as a necessary element in ensuring continuing leadership in computational aerodynamics and related disciplines. Attention is given to the requirements for computational aerodynamics, the principal specific goals of the NAS Program, the high-speed processor subsystem, the workstation subsystem, the support processing subsystem, the graphics subsystem, the mass storage subsystem, the long-haul communication subsystem, the high-speed data-network subsystem, and software.

Bailey, F. R.↗

An intercomparison of plasma turbulence at three comets: Grigg-Skjellerup, Giacobini-Zinner, and Halley

The power laws are approximately f(exp -1.9), f(exp -1.9), and f(exp -2.1) respectively for the Grigg-Shjellerup (GS), Giacobini-Zinner (GZ), and Halley (H) comets. Other than similarities in the power spectra, the magnetic field turbulence is considerably different at the three comets. Phase steepening is demonstrated to occur at the trailing edges of the GS waves. This is probably due to nonlinear steepening plus dispersion of the left-hand mode components, i.e., the turbulence is whistler-mode. This too can be explained by nonlinear steepening plus dispersion of the magnetosonic waves. At the level of GS and GZ turbulence development when the spacecraft measurements were made, classical three-wave processes, such as the decay or modulation instabilities do not appear to play important roles. It is most likely that the nonlinear steepening and dispersive time scales are more rapid than three-wave processes, and the latter had not had time to develop for the relatively new turbulence. The wave turbulence at Halley is linearly polarized. The exact nature of this turbulence is still not well understood. Several possibilities are suggested, based on a preliminary analyses.

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗

Data management and scientific integration within the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy with the goal to improve the predictive capabilities of General Circulation Models (GCM's) in their treatment of clouds and radiative transfer effects. To achieve this goal, three experimental testbeds were designed for the deployment of instruments that will collect atmospheric data used to drive the GCM's. Each site, known as a Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART), consists of a highly available, redundant data system for the collection of data from a variety of instrumentation. The first CART site was deployed in April 1992 in the Southern Great Plains (SGP), Lamont, Oklahoma, with the other two sites to follow in September 1995 in the Tropical Western Pacific and in 1997 on the North Slope of Alaska. Approximately 400 MB of data are transferred per day via the Internet from the SGP site to the ARM Experiment Center at Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Richland, Washington. The Experiment Center is central to the ARM data path and provides for the collection, processing, analysis, and delivery of ARM data. Data are received from the CART sites from a variety of instrumentation, observational systems, amd external data sources. The Experiment Center processes these data streams on a continuous basis to provide derived data products to the ARM Science Team in near real-time while providing a three-month running archive of data. A primary requirement of the ARM Program is to preserve and protect all data produced or acquired. This function is performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where leading edge technology is employed for the long-term storage of ARM data. The ARM Archive provides access to data for participation outside of the ARM Program. The ARM Program involves a collaborative effort by teams from various DOE National Laboratories, providing multi-disciplinary areas of expertise. This paper will discuss the collaborative methods in which the ARM teams translate the scientific goals of the Program into data products. By combining atmospheric scientists, systems engineers, and software engineers, the ARM Program has successfully designed and developed an environment where advances in understanding the parameterizations of GCM's can be made.

Gracio, Deborah K.↗

Infrared-Bolometer Arrays with Reflective Backshorts

Integrated circuits that incorporate square arrays of superconducting-transition- edge bolometers with optically reflective backshorts are being developed for use in image sensors in the spectral range from far infrared to millimeter wavelengths. To maximize the optical efficiency (and, thus, sensitivity) of such a sensor at a specific wavelength, resonant optical structures are created by placing the backshorts at a quarter wavelength behind the bolometer plane. The bolometer and backshort arrays are fabricated separately, then integrated to form a single unit denoted a backshort-under-grid (BUG) bolometer array. In a subsequent fabrication step, the BUG bolometer array is connected, by use of single-sided indium bump bonding, to a readout device that comprises mostly a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) multiplexer circuit. The resulting sensor unit comprising the BUG bolometer array and the readout device is operated at a temperature below 1 K. The concept of increasing optical efficiency by use of backshorts at a quarter wavelength behind the bolometers is not new. Instead, the novelty of the present development lies mainly in several features of the design of the BUG bolometer array and the fabrication sequence used to implement the design. Prior to joining with the backshort array, the bolometer array comprises, more specifically, a square grid of free-standing molybdenum/gold superconducting-transition-edge bolometer elements on a 1.4- m-thick top layer of silicon that is part of a silicon support frame made from a silicon-on-insulator wafer. The backshort array is fabricated separately as a frame structure that includes support beams and contains a correspond - ing grid of optically reflective patches on a single-crystal silicon substrate. The process used to fabricate the bolometer array includes standard patterning and etching steps that result in the formation of deep notches in the silicon support frame. These notches are designed to interlock with the support beams on the backshort-array structure to provide structural support and precise relative positioning. The backshort-array structure is inserted in the silicon support frame behind the bolometer array, and the notches in the frame serve to receive the support beams of the backshort-array structure and thus determine the distance between the backshort and bolometer planes. The depth of the notches and, thus, the distance between the backshort and bolometer planes, can be tailored to a value between 25 to 300 m adjusting only a few process steps. The backshort array is designed so as not to interfere with the placement of indium bumps for subsequent indium bump-bonding to the multiplexing readout circuitry

Miller, Timothy M.↗