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At least 1,027 records · Page 57

Space Based Communications

Current space lift launches on the Eastern and Western Range require extensive ground-based real-time tracking, communications and command/control systems. These are expensive to maintain and operate and cover only limited geographical areas. Future spaceports will require new technologies to provide greater launch and landing opportunities, support simultaneous missions, and offer enhanced decision support models and simulation capabilities. These ranges must also have lower costs and reduced complexity while continuing to provide unsurpassed safety to the public, flight crew, personnel, vehicles and facilities. Commercial and government space-based assets for tracking and communications offer many attractive possibilities to help achieve these goals. This paper describes two NASA proof-of-concept projects that seek-to exploit the advantages of a space-based range: Iridium Flight Modem and Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety (STARS). Iridium Flight Modem uses the commercial satellite system Iridium for extremely low cost, low rate two-way communications and has been successfully tested on four aircraft flights. A sister project at Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) using the Globalstar system has been tested on one rocket. The basic Iridium Flight Modem system consists of a L1 carrier Coarse/Acquisition (C/A)-Code Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, an on-board computer, and a standard commercial satellite modem and antennas. STARS uses the much higher data rate NASA owned Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), a C/A-Code GPS receiver, an experimental low-power transceiver, custom built command and data handler processor, and digitized flight termination system (FTS) commands. STARS is scheduled to fly on an F-15 at Dryden Flight Research Center in the spring of 2003, with follow-on tests over the next several years.

Simpson, James↗

Use of Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) for Teaching and Performing Senior Design Projects at the Educational Institutions

This paper describes the experience of the authors in using the Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) in teaching Design of Thermal Systems class at University of Alabama in Huntsville. GFSSP is a finite volume based thermo-fluid system network analysis code, developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, and is extensively used in NASA, Department of Defense, and aerospace industries for propulsion system design, analysis, and performance evaluation. The educational version of GFSSP is freely available to all US higher education institutions. The main purpose of the paper is to illustrate the utilization of this user-friendly code for the thermal systems design and fluid engineering courses and to encourage the instructors to utilize the code for the class assignments as well as senior design projects.

Majumdar, A. K.↗

Multispin Clifford codes for angular momentum errors in spin systems

The physical symmetries of a system play a central role in quantum error correction. Here, in this work we encode a qubit in a collection of systems with angular momentum symmetry (spins), extending the tools developed by Gross for single large spins. By considering large spins present in atomic systems and focusing on their collective symmetric subspace, we develop codes with octahedral symmetry capable of correcting errors up to second order in angular momentum operators. These errors include the most physically relevant noise sources such as microwave control errors and optical pumping. We additionally explore qubit codes that exhibit distance scaling commensurate with the surface code while permitting transversal single-qubit Clifford operations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Design sensitivity analysis using EAL. Part 1: Conventional design parameters

A numerical implementation of design sensitivity analysis of builtup structures is presented, using the versatility and convenience of an existing finite element structural analysis code and its database management system. The finite element code used in the implemenatation presented is the Engineering Analysis Language (EAL), which is based on a hybrid method of analysis. It was shown that design sensitivity computations can be carried out using the database management system of EAL, without writing a separate program and a separate database. Conventional (sizing) design parameters such as cross-sectional area of beams or thickness of plates and plane elastic solid components are considered. Compliance, displacement, and stress functionals are considered as performance criteria. The method presented is being extended to implement shape design sensitivity analysis using a domain method and a design component method.

Dopker, B.↗

Securing against errors in an error correcting code (ECC) implemented in an automotive system

In general, data is susceptible to errors caused by faults in hardware (i.e. permanent faults), such as faults in the functioning of memory and/or communication channels. To detect errors in data caused by hardware faults, the error correcting code (ECC) was introduced, which essentially provides a sort of redundancy to the data that can be used to validate that the data is free from errors caused by hardware faults. In some cases, the ECC can also be used to correct errors in the data caused by hardware faults. However, the ECC itself is also susceptible to errors, including specifically errors caused by faults in the ECC logic. A method, computer readable medium, and system are thus provided for securing against errors in an ECC.

Saxena, Nirmal Raj↗

Automated apparatus and method of generating native code for a stitching machine

A computer system automatically generates CNC code for a stitching machine. The computer determines the locations of a present stitching point and a next stitching point. If a constraint is not found between the present stitching point and the next stitching point, the computer generates code for making a stitch at the next stitching point. If a constraint is found, the computer generates code for changing a condition (e.g., direction) of the stitching machine's stitching head.

Miller, Jeffrey L.↗

Encoding Scheme Reduces Hardware Requirements

Shift register time-shared in proposed error-correcting code for tape-storage systems. Error-correcting code logic for blocks of 256-bit data words implemented by 14-stage-time-shared shift register, two 4,096bit RAM's and logic gates. Encoding and decoding logic implement generator polynomial that defines error-correcting code, and error correction based on algorithm also implemented by logic.

Sasnowitz, H.↗

On decoding of multi-level MPSK modulation codes

The decoding problem of multi-level block modulation codes is investigated. The hardware design of soft-decision Viterbi decoder for some short length 8-PSK block modulation codes is presented. An effective way to reduce the hardware complexity of the decoder by reducing the branch metric and path metric, using a non-uniform floating-point to integer mapping scheme, is proposed and discussed. The simulation results of the design are presented. The multi-stage decoding (MSD) of multi-level modulation codes is also investigated. The cases of soft-decision and hard-decision MSD are considered and their performance are evaluated for several codes of different lengths and different minimum squared Euclidean distances. It is shown that the soft-decision MSD reduces the decoding complexity drastically and it is suboptimum. The hard-decision MSD further simplifies the decoding while still maintaining a reasonable coding gain over the uncoded system, if the component codes are chosen properly. Finally, some basic 3-level 8-PSK modulation codes using BCH codes as component codes are constructed and their coding gains are found for hard decision multistage decoding.

Lin, Shu↗

Pi-Sat: A Low Cost Small Satellite and Distributed Spacecraft Mission System Test Platform

Current technology and budget trends indicate a shift in satellite architectures from large, expensive single satellite missions, to small, low cost distributed spacecraft missions. At the center of this shift is the SmallSatCubesat architecture. The primary goal of the Pi-Sat project is to create a low cost, and easy to use Distributed Spacecraft Mission (DSM) test bed to facilitate the research and development of next-generation DSM technologies and concepts. This test bed also serves as a realistic software development platform for Small Satellite and Cubesat architectures. The Pi-Sat is based on the popular $35 Raspberry Pi single board computer featuring a 700Mhz ARM processor, 512MB of RAM, a flash memory card, and a wealth of IO options. The Raspberry Pi runs the Linux operating system and can easily run Code 582s Core Flight System flight software architecture. The low cost and high availability of the Raspberry Pi make it an ideal platform for a Distributed Spacecraft Mission and Cubesat software development. The Pi-Sat models currently include a Pi-Sat 1U Cube, a Pi-Sat Wireless Node, and a Pi-Sat Cubesat processor card.The Pi-Sat project takes advantage of many popular trends in the Maker community including low cost electronics, 3d printing, and rapid prototyping in order to provide a realistic platform for flight software testing, training, and technology development. The Pi-Sat has also provided fantastic hands on training opportunities for NASA summer interns and Pathways students.

Software↗

Technique for using a geometry and visualization system to monitor and manipulate information in other codes

A technique was developed to allow the Aero Grid and Paneling System (AGPS), a geometry and visualization system, to be used as a dynamic real-time geometry monitor, manipulator, and interrogator for other codes. This technique involves the direct connection of AGPS with one or more external codes through the use of Unix pipes. AGPS has several commands that control communication with the external program. The external program uses several special subroutines that allow simple, direct communication with AGPS. The external program creates AGPS command lines and transmits the line over the pipes or communicates on a subroutine level. AGPS executes the commands, displays graphics/geometry information, and transmits the required solutions back to the external program. The basic ideas discussed in this paper could easily be implemented in other graphics/geometry systems currently in use or under development.

Dickens, Thomas P.↗

The SEL Adapts to Meet Changing Times

Since 1976, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) has been dedicated to understanding and improving the way in which one NASA organization, the Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) at Goddard Space Flight Center, develops, maintains, and manages complex flight dynamics systems. It has done this by developing and refining a continual process improvement approach that allows an organization such as the FDD to fine-tune its process for its particular domain. Experimental software engineering and measurement play a significant role in this approach. The SEL is a partnership of NASA Goddard, its major software contractor, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), and the University of Maryland's (LTM) Department of Computer Science. The FDD primarily builds software systems that provide ground-based flight dynamics support for scientific satellites. They fall into two sets: ground systems and simulators. Ground systems are midsize systems that average around 250 thousand source lines of code (KSLOC). Ground system development projects typically last 1 - 2 years. Recent systems have been rehosted to workstations from IBM mainframes, and also contain significant new subsystems written in C and C++. The simulators are smaller systems averaging around 60 KSLOC that provide the test data for the ground systems. Simulator development lasts up to 1 year. Most of the simulators have been built in Ada on workstations. The SEL is responsible for the management and continual improvement of the software engineering processes used on these FDD projects.

Pajerski, Rose S.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, August 2005

Topics include: Hidden Identification on Parts: Magnetic Machine-Readable Matrix Symbols; System for Processing Coded OFDM Under Doppler and Fading; Multipurpose Hyperspectral Imaging System; Magnetic-Flux-Compensated Voltage Divider; High-Performance Satellite/Terrestrial-Network Gateway; Internet-Based System for Voice Communication With the ISS; Stripline/Microstrip Transition in Multilayer Circuit Board; Dual-Band Feed for a Microwave Reflector Antenna; Quadratic Programming for Allocating Control Effort; Range Process Simulation Tool; Simulator of Space Communication Networks; Computing Q-D Relationships for Storage of Rocket Fuels; Contour Error Map Algorithm; Portfolio Analysis Tool; Glass Frit Filters for Collecting Metal Oxide Nanoparticles; Anhydrous Proton-Conducting Membranes for Fuel Cells; Portable Electron-Beam Free-Form Fabrication System; Miniature Laboratory for Detecting Sparse Biomolecules; Multicompartment Liquid-Cooling/Warming Protective Garments; Laser Metrology for an Optical-Path-Length Modulator; PCM Passive Cooling System Containing Active Subsystems; Automated Electrostatics Environmental Chamber; Estimating Aeroheating of a 3D Body Using a 2D Flow Solver; Artificial Immune System for Recognizing Patterns; Computing the Thermodynamic State of a Cryogenic Fluid; Safety and Mission Assurance Performance Metric; Magnetic Control of Concentration Gradient in Microgravity; Avionics for a Small Robotic Inspection Spacecraft; and Simulation of Dynamics of a Flexible Miniature Airplane.

Source record↗

Auto Code Generation for Simulink-Based Attitude Determination Control System

This paper details the work done to auto generate C code from a Simulink-Based Attitude Determination Control System (ADCS) to be used in target platforms. NASA Marshall Engineers have developed an ADCS Simulink simulation to be used as a component for the flight software of a satellite. This generated code can be used for carrying out Hardware in the loop testing of components for a satellite in a convenient manner with easily tunable parameters. Due to the nature of the embedded hardware components such as microcontrollers, this simulation code cannot be used directly, as it is, on the target platform and must first be converted into C code; this process is known as auto code generation. In order to generate C code from this simulation; it must be modified to follow specific standards set in place by the auto code generation process. Some of these modifications include changing certain simulation models into their atomic representations which can bring new complications into the simulation. The execution order of these models can change based on these modifications. Great care must be taken in order to maintain a working simulation that can also be used for auto code generation. After modifying the ADCS simulation for the auto code generation process, it is shown that the difference between the output data of the former and that of the latter is between acceptable bounds. Thus, it can be said that the process is a success since all the output requirements are met. Based on these results, it can be argued that this generated C code can be effectively used by any desired platform as long as it follows the specific memory requirements established in the Simulink Model.

MolinaFraticelli, Jose Carlos↗

Analyzing Pulse-Code Modulation On A Small Computer

System for analysis pulse-code modulation (PCM) comprises personal computer, computer program, and peripheral interface adapter on circuit board that plugs into expansion bus of computer. Functions essentially as "snapshot" PCM decommutator, which accepts and stores thousands of frames of PCM data, sifts through them repeatedly to process according to routines specified by operator. Enables faster testing and involves less equipment than older testing systems.

Massey, David E.↗

Energy Storage System Safety Documenting and Validating Compliance with Codes and Standards

Energy, environmental, and economic challenges are spurring more widespread consideration and use of energy storage systems (ESSs), which in turn are driving increased development of new ways to store energy electrochemically, mechanically, and thermally. These new methods necessitate an increased focus on ensuring that public health, safety, and welfare are not adversely affected—something that has been addressed for many years through codes, standards, and regulations (CSR5)1. CSRs provide requirements that establish a basis for determining if an ESS is safe, whether electrochemical, mechanical, or thermal and regardless of the range of ESS applications, energy capacities, physical sizes, location, or number installed at any given site. The key to achieving desired safety goals, as memorialized through CSRs, is through documenting and validating compliance with applicable CSRs. The process of documenting and validating compliance, which is a key component to the initial approval as well as continuing acceptance of an ESS installation, is generally called conformity assessment.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Code-regenerative clean-up loop for a ranging transponder

Digital processing system phase locks on received ranging signal and creates clean replica of received ranging code. System is broadly applicable to variety of terrestrial ranging problems, including oceanic navigation.

Hurd, W. J.↗

User's manual for the ALS base heating prediction code, volume 2

The Advanced Launch System (ALS) Base Heating Prediction Code is based on a generalization of first principles in the prediction of plume induced base convective heating and plume radiation. It should be considered to be an approximate method for evaluating trends as a function of configuration variables because the processes being modeled are too complex to allow an accurate generalization. The convective methodology is based upon generalizing trends from four nozzle configurations, so an extension to use the code with strap-on boosters, multiple nozzle sizes, and variations in the propellants and chamber pressure histories cannot be precisely treated. The plume radiation is more amenable to precise computer prediction, but simplified assumptions are required to model the various aspects of the candidate configurations. Perhaps the most difficult area to characterize is the variation of radiation with altitude. The theory in the radiation predictions is described in more detail. This report is intended to familiarize a user with the interface operation and options, to summarize the limitations and restrictions of the code, and to provide information to assist in installing the code.

Reardon, John E.↗

Performance of the OVERFLOW-MLP and LAURA-MLP CFD Codes on the NASA Ames 512 CPU Origin System

The shared memory Multi-Level Parallelism (MLP) technique, developed last year at NASA Ames has been very successful in dramatically improving the performance of important NASA CFD codes. This new and very simple parallel programming technique was first inserted into the OVERFLOW production CFD code in FY 1998. The OVERFLOW-MLP code's parallel performance scaled linearly to 256 CPUs on the NASA Ames 256 CPU Origin 2000 system (steger). Overall performance exceeded 20.1 GFLOP/s, or about 4.5x the performance of a dedicated 16 CPU C90 system. All of this was achieved without any major modification to the original vector based code. The OVERFLOW-MLP code is now in production on the inhouse Origin systems as well as being used offsite at commercial aerospace companies. Partially as a result of this work, NASA Ames has purchased a new 512 CPU Origin 2000 system to further test the limits of parallel performance for NASA codes of interest. This paper presents the performance obtained from the latest optimization efforts on this machine for the LAURA-MLP and OVERFLOW-MLP codes. The Langley Aerothermodynamics Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) code is a key simulation tool in the development of the next generation shuttle, interplanetary reentry vehicles, and nearly all "X" plane development. This code sustains about 4-5 GFLOP/s on a dedicated 16 CPU C90. At this rate, expected workloads would require over 100 C90 CPU years of computing over the next few calendar years. It is not feasible to expect that this would be affordable or available to the user community. Dramatic performance gains on cheaper systems are needed. This code is expected to be perhaps the largest consumer of NASA Ames compute cycles per run in the coming year.The OVERFLOW CFD code is extensively used in the government and commercial aerospace communities to evaluate new aircraft designs. It is one of the largest consumers of NASA supercomputing cycles and large simulations of highly resolved full aircraft are routinely undertaken. Typical large problems might require 100s of Cray C90 CPU hours to complete. The dramatic performance gains with the 256 CPU steger system are exciting. Obtaining results in hours instead of months is revolutionizing the way in which aircraft manufacturers are looking at future aircraft simulation work. Figure 2 below is a current state of the art plot of OVERFLOW-MLP performance on the 512 CPU Lomax system. As can be seen, the chart indicates that OVERFLOW-MLP continues to scale linearly with CPU count up to 512 CPUs on a large 35 million point full aircraft RANS simulation. At this point performance is such that a fully converged simulation of 2500 time steps is completed in less than 2 hours of elapsed time. Further work over the next few weeks will improve the performance of this code even further.The LAURA code has been converted to the MLP format as well. This code is currently being optimized for the 512 CPU system. Performance statistics indicate that the goal of 100 GFLOP/s will be achieved by year's end. This amounts to 20x the 16 CPU C90 result and strongly demonstrates the viability of the new parallel systems rapidly solving very large simulations in a production environment.

Taft, James R.↗