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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 1,297 records · Page 72

Processing techniques for software based SAR processors

Software SAR processing techniques defined to treat Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) data are reviewed. The algorithms are devised for the data processing procedure selection, SAR correlation function implementation, multiple array processors utilization, cornerturning, variable reference length azimuth processing, and range migration handling. The Interim Digital Processor (IDP) originally implemented for handling Seasat SAR data has been adapted for the SIR-B, and offers a resolution of 100 km using a processing procedure based on the Fast Fourier Transformation fast correlation approach. Peculiarities of the Seasat SAR data processing requirements are reviewed, along with modifications introduced for the SIR-B. An Advanced Digital SAR Processor (ADSP) is under development for use with the SIR-B in the 1986 time frame as an upgrade for the IDP, which will be in service in 1984-5.

Leung, K.↗

TDRSS and the STGT

A Second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Ground Terminal (STGT) is envisioned as the next step in providing expanded support service for data transmission between spaceborne NASA and related missions, including Space Station and the earth-based user community. This need for expanded support service is projected to exist during the early to late 1990's time frame. This concept description reflects the current NASA requirements for a life-cycle cost-effective acquisition of the STGT. The significant features of this STGT configuration include autonomous subsystems, decentralized control processes and modular functional implementation. These features are expected to reduce acquisition risk and provide efficient manpower utilization during the operational years.

Chang, R.↗

Intelligent Robotic Systems Study (IRSS), phase 2

Under the Intelligent Robotics System Study (IRSS) contract, a generalized robotic control architecture was developed for use with the ProtoFlight Manipulator Arm (PFMA). The controller built for the PFMA provides localized position based force control, teleoperation and advanced path recording and playback capabilities. Various hand controllers can be used with the system in conjunction with a synthetic time delay capability to provide a realistic test bed for typical satellite servicing tasks. The configuration of the IRSS system is illustrated and discussed. The PFMA has six computer controllable degrees of freedom (DOF) plus a seventh manually indexable DOF, making the manipulator a pseudo 7 DOF mechanism. Because the PFMA was not developed to operate in a gravity field, but rather in space, it is counter balanced at the shoulder, elbow and wrist and a spring counterbalance has been added near the wrist to provide additional support. Built with long slender intra-joint linkages, the PFMA has a workspace nearly 2 meters deep and possesses sufficient dexterity to perform numerous satellite servicing tasks. The manipulator is arranged in a shoulder-yaw, pitch, elbow-pitch, and wrist-pitch, yaw, roll configuration, with an indexable shoulder roll joint. Digital control of the PFMA is implemented using a variety of single board computers developed by Heurikon Corporation and other manufacturers. The IRSS controller is designed to be a multi-rate, multi-tasking system. Independent joint servos run at a 134 Hz rate and position based impedance control functions at 67 Hz. Autonomous path generation and hand controller inputs are processed at a 33 Hz.

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Telerobot control mode performance assessment

With the maturation of various developing robot control schemes, it is becoming extremely important that the technical community evaluate the performance of these various control technologies against an established baseline to determine which technology provides the most reliable robust, and safe on-orbit robot control. The Supervisory Telerobotics Laboratory (STELER) at JPL has developed a unique robot control capability which has been evaluated by the NASA technical community and found useful for augmenting both the operator interface and control of intended robotic systems on-board the Space Station. As part of the technology development and prototyping effort, the STELER team has been evaluating the performance of different control modes; namely, teleoperation under position, or rate, control, teleoperation with force reflection and shared control. Nine trained subjects were employed in the performance evaluation involving several high fidelity servicing tasks. Four types of operator performance data were collected; task completion time, average force, peak force, and number of operator successes and errors. This paper summarizes the results of this performance evaluation.

Zimmerman, Wayne↗

Wind tunnel tests of fuselages and windshields

The tests described herein were made in 1918, in the old four-foot wind tunnel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the request of the Engineering Division of the U.S. Army Air Service. The results were given circulation only in official circles at that time. The interest of the work appears sufficient to justify its wider distribution even at this very late date.

Warner, Edward P↗

Correlation of Cooling Data from an Air-Cooled Cylinder and Several Multicylinder Engines

The theory of engine-cylinder cooling developed in a previous report was further substantiated by data obtained on a cylinder from a Wright r-1820-g engine. Equations are presented for the average head and barrel temperatures of this cylinder as functions of the engine and the cooling conditions. These equations are utilized to calculate the variation in cylinder temperature with altitude for level flight and climb. A method is presented for correlating average head and barrel temperatures and temperatures at individual points on the head and the barrel obtained on the test stand and in flight. The method is applied to the correlation and the comparison of data obtained on a number of service engines. Data are presented showing the variation of cylinder temperature with time when the power and the cooling pressure drop are suddenly changed.

Pinkel, Benjamin↗

Mission activities planning for a Hermes mission by means of AI-technology

Mission Activities Planning is a complex task to be performed by mission control centers. AI technology can offer attractive solutions to the planning problem. This paper presents the use of a new AI-based Mission Planning System for crew activity planning. Based on a HERMES servicing mission to the COLUMBUS Man Tended Free Flyer (MTFF) with complex time and resource constraints, approximately 2000 activities with 50 different resources have been generated, processed, and planned with parametric variation of operationally sensitive parameters. The architecture, as well as the performance of the mission planning system, is discussed. An outlook to future planning scenarios, the requirements, and how a system like MARS can fulfill those requirements is given.

Pape, U.↗

Metal hydride heat pump engineering demonstration and evaluation model

Future generations of portable life support systems (PLSS's) for space suites (extravehicular mobility units or EMU's) may require regenerable nonventing thermal sinks (RNTS's). For purposes of mobility, a PLSS must be as light and compact as possible. Previous venting PLSS's have employed water sublimators to reject metabolic and equipment heat from EMU's. It is desirable for long-duration future space missions to minimize the use of water and other consumables that need to be periodically resupplied. The emission of water vapor also interferes with some types of instrumentation that might be used in future space exploration. The test article is a type of RNTS based on a metal hydride heat pump (MHHP). The task of reservicing EMU's after use must be made less demanding in terms of time, procedures, and equipment. The capability for quick turnaround post-EVA servicing (30 minutes) is a challenging requirement for many of the RNTS options. The MHHP is a very simple option that can be regenerated in the airlock within the 30 minute limit by the application of a heating source and a cooling sink. In addition, advanced PLSS's must provide a greater degree of automatic control, relieving astronauts of the need to manually adjust temperatures in their liquid cooled ventilation garments (LCVG's). The MHHP includes automatic coolant controls with the ability to follow thermal load swings from minimum to maximum in seconds. The MHHP includes a coolant loop subsystem with pump and controls, regeneration equipment for post-EVA servicing, and a PC-based data acquisition and control system (DACS).

Lynch, Franklin E.↗

Spacecraft Data Simulator for the test of level zero processing systems

The Microelectronic Systems Branch (MSB) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has developed a Spacecraft Data Simulator (SDS) to support the development, test, and verification of prototype and production Level Zero Processing (LZP) systems. Based on a disk array system, the SDS is capable of generating large test data sets up to 5 Gigabytes and outputting serial test data at rates up to 80 Mbps. The SDS supports data formats including NASA Communication (Nascom) blocks, Consultative Committee for Space Data System (CCSDS) Version 1 & 2 frames and packets, and all the Advanced Orbiting Systems (AOS) services. The capability to simulate both sequential and non-sequential time-ordered downlink data streams with errors and gaps is crucial to test LZP systems. This paper describes the system architecture, hardware and software designs, and test data designs. Examples of test data designs are included to illustrate the application of the SDS.

Shi, Jeff↗

Management Information System

New Automated Management Information Center (AMIC) employs innovative microcomputer techniques to create color charts, viewgraphs, or other data displays in a fraction of the time formerly required. Developed under Kennedy Space Center's contract by Boeing Services International Inc., Seattle, WA, AMIC can produce an entirely new informational chart in 30 minutes, or an updated chart in only five minutes. AMIC also has considerable potential as a management system for business firms.

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The North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array: Recent Results and Future Prospects

The North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array became operational in November 2001 as a principal component of a severe weather test bed to infuse new science and technologies into the short-term forecasting of severe and hazardous weather and the warning decision-making process. The LMA project is a collaboration among NASA scientists, National Weather Service (NWS) weather forecast offices (WFOs), emergency managers, and other partners. The time rate-of-change of storm characteristics and life-cycle trending are accomplished in real-time through the second generation Lightning Imaging Sensor Data Applications Display (LISDAD II) system, initially developed in T997 through a collaboration among NASA/MSFC, MIT/Lincoln Lab and the Melbourne, FL WFO. LISDAD II is now a distributed decision support system with a JAVA-based display application that allows anyone, anywhere to track individual storm histories within the Tennessee Valley region of the southeastern U.S. Since the inauguration of the LMA there has been an abundance of severe weather. During 23-24 November 2001, a major tornado outbreak was monitored by LMA in its first data acquisition effort (36 tornadoes in Alabama). Since that time the LMA has collected a vast amount of data on hailstorms and damaging wind events, non-tornadic supercells, and ordinary non-severe thunderstorms. In this paper we provide an overview of LMA observations and discuss future prospects for improving the short-term forecasting of convective weather.

Goodman, S. J.↗

Flight Investigation of Effects of Selected Operating Conditions on the Bending and Torsional Moments Encountered by a Helicopter Rotor Blade

Flight tests have been conducted with a single-rotor helicopter to determine the effects of partial-power descents with forward speed, high-speed level turns, pull-outs from autorotation, and high-forward-speed high-rotor-speed autorotation on the flapwise bending and torsional moments of the rotor blade. One blade of the helicopter was equipped at 14 percent and 40 percent of the blade radius with strain gages calibrated to measure moments rather than stresses. The results indicate that the maximum moments encountered in partial-power descents with forward speed tend to be generally reduced from the maximum moments encountered during partid-power descents at zero forward speed. High-speed level turns and pull-outs from auto-rotation caused retreating-blade stall which produced torsional moments (values up to 2,400 inch-pounds). at the 14-percent-radius station that were as large as those encountered during the previous investigations of retreating-blade stall (values up t o 2,500 inch-pounds). High-forward- speed high-rotor-speed autorotation produced flapwise bending moments (values up to 7,200 inch-pounds) at the 40-percent-radius station which were as large as the flapwise bending moments (values up to 7,800 inch-pounds) a t the 14-percent-radius station encountered during partial - power vertical descents. The results of the present investigation (tip-speed ratios up to 0.325 and an unaccelerated level-flight mean lift coefficient of about 0.6), in combination with the related results of at zero forward speed produce the largest rotor-blade vibratory moments. However, inasmuch as these large moments occur only during 1 percent of the cycles and 88 percent of the cycles are at moment values less than 70 percent of these maximum values in partial-power descents, other conditions, such as high-speed flight where the large moments are combined with large percentages of time spent,must not be neglected in any rotor-blade service-life assessment.

Ludi, LeRoy H.↗

IT Challenges for Space Medicine or How do We Protect Medical Information and Still Get Useful Work Done?

Space Medicine provides healthcare services of various types for astronauts throughout their lifetime starting from the time they are selected as astronauts. IT challenges include: protection of private medical information, access from locations both inside and outside NASA, nearly 24x7 access, access during disasters, international partner access, data archiving, off-region backup, secure communication of medical data to people outside the NASA system (e.g. expert consultants), efficient movement of medical record information between locations, search and retrieval of relevant information, and providing all of these services/capabilities within a limited budget. In Space Medicine, we have provided for these in various ways: limit the amount of private medical information stored locally, utilize encryption mechanisms that the international partners can also use, utilize 2-factor authentication, virtualize servers, employ concept-based search, and use of standardized terminologies (SNOMED) and messaging (HL7).

Johnson-Throop, Kathy A.↗

In-Service Monitoring of Steam Pipe Systems at High Temperatures

An effective, in-service health monitoring system is needed to track water condensation in real time through the walls of steam pipes. The system is required to measure the height of the condensed water from outside the pipe, while operating at temperatures that are as high as 250 C. The system needs to account for the effects of water flow and cavitation. In addition, it is desired that the system does not require perforating the pipes and thereby reducing the structural integrity. Generally, steam pipes are used as part of the district heating system carrying steam from central power stations under the streets to heat, cool, or supply power to high-rise buildings and businesses. This system uses ultrasonic waves in pulse-echo and acquires reflected signal data. Via autocorrelation, it determines the water height while eliminating the effect of noise and multiple reflections from the wall of the pipe. The system performs nondestructive monitoring through the walls of steam pipes, and automatically measures the height of condensed water while operating at the high-temperature conditions of 250 C. For this purpose, the ultrasonic pulse-echo method is used where the time-of-flight of the wave reflections inside the water are measured, and it is multiplied by the wave velocity to determine the height. The pulse-echo test consists of emitting ultrasonic wave pulses from a piezoelectric transducer and receiving the reflections from the top and bottom of the condensed water. A single transducer is used as a transmitter as well as the receiver of the ultrasonic waves. To obtain high resolution, a broadband transducer is used and the frequency can be in the range of 2.25 to 10 MHz, providing sharp pulses in the time domain allowing for higher resolution in identifying the individual reflections.

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph↗

Summer 2014 Pathways Report

Over the summer I had the exciting opportunity to work for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center as a Mission Assurance Engineering intern. When I was offered a position in mission assurance for the Safety and Mission Assurance directorate's Launch Services Division, I didn't really know what I would be doing, but I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to learn and grow professionally. In this report I will provide some background information on the Launch Services Division, as well as detail my duties and accomplishments during my time as an intern. Additionally, I will relate the significance of my work experience to my current academic work and future career goals. This report contains background information on Mission Assurance Engineering, a description of my duties and accomplishments over the summer of 2014, and relates the significance of my work experience to my school work and future career goals. It is a required document for the Pathways program.

Pathways↗

Lunar Relay Onboard Navigation Performance and Effects on Lander Descent to Surface

A system of Lunar relay satellites has been proposed to address communication and navigation needs and ensure robustness for the variety of upcoming robotic and human exploration missions to the Moon. The relays are envisioned to estimate self position and time knowledge onboard, allowing the system to provide in-situ navigation services to missions in the Lunar and cis-Lunar environment. The quality and accuracy of those services are highly dependent on the navigation performance of the relay itself. To assess the Lunar relay navigation performance, a series of orbit determination (OD) Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are run using Lunar gravity modeling up to a degree and order of 250 and a variety of onboard clocks and measurement types including weak-signal GNSS, Ground Network (GN) pseudorange (PR) and Doppler, and optical navigation (OpNav) center-finding (CF). The estimated trajectories produced by these Lunar relay MC simulations, along with the associated errors, and transmitted navigation reference signal parameters, are used to evaluate the expected navigation performance of a user on a descent trajectory to the Lunar surface. The scenario features a lander system performing onboard navigation relying on one-way range and Doppler measurements from reference signals emitted by the Lunar relay. This paper can be used as a reference in determining the onboard clock and measurement types necessary to obtain acceptable navigation performance for the Lunar relay, and as a baseline for Lunar lander navigation performance using accurate measurements from a relay reference signal.

Jeffrey L. Small↗

Lunar Relay Onboard Navigation Performance and Effects on Lander Descent to Surface

A system of Lunar relay satellites has been proposed to address communication and navigation needs and ensure robustness for the variety of upcoming robotic and human exploration missions to the Moon. The relays are envisioned to estimate self-position and time knowledge onboard, allowing the system to provide in-situ navigation services to missions in the Lunar and cis-Lunar environment. The quality and accuracy of those services are highly dependent on the navigation performance of the relay itself. To assess the Lunar relay navigation performance, a series of orbit determination (OD) Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are run using Lunar gravity modeling up to a degree and order of 250 and a variety of onboard clocks and measurement types including weak-signal GNSS, Ground Network (GN) pseudorange (PR) and Doppler, and optical navigation (OpNav) center-finding (CF). The estimated trajectories produced by these Lunar relay MC simulations, along with the associated errors, and transmitted navigation reference signal parameters, are used to evaluate the expected navigation performance of a user on a descent trajectory to the Lunar surface. The scenario features a lander system performing onboard navigation relying on one-way range and Doppler measurements from reference signals emitted by the Lunar relay. This paper can be used as a reference in determining the onboard clock and measurement types necessary to obtain acceptable navigation performance for the Lunar relay, and as a baseline for Lunar lander navigation performance using accurate measurements from a relay reference signal.

Jeffrey L. Small↗

Game Based Learning For Earth Science Applications Training

Current NASA Earth capacity development programs employ mechanisms ranging from online resource sharing, and virtual and in-person trainings to share knowledge. While these programs are highly successful at engaging individuals around the world – in 2018, over 8000 individuals and over 2000 institutions from all 50 US states and over 140 countries were engaged through over 150 projects and trainings – user feedback has highlighted the desire for expanded hands-on, practical experiences in incorporating NASA EO insights with localized data and actions. We aim to address this gap by leveraging the benefits of game-based learning to build user skills in integrating NASA and local EO data to guide decisions for climate resiliency and hazard planning. This project is being executed as a two-phase crowdsourced challenge: 1) Phase 1 will require a well-researched product concept that reflects an understanding of NASA’s Earth data and tools and user needs, and proposes an innovative and interactive game or extended reality experience to train users in identifying relevant NASA data and applying insights to their climate resiliency decisions; 2) Winners of Phase 1 will be provided seed funding to develop a working prototype of the product. We aim to award 1-3 final winners to support the development of more than one game, thereby ensuring that NASA's diverse audiences around the world can access training games that best suit their needs and capabilities. This EO training game project fits in the NASA Earth Science Applied Sciences Program’s Capacity Development Program, contributing to the program mission of “helping people around the world better understand [NASA’s Earth] data and find ways to use them” (https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/what-we-do/capacity-building). The final training game will complement existing programmatic activities of workforce development, trainings, and collaborative projects, while providing the unique value of providing interactive experiences to users and collecting real-time data and feedback to improve NASA’s Earth applications’ products and services related to climate resilience.

Human centered design↗