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At least 1,369 records · Page 76

Optimized Trajectory Correction Burn Placement for NRHO Orbit Maintenance

NASA's future Artemis missions plan to utilize a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) in the lunar vicinity to facilitate access to the lunar surface and place other critical assets to support human exploration. This exploration architecture requires a vehicle to remain in the NRHO for long periods of time ranging from several days, to weeks, to months, and even years. Consequently, periodic orbit maintenance burns become essential to ensure the spacecraft follows the desired reference trajectory in an efficient yet effective manner despite crew activity, navigation uncertainty, maneuver execution errors, disturbance accelerations, orbit insertion dispersions, and other system limitations. This work introduces a targeting algorithm that can be utilized to analyze a variety of targeting constraints and parameters that maximizes overall performance. Techniques associated with robust trajectory optimization are used to identify the optimized number and placement for NRHO trajectory correction (NTC) burns that accounts for the mission schedule, both a primary and backup navigation system, targeting strategies and burn plan configurations, vehicle venting, thruster selection, and integrated GN\&C performance. A notional scenario extracted from the NASA Artemis III mission is used to motivate and demonstrate these concepts and performance results.

Linear Covariance Analysis↗

Pterodactyl: The Development and Performance of Guidance Algorithms for a Mechanically Deployed Entry Vehicle

Pterodactyl is a NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) project focused on developing a design capability for optimal, scalable, Guidance and Control (G&C) solutions that enable precision targeting for Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs). This feasibility study is unique in that it focuses on the rapid integration of targeting performance analysis with structural & packaging analysis, which is especially challenging for new vehicle and mission designs. This paper will detail the guidance development and trajectory design process for a lunar return mission, selected to stress the vehicle designs and encourage future scalability. For the five G&C configurations considered, the Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) was selected for configurations requiring bank angle guidance and FNPEG with Uncoupled Range Control (URC) was developed for configurations requiring angle of attack and sideslip angle guidance. Successful G&C configurations are defined as those that can deliver payloads to the intended descent and landing initiation point, while abiding by trajectory constraints for nominal and dispersed trajectories.

Johnson, Breanna J.↗

A meteorologically-driven yield reduction model for spring and winter wheat

A yield reduction model for spring and winter wheat was developed for large-area crop condition assessment. Reductions are expressed in percentage from a base yield and are calculated on a daily basis. The algorithm contains two integral components: a two-layer soil water budget model and a crop calendar routine. Yield reductions associated with hot, dry winds (Sukhovey) and soil moisture stress are determined. Input variables include evapotranspiration, maximum temperature and precipitation; subsequently crop-stage, available water holding percentage and stress duration are evaluated. No specific base yield is required and may be selected by the user; however, it may be generally characterized as the maximum likely to be produced commercially at a location.

Ravet, F. W.↗

Least squares collocation applied to local gravimetric solutions from satellite gravity gradiometry data

An autonomous spaceborne gravity gradiometer mission is being considered as a post Geopotential Research Mission project. The introduction of satellite diometry data to geodesy is expected to improve solid earth gravity models. The possibility of utilizing gradiometer data for the determination of pertinent gravimetric quantities on a local basis is explored. The analytical technique of least squares collocation is investigated for its usefulness in local solutions of this type. It is assumed, in the error analysis, that the vertical gravity gradient component of the gradient tensor is used as the raw data signal from which the corresponding reference gradients are removed to create the centered observations required in the collocation solution. The reference gradients are computed from a high degree and order geopotential model. The solution can be made in terms of mean or point gravity anomalies, height anomalies, or other useful gravimetric quantities depending on the choice of covariance types. Selected for this study were 30 x 30 foot mean gravity and height anomalies. Existing software and new software are utilized to implement the collocation technique. It was determined that satellite gradiometry data at an altitude of 200 km can be used successfully for the determination of 30 x 30 foot mean gravity anomalies to an accuracy of 9.2 mgal from this algorithm. It is shown that the resulting accuracy estimates are sensitive to gravity model coefficient uncertainties, data reduction assumptions and satellite mission parameters.

Robbins, J. W.↗

Large Scale Surface Radiation Budget from Satellite Observation

During the current reporting period, the focus of our work was on preparing and testing an improved version of our Surface Radiation Budget algorithm for processing the ISCCP D1 data routinely at the SRB Satellite Data Analysis Center (SDAC) at NASA Langley Research Center. The major issues addressed are related to gap filling and to testing whether observations made from ERBE could be used to improve current procedures of converting narrowband observations, as available from ISCCP, into broadband observations at the TOA. The criteria for selecting the optimal version are to be based on results of intercomparison with ground truth.

Pinker, R. T.↗

The FIELDS Instrument Suite on MMS: Scientific Objectives, Measurements, and Data Products

The FIELDS instrumentation suite on the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission provides comprehensive measurements of the full vector magnetic and electric fields in the reconnection regions investigated by MMS, including the dayside magnetopause and the night-side magnetotail acceleration regions out to 25 Re. Six sensors on each of the four MMS spacecraft provide overlapping measurements of these fields with sensitive cross-calibrations both before and after launch. The FIELDS magnetic sensors consist of redundant flux-gate magnetometers (AFG and DFG) over the frequency range from DC to 64 Hz, a search coil magnetometer (SCM) providing AC measurements over the full whistler mode spectrum expected to be seen on MMS, and an Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) that calibrates offsets for the magnetometers. The FIELDS three-axis electric field measurements are provided by two sets of biased double-probe sensors (SDP and ADP) operating in a highly symmetric spacecraft environment to reduce significantly electrostatic errors. These sensors are complemented with the EDI electric measurements that are free from all local spacecraft perturbations. Cross-calibrated vector electric field measurements are thus produced from DC to 100 kHz, well beyond the upper hybrid resonance whose frequency provides an accurate determination of the local electron density. Due to its very large geometric factor, EDI also provides very high time resolution (∼1 ms) ambient electron flux measurements at a few selected energies near 1 keV. This paper provides an overview of the FIELDS suite, its science objectives and measurement requirements, and its performance as verified in calibration and cross-calibration procedures that result in anticipated errors less than 0.1 nT in B and 0.5 mV/m in E. Summaries of data products that result from FIELDS are also described, as well as algorithms for cross-calibration. Details of the design and performance characteristics of AFG/DFG, SCM, ADP, SDP, and EDI are provided in five companion papers.

Electromagnetic field measurements↗

Computation of optimal output-feedback compensators for linear time-invariant systems

The control of linear time-invariant systems with respect to a quadratic performance criterion was considered, subject to the constraint that the control vector be a constant linear transformation of the output vector. The optimal feedback matrix, f*, was selected to optimize the expected performance, given the covariance of the initial state. It is first shown that the expected performance criterion can be expressed as the ratio of two multinomials in the element of f. This expression provides the basis for a feasible method of determining f* in the case of single-input single-output systems. A number of iterative algorithms are then proposed for the calculation of f* for multiple input-output systems. For two of these, monotone convergence is proved, but they involve the solution of nonlinear matrix equations at each iteration. Another is proposed involving the solution of Lyapunov equations at each iteration, and the gradual increase of the magnitude of a penalty function. Experience with this algorithm will be needed to determine whether or not it does, indeed, possess desirable convergence properties, and whether it can be used to determine the globally optimal f*.

Platzman, L. K.↗

NASA/MSFC FY88 Global Scale Atmospheric Processes Research Program Review

Interest in environmental issues and the magnitude of the environmental changes continues. One way to gain more understanding of the atmosphere is to make measurements on a global scale from space. The Earth Observation System is a series of new sensors to measure globally atmospheric parameters. Analysis of satellite data by developing algorithms to interpret the radiance information improves the understanding and also defines requirements for these sensors. One measure of knowledge of the atmosphere lies in the ability to predict its behavior. Use of numerical and experimental models provides a better understanding of these processes. These efforts are described in the context of satellite data analysis and fundamental studies of atmospheric dynamics which examine selected processes important to the global circulation.

Wilson, Greg S.↗

Design and control of active vision based mechanisms for intelligent robots

In this paper, we propose a design of an active vision system for intelligent robot application purposes. The system has the degrees of freedom of pan, tilt, vergence, camera height adjustment, and baseline adjustment with a hierarchical control system structure. Based on this vision system, we discuss two problems involved in the binocular gaze stabilization process: fixation point selection and vergence disparity extraction. A hierarchical approach to determining point of fixation from potential gaze targets using evaluation function representing human visual behavior to outside stimuli is suggested. We also characterize different visual tasks in two cameras for vergence control purposes, and a phase-based method based on binarized images to extract vergence disparity for vergence control is presented. A control algorithm for vergence control is discussed.

Wu, Liwei↗

Generic Kalman Filter Software

The Generic Kalman Filter (GKF) software provides a standard basis for the development of application-specific Kalman-filter programs. Historically, Kalman filters have been implemented by customized programs that must be written, coded, and debugged anew for each unique application, then tested and tuned with simulated or actual measurement data. Total development times for typical Kalman-filter application programs have ranged from months to weeks. The GKF software can simplify the development process and reduce the development time by eliminating the need to re-create the fundamental implementation of the Kalman filter for each new application. The GKF software is written in the ANSI C programming language. It contains a generic Kalman-filter-development directory that, in turn, contains a code for a generic Kalman filter function; more specifically, it contains a generically designed and generically coded implementation of linear, linearized, and extended Kalman filtering algorithms, including algorithms for state- and covariance-update and -propagation functions. The mathematical theory that underlies the algorithms is well known and has been reported extensively in the open technical literature. Also contained in the directory are a header file that defines generic Kalman-filter data structures and prototype functions and template versions of application-specific subfunction and calling navigation/estimation routine code and headers. Once the user has provided a calling routine and the required application-specific subfunctions, the application-specific Kalman-filter software can be compiled and executed immediately. During execution, the generic Kalman-filter function is called from a higher-level navigation or estimation routine that preprocesses measurement data and post-processes output data. The generic Kalman-filter function uses the aforementioned data structures and five implementation- specific subfunctions, which have been developed by the user on the basis of the aforementioned templates. The GKF software can be used to develop many different types of unfactorized Kalman filters. A developer can choose to implement either a linearized or an extended Kalman filter algorithm, without having to modify the GKF software. Control dynamics can be taken into account or neglected in the filter-dynamics model. Filter programs developed by use of the GKF software can be made to propagate equations of motion for linear or nonlinear dynamical systems that are deterministic or stochastic. In addition, filter programs can be made to operate in user-selectable "covariance analysis" and "propagation-only" modes that are useful in design and development stages.

Lisano, Michael E., II↗

An approach for management of geometry data

The strategies for managing Integrated Programs for Aerospace Design (IPAD) computer-based geometry are described. The computer model of geometry is the basis for communication, manipulation, and analysis of shape information. IPAD's data base system makes this information available to all authorized departments in a company. A discussion of the data structures and algorithms required to support geometry in IPIP (IPAD's data base management system) is presented. Through the use of IPIP's data definition language, the structure of the geometry components is defined. The data manipulation language is the vehicle by which a user defines an instance of the geometry. The manipulation language also allows a user to edit, query, and manage the geometry. The selection of canonical forms is a very important part of the IPAD geometry. IPAD has a canonical form for each entity and provides transformations to alternate forms; in particular, IPAD will provide a transformation to the ANSI standard. The DBMS schemas required to support IPAD geometry are explained.

Dube, R. P.↗

Modal insensitivity with optimality

This paper deals with the design of a constant gain, feedback controller which results in selected modal insensitivity, and at the same time optimizes a quadratic performance index representative of desired system performance for nominal plant parameter values. Both full state and output feedback control are considered. A constraint is established for the feedback gain matrix that results in modal insensitivity, and necessary conditions for optimality subject to this constraint are given. This forms the basis for a numerical algorithm to compute the optimal feedback gain. To illustrate the procedure, a design is carried out using the lateral dynamics of an L-1011 aircraft.

Calise, A. J.↗

Radio jets in colliding galaxies: Testing the interaction-activity connection

The idea that galaxy interactions and merging are related to the generation of starburst and AGN activity in galactic nuclei has been the subject of intensive investigations over the past several years and is still a matter of lively debate. Peculiar morphologies, indicative of tidal interactions, have been detected in high-luminosity radio galaxies, in quasars, and in ultraluminous IRAS galaxies. In addition, low-luminosity radio and active galaxies show similar evidence for a recent merger or for nearby companions. In a recent CCD optical study of galaxies selected on the basis that they all contain well defined radio jets, it was found that almost half of the sample consists of pairs of elliptical galaxies. Many of these low-luminosity radio galaxies with companions show a well defined distorted radio jet structure at the VLA scale with an S- or C-shaped morphology. We have developed a general numerical simulation algorithm for ballistic radio jets with the intention of applying this model to the study of the bent jets seen in colliding pairs of galaxies and with the hope of testing the well documented interaction-activity connection. In our model the morphological evolution of the jets is determined by their response to the simple mechanical forces (i.e., gravity and ram pressure) imposed on them from both the host and the companion galaxies. Radiative losses, jet precession, magnetic effects, relativistic terms, and hydrodynamic instabilities have all been ignored. Starting with a previously derived collision model for the interacting pair of elliptical galaxies NGC 4782/4783, we have used our algorithm to simulate the specific two-sided jet morphology seen in the radio source 3C 278, associated with NGC 4782. This is the first time that such jet simulations have been produced for a galaxy pair whose relative orbit was determined independently from the jet modeling.

Borne, Kirk D.↗

Truncated Gaussians as tolerance sets

This work focuses on the use of truncated Gaussian distributions as models for bounded data measurements that are constrained to appear between fixed limits. The authors prove that the truncated Gaussian can be viewed as a maximum entropy distribution for truncated bounded data, when mean and covariance are given. The characteristic function for the truncated Gaussian is presented; from this, algorithms are derived for calculation of mean, variance, summation, application of Bayes rule and filtering with truncated Gaussians. As an example of the power of their methods, a derivation of the disparity constraint (used in computer vision) from their models is described. The authors' approach complements results in Statistics, but their proposal is not only to use the truncated Gaussian as a model for selected data; they propose to model measurements as fundamentally in terms of truncated Gaussians.

Cozman, Fabio↗

Searching for patterns in remote sensing image databases using neural networks

We have investigated a method, based on a successful neural network multispectral image classification system, of searching for single patterns in remote sensing databases. While defining the pattern to search for and the feature to be used for that search (spectral, spatial, temporal, etc.) is challenging, a more difficult task is selecting competing patterns to train against the desired pattern. Schemes for competing pattern selection, including random selection and human interpreted selection, are discussed in the context of an example detection of dense urban areas in Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. When applying the search to multiple images, a simple normalization method can alleviate the problem of inconsistent image calibration. Another potential problem, that of highly compressed data, was found to have a minimal effect on the ability to detect the desired pattern. The neural network algorithm has been implemented using the PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) library and nearly-optimal speedups have been obtained that help alleviate the long process of searching through imagery.

Paola, Justin D.↗

Data Assimilation and Regional Forecasts Using Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) Profiles

In data sparse regions, remotely-sensed observations can be used to improve analyses, which in turn should lead to better forecasts. One such source comes from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), which together with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), provides temperature and moisture profiles with an accuracy comparable to that of radiosondes. The purpose of this paper is to describe a procedure to optimally assimilate AIRS thermodynamic profiles--obtained from the version 5.0 Earth Observing System (EOS) science team retrieval algorithm-into a regional configuration of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using WRF-Var. The paper focuses on development of background error covariances for the regional domain and background field type, a methodology for ingesting AIRS profiles as separate over-land and over-water retrievals with different error characteristics, and utilization of level-by-level quality indicators to select only the highest quality data. The assessment of the impact of the AIRS profiles on WRF-Var analyses will focus on intelligent use of the quality indicators, optimized tuning of the WRF-Var, and comparison of analysis soundings to radiosondes. The analyses will be used to conduct a month-long series of regional forecasts over the continental U.S. The long-tern1 impact of AIRS profiles on forecast will be assessed against verifying radiosonde and stage IV precipitation data.

Chou, Shih-Hung↗

Data Assimilation and Regional Forecasts using Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) Profiles

In data sparse regions, remotely-sensed observations can be used to improve analyses, which in turn should lead to better forecasts. One such source comes from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), which, together with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), provides temperature and moisture profiles with an accuracy comparable to that of radionsondes. The purpose of this poster is to describe a procedure to optimally assimilate AIRS thermodynamic profiles, obtained from the version 5.0 Earth Observing System (EOS) science team retrieval algorithm, into a regional configuration of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using WRF-Var. The poster focuses on development of background error covariances for the regional domain and background field type, a methodology for ingesting AIRS profiles as separate over-land and over-water retrievals with different error characteristics, and utilization of level-by-level quality indicators to select only the highest quality data. The assessment of the impact of the AIRS profiles on WRF-Var analyses will focus on intelligent use of the quality indicators, optimized tuning of the WRF-Var, and comparison of analysis soundings to radiosondes. The analyses are used to conduct a month-long series of regional forecasts over the continental U.S. The long-term impact of AIRS profiles on forecast will be assessed against NAM analyses and stage IV precipitation data.

Zabodsky, Brad↗

IMERG V06: Changes to the Morphing Algorithm

As the US Science Team’s globally gridded precipitation product from the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) estimates the surface precipitation rates at 0.1° every half-hour using spaceborne sensors for various scientific and societal applications. One key component of IMERG is the morphing algorithm, which uses motion vectors to perform quasi-Lagrangian interpolation to fill in gaps in the passive microwave precipitation field using motion vectors. Up to IMERG V05, the motion vectors were derived from the large-scale motions of infrared observations of cloud tops. This study details the changes introduced in IMERG V06 to derive motion vectors from large-scale motions of selected atmospheric variables in numerical models, which allow IMERG estimates to be extended from the 60°N/S latitude band to the entire globe. Evaluation against both instantaneous passive microwave retrievals and ground measurements demonstrates the general improvement in the precipitation field of the new approach. Most of the model variables tested exhibited similar performance, but total precipitable water vapor was chosen as the source of the motion vectors for IMERG V06 due to its competitive performance and global completeness. Continuing assessments will provide further insights into possible refinements of this revised morphing scheme in future versions of IMERG.

Jackson Tan↗