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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 1,423 records · Page 79
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

User's operating procedures. Volume 2: Scout project financial analysis program

A review is presented of the user's operating procedures for the Scout Project Automatic Data system, called SPADS. SPADS is the result of the past seven years of software development on a Prime mini-computer located at the Scout Project Office, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. SPADS was developed as a single entry, multiple cross-reference data management and information retrieval system for the automation of Project office tasks, including engineering, financial, managerial, and clerical support. This volume, two (2) of three (3), provides the instructions to operate the Scout Project Financial Analysis program in data retrieval and file maintenance via the user friendly menu drivers.

Harris, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1998

NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)

The primary area of research that Dr. Prinzel conducted was concerned with the effects of automation on the ability to perform various tasks which simulated those performed in an airplane cockpit. While automation is generally considered to be a positive addition to the cockpit, it also has some negative effects. The primary negative effect is related to the decrease in the number of tasks the pilot needs to perform. Having less to do can actually result in a decreased ability to be aware of and react to ongoing events, some of which may be critical to flight operations. The research was concerned with the ability of adaptive automation using psychophysiological measures, specifically brain waves (i.e. EEG), to control the degree to which tasks are automated as a function of the subject's level of alertness. Dr. Prinzel conducted and participated in the running of a number of experiments that examined adaptive automation in conjunction with the MultiAttribute Task Battery. Since there has been very little research conducted in this area, experiments needed to be conducted which established basic parameters for future research. The experiments that Dr. Prinzel was involved with examined the optimum number and location of electrode sites for recording EEG, the types of tasks which could readily be automated, the number of tasks which could be controlled by the adaptive automation system, and various EEG recording parameters which affect system functioning. A secondary area in which Dr. Prinzel conducted research concerned performance on vigiliance tasks. This research, while not initially directly related to adaptive automation, does have implication for such systems. Vigilance requires long term monitoring which often leads to the kind of negative effects seen when automation is introduced into a work environment. A third area of research in which Dr. Prinzel conducted research was concerned with gender differences in cognitive functioning and how that related to strategies for performing various tasks.

Freeman, Frederick G.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Towards Autonomous Operation of Robonaut 2

The Robonaut 2 (R2) platform, as shown in Figure 1, was designed through a collaboration between NASA and General Motors to be a capable robotic assistant with the dexterity similar to a suited astronaut [1]. An R2 robot was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2011 and, in doing so, became the first humanoid robot in space. Its capabilities are presently being tested and expanded to increase its usefulness to the crew. Current work on R2 includes the addition of a mobility platform to allow the robot to complete tasks (such as cleaning, maintenance, or simple construction activities) both inside and outside of the ISS. To support these new activities, R2's software architecture is being developed to provide efficient ways of programming robust and autonomous behavior. In particular, a multi-tiered software architecture is proposed that combines principles of low-level feedback control with higher-level planners that accomplish behavioral goals at the task level given the run-time context, user constraints, the health of the system, and so on. The proposed architecture is shown in Figure 2. At the lowest-level, the resource level, there exists the various sensory and motor signals available to the system. The sensory signals for a robot such as R2 include multiple channels of force/torque data, joint or Cartesian positions calculated through the robot's proprioception, and signals derived from objects observable by its cameras.

Badger, Julia M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Final definition and preliminary design study for the initial atmospheric cloud physics laboratory, a Spacelab mission payload

The following areas related to the final definition and preliminary design study of the initial atmospheric cloud physics laboratory (ACPL) were covered: (1) proposal organization, personnel, schedule, and project management, (2) proposed configurations, (3) study objectives, (4) ACPL experiment program listing and description, (5) mission/flight flexibility and modularity/commonality, (6) study plan, and (7) description of following tasks: requirement analysis and definition task flow, systems analysis and trade studies, subsystem analysis and trade studies, specifications and interface control documents, preliminary design task flow, work breakdown structure, programmatic analysis and planning, and project costs. Finally, an overview of the scientific requirements was presented.

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NASA NTRS1980

NASA oceanic processes program: Status report, fiscal year 1980

Goals, philosophy, and objectives of NASA's Oceanic Processes Program are presented as well as detailed information on flight projects, sensor developments, future prospects, individual investigator tasks, and recent publications. A special feature is a group of brief descriptions prepared by leaders in the oceanographic community of how remote sensing might impact various areas of oceanography during the coming decade.

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NASA NTRS1983

Role of simulation and emulation in the development of Shuttle-Centaur (STS-Centaur)

To support the task of integrating the Centaur liquid-fueled upper-stage space vehicle into the space shuttle program. A system to simulate and emulate the STS-Centaur avionic flight system and its supporting ground control and checkout equipment was selected and designated the systems integration facility (SIF). Located in San Diego, California, the SIF is composed of integrated simulators that form a composite control system complement to the STS-Centaur airborne and avionic support equipment. An off-line capability to verify the system design of the Centaur airborne support equipment (CASE) and the Centaur avionic flight system is provided as well as a realistic medium for the development and integration of ground checkout and airborne control software programs. Each simulator is composed of prototype hardware, where feasible, to maximize configuration likeness. Where emulated flight or ground hardware is used, it provides physical characteristics (loads, signals, etc.) equivalent to those of the flight hardware. The hardware and software implementation of the SIF are described.

Gordan, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Space station - Technology development

The NASA manned space station program's systems technology effort involves the development of novel techniques that will reduce the scope of tasks neeeded for design, development, testing and evaluation of the hardware. Operations technology efforts encompass analyses that will define those techniques best able to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of space station functions. The technology objective for data management calls for a fault-tolerant, distributed, expandable and adaptable, as well as repairable and user-friendly, flight data management system that employs state-of-the-art hardware and software. The space station's power system includes the largest element, a 'solar blanket', and the heaviest component, the batteries, of all the subsystems. A thermal management system for the power system is of paramount importance. Attention is also given to the exacting demands of attitude control and stabilization and a regenerative life support system of the requisite capacity and reliability.

Carlisle, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) technology to an advanced subsonic transport project. ACT/Control/Guidance System study, volume 1

The active control technology (ACT) control/guidance system task of the integrated application of active controls (IAAC) technology project within the NASA energy efficient transport program was documented. The air traffic environment of navigation and air traffic control systems and procedures were extrapolated. An approach to listing flight functions which will be performed by systems and crew of an ACT configured airplane of the 1990s, and a determination of function criticalities to safety of flight, are the basis of candidate integrated ACT/Control/Guidance System architecture. The system mechanizes five active control functions: pitch augmented stability, angle of attack limiting, lateral/directional augmented stability, gust load alleviation, and maneuver load control. The scope and requirements of a program for simulating the integrated ACT avionics and flight deck system, with pilot in the loop, are defined, system and crew interface elements are simulated, and mechanization is recommended. Relationships between system design and crew roles and procedures are evaluated.

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NASA NTRS1985

Effects of side-stick controllers on rotorcraft handling qualities for terrain flight

Pertinent fixed and rotary-wing feasibility studies and handling-qualities research programs are reviewed and the effects of certain controller characteristics on handling qualities for specific rotorcraft flight tasks are summarized. The effects of the controller force-deflection relationship and the number of controlled axes that are integrated in a single controller are examined. Simulation studies were conducted which provide a significant part of the available handling qualities data. The studies demonstrate the feasibility of using a single, properly designed, limited-displacement, multiaxis controller for certain relatively routine flight tasks in a two-crew rotorcraft with nominal levels of stability and control augmentation with a high degree of reliability are incorporated, separated three or two-axis controller configurations are required for acceptable handling qualities.

Aiken, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Effects of side-stick controllers on rotorcraft handling qualities for terrain flight

Pertinent fixed and rotary-wing feasibility studies and handling-qualities research programs are reviewed and the effects of certain controller characteristics on handling qualities for specific rotorcraft flight tasks are summarized. The effects of the controller force-deflection relationship and the number of controlled axes that are integrated in a single controller are examined. Simulation studies were conducted which provide a significant part of the available handling qualities data. The studies demonstrate the feasibility of using a single, properly designed, limited-displacement, multiaxis controller for certain relatively routine flight tasks in a two-crew rotorcraft with nominal levels of stability and control augmentation with a high degree of reliability are incorporated, separated three or two-axis controller configurations are required for acceptable handling qualities.

Aiken, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Helicopter human factors research

Helicopter flight is among the most demanding of all human-machine integrations. The inherent manual control complexities of rotorcraft are made even more challenging by the small margin for error created in certain operations, such as nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) flight, by the proximity of the terrain. Accident data recount numerous examples of unintended conflict between helicopters and terrain and attest to the perceptual and control difficulties associated with low altitude flight tasks. Ames Research Center, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate, has initiated an ambitious research program aimed at increasing safety margins for both civilian and military rotorcraft operations. The program is broad, fundamental, and focused on the development of scientific understandings and technological countermeasures. Research being conducted in several areas is reviewed: workload assessment, prediction, and measure validation; development of advanced displays and effective pilot/automation interfaces; identification of visual cues necessary for low-level, low-visibility flight and modeling of visual flight-path control; and pilot training.

Nagel, David C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Space station operating system study

The current phase of the Space Station Operating System study is based on the analysis, evaluation, and comparison of the operating systems implemented on the computer systems and workstations in the software development laboratory. Primary emphasis has been placed on the DEC MicroVMS operating system as implemented on the MicroVax II computer, with comparative analysis of the SUN UNIX system on the SUN 3/260 workstation computer, and to a limited extent, the IBM PC/AT microcomputer running PC-DOS. Some benchmark development and testing was also done for the Motorola MC68010 (VM03 system) before the system was taken from the laboratory. These systems were studied with the objective of determining their capability to support Space Station software development requirements, specifically for multi-tasking and real-time applications. The methodology utilized consisted of development, execution, and analysis of benchmark programs and test software, and the experimentation and analysis of specific features of the system or compilers in the study.

Horn, Albert E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Software development without languages

Automatic programming generally involves the construction of a formal specification; i.e., one which allows unambiguous interpretation by tools for the subsequent production of the corresponding software. Previous practical efforts in this direction have focused on the serious problems of: (1) designing the optimum specification language; and (2) mapping (translating or compiling) from this specification language to the program itself. The approach proposed bypasses the above problems. It postulates that the specification proper should be an intermediate form, with the sole function of containing information sufficient to facilitate construction of programs and also of matching documentation. Thus, the means of forming the intermediary becomes a human factors task rather than a linguistic one; human users will read documents generated from the specification, rather than the specification itself.

Osborne, Haywood S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Implementation of RCCL, a robot control C library on a microVAX II

The robot control C library (RCCL), a high-level robot programing system which enables a progammer to employ a set of system calls to specify robot manipulator tasks, is discussed. The general structure of RCCL is described, and the implementation of RCCL on a microVAX II is examined. Proposed extensions and improvements of RCCL relevant to NASA's telerobotic system are addressed.

Lee, Jin S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Performance estimates for the Space Station power system Brayton Cycle compressor and turbine

The methods which have been used by the NASA Lewis Research Center for predicting Brayton Cycle compressor and turbine performance for different gases and flow rates are described. These methods were developed by NASA Lewis during the early days of Brayton cycle component development and they can now be applied to the task of predicting the performance of the Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) Space Station Freedom power system. Computer programs are given for performing these calculations and data from previous NASA Lewis Brayton Compressor and Turbine tests is used to make accurate estimates of the compressor and turbine performance for the CBC power system. Results of these calculations are also given. In general, calculations confirm that the CBC Brayton Cycle contractor has made realistic compressor and turbine performance estimates.

Cummings, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Applications of artificial intelligence to mission planning

The scheduling problem facing NASA-Marshall mission planning is extremely difficult for several reasons. The most critical factor is the computational complexity involved in developing a schedule. The size of the search space is large along some dimensions and infinite along others. It is because of this and other difficulties that many of the conventional operation research techniques are not feasible or inadequate to solve the problems by themselves. Therefore, the purpose is to examine various artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to assist conventional techniques or to replace them. The specific tasks performed were as follows: (1) to identify mission planning applications for object oriented and rule based programming; (2) to investigate interfacing AI dedicated hardware (Lisp machines) to VAX hardware; (3) to demonstrate how Lisp may be called from within FORTRAN programs; (4) to investigate and report on programming techniques used in some commercial AI shells, such as Knowledge Engineering Environment (KEE); and (5) to study and report on algorithmic methods to reduce complexity as related to AI techniques.

Ford, Donnie R.↗