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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Toward a New Generation of Agricultural System Data, Models, and Knowledge Products: State of Agricultural Systems Science

We review the current state of agricultural systems science, focusing in particular on the capabilities and limitations of agricultural systems models. We discuss the state of models relative to five different Use Cases spanning field, farm, landscape, regional, and global spatial scales and engaging questions in past, current, and future time periods. Contributions from multiple disciplines have made major advances relevant to a wide range of agricultural system model applications at various spatial and temporal scales. Although current agricultural systems models have features that are needed for the Use Cases, we found that all of them have limitations and need to be improved. We identified common limitations across all Use Cases, namely 1) a scarcity of data for developing, evaluating, and applying agricultural system models and 2) inadequate knowledge systems that effectively communicate model results to society. We argue that these limitations are greater obstacles to progress than gaps in conceptual theory or available methods for using system models. New initiatives on open data show promise for addressing the data problem, but there also needs to be a cultural change among agricultural researchers to ensure that data for addressing the range of Use Cases are available for future model improvements and applications. We conclude that multiple platforms and multiple models are needed for model applications for different purposes. The Use Cases provide a useful framework for considering capabilities and limitations of existing models and data.

Livestock models↗
NASA NTRS2019

State Predictor of Classification Cognitive Engine Applied to Channel Fading

This study presents the application of machine learning (ML) to a space-to-ground communication link, showing how ML can be used to detect the presence of detrimental channel fading. Using this channel state information, the communication link can be used more efficiently by reducing the amount of lost data during fading. The motivation for this work is based on channel fading observed during on-orbit operations with NASA's Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) testbed on the International Space Station (ISS). This paper presents the process to extract a target concept (fading and not-fading) from the raw data. The pre-processing and data exploration effort is explained in detail, with a list of assumptions made for parsing and labelling the dataset. The model selection process is explained, specifically emphasizing the benefits of using an ensemble of algorithms with majority voting for binary classification of the channel state. Experimental results are shown, highlighting how an end-to-end communication system can utilize knowledge of the channel fading status to identity fading and take appropriate action. With a laboratory testbed to emulate channel fading, the overall performance is compared to standard adaptive methods without fading knowledge, such as adaptive coding and modulation.

Fading↗
NASA NTRS2021

Stochastic Guidance of Buoyancy Controlled Vehicles under Ice Shelves using Ocean Currents

We propose a novel technique for guidance ofbuoyancy-controlled vehicles in uncertain under-ice ocean flows.In-situ melt rate measurements collected at the grounding zoneof Antarctic ice shelves, where the ice shelf meets the underlyingbedrock, are essential to constrain models of future sea levelrise. Buoyancy-controlled vehicles, which control their verticalposition in the water column but have no means of horizontalpropulsion, offer an affordable and reliable platform for suchin-situ data collection. However, reaching the grounding zonerequires vehicles to traverse tens of kilometers under the iceshelf, with approximate position knowledge and no meansof communication, in highly variable and uncertain oceancurrents. To address this challenge, we propose a partiallyobservable MDP approach that exploits model-based knowledgeof the under-ice currents and, critically, of their uncertainty,to synthesize effective guidance policies. The approach usesapproximate dynamic programming to model uncertainty inthe currents, and QMDP to address localization uncertainty.Numerical experiments show that the policy can deliver upto 88.8% of underwater vehicles to the grounding zone – a33% improvement compared to state-of-the-art guidance techniques, and a 262% improvement over uncontrolled drifters.Collectively, these results show that model-based under-iceguidance is a highly promising technique for exploration ofunder-ice cavities, and has the potential to enable cost-effectiveand scalable access to these challenging and rarely observed environments.

Clark, Evan B.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Integrity Constraint Monitoring in Software Development: Proposed Architectures

In the development of complex software systems, designers are required to obtain from many sources and manage vast amounts of knowledge of the system being built and communicate this information to personnel with a variety of backgrounds. Knowledge concerning the properties of the system, including the structure of, relationships between and limitations of the data objects in the system, becomes increasingly more vital as the complexity of the system and the number of knowledge sources increases. Ensuring that violations of these properties do not occur becomes steadily more challenging. One approach toward managing the enforcement or system properties, called context monitoring, uses a centralized repository of integrity constraints and a constraint satisfiability mechanism for dynamic verification of property enforcement during program execution. The focus of this paper is to describe possible software architectures that define a mechanism for dynamically checking the satisfiability of a set of constraints on a program. The next section describes the context monitoring approach in general. Section 3 gives an overview of the work currently being done toward the addition of an integrity constraint satisfiability mechanism to a high-level program language, SequenceL, and demonstrates how this model is being examined to develop a general software architecture. Section 4 describes possible architectures for a general constraint satisfiability mechanism, as well as an alternative approach that, uses embedded database queries in lieu of an external monitor. The paper concludes with a brief summary outlining the, current state of the research and future work.

Fernandez, Francisco G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of communications satellites to educational development

A summary of research is presented. The broad objectives of this interdisciplinary research effort were: (1) to assess the role of satellite communications as a means of improving education in the United States, as well as in less-developed areas of the world; (2) to generate basic knowledge which will aid in making rational decisions about satellite application in the field of education in the years ahead; (3) to devise systems and strategies for improving education; and (4) to educate individuals who will be knowledgeable about aspects of satellite communications policy which transcend any single discipline.

Morgan, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Developing an Advanced Environment for Collaborative Computing

Knowledge management in general tries to organize and make available important know-how, whenever and where ever is needed. Today, organizations rely on decision-makers to produce "mission critical" decisions that am based on inputs from multiple domains. The ideal decision-maker has a profound understanding of specific domains that influence the decision-making process coupled with the experience that allows them to act quickly and decisively on the information. In addition, learning companies benefit by not repeating costly mistakes, and by reducing time-to-market in Research & Development projects. Group-decision making tools can help companies make better decisions by capturing the knowledge from groups of experts. Furthermore, companies that capture their customers preferences can improve their customer service, which translates to larger profits. Therefore collaborative computing provides a common communication space, improves sharing of knowledge, provides a mechanism for real-time feedback on the tasks being performed, helps to optimize processes, and results in a centralized knowledge warehouse. This paper presents the research directions. of a project which seeks to augment an advanced collaborative web-based environment called Postdoc, with workflow capabilities. Postdoc is a "government-off-the-shelf" document management software developed at NASA-Ames Research Center (ARC).

Becerra-Fernandez, Irma↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Power of Story

A major knowledge-sharing issue that is the source of many project problems: how to communicate our intentions so that the information received is the same as the information given. One answer is conversation-the back-and-forth of statement, question, and response that gradually brings talkers and listeners to a shared understanding. Stories also offer a way to share knowledge effectively. While the story teller's intent and the listener's interpretation will not be identical, a good story reliably communicates essential knowledge so it is not only understood but absorbed and embraced. Narrative is one of the oldest knowledge-transfer systems in the world. Religion knows it. Politicians know it. Fairytales know it. Now, knowledge management practitioners are coming to know it, too. But why are stories such a powerful knowledge-transfer tool? And what kinds of knowledge do they transfer? Joseph Campbell, the mythologist, defined stories as serving four major functions: the mystical, the cosmological, the sociological, and the pedagogical. The mystical function of narrative lies in its ability to open up emotional realization that often connects with a transcendent idea such as love or forgiveness. He calls this realization "mystical" because it connects the self with the universal. What Campbell calls the cosmological function of stories relates the self to the outside world, focusing on action, on understanding cause and effect and our role in it. For the cosmological function of stories "to be up to date and really to work in the minds of people who are living in the modern scientific world," Campbell notes, "it must incorporate the modern scientific world." We must continually tell stories that demonstrate our current vision of the world. The sociological function of stories, Campbell explains, helps maintain and validate the social order of a society. Stories pass on information about power relationships, taboos, laws, and the inner workings of communities. Countries and religions have stories that serve this function and so do organizations and project teams, where stories about project work communicate information about behaviors and attitudes that are expected and rewarded or frowned upon and penalized. Functioning pedagogically, says Campbell, narratives guide individuals harmoniously through the stages of life in terms of their world today, with its current goods, values, and dangers. These are stories that deal with life transitions and guide us from one stage to another. Stories powerfully serve these functions partly because of two great strengths: their ability to engage listeners personally and emotionally and their use of metaphor. And it turns out that these two things are related.

Cohen, Don↗
NASA NTRS1993

NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. XXXII - A new era in international technical communication: American-Russian collaboration

Until the recent dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party exerted a strict control of access to and dissemination of scientific and technical information. This article presents models of the Soviet-style information society and the Western-style information society and discusses the effects of centralized governmental control of information on Russian technical communication practices. The effects of political control on technical communication are then used to interpret the results of a survey of Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists concerning the time devoted to technical communication, their collaborative writing practices and their attitudes toward collaboration, the kinds of technical documents they produce and use, their views regarding the appropriate content for an undergraduate technical communication course, and their use of computer technology. Finally, the implications of these findings for future collaboration between Russian and U.S. engineers and scientists are examined.

Flammia, Madelyn↗
NASA NTRS1993

Mission Operations and Command Assurance: Flight Operations Quality Improvements

Flight mission operations systems place human operators in demanding, high risk environments. The objective of Mission Operations and Command Assurance (MO&CA) is to help improve the operational reliability of flight projects by reducing error -- Pareto Analysis shows that the human is the largest error category. MO&CA is a system level task reporting to project flight management and JPL Systems Assurance Division. MO&CA provides direct transfer of knowledge, continuous process improvement, and communication facilitation.

mission↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Intern Professional Development Center: A Model for Improving Student Engagement Within Industry - 20006

Many innovations and technical improvements have been made over the last half-century regarding our understanding of nuclear materials, with some of the brightest minds in the world collectively working towards a cleaner, brighter, healthier future. However, there is a demographical oddity with the enormous technical workforce that helped shape this new world: they are aging, collectively. Known as the 'silver tsunami,' mass retirements are in the near future for many technical industries, something that the industrial community is not entirely prepared to accommodate. There is an urgent need for a tech-savvy generation to replace the baby boomers, and there must be an uninterrupted hand-off from one generation to the next of institutional knowledge and best practices. Further, it is not enough to simply replace every retiring engineer with a younger one in a 'cold hand-off' - this information transfer takes time. Many educational communities, such as those in the Tri-Cities, Washington, are rising to the challenge, with STEM-focused programs, introducing students to technical concepts and potential career opportunities at an early age. However, while individually, academic institutions search for internships and industry has open positions for interested students, no single clearinghouse exists in the Mid-Columbia region to match talent with opportunities, regardless of the sending or receiving organizations. To fill this void, AYB Drafting (AYB) has established a career development and personal growth center, the Intern Professional Development Center (IPDC). The IPDC, located in Richland, Washington, addresses the problem of what has been referred to as the 'Graying of America,' as it bridges the gap between education and career for the up and coming workforce, creating valuable efficiencies for the young workforce and the industry alike. The operating principles and details of the initial IPDC launch are discussed in the following text, as well as the apparent success and overwhelming positive feedback received in just the first year of operation. (authors)

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Increasing Industry Involvement: A Solution from a Student's Perspective

Many engineering employers are finding that graduates are not sufficiently equipped to begin contributing productively when they exit a 4-year institution and enter the workforce. The Intern Professional Development Center (IPDC) is a proposed business model that exposes engineering undergraduates to industry-relevant knowledge, while providing them with working experience during their degree. Using a tri-stage approach, the IPDC engages with students early in their academic careers, provides continuous training and development opportunities, and finally connects the students with potential employers. The two topics most commonly under-represented in engineering programs are: - Familiarity with drafting software - Knowledge of relevant codes and standards. The Intern Professional Development Center (IPDC): A tri-stage solution for recruiting, training, and encouraging the workforce of tomorrow. An IPDC allows students to be active members of industry during their undergraduate careers, leading to: - Improved local talent retention; - Improved graduation and academic performance statistics; - Near-guarantee for post-graduation employment. In March of 2019, the first IPDC prototype began operating in the Tri-Cities, Washington. Since then, 3 undergraduate students have entered the IPDC at Stage 2, beginning with the standard training and professional development. Of those 3 students, 2 have already moved on to Stage 3, with successful ongoing internships with local employers. At a performance review for one of the IPDC's Stage 3 students after 90 days of employment, the direct manager said: 'How soon can we get another one?'.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
NASA NTRS2018

Cognitive Anti-Jamming Satellite-To-Ground Communications on NASA's SCaN Testbed

Machine learning aided cognitive anti-jamming communications is designed, developed and demonstrated on a live satellite-to-ground link. A wideband autonomous cognitive radio (WACR) is designed and implemented as a hardware-in-the- loop (HITL) prototype. The cognitive engine (CE) of the WACR is implemented on a PC while the software-defined radio (SDR) platform utilized two different radios for spectrum sensing and actual communications. The cognitive engine performs spectrum knowledge acquisition over the complete spectrum range available for the SATCOM system operation and learns an anti-jamming communications protocol to avoid both intentional jammers and inadvertent interferers using reinforcement learning. When the current satellite-to-ground link is jammed, the cognitive engine of the ground receiver directs the satellite transmitter to switch to a new channel that is predicted to be jammer-free for the longest possible duration. The end-to-end, closed-loop system was tested on the NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed on the International Space Station (ISS). The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of satellite-to-ground cognitive anti-jamming communications along with excellent anti-jamming capability of machine learning aided cognitive protocols against several different types of jammers.

Jayaweera, Sudharman K.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Cognitive Anti-jamming Satellite-to-Ground Communications on NASA's SCaN Testbed

Machine learning aided cognitive anti-jamming communications is designed, developed and demonstrated on an experimental satellite-to-ground link. A wideband autonomous cognitive radio (WACR) is designed and implemented as a hardware-in the-loop (HITL) prototype. The cognitive engine (CE) of the WACR is implemented on a PC while the software-defined radio (SDR) platform utilized two different radios for spectrum sensing and actual communications. The cognitive engine performs spectrum knowledge acquisition over the complete spectrum range available for the SATCOM system operation and learns an anti-jamming communications protocol to avoid both intentional jammers and inadvertent interferers using reinforcement learning. When the current satellite-to-ground link is jammed, the cognitive engine of the ground receiver directs the satellite transmitter to switch to a new channel that is predicted to be jammer-free for the longest possible duration. The end-to-end, closed-loop system was tested with the NASA's Space Communications and Networking (SCaN) testbed on the International Space Station (ISS). The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of satellite-to-ground cognitive anti-jamming communications along with excellent anti-jamming capability of machine-learning aided cognitive protocols against several different types of jammers.

Jayaweera, Sudharman K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 32: A new era in international technical communication: American-Russian collaboration

Until the recent dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party exerted a strict control of access to and dissemination of scientific and technical information (STI). This article presents models of the Soviet-style information society and the Western-style information society and discusses the effects of centralized governmental control of information on Russian technical communication practices. The effects of political control on technical communication are then used to interpret the results of a survey of Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists concerning the time devoted to technical communication, their collaborative writing practices and their attitudes toward collaboration, the kinds of technical documents they produce and use, their views regarding the appropriate content for an undergraduate technical communication course, and their use of computer technology. Finally, the implications of these findings for future collaboration between Russian and U.S. engineers and scientists are examined.

Flammia, Madelyn↗
DOE OSTI2019

FUSRAP Data Management and Information Transitions - 19459

The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) was created in the mid-1970's to clean up radiological contamination resulting from early development of nuclear weapons. The US Department of Energy (US DOE) was responsible for FUSRAP until October 1997, when Congress transferred administration and execution of FUSRAP site cleanup to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Currently, the US DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM) determines the eligibility of a site for referral to USACE. USACE determines whether the site is included in FUSRAP for cleanup, conducts remedial actions, and transfers sites back to LM for long-term surveillance and maintenance (LTS and M). LM and USACE established the Data Management Working Group (DMWG) to (1) establish a common understanding of US DOE and USACE district-specific data, records practices, and requirements as they apply to FUSRAP programmatic documents for site transition and transfer; (2) establish methods to ensure accurate data transfer; and (3) develop a timeline for data and records transfer. These methods will ensure continuity of stewardship while transitioning from cleanup to LTS and M and beyond as more FUSRAP sites transfer from USACE to LM. The DMWG has met monthly and the meetings are attended by a wide range of LM and USACE project managers and subject matter experts. Discussion topics have addressed site records management, including data needs and uses; transfer and posting of Administrative Record and Permanent Record files for public accessibility; and management of legal and classified files. There have been a number of group successes, including the following: - Establishment of a common understanding of data and records practices and requirements as the sites transition and transfer from USACE to LM; - Development of effective lines of communication between USACE and LM concerning data management for transition; - Establishment of a cohesive approach to data management between the two agencies. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Redefining fundamental concepts of transcription initiation in bacteria

Despite enormous progress in understanding the fundamentals of bacterial gene regulation, our knowledge remains limited when compared with the number of bacterial genomes and regulatory systems to be discovered. Derived from a small number of initial studies, classic definitions for concepts of gene regulation have evolved as the number of characterized promoters has increased. Together with discoveries made using new technologies, this knowledge has led to revised generalizations and principles. In this Expert Recommendation, we suggest precise, updated definitions that support a logical, consistent conceptual framework of bacterial gene regulation, focusing on transcription initiation. The resulting concepts can be formalized by ontologies for computational modelling, laying the foundation for improved bioinformatics tools, knowledge-based resources and scientific communication. Furthermore, this work will help researchers construct better predictive models, with different formalisms, that will be useful in engineering, synthetic biology, microbiology and genetics.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1988

Space Station power system autonomy demonstration

The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Program (SADP) represents NASA's major effort to demonstrate, through a series of complex ground experiments, the application and benefits of applying advanced automation technologies to the Space Station project. Lewis Research Center (LeRC) and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) will first jointly develop an autonomous power system using existing Space Station testbed facilities at each center. The subsequent 1990 power-thermal demonstration will then involve the cooperative operation of the LeRC/MSFC power system with the Johnson Space Center (JSC's) thermal control and DMS/OMS testbed facilities. The testbeds and expert systems at each of the NASA centers will be interconnected via communication links. The appropriate knowledge-based technology will be developed for each testbed and applied to problems requiring intersystem cooperation. Primary emphasis will be focused on failure detection and classification, system reconfiguration, planning and scheduling of electrical power resources, and integration of knowledge-based and conventional control system software into the design and operation of Space Station testbeds.

Kish, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The AI Bus architecture for distributed knowledge-based systems

The AI Bus architecture is layered, distributed object oriented framework developed to support the requirements of advanced technology programs for an order of magnitude improvement in software costs. The consequent need for highly autonomous computer systems, adaptable to new technology advances over a long lifespan, led to the design of an open architecture and toolbox for building large scale, robust, production quality systems. The AI Bus accommodates a mix of knowledge based and conventional components, running on heterogeneous, distributed real world and testbed environment. The concepts and design is described of the AI Bus architecture and its current implementation status as a Unix C++ library or reusable objects. Each high level semiautonomous agent process consists of a number of knowledge sources together with interagent communication mechanisms based on shared blackboards and message passing acquaintances. Standard interfaces and protocols are followed for combining and validating subsystems. Dynamic probes or demons provide an event driven means for providing active objects with shared access to resources, and each other, while not violating their security.

Schultz, Roger D.↗