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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 NTRS1987

Design of Software for Design of Finite Element for Structural Analysis

The concepts of software engineering which allow a user of the finite element method to describe a model, to collect and to check the model data in a data base as well as to form the matrices required for a finite element calculation are examined. Next the components of the model description are conceived including the mesh tree, the topology, the configuration, the kinematic boundary conditions, the data for each element, and the loads. The possibilities for description and review of the data are considered. The concept of the segments for the modularization of the programs follows the components of the model description. The significance of the mesh tree as a globular guiding structure will be understood in view of the principle of the unity of the model, the mesh tree, and the data base. The user-friendly aspects of the software system will be summarized: the principle of language communication, the data generators, error processing, and data security.

Helfrich, Reinhard↗
NASA NTRS2018

Does Orbital Angular Momentum Have Effect on Laser’s Scattering by Molecular Atmosphere?

Lasers with orbital angular momentum (OAM) have potential applications in communication technology, manipulation of particles, and remote sensing. Because of its unusual light-scattering properties, the OAM laser’s interaction with a molecular atmosphere must be studied to ensure that it is not lossy for communication or remote-sensing applications that involve its transmission through an atmospheric environment. In this study, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method [21] is applied to calculate the light scattering of the purely azimuthal (the radial mode number is assumed to be zero) Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams with OAM by very small dielectric particles. Not like Lorentz-Mie solutions, the FDTD method can calculate for particles off the central axis of the LG beam. It is found that when the particles are very small, and the topological charge number of the OAM of a laser is not extremely large, the laser’s OAM has little effect on the scattering phase function. This suggests that Rayleigh theory can be applied directly to calculate the light scattering by atmospheric molecules. The transmission of a laser beam with OAM in a molecular atmosphere is not different from that of a regular Gaussian beam.

Molecular atmosphere↗
NASA NTRS2024

4K High Definition Video and Audio Streaming Across High-rate Delay Tolerant Space Networks

Audio and video streaming across delay tolerant networks are relatively new phenomena. During the Apollo 11 mission, video and audio were streamed directly back to Earth using fully analog radios. This streaming capability atrophied over time due to the gradual conversion to digital electronics accompanied with higher resolutions causing the required bit rates to outpace communication link performance. Additionally, 21st century space systems face the new requirement of interconnectedness. Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) attempts to solve this requirement by uniting traditional point to point links into a robust and dynamic network. However, In order to avoid system bottlenecks, the High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) implementation focuses on performance-optimization of the standards. This work extends the functionality of HDTN by implementing audio and video streaming, with the goal of demonstrating the practical application of high definition media streaming across space networks. A series of network topologies were created including simple point to point links and multi-node multi-hop networks. Test media in the form of prerecorded and live footage was streamed across the network. A set of objective quality metrics were established in order to measure the stream quality. A lunar network was emulated using a mixture of embedded ARM platforms.

Kyle J Vernyi↗
NASA NTRS2022

Developing High Performance Space Networking Capabilities for the International Space Station and Beyond

A performance optimized implementation of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) with the capacity of gigabit-per second rates is developed for the International Space Station (ISS) and missions demanding large amounts of communications bandwidth. An overview of the High-rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) architecture and support for different convergence layers is provided. This paper then presents an overview of the testing and integration efforts to evaluate interoperability and capability in relevant environments. The first was interoperability testing with DTN Marshall Enterprise (DTNME) which resulted in near-gigabit per second data rates. This was followed by ISS emulation testing with the Software Development and Integration Laboratory (SDIL) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) and local testing based on the ISS DTN network topology. The local tests resulted in the discovery of potential sources of performance loss in the network and demonstrated near-gigabit rates between HDTN and DTNME.

Daniel Raible↗
NASA NTRS1982

Space station communications and tracking equipment management/control system

Design details of a communications and tracking (C and T) local area network and the distribution system requirements for the prospective space station are described. The hardware will be constructed of LRUs, including those for baseband, RF, and antenna subsystems. It is noted that the C and T equipment must be routed throughout the station to accommodate growth of the station. Configurations of the C and T modules will therefore be dependent on the function of the space station module where they are located. A block diagram is provided of a sample C and T hardware distribution configuration. A topology and protocol will be needed to accommodate new terminals, wide bandwidths, bidirectional message transmission, and distributed functioning. Consideration will be given to collisions occurring in the data transmission channels.

Kapell, M. H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Influence of Adaptive Mesh Refinement on the Prediction of Vortex Interactions about a Generic Missile Airframe

The complex interaction of forebody and wing vortices significantly impacts missile aerodynamics. The formation of these vortices involves smooth regions of the geometry or geometric discontinuities like leading edges, trailing edges, tips, and corners. Regions of supersonic flow and complex shock topologies interact with boundary layers and vortices. Smooth-body separation and 3D viscous effects strain current Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) techniques. The quantification and control of discretization error is critical to obtaining reliable simulation results and often turbulence model assessments are made in the presence of unquantified (and potentially large) discretization errors. Two mesh adaptation schemes are applied to steady RANS simulations. Multiscale unstructured mesh adaptation is applied to control interpolation error estimates of the Mach field, which resolves boundary layers, vortices, and shocks. A dual-mesh approach with overset communication is applied between an expert-crafted near-body unstructured mesh and an adaptive off-body Cartesian mesh refined with Q-criterion scaled by the strain tensor magnitude. A generic missile configuration is examined in a supersonic flow field to show the interaction of mesh adaptation and turbulence model. Turbulence model modifications for rotational correction and a quadratic constitutive relationship show a strong influence on adaptive mesh refinement and predicted rolling moment.

slender body aerodynamics↗
NASA NTRS1992

Traffic routing for multicomputer networks with virtual cut-through capability

Consideration is given to the problem of selecting routes for interprocess communication in a network with virtual cut-through capability, while balancing the network load and minimizing the number of times that a message gets buffered. An approach is proposed that formulates the route selection problem as a minimization problem with a link cost function that depends upon the traffic through the link. The form of this cost function is derived using the probability of establishing a virtual cut-through route. The route selection problem is shown to be NP-hard, and an algorithm is developed to incrementally reduce the cost by rerouting the traffic. The performance of this algorithm is exemplified by two network topologies: the hypercube and the C-wrapped hexagonal mesh.

Kandlur, Dilip D.↗
NASA NTRS2002

An Analysis for the Use of Research and Education Networks and Commercial Network Vendors in Support of Space Based Mission Critical and Non-Critical Networking

Currently, and in the past, dedicated communication circuits and "network services" with very stringent performance requirements are being used to support manned and unmanned mission critical ground operations at GSFC, JSC, MSFC, KSC and other NASA facilities. Because of the evolution of network technology, it is time to investigate using other approaches to providing mission services for space ground operations. The current NASA approach is not in keeping with the evolution of network technologies. In the past decade various research and education networks dedicated to scientific and educational endeavors have emerged, as well as commercial networking providers, that employ advanced networking technologies. These technologies have significantly changed networking in recent years. Significant advances in network routing techniques, various topologies and equipment have made commercial networks very stable and virtually error free. Advances in Dense Wave Division Multiplexing will provide tremendous amounts of bandwidth for the future. The question is: Do these networks, which are controlled and managed centrally, provide a level of service that equals the stringent NASA performance requirements. If they do, what are the implication(s) of using them for critical space based ground operations as they are, without adding high cost contractual performance requirements? A second question is the feasibility of applying the emerging grid technology in space operations. Is it feasible to develop a Space Operations Grid and/or a Space Science Grid? Since these network's connectivity is substantial, both nationally and internationally, development of these sorts of grids may be feasible. The concept of research and education networks has evolved to the international community as well. Currently there are international RENs connecting the US in Chicago to and from Europe, South America, Asia and the Pacific rim, Russia and Canada. And most countries in these areas have their own research and education network as do many states in the USA.

Bradford, Robert N.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Managing Complexity in Multidisciplinary Visualization

As high performance computing technology progresses, computational simulations are becoming more advanced in their capabilities. In the computational aerosciences domain, single discipline steady-state simulations computed on a single grid are far from the state-of-the-art. In their place are complex, time-dependent multidisciplinary simulations that attempt to model a given geometry more realistically. The product of these multidisciplinary simulations is a massive amount of data stored in different formats, grid topologies, units of measure, etc., as a result of the differences in the simulated physical domains. In addition to the challenges posed by setting up and performing the simulation, additional challenges exist in analyzing computational results. Visualization plays an important role in the advancement of multidisciplinary simulations. To date, visualization has been used to aid in the interpretation of large amounts of simulation data. Because the human visual system is effective in digesting a large amount of information presented graphically, visualization has helped simulation scientists to understand complex simulation results. As these simulations become even more complex, integrating several different physical domains, visualization will be critical to digest the massive amount of information. Another important role for visualization is to provide a common communication medium from which the domain scientists can use to develop, debug, and analyze their work. Multidisciplinary analyses are the next step in simulation technology, not only in computational aerosciences, but in many other areas such as global climate modeling. Visualization researchers must understand and work towards the challenges posed by multidisciplinary simulation scenarios. This paper addresses some of these challenges, describing technologies that must be investigated to create a useful visualization analysis tool for domain scientists.

Miceli, Kristina D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Test experience on an ultrareliable computer communication network

The dispersed sensor processing mesh (DSPM) is an experimental, ultra-reliable, fault-tolerant computer communications network that exhibits an organic-like ability to regenerate itself after suffering damage. The regeneration is accomplished by two routines - grow and repair. This paper discusses the DSPM concept for achieving fault tolerance and provides a brief description of the mechanization of both the experiment and the six-node experimental network. The main topic of this paper is the system performance of the growth algorithm contained in the grow routine. The characteristics imbued to DSPM by the growth algorithm are also discussed. Data from an experimental DSPM network and software simulation of larger DSPM-type networks are used to examine the inherent limitation on growth time by the growth algorithm and the relationship of growth time to network size and topology.

Abbott, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Test experience on an ultrareliable computer communication network

The dispersed sensor processing mesh (DSPM) is an experimental, ultrareliable, fault-tolerant computer communications network that exhibits an organic-like ability to regenerate itself after suffering damage. The regeneration is accomplished by two routines - grow and repair. This paper discusses the DSPM concept for achieving fault tolerance and provides a brief description of the mechanization of both the experiment and the six-node experimental network. The main topic of this paper is the system performance of the growth algorithm contained in the grow routine. The characteristics imbued to DSPM by the growth algorithm are also discussed. Data from an experimental DSPM network and software simulation of larger DSPM-type networks are used to examine the inherent limitation on growth time by the growth algorithm and the relationship of growth time to network size and topology.

Abbott, L. W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Information Power Grid: Distributed High-Performance Computing and Large-Scale Data Management for Science and Engineering

We use the term "Grid" to refer to distributed, high performance computing and data handling infrastructure that incorporates geographically and organizationally dispersed, heterogeneous resources that are persistent and supported. This infrastructure includes: (1) Tools for constructing collaborative, application oriented Problem Solving Environments / Frameworks (the primary user interfaces for Grids); (2) Programming environments, tools, and services providing various approaches for building applications that use aggregated computing and storage resources, and federated data sources; (3) Comprehensive and consistent set of location independent tools and services for accessing and managing dynamic collections of widely distributed resources: heterogeneous computing systems, storage systems, real-time data sources and instruments, human collaborators, and communications systems; (4) Operational infrastructure including management tools for distributed systems and distributed resources, user services, accounting and auditing, strong and location independent user authentication and authorization, and overall system security services The vision for NASA's Information Power Grid - a computing and data Grid - is that it will provide significant new capabilities to scientists and engineers by facilitating routine construction of information based problem solving environments / frameworks. Such Grids will knit together widely distributed computing, data, instrument, and human resources into just-in-time systems that can address complex and large-scale computing and data analysis problems. Examples of these problems include: (1) Coupled, multidisciplinary simulations too large for single systems (e.g., multi-component NPSS turbomachine simulation); (2) Use of widely distributed, federated data archives (e.g., simultaneous access to metrological, topological, aircraft performance, and flight path scheduling databases supporting a National Air Space Simulation systems}; (3) Coupling large-scale computing and data systems to scientific and engineering instruments (e.g., realtime interaction with experiments through real-time data analysis and interpretation presented to the experimentalist in ways that allow direct interaction with the experiment (instead of just with instrument control); (5) Highly interactive, augmented reality and virtual reality remote collaborations (e.g., Ames / Boeing Remote Help Desk providing field maintenance use of coupled video and NDI to a remote, on-line airframe structures expert who uses this data to index into detailed design databases, and returns 3D internal aircraft geometry to the field); (5) Single computational problems too large for any single system (e.g. the rotocraft reference calculation). Grids also have the potential to provide pools of resources that could be called on in extraordinary / rapid response situations (such as disaster response) because they can provide common interfaces and access mechanisms, standardized management, and uniform user authentication and authorization, for large collections of distributed resources (whether or not they normally function in concert). IPG development and deployment is addressing requirements obtained by analyzing a number of different application areas, in particular from the NASA Aero-Space Technology Enterprise. This analysis has focussed primarily on two types of users: the scientist / design engineer whose primary interest is problem solving (e.g. determining wing aerodynamic characteristics in many different operating environments), and whose primary interface to IPG will be through various sorts of problem solving frameworks. The second type of user is the tool designer: the computational scientists who convert physics and mathematics into code that can simulate the physical world. These are the two primary users of IPG, and they have rather different requirements. The results of the analysis of the needs of these two types of users provides a broad set of requirements that gives rise to a general set of required capabilities. The IPG project is intended to address all of these requirements. In some cases the required computing technology exists, and in some cases it must be researched and developed. The project is using available technology to provide a prototype set of capabilities in a persistent distributed computing testbed. Beyond this, there are required capabilities that are not immediately available, and whose development spans the range from near-term engineering development (one to two years) to much longer term R&D (three to six years). Additional information is contained in the original.

Johnston, William E.↗
NASA NTRS2022

A Survey of Mathematical Structures for Lunar Networks

To sustain the current and increasing accessibility of space, a scalable communications infrastructure (i.e. the Solar System Internet, SSI) is necessary. The goal of this paper is to begin the discovery of the fundamental underlying mathematical structure of space networks to help the research community harness these structures for algorithm development and optimization. To ensure the applicability of the research, the approaches are considered through the lens of simulated scenarios inspired by the Artemis Back-to-the-Moon mission set for 2024. We note that any approach to an SSI must fit under the umbrella of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN), due to celestial mobility, high link latencies, high variance in link latencies, disconnections, lack of end-to-end paths, and so on. These difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that the underlying structure of a space network is a time-evolving network and may experience multiple discontinuities in its topology. In this paper we propose several novel approaches to a mathematical foundation for Delay Tolerant Networking Theory that fall outside the traditional scope of temporal network theory. These techniques include methods from Topological Data Analysis, Dynamic Graph Analysis, Applied Algebraic Geometry, Probability Theory, and Game Theory. Some of these methods include tools adapted to the study of dynamic metric spaces, such as zigzag persistent homology and their higher parameter analogs. We find that several of these methods target desired engineering outcomes such as discovery and automatic sub-netting. While each approach is theoretical, they are also algorithmic in nature and offer immediate practical applications. The paper concludes with comparisons of the various methods along with suggestions for future work.

Delay tolerant networking↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

INSPiRE – An Approach to Mission Quality Management using Network Slicing for Space Applications

Managing traffic between the Earth-Moon and Earth-Mars is a complex process requiring significant investment in resources and expertise at NASA. INSPiRE improves the performance of space networks by enabling a dynamic re-configuration process that works for any mixed topology over a heterogeneous and multi-vendor network. To achieve the desired functionality, INSPiRE incorporates a set of algorithms, machine learning processes, and policy inference to handle unpredictable, disruptive events. INSPiRE draws parallels from the current notion of the 3GPP (5G and beyond) Network Slicing approach, where the same physical network divides into several virtual networks, and for each of these virtual networks, there is a guaranteed Quality of Service for the missions that they serve.

cognitive communications↗
NASA NTRS2024

Exploration Systems Exterior Lighting Design Guidance

Humans are returning to the Moon — this time, to stay. NASA has selected a location that maximizes line-of-sight communication with Earth, solar visibility, and access to water ice: the Lunar South Pole (LSP). While the Sun is more consistently in the lunar sky at the poles, it never rises more than 7° above the horizon in the target landing regions. This harsh lighting environment--never experienced during the Apollo missions or in human spaceflight--presents an engineering challenge: Support and protect functional vision. The human vision system, which despite having a high-dynamic range, cannot see well into bright light and cannot adapt quickly from bright to dark or vice versa. The design of helmets, windows, and lighting solutions must work in a complementary fashion to achieve a system of lighting and functional vision support that enables crews to see into darkness while their eyes are light-adapted and see in bright light while still dark-adapted that protects their eyes from injury. This report brings together information and identifies gaps related to LSP Natural environment (topology, regolith, temperature, lighting, and so forth), NASA historical experience exploring the Moon, human vision capabilities and needs, exploration operations, simulation capabilities and needs (for design verification, training, mission planning, and so forth) and existing engineering, safety, medical and performance requirements related to support human exploration.

Simulation↗
NASA NTRS2000

Internet Technologies for Space-based Communications: State of the Art and Challenges

The Internet is rapidly changing the ways we communicate information around the globe today. The desire to provide Internet-based services to anyone, anywhere, anytime has brought satellite communications to the forefront to become an integral part of the Internet. In spite of the distances involved, satellite links are proving to be capable of providing Internet services based on Internet protocol (TCP/IP) stack. This development has led to the question particularly at NASA; can satellites and other space platforms become an Internet-node in space? This will allow the direct transfer of information directly from space to the users on Earth and even be able to control the spacecraft and its instruments. NASA even wants to extend the near earth space Internet to deep space applications where scientists and the public here on Earth may view space exploration in real time via the Internet. NASA's future solar system exploration will involve intensive in situ investigations of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. While past missions typically involved a single fly-by or orbiting science spacecraft, future missions will begin to use fleets of small, highly intelligent robotic vehicles to carry out collaborative investigations. The resulting multi-spacecraft topologies will effectively create a wide area network spanning the solar system. However, this will require significant development in Internet technologies for space use. This paper provides the status'of the Internet for near earth applications and the potential extension of the Internet for use in deep space planetary exploration. The paper will discuss the overall challenges of implementing the space Internet and how the space Internet will integrate into the complex terrestrial systems those forms the Internet of today in a hybrid set of networks. Internet. We envision extending to the deep space environment such Internet concepts as a well-designed layered architecture. This effort will require an ability to develop and infuse new physical layer technology to increase network bandwidth at very low-bit error rates. In addition, we identify network technologies such as routers and switches needed to maintain standard application layer interfaces, while providing low-cost, efficient, modular networking solutions. We will describe the overall architectural approach to extending the concept of the Internet to space and highlight the important technological challenges and initiatives that will make it a reality.

Bhasin, K.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Ocular examination for trauma; clinical ultrasound aboard the International Space Station

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound imaging is a successful modality in a broad variety of diagnostic applications including trauma. Ultrasound has been shown to be accurate when performed by non-radiologist physicians; recent reports have suggested that non-physicians can perform limited ultrasound examinations. A multipurpose ultrasound system is installed on the International Space Station (ISS) as a component of the Human Research Facility (HRF). This report documents the first ocular ultrasound examination conducted in space, which demonstrated the capability to assess physiologic alterations or pathology including trauma during long-duration space flight. METHODS: An ISS crewmember with minimal sonography training was remotely guided by an imaging expert from Mission Control Center (MCC) through a comprehensive ultrasound examination of the eye. A multipurpose ultrasound imager was used in conjunction with a space-to-ground video downlink and two-way audio. Reference cards with topological reference points, hardware controls, and target images were used to facilitate the examination. Multiple views of the eye structures were obtained through a closed eyelid. Pupillary response to light was demonstrated by modifying the light exposure of the contralateral eye. RESULTS: A crewmember on the ISS was able to complete a comprehensive ocular examination using B- and M-mode ultrasonography with remote guidance from an expert in the MCC. Multiple anteroposterior, oblique, and coronal views of the eye clearly demonstrated the anatomic structures of both segments of the globe. The iris and pupil were readily visualized with probe manipulation. Pupillary diameter was assessed in real time in B- and M-mode displays. The anatomic detail and fidelity of ultrasound video were excellent and could be used to answer a variety of clinical and space physiologic questions. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive, high-quality ultrasound examination of the eye was performed with a multipurpose imager aboard the ISS by a non-expert operator using remote guidance. Ocular ultrasound images were of diagnostic quality despite the 2-second communication latency and the unconventional setting of a weightless spacecraft environment. The remote guidance techniques developed to facilitate this successful NASA research experiment will support wider applications of ultrasound for remote medicine on Earth including the assessment of pupillary reactions in patients with severe craniofacial trauma and swelling.

Clinical Trial↗
NASA NTRS2005

A Review of Diagnostic Techniques for ISHM Applications

System diagnosis is an integral part of any Integrated System Health Management application. Diagnostic applications make use of system information from the design phase, such as safety and mission assurance analysis, failure modes and effects analysis, hazards analysis, functional models, fault propagation models, and testability analysis. In modern process control and equipment monitoring systems, topological and analytic , models of the nominal system, derived from design documents, are also employed for fault isolation and identification. Depending on the complexity of the monitored signals from the physical system, diagnostic applications may involve straightforward trending and feature extraction techniques to retrieve the parameters of importance from the sensor streams. They also may involve very complex analysis routines, such as signal processing, learning or classification methods to derive the parameters of importance to diagnosis. The process that is used to diagnose anomalous conditions from monitored system signals varies widely across the different approaches to system diagnosis. Rule-based expert systems, case-based reasoning systems, model-based reasoning systems, learning systems, and probabilistic reasoning systems are examples of the many diverse approaches ta diagnostic reasoning. Many engineering disciplines have specific approaches to modeling, monitoring and diagnosing anomalous conditions. Therefore, there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to building diagnostic and health monitoring capabilities for a system. For instance, the conventional approaches to diagnosing failures in rotorcraft applications are very different from those used in communications systems. Further, online and offline automated diagnostic applications are integrated into an operations framework with flight crews, flight controllers and maintenance teams. While the emphasis of this paper is automation of health management functions, striking the correct balance between automated and human-performed tasks is a vital concern.

Patterson-Hine, Ann↗