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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 19 records

The Impact of Assimilating Precipitation-affected Radiance on Cloud and Precipitation in Goddard WRF-EDAS Analyses

High-frequency TMI and AMSR-E radiances, which are sensitive to precipitation over land, are assimilated into the Goddard Weather Research and Forecasting Model- Ensemble Data Assimilation System (WRF-EDAS) for a few heavy rain events over the continental US. Independent observations from surface rainfall, satellite IR brightness temperatures, as well as ground-radar reflectivity profiles are used to evaluate the impact of assimilating rain-sensitive radiances on cloud and precipitation within WRF-EDAS. The evaluations go beyond comparisons of forecast skills and domain-mean statistics, and focus on studying the cloud and precipitation features in the jointed rainradiance and rain-cloud space, with particular attentions on vertical distributions of height-dependent cloud types and collective effect of cloud hydrometers. Such a methodology is very helpful to understand limitations and sources of errors in rainaffected radiance assimilations. It is found that the assimilation of rain-sensitive radiances can reduce the mismatch between model analyses and observations by reasonably enhancing/reducing convective intensity over areas where the observation indicates precipitation, and suppressing convection over areas where the model forecast indicates rain but the observation does not. It is also noted that instead of generating sufficient low-level warmrain clouds as in observations, the model analysis tends to produce many spurious upperlevel clouds containing small amount of ice water content. This discrepancy is associated with insufficient information in ice-water-sensitive radiances to address the vertical distribution of clouds with small amount of ice water content. Such a problem will likely be mitigated when multi-channel multi-frequency radiances/reflectivity are assimilated over land along with sufficiently accurate surface emissivity information to better constrain the vertical distribution of cloud hydrometers.

WRF-EDAS Analyses↗

Electronic Systems for Spacecraft Vehicles: Required EDA Tools

The continuous increase in complexity of electronic systems is making the design and manufacturing of such systems more challenging than ever before. As a result, designers are finding it impossible to design efficient systems without the use of sophisticated Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools offer integrated simulation of the electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing functions and lead to a correct by design methodology. This report identifies the EDA tools that would be needed to design, analyze, simulate, and evaluate electronic systems for spacecraft vehicles. In addition, the report presents recommendations to enhance the current JSC electronic design capabilities. This includes cost information and a discussion as to the impact, both positive and negative, of implementing the recommendations.

Bachnak, Rafic↗

Modeling the interaction Between Ethylene Diamine and Water Films on the Surface of a Carbon Nanotube

It has been observed that a carbon nanotube (CNT) AFM tip coated with ethylene diamine (EDA) penetrates the liquid water-air interface more easily than an uncoated nanotube tip. The EDA coating remains intact through repeated cycles of dipping and removal. In order to understand the physical basis for this observation, we use ab initio quantum chemistry calculations to study the EDA-CNT-water interaction and to parameterize a force field describing this system. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are carried out for EDA-water mixtures and an EDA-coated carbon nanotube immmed in water. These simulations are similar to our earlier MD study that characterized the CNT-water interface. The attractive CNT-EDA and CNT-water interactions arise primarily from van der Waals forces, and the EDA-EDA, EDA-water and water-water interactions are mainly due to hydrogen bond formation. The binding energ of single EDA molecule to the nanotube is nearly three times larger than the corresponding value found for water (4.3 versus 1.5 kcal mol, respectively). The EDA molecules readily stick to and diffuse along the CNT surface. As a resulf mixing of the EDA and water films does not occur on the timescale of the MD simulations. The EDA film reduces the hydrophobicity of the nanotube surface and acts like a prototypical surfactant in stabilizing the suspension of carbon nanotubes in water. For this presentation, we use the MD simulations to determine how the presence of the carbon nanotube surface perturbs the properties of EDA-water mixtures.

Jaffe, Richard L.↗

Analysis of Flight Management System Predictions of Idle-Thrust Descents

To enable arriving aircraft to fly optimized descents computed by the flight management system (FMS) in congested airspace, ground automation must accurately predict descent trajectories. To support development of the predictor and its uncertainty models, descents from cruise to the meter fix were executed using vertical navigation in a B737-700 simulator and a B777-200 simulator, both with commercial FMSs. For both aircraft types, the FMS computed the intended descent path for a specified speed profile assuming idle thrust after top of descent (TOD), and then it controlled the avionics without human intervention. The test matrix varied aircraft weight, descent speed, and wind conditions. The first analysis in this paper determined the effect of the test matrix parameters on the FMS computation of TOD location, and it compared the results to those for the current ground predictor in the Efficient Descent Advisor (EDA). The second analysis was similar but considered the time to fly a specified distance to the meter fix. The effects of the test matrix variables together with the accuracy requirements for the predictor will determine the allowable error for the predictor inputs. For the B737, the EDA prediction of meter fix crossing time agreed well with the FMS; but its prediction of TOD location probably was not sufficiently accurate to enable idle-thrust descents in congested airspace, even though the FMS and EDA gave similar shapes for TOD location as a function of the test matrix variables. For the B777, the FMS and EDA gave different shapes for the TOD location function, and the EDA prediction of the TOD location is not accurate enough to fully enable the concept. Furthermore, the differences between the FMS and EDA predictions of meter fix crossing time for the B777 indicated that at least one of them was not sufficiently accurate.

Stell, Laurel↗

Environmental Radiation Measurements on the Mir Space Station: Internal Experiment Program - Program 1

As part of the NASA/Mir Phase 1B Science Program, the ionizing radiation environment inside and outside the Russian Mir's Space Station was monitored using a combination of Thermoluminescent Detectors (TLD) and CR-39 Plastic Nuclear Track Detectors (PNTD). Radiation measurements inside the Mir station were carried out using six Area Passive Dosimeters (APD), four located inside the Mir Base Block and two located inside the Kvant 2 module, during the NASA-2/Mir-21, NASA-3/Mir-22 and NASA-4/Mir-23 missions. The radiation environment under low shielding was measured using an External Dosimeter Array (EDA) mounted on the outer surface of the Kvant 2 module. The external radiation environment and a location inside the Kvant 2 roughly corresponding to the location of the EDA were monitored for 130 days during the NASA- 4/Mir-23 and NASA-5/Mir-24 missions. Dose rates measured by APD TLDs ranged from 271 to 407 microGy/d during the NASA-2/Mir-21 mission, from 265 to 378 microGy/d during the NASA-3/Mir-22 mission, and from 287 to 421 microGy/d during the NASA-4/Mir-23 mission. APD PNTDs have been analyzed and LET spectra have been Cenerated for the five APDs exposed on the NASA-2/Mir-21 mission and for two APD PNTDs exposed on the NASA-3/Mir-22 mission. Dose equivalent rates on the NASA-2/Mir-21 mission ranged from 513 microSv/d in the Kvant 2 module to 710 microSv/d on the floor of the Base Block. Dose as a function of shielding depth in TLDs has been measured in the thin TLD stacks including in the EDA. EDA dose range from 72.5 Gy under 0.0146 g/sq cm to 0.093 Gy under 3.25 g/sq cm of shielding. Readout and analysis of the reaming PNTDs form the NASA-3/Mir-22 mission and PNTDs from the NASA-4/Mir-23 mission (including those from the EDA) is ongoing and will be completed during the final year of this experiment. Dose equivalent rates for the NASA-3/Mir-22 and NASA-4/Mir-23 APDs will then be determined and comparisons will be made with both model calculations and with results from similar measurements.

Benton, E. V.↗

En route Descent Advisor Concept for Efficient Arrival Metering Conformance

The En-route Descent Advisor (EDA) is a suite of decision support tool (DST) capabilities for en route sector subject to metering restrictions such as those generated by the Center TRACON Automation System (CTAS) Traffic Management Advisor. EDA assists controllers with high-density arrival metering by providing fuel-efficient metering-conformance advisories, integrated with conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) capabilities, to minimize deviations from the user s preferred trajectory. These DST capabilities will enable controllers to change their procedures from ones that are oriented towards sector management to procedures oriented towards trajectory management. Although adaptable to current procedures and airspace structure, EDA is intended as a tool for transitioning traffic from a Free Flight environment to an efficiently organized flow into terminal airspace. This paper describes the transition airspace problem and EDA concept, defines the key benefit mechanisms that will be enabled by EDA capabilities, and presents a traffic scenario to illustrate the use of the tool.

Green, Steven↗

Direct-to-Earth Communications with Mars Science Laboratory During Entry, Descent, and Landing

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) undergoes extreme heating and acceleration during Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) on Mars. Unknown dynamics lead to large Doppler shifts, making communication challenging. During EDL, a special form of Multiple Frequency Shift Keying (MFSK) communication is used for Direct-To-Earth (DTE) communication. The X-band signal is received by the Deep Space Network (DSN) at the Canberra Deep Space Communication complex, then down-converted, digitized, and recorded by open-loop Radio Science Receivers (RSR), and decoded in real-time by the EDL Data Analysis (EDA) System. The EDA uses lock states with configurable Fast Fourier Transforms to acquire and track the signal. RSR configuration and channel allocation is shown. Testing prior to EDL is discussed including software simulations, test bed runs with MSL flight hardware, and the in-flight end-to-end test. EDA configuration parameters and signal dynamics during pre-entry, entry, and parachute deployment are analyzed. RSR and EDA performance during MSL EDL is evaluated, including performance using a single 70-meter DSN antenna and an array of two 34-meter DSN antennas as a back up to the 70-meter antenna.

Direct-to-Earth (DTE)↗

En Route Descent Advisor Multi-Sector Planning Using Active and Provisional Controller Plans

As decision support tools are developed to support controllers in complex air traffic control environments, new approaches to maintaining situation awareness and managing traffic planning must be developed to handle the ever-increasing amounts of alerting and advisory data. Within high-density metering and other environments where flight path changes are the rule, not the exception, and where interactions between these changes are required, current trial planning approaches are limited by potential increases in workload. The Enroute Descent Advisor (EDA) is a set of decision support tool capabilities for managing high-density en route traffic subject to metering restrictions. The EDA system s novel approach builds aircraft plans from combinations of user intent data and builds controller plans from combinations of aircraft plans to effectively maintain situation awareness during traffic planning. By maintaining both active (current) and provisional (proposed) controller plans, EDA supports controllers in coordinated traffic planning both within and between sectors. Ultimately, EDA s multi-sector planning approach will facilitate a transition from current sector-oriented operations to a new trajectory-oriented paradigm, enabling new levels of efficiency and collaboration in air traffic control.

Vivona, Robert↗

Receiver Gain Modulation Circuit

A receiver gain modulation circuit (RGMC) was developed that modulates the power gain of the output of a radiometer receiver with a test signal. As the radiometer receiver switches between calibration noise references, the test signal is mixed with the calibrated noise and thus produces an ensemble set of measurements from which ensemble statistical analysis can be used to extract statistical information about the test signal. The RGMC is an enabling technology of the ensemble detector. As a key component for achieving ensemble detection and analysis, the RGMC has broad aeronautical and space applications. The RGMC can be used to test and develop new calibration algorithms, for example, to detect gain anomalies, and/or correct for slow drifts that affect climate-quality measurements over an accelerated time scale. A generalized approach to analyzing radiometer system designs yields a mathematical treatment of noise reference measurements in calibration algorithms. By treating the measurements from the different noise references as ensemble samples of the receiver state, i.e. receiver gain, a quantitative description of the non-stationary properties of the underlying receiver fluctuations can be derived. Excellent agreement has been obtained between model calculations and radiometric measurements. The mathematical formulation is equivalent to modulating the gain of a stable receiver with an externally generated signal and is the basis for ensemble detection and analysis (EDA). The concept of generating ensemble data sets using an ensemble detector is similar to the ensemble data sets generated as part of ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) with exception of a key distinguishing factor. EEMD adds noise to the signal under study whereas EDA mixes the signal with calibrated noise. It is mixing with calibrated noise that permits the measurement of temporal-functional variability of uncertainty in the underlying process. The RGMC permits the evaluation of EDA by modulating the receiver gain using an external signal. Without the RGMC, samples of calibrated references from radiometers form an ensemble data set of the natural occurring fluctuations within a receiver. By driving the gain of an otherwise stable receiver with an external signal, the conceptual framework and generalization of the mathematics of EDA can be tested. A series of measurements was conducted to evaluate and characterize the performance of the RGMC. Test signals stepped the RGMC across its dynamic range of performance using a radiometer that sampled four noise references; analysis indicates that the RGMC successfully modulated the receiver gain with an external signal. Calibration algorithms applied to four noise references demonstrate the RGMC produced ensemble data sets of the external signal.

Jones, Hollis↗

Development of a Vehicle Health Monitoring System for the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Program

During their brief flight, the space shuttle solid rocket boosters (SRBs) experience a severe environment. This environment in most cases is unknown. When the design engineers believe they understand the environments, something new occurs. For example, at water impact several SRBs have sustained noticeable structural damage. The severity of the damage is usually dependent upon the waves that the SRB encounter at splashdown. The space shuttle is presently scheduled to fly until 2030. To support the shuttle flight schedule, the avionics on the SRB's will need to be upgraded. The environments on the different sections of the SRB will need to be defined more completely to properly qualify the avionics for multiple flights. The combination of new avionics systems and unknown flight environments led Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) SRB Project Office to request the Science and Engineering (S&E) Directorate to develop a stand-alone data acquisition system that could collect data from any area of the booster. The Enhanced Data Acquisition System (EDAS) was developed to meet this request. However, the EDAS has some technical drawbacks that needed resolved. To answer the EDAS problems, the SRB Project Office has funded MSFC's Avionics Department to begin investigating a new vehicle health monitoring (VHM) system. The major requirements are the system shall have 64 channels, have programmable sample rates up to 10,000 samples per second, have sufficient memory for a twenty minute flight and not interfere with existing operational flight avionics hardware. This paper will describe the effort to develop a VHM system that can meet the SRB requirements.

Crawford, Kevin↗

Tracking capability for entry, descent and landing and its support to NASA Mars Exploration Rovers

This paper described a new capability recently deployed in the NASA Deep Space Network to support the entry, descent and landing of the two Mars Exploration Rovers - Spirit and Opportunity. This final segment of a 7-month journey was critical step in enabling successful mission operation. The EDL Data Analysis (EDA) equipment processed the open loop recording samples from the existing radio science receivers, extracted the MFSK-modulated tones, and provided information on the occurrence of associated events happened onboard spacecraft. The EDA software supported real-time as well as post pass processing. The design flexibility allowed the track to be divided into different segments, each could be processed with a configuration optimized for its signal conditions and uncertainties. The use of dynamic lock state concept enabled signal detection be done with minimum required computing power - less was spent when signal was steadily detected and more when signal fluctuated. With the server-client design, the EDA supported connections to different remote operation centers for monitor purpose. The paper also presented the field results from both Spirit and Opportunity landings. The detection were much better than anticipated. All critical event tones were seen in real time. Surprising detection of LCP signal was found with Spirit landing, resulted in a reconfiguration for Opportunity landing to maximize signal detection.

tracking↗

Data-Analysis System for Entry, Descent, and Landing

A report describes the Entry Descent Landing Data Analysis (EDA), which is a system of signal-processing software and computer hardware for acquiring status data conveyed by multiple-frequency-shift-keying tone signals transmitted by a spacecraft during descent to the surface of a remote planet. The design of the EDA meets the challenge of processing weak, fluctuating signals that are Doppler-shifted by amounts that are only partly predictable. The software supports both real-time and post processing. The software performs fast-Fourier-transform integration, parallel frequency tracking with prediction, and mapping of detected tones to specific events. The use of backtrack and refinement parallel-processing threads helps to minimize data gaps. The design affords flexibility to enable division of a descent track into segments, within each of which the EDA is configured optimally for processing in the face of signal conditions and uncertainties. A dynamic-lock-state feature enables the detection of signals using minimum required computing power less when signals are steadily detected, more when signals fluctuate. At present, the hardware comprises eight dual-processor personal-computer modules and a server. The hardware is modular, making it possible to increase computing power by adding computers.

Pham, Timothy↗

Spacecraft-to-Earth communications for Juno and Mars Science Laboratory critical events

This paper describes the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) Data Analysis (EDA) system. The EDA software supports the real-time interpretation of Multiple Frequency-Shift Keying tones provided by the spacecraft. The objective of this software is to provide communication of status between the spacecraft and the mission personnel on Earth during critical events when low rate telemetry is not possible. Although these communications cannot be used to affect the landing due to the length of time required at these distances, this information is important in the case of a mission failure. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will utilize the EDA software during EDL. Juno usage will include deep space maneuvers, Jupiter orbital insertion, and its period reduction maneuver. Results are presented from the Juno tones test. Simulated MSL and Juno signals were also generated and these results are analyzed.

Navarro, Robert↗

The Environmental Data Application for Analysis of Space Telemetry Data

Sensors on the International Space Station (ISS) and multiple spacecraft elsewhere in Earth orbit and in deep space continuously monitor and collect environmental data, transmitting this information back to Earth. These data include ionizing radiation and, on the ISS and spacecrafts, CO2, relative humidity levels, and temperature, and are of great importance to space biology research. Looking ahead to future long duration crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit, the ability to study how factors including CO2 levels, light cycle, temperature modulate the response to ionizing radiation and microgravity is essential. To date, access to these data has been fragmented across space agencies, spacecraft, and databases. To address this issue, NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) has developed a user interface for interrogation of telemetry data: the Environmental Data Application (EDA). The EDA provides the capability to visualize telemetry and radiation data collected on the International Space Station and corresponding ground platforms during the Rodent Research missions. Telemetry data includes temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 levels. Radiation data includes galactic cosmic rays, the contribution of the South Atlantic Anomaly, total radiation dose rate, and accumulated radiation dose. The application allows users to view single missions, compare multiple missions, and view and download summary or full data tables. In summary, the EDA provides GUIs for data visualization and exploration, as well as means for data export, making these data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), complementing the biological data contained in OSDR, and providing the space science community with a valuable resource for scientific analyses.

telemetry↗

Environmental Radiation Measurements on MIR Station: Internal Experiment - Program 1

Environmental radiation levels on the Russian space station Mir are being monitored under differing shielding conditions by a series of six area passive dosimeters (APDs) placed at individual locations inside the Core and Kvant 2 modules, and by an External Dosimeter Array (EDA) to be-deployed on the exterior surface of the Kvant 2 module. Each APD and the EDA contains CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) for measurement of LET spectra and TLDs for absorbed dose measurements. Two of the missions, NASA-2/Mir-21 and NASA-3/Mir-22 have been completed and the six APDs from each mission returned to Earth from Mir. This report covers progress to date on the analysis of TLDs and PNTDs from these two missions. For NASA-2/Mir-21, average mission absorbed dose rates varied from 271 to 407 micro-Gy/d at the APDS. For NASA-3/Mir-22, average mission absorbed dose rates varied from 265 to 421 micro-Gy/d.

Benton, E. V.↗

Electronic Design Automation: Integrating the Design and Manufacturing Functions

As the complexity of electronic systems grows, the traditional design practice, a sequential process, is replaced by concurrent design methodologies. A major advantage of concurrent design is that the feedback from software and manufacturing engineers can be easily incorporated into the design. The implementation of concurrent engineering methodologies is greatly facilitated by employing the latest Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools offer integrated simulation of the electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing functions and support virtual prototyping, rapid prototyping, and hardware-software co-design. This report presents recommendations for enhancing the electronic design and manufacturing capabilities and procedures at JSC based on a concurrent design methodology that employs EDA tools.

Bachnak, Rafic↗

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1998

The continuous increase in complexity of electronic systems is making the design and manufacturing of such systems more challenging than ever before. As a result, designers are finding it impossible to design efficient systems without the use of sophisticated Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools offer integrated simulation of the electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing functions and lead to a correct by design methodology. This report identifies the EDA tools that would be needed to design, analyze, simulate, and evaluate electronic systems for spacecraft vehicles. In addition, the report presents recommendations to enhance the current JSC electronic design capabilities. This includes cost information and a discussion as to the impact, both positive and negative, of implementing the recommendations.

Richard B Bannero↗

Update of the Development of a Low Cost Data Acquisition System for the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Program

The space shuttle solid rocket boosters (SRBs) experience a severe environment during their brief flight. During the last few years several SRB's have sustained noticeable structural damage. The environmental characteristics (vibration, structure, and thermal) encountered by the SRB's during ascent, descent and water impact are in most cases unknown. A developmental flight instrumentation (DFI) system collected data from the SRBs' first four flights in the early 1980's, and after the first three flights during the shuttle return-to-flight phase after the Challenger accident. However, the DFI data collected are of low fidelity and do not correlate well with cases of observed structural damage. The DFI system was evaluated for reuse, but the cost to fly it was prohibitive. The space shuttle is presently scheduled to fly until 2030. To support the shuttle flight schedule, avionics on the SRB's will be upgraded. The environments on the different sections of the SRB will need to be defined more completely to properly qualify the avionics for multiple flights. The DFI data previously gathered do not provide enough information to properly qualify the avionics. Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) SRB Project Office requested the Science and Engineering (S&E) Directorate to develop a stand-alone data acquisition system that could collect data from any area of the booster. In answer to this requirement, S&E developed the Enhanced Data Acquisition System (EDAS). To minimize development time and cost, the development team used state-of-the-art commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment. The first two flights of this system occurred on shuttle mission STS-91 in June 1998 and STS-95 in October 1998. Twenty-one measurements were successfully recorded on the STS-91 right hand booster, providing new accelerometer, strain, temperature, and heating rate data to analysts. Twenty-four measurements were successfully recorded on the STS-95 left hand booster, providing data from the booster and the external tank. This paper summarizes the effort to develop, test, qualify and fly the EDAS to meet SRB flight and data collection requirements.

Crawford, Kevin↗