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Technology Focus

Electronics/Computers

Software

Materials

Mechanics/Machinery

Manufacturing

Bio-Medical

Physical Sciences

Information Sciences

Books and Reports

09-12 September 2012

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20120014089 2018-06-09T09:11:02+00:00Z

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2012 1

INTRODUCTIONTech Briefs are short announcements of innovations originating from research and developmentactivities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. They emphasize information con-sidered likely to be transferable across industrial, regional, or disciplinary lines and are issued toencourage commercial application.

Additional Information on NASA Tech Briefs and TSPsAdditional information announced herein may be obtained from the NASA Technical Reports Server:http://ntrs.nasa.gov.

Please reference the control numbers appearing at the end of each Tech Brief. Infor mation on NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP), its documents, and services is available on the World Wide Webat http://www.ipp.nasa.gov.

Innovative Partnerships Offices are located at NASA field centers to provide technology-transfer access toindustrial users. Inquiries can be made by contacting NASA field centers listed below.

Ames Research CenterDavid Morse(650) [email protected]

Dryden Flight Research CenterRon Young(661) [email protected]

Glenn Research CenterKimberly A. Dalgleish-Miller(216) [email protected]

Goddard Space Flight CenterNona Cheeks(301) [email protected]

Jet Propulsion LaboratoryIndrani Graczyk(818) [email protected]

Johnson Space CenterJohn E. James(281) [email protected]

Kennedy Space CenterDavid R. Makufka(321) [email protected]

Langley Research CenterMichelle Ferebee(757) [email protected]

Marshall Space Flight CenterTerry L. Taylor(256) [email protected]

Stennis Space CenterRamona Travis(228) [email protected]

NASA Headquarters

Daniel Lockney, Technology Transfer Program Executive(202) [email protected]

Small Business Innovation Research(SBIR) & Small Business TechnologyTransfer (STTR) ProgramsRich Leshner, Program Executive(202) [email protected]

NASA Field Centers and Program Offices

09-12 September 2012

2 NASA Tech Briefs, September 2012

This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States Govern-ment nor any person acting on behalf of the United States Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the information containedin this document, or warrants that such use will be free from privately owned rights.

5 Technology Focus: Test & Measurement

5 Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Monitor

5 Measurement Techniques for Clock Jitter

6 Lightweight, Miniature Inertial Measurement System

6 Optical Density Analysis of X-Rays UtilizingCalibration Tooling to Estimate Thickness of Parts

7 Fuel Cell/Electrochemical Cell Voltage Monitor

7 Anomaly Detection Techniques With Real Test DataFrom a Spinning Turbine Engine-Like Rotor

8 Measuring Air Leaks Into the Vacuum Space of LargeLiquid Hydrogen Tanks

8 Antenna Calibration and Measurement Equipment

11 Manufacturing & Prototyping11 Glass Solder Approach for Robust, Low-Loss,

Fiber-to-Waveguide Coupling

11 Lightweight Metal Matrix Composite Segmented forManufacturing High-Precision Mirrors

12 Plasma Treatment To Remove Carbon From IndiumUV Filters

15 Electronics/Computers15 Telerobotics Workstation (TRWS) for Deep Space

Habitats

16 Single-Pole Double-Throw MMIC Switches for a Microwave Radiometer

16 On Shaft Data Acquisition System (OSDAS)

17 ASIC Readout Circuit Architecture for Large GeigerPhotodiode Arrays

18 Flexible Architecture for FPGAs in Embedded Systems

19 Materials & Coatings19 Polyurea-Based Aerogel Monoliths and Composites

19 Resin-Impregnated Carbon Ablator: A New AblativeMaterial for Hyperbolic Entry Speeds

20 Self-Cleaning Particulate Prefilter Media

23 Mechanics/Machinery23 Modular, Rapid Propellant Loading

System/Cryogenic Testbed

23 Compact, Low-Force, Low-Noise Linear Actuator

24 Loop Heat Pipe With Thermal Control Valve as aVariable Thermal Link

25 Process for Measuring Over-Center Distances

27 Bio-Medical27 Hands-Free Transcranial Color Doppler Probe

27 Improving Balance Function Using Low Levels ofElectrical Stimulation of the Balance Organs

28 Developing Physiologic Models for EmergencyMedical Procedures Under Microgravity

28 PMA-Linked Fluorescence for Rapid Detection ofViable Bacterial Endospores

29 Portable Intravenous Fluid Production Device forGround Use

30 Adaptation of a Filter Assembly to Assess MicrobialBioburden of Pressurant Within a Propulsion System

31 Physical Sciences31 Multiplexed Force and Deflection Sensing Shell

Membranes for Robotic Manipulators

31 Whispering Gallery Mode Optomechanical Resonator

32 Vision-Aided Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro Aerial Vehicles

33 Self-Sealing Wet Chemistry Cell for Field Analysis

35 Information Sciences35 General MACOS Interface for Modeling and Analysis

for Controlled Optical Systems

37 Books & Reports37 Mars Technology Rover with Arm-Mounted

Percussive Coring Tool, Microimager, and Sample-Handling Encapsulation Containerization Subsystem

37 Fault-Tolerant, Real-Time, Multi-Core Computer System

39 Software39 Water Detection Based on Object Reflections

40 SATPLOT for Analysis of SECCHI Heliospheric Imager Data

40 Plug-in Plan Tool v3.0.3.1

41 Frequency Correction for MIRO Chirp TransformationSpectroscopy Spectrum

41 Nonlinear Estimation Approach to Real-TimeGeoregistration from Aerial Images

42 Optimal Force Control of Vibro-Impact Systems forAutonomous Drilling Applications

43 Low-Cost Telemetry System for Small/Micro Satellites

43 Operator Interface and Control Software for theReconfigurable Surface System Tri-ATHLETE


This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States Govern-ment nor any person acting on behalf of the United States Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the information containedin this document, or warrants that such use will be free from privately owned rights.

44 Algorithms for Determining Physical Responses ofStructures Under Load

45 Mission Analysis, Operations, and Navigation ToolkitEnvironment (Monte) Version 040

45 Autonomous Rover Traverse and Precise ArmPlacement on Remotely Designated Targets

46 Computing Radiative Transfer in a 3D Medium

46 Architectural Implementation of NASA SpaceTelecommunications Radio System Specification

46 Journal and Wave Bearing Impedance CalculationSoftware

47 Scalable Integrated Multi-Mission Support System(SIMSS) Simulator Release 2.0 for GMSEC

47 Policy-Based Negotiation Engine for Cross-DomainInteroperability

48 Linked-List-Based Multibody Dynamics (MBDyn) Engine

48 Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool (MMPAT) Version 3

49 Jupiter Environment Tool

49 Jet and Tropopause Products for Analysis and Characterization (JETPAC)

49 WGM Temperature Tracker

50 Large Terrain Continuous Level of Detail 3DVisualization Tool

50 SE-FIT

51 Scalable Integrated Multi-Mission Support SystemSimulator Release 3.0

51 Mars Express Forward Link Capabilities for the MarsRelay Operations Service (MaROS)

52 FERMI/GLAST Integrated Trending and PlottingSystem Release 5.0

52 Where’s My Data — WMD

53 Tiled WMS/KML Server V2

53 CometQuest: A Rosetta Adventure

53 Dig Hazard Assessment Using a Stereo Pair of Cameras

54 High-Performance Modeling and Simulation ofAnchoring in Granular Media for NEO Applications

55 Mobile Multi-System Overview

55 Leveraging Cloud Computing to Improve StorageDurability, Availability, and Cost for MER Maestro

56 WMS Server 2.0

56 I-FORCAST: Rapid Flight Planning Tool

57 Earth-Science Data Co-Locating Tool

57 Ascent/Descent Software


Technology Focus: Test & Measurement

This device provides non-invasivebeat-to-beat blood pressure measure-ments and can be worn over the upperarm for prolonged durations. Phase andwaveform analyses are performed on fil-tered proximal and distal photoplethys-mographic (PPG) waveforms obtainedfrom the brachial artery. The phaseanalysis is used primarily for the compu-tation of the mean arterial pressure,while the waveform analysis is used pri-marily to obtain the pulse pressure.Real-time compliance estimate is used torefine both the mean arterial and pulsepressures to provide the beat-to-beatblood pressure measurement.

This wearable physiological monitorcan be used to continuously observe thebeat-to-beat blood pressure (B3P). It canbe used to monitor the effect of pro-longed exposures to reduced gravita-tional environments and the effective-ness of various countermeasures.

A number of researchers have usedpulse wave velocity (PWV) of blood inthe arteries to infer the beat-to-beatblood pressure. There has been docu-mentation of relative success, but a de-vice that is able to provide the requiredaccuracy and repeatability has not yetbeen developed. It has been demon-strated that an accurate and repeatableblood pressure measurement can be ob-tained by measuring the phase change(e.g., phase velocity), amplitude change,and distortion of the PPG waveformsalong the brachial artery. The approachis based on comparing the full PPG

waveform between two points along theartery rather than measuring the time-of-flight. Minimizing the measurementseparation and confining the measure-ment area to a single, well-defined arteryallows the waveform to retain the gen-eral shape between the two measure-ment points. This allows signal process-ing of waveforms to determine the phaseand amplitude changes.

Photoplethysmography, which meas-ures changes in arterial blood volume, iscommonly used to obtain heart rate andblood oxygen saturation. The digitizedPPG signals are used as inputs into thebeat-to-beat blood pressure measure-ment algorithm. The algorithm consistsof the following main components:• First harmonic isolation bandpass fil-

ters take the raw PPG signals and sepa-rate out the first harmonics.

• Three harmonic lowpass filters takethe PPG signal and filter out all spec-tral components outside the first threeharmonics. The first three harmonicsare used for regeneration of the pulsepressure waveforms.

• Phase analysis engine takes the firstharmonics of the PPG signals and com-putes the phase difference betweenthem in real time using a cross-correla-tion-based algorithm. The phase dif-ference is to the first order correlatedto the MAP (mean arterial pressure).

• Compliance estimation engine takesinformation on the general shape ofthe waveforms and the phase delay tocompute the local compliance of the

artery. The higher the arterial pres-sure, the higher the Young’s modulusand thus the lower the compliance.

• MAP computation engine obtains thephase delay and compliance informa-tion and provides the mean arterialpressure.

• Waveform analysis engine takes thePPG signal containing the first threeharmonics and provides the signal pro-cessing needed for compliance (elas-ticity) estimation and pulse pressurecomputation.

• Pulse pressure computation enginetakes the filtered PPG signal and an es-timate of the arterial compliance to re-generate the pulse waveform.

• B3P computation engine takes theMAP and the pulse pressure computa-tions and combines them with a bloodpressure model and calibration data toproduce the final signal of interest —the beat-to-beat blood pressure.This work was done by Yong Jin Lee of

Linea Research Corporation for Johnson SpaceCenter. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1).

In accordance with Public Law 96-517,the contractor has elected to retain title to thisinvention. Inquiries concerning rights for itscommercial use should be addressed to:

Linea Research Corporation1020 Corporation WaySuite 216Palo Alto, CA 94303Refer to MSC-24601-1, volume and num-

ber of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and thepage number.

Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure MonitorThis invention is applicable to all segments of the blood pressure monitoring market, includingambulatory, home-based, and high-acuity monitoring.Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

NASA is in the process of modernizingits communications infrastructure to ac-company the development of a Crew Ex-ploration Vehicle (CEV) to replace theshuttle. With this effort comes the oppor-

tunity to infuse more advanced codedmodulation techniques, including low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes thatoffer greater coding gains than the cur-rent capability. However, in order to take

full advantage of these codes, the groundsegment receiver synchronization loopsmust be able to operate at a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than supported byequipment currently in use.

Measurement Techniques for Clock JitterNew approach offers more advanced coded modulation techniques.Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas


At low SNR, the receiver symbol syn-chronization loop will be increasinglysensitive to transmitter timing jitter. Ex-cessive timing jitter can cause bit slips inthe receiver synchronization loop, whichwill in turn cause frame losses and po-tentially lead to receiver and/or decoderloss-of-lock. Therefore, it is necessary toinvestigate what symbol timing jitter re-quirements on the satellite transmitterare needed to support the next genera-tion of NASA coded modulation tech-niques.

Measurements of ground segment re-ceiver sensitivity to transmitter bit jitterwere conducted using a satellitetransponder and two different commer-cial staggered quadrature phase-shiftkeying (SQPSK) re ceivers. The symbolsynchronizer loop transfer functionswere characterized for each receiver.Symbol timing jitter was introduced at

the transmitter. Effects of sinusoidal(tone) jitter on symbol error rate (SER)degradation and symbol slip probabilitywere measured. These measurementswere used to define regions of sensitivityto phase, frequency, and cycle-to-cyclejitter characterizations. An assortment ofother band-limited jitter waveforms wasthen applied within each region to iden-tify peak or root-mean-square measuresas a basis for comparability.

Receiver clock recovery loops that op-erate in low SNR ratio environments re-quire that transmit clock jitter be con-strained by several measures on differentdimensions and operating regions. Inthis work, effects of transmit phase jitter(PhJ), frequency jitter (FJ), and cycle-to-cycle jitter (CCJ) were studied for sinu-soidal and multi-tone jitter profiles on re-ceiver performance. It was demonstratedthat the receiver must have a loop band-

width tight enough to avoid cycle slips,but loose enough to track some move-ment in the data signal. Movement that atight loop cannot track is usually mani-fested first as intersymbol interference(ISI) (SER degradation) and then ulti-mately as cycle slipping in the receiver.

Results from the tests indicate that thereceiver symbol synchronization loop ismore sensitive to certain types of symboljitter and jitter frequencies, dependingon the selection of the loop filter anddamping ratio. A framework is providedto properly compose a transmit jittermask depending on receiver design pa-rameters such as damping ratio in orderto limit receiver performance degrada-tion at low SNR regions.

This work was done by Chatwin Lans-downe and Adam Schlesinger of JohnsonSpace Center. Further information is con-tained in a TSP (see page 1). MSC-24810-1

A miniature, lighter-weight, and highlyaccurate inertial navigation system (INS)is coupled with GPS receivers to providestable and highly accurate positioning, at-titude, and inertial measurements whilebeing subjected to highly dynamic ma-neuvers. In contrast to conventionalmethods that use extensive, ground-based, real-time tracking and controlunits that are expensive, large, and re-quire excessive amounts of power to oper-ate, this method focuses on the develop-ment of an estimator that makes use of alow-cost, miniature accelerometer arrayfused with traditional measurement sys-tems and GPS. Through the use of a posi-

tion tracking estimation algorithm, on-board accelerometers are numerically in-tegrated and transformed using attitudeinformation to obtain an estimate of posi-tion in the inertial frame. Position and ve-locity estimates are subject to drift due toaccelerometer sensor bias and high vibra-tion over time, and so require the integra-tion with GPS information using aKalman filter to provide highly accurateand reliable inertial tracking estimations.

The method implemented here usesthe local gravitational field vector. Upondetermining the location of the localgravitational field vector relative to twoconsecutive sensors, the orientation of

the device may then be estimated, andthe attitude determined. Improved atti-tude estimates further enhance the iner-tial position estimates. The device canbe powered either by batteries, or by thepower source onboard its target plat-forms. A DB9 port provides the I/O toexternal systems, and the device is de-signed to be mounted in a waterproofcase for all-weather conditions.

This work was done by Liang Tang of Im-pact Technologies and Agamemnon Crassidisof the Rochester Institute of Technology forGoddard Space Flight Center. Further infor-mation is contained in a TSP (see page 1).GSC-16132-1

Lightweight, Miniature Inertial Measurement System Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Optical Density Analysis of X-Rays Utilizing Calibration Toolingto Estimate Thickness of PartsThis method uses off-the-shelf data analysis software and a digitized x-ray for nondestructive testing.John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This process is designed to estimatethe thickness change of a materialthrough data analysis of a digitized ver-sion of an x-ray (or a digital x-ray) con-taining the material (with the thicknessin question) and various tooling. Usingthis process, it is possible to estimate a

material’s thickness change in a regionof the material or part that is thinnerthan the rest of the reference thickness.However, that same principle processcan be used to determine the thicknesschange of material using a thinner re-gion to determine thickening, or it can

be used to develop contour plots of anentire part.

Proper tooling must be used. An x-rayfilm with an S-shaped characteristiccurve or a digital x-ray device with aproduct resulting in like characteristicsis necessary. If a film exists with linear


characteristics, this type of film would beideal; however, at the time of this report-ing, no such film has been known. Ma-chined components (with known frac-tional thicknesses) of a like material(similar density) to that of the materialto be measured are necessary.

The machined components shouldhave machined through-holes. For easeof use and better accuracy, the through-holes should be a size larger than 0.125in. (≈3 mm). Standard components forthis use are known as penetrameters orimage quality indicators. Also needed isstandard x-ray equipment, if film is usedin place of digital equipment, or x-raydigitization equipment with proven con-version properties. Typical x-ray digitiza-

tion equipment is commonly used in themedical industry, and creates digital im-ages of x-rays in DICOM format. It is rec-ommended to scan the image in a 16-bitformat. However, 12-bit and 8-bit resolu-tions are acceptable. Finally, x-ray analy-sis software that allows accurate digitalimage density calculations, such asImage-J freeware, is needed.

The actual procedure requires thetest article to be placed on the raw x-ray,ensuring the region of interest isaligned for perpendicular x-ray expo-sure capture. One or multiple ma-chined components of like material/density with known thicknesses areplaced atop the part (preferably in a re-gion of nominal and non-varying thick-

ness) such that exposure of the com-bined part and machined componentlay-up is captured on the x-ray. Depend-ing on the accuracy required, the ma-chined component’s thickness must becarefully chosen. Similarly, dependingon the accuracy required, the lay-upmust be exposed such that the regionsof the x-ray to be analyzed have a den-sity range between 1 and 4.5. After theexposure, the image is digitized, andthe digital image can then be analyzedusing the image analysis software.

This work was done by David Grau ofKennedy Space Center. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1). KSC-13206

A concept has been developed for anew fuel cell individual-cell-voltage mon-itor that can be directly connected to amulti-cell fuel cell stack for direct sub-stack power provisioning. It can also pro-vide voltage isolation for applications inhigh-voltage fuel cell stacks. The tech-nology consists of basic modules, eachwith an 8- to 16-cell input electricalmeasurement connection port. For eachbasic module, a power input connectionwould be provided for direct connectionto a sub-stack of fuel cells in series withinthe larger stack. This power connectionwould allow for module power to beavailable in the range of 9-15 volts DC.

The relatively low voltage differencesthat the module would encounter fromthe input electrical measurement con-nection port, coupled with the fact thatthe module’s operating power is sup-plied by the same substack voltage input(and so will be at similar voltage), pro-vides for elimination of high-common-mode voltage issues within each module.Within each module, there would be op-tions for analog-to-digital conversionand data transfer schemes.

Each module would also include adata-output/communication port. Eachof these ports would be required to beeither non-electrical (e.g., optically iso-

lated) or electrically isolated. This is nec-essary to account for the fact that theplurality of modules attached to thestack will normally be at a range of volt-ages approaching the full range of thefuel cell stack operating voltages. A com-munications/data bus could interfacewith the several basic modules. Optionshave been identified for command in-puts from the spacecraft vehicle con-troller, and for output-status/data feedsto the vehicle.

This work was done by Arturo Vasquez ofJohnson Space Center. For further informa-tion, contact the JSC Innovation PartnershipsOffice at (281) 483-3809. MSC-24592-1

Fuel Cell/Electrochemical Cell Voltage Monitor Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

Online detection techniques to mon-itor the health of rotating engine com-ponents are becoming increasingly at-tractive to aircraft enginemanufacturers in order to increasesafety of operation and lower mainte-nance costs. Health monitoring remainsa challenge to easily implement, espe-cially in the presence of scattered load-ing conditions, crack size, component

geometry, and materials properties. Thecurrent trend, however, is to utilize non-invasive types of health monitoring ornondestructive techniques to detecthidden flaws and mini-cracks before anycatastrophic event occurs. These tech-niques go further to evaluate materialdiscontinuities and other anomaliesthat have grown to the level of criticaldefects that can lead to failure. Gener-

ally, health monitoring is highly de-pendent on sensor systems capable ofperforming in various engine environ-mental conditions and able to transmita signal upon a predetermined cracklength, while acting in a neutral formupon the overall performance of the en-gine system.

Spin simulation tests were conductedon a turbine engine-like rotor with and

Anomaly Detection Techniques With Real Test Data From aSpinning Turbine Engine-Like RotorThese techniques are suitable for engine manufacturers and industries in aerospace and aviation.John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio


without an artificially induced notch atdifferent rotational loading speed levels.Health monitoring verification was per-formed by integrating three differentadvanced machine-learning algorithmsfor anomaly detection in continuousdata streams from spinning tests of asubscale turbine engine-like rotor diskup to a speed of 10,000 rpm.

This study compares an outlier detec-tion algorithm (Orca), one-class sup-port vector machines (OCSVM), andthe Inductive Monitoring System (IMS)for anomaly detection on the datastreams. These techniques were used toinspect the experimental data underthe same operating conditions em-ployed in the tests, and using the meas-ured vibration response (blade tipclearance) as a key input to check theviability of these techniques on detect-ing the disk anomalies and to evaluatethe performance of each methodology.The performance of the algorithm ismeasured with respect to the detection

horizon for situations where fault infor-mation is available. Further, this workpresents a select evaluation of an onlinehealth monitoring scheme of a rotatingdisk using a combination of high-cal-iber sensor technology, high-precisionin-house spin test system facilities, andunprecedented data-driven fault detec-tion methodologies.

The methodologies applied in thisstudy can be considered as a model-based reasoning approach to enginehealth monitoring. Typical model-basedreasoning techniques compare a systemmodel or simulation with system sensordata to detect deviations between valuespredicted by the model and those pro-duced by the actual system. In fact, amodel-based reasoner uses the collectedsystem parameter values as input to asimulation and determines if a particu-lar set of input values is consistent withthe simulation model. When the valuesare not consistent with the model, a“conflict” occurs, indicating that the sys-

tem operation is off nominal. The re-sults obtained showed that the detectionalgorithms are capable of predictinganomalies in the rotor disk with verygood accuracy. Each detection schemeperformed differently under the sameexperimental conditions, and each de-livered a different level of precision interms of detecting a fault in the rotor.Overall rating showed that both theOrca and OCVSM performed betterthan the IMS technique.

This work was done by Ali Abdul-Aziz,Mark R. Woike, Nikunj C. Oza, and BryanL. Matthews of Glenn Research Center. Fur-ther information is contained in a TSP (seepage 1).

Inquiries concerning rights for the commer-cial use of this invention should be addressedto NASA Glenn Research Center, InnovativePartnerships Office, Attn: Steven Fedor, MailStop 4–8, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleve-land, Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-18758-1.

Large cryogenic liquid hydrogentanks are composed of inner and outershells. The outer shell is exposed to theambient environment while the innershell holds the liquid hydrogen. The re-gion between these two shells is evacu-ated and typically filled with a powder-like insulation to minimize radiativecoupling between the two shells. A tech-nique was developed for detecting thepresence of an air leak from the outsideenvironment into this evacuated region.

These tanks are roughly 70 ft (≈21 m) indiameter (outer shell) and the innershell is roughly 62 ft (≈19 m) in diame-ter, so the evacuated region is about 4 ft(≈1 m) wide.

A small leak’s primary effect is to in-crease the boil-off of the tank. It waspreferable to install a more accurate filllevel sensor than to implement a boil-offmeter. The fill level sensor would becomposed of an accurate pair of pres-sure transducers that would essentially

weigh the remaining liquid hydrogen.This upgrade, allowing boil-off data tobe obtained weekly instead of over sev-eral months, is ongoing, and will thenprovide a relatively rapid indication ofthe presence of a leak.

This work was done by Robert Youngquist,Stanley Starr, and Mark Nurge of KennedySpace Center. Further information is con-tained in a TSP (see page 1). KSC-13211

Measuring Air Leaks Into the Vacuum Space of Large LiquidHydrogen TanksJohn F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A document describes the AntennaCalibration & Measurement Equipment(ACME) system that will provide theDeep Space Network (DSN) with instru-mentation enabling a trained RF engi-neer at each complex to perform an-tenna calibration measurements and togenerate antenna calibration data. Thisdata includes continuous-scan auto-bore-based data acquisition with all-skydata gathering in support of 4th order

pointing model generation require-ments. Other data includes antennasubreflector focus, system noise temper-ature and tipping curves, antenna effi-ciency, reports system linearity, and in-strument calibration.

The ACME system design is based onthe on-the-fly (OTF) mapping tech-nique and architecture. ACME has con-tributed to the improved RF perform-ance of the DSN by approximately a

factor of two. It improved the pointingperformances of the DSN antennas andproductivity of its personnel and calibra-tion engineers.

This work was done by David J. Rochblattand Manuel Vazquez Cortes of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Furtherinformation is contained in a TSP (see page1). NPO-47599

Antenna Calibration and Measurement EquipmentNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California



Manufacturing & Prototyping

The key advantages of this approachinclude the fact that the index of inter-face glass (such as Pb glass n = 1.66)greatly reduces Fresnel losses at thefiber-to-waveguide interface, resulting inlower optical losses. A contiguous struc-ture cannot be misaligned and readilylends itself for use on aircraft or spaceoperation. The epoxy-free, fiber-to-wave-guide interface provides an opticallypure, sealed interface for low-loss, high-power coupling. Proof of concept of thisapproach has included successful attach-ment of the low-melting-temperature

glass to the x–y plane of the crystal, suc-cessful attachment of the low-melting-temperature glass to the end face of astandard SMF (single-mode fiber), andsuccessful attachment of a wetted low-melting-temperature glass SMF to theend face of a KTP crystal.

There are many photonic compo-nents on the market whose performanceand robustness could benefit from thiscoupling approach once fully devel-oped. It can be used in a variety of fiber-coupled waveguide-based components,such as frequency conversion modules,

and amplitude and phase modulators. Arobust, epoxy-free, contiguous opticalinterface lends itself to components thatrequire low-loss, high-optical-power han-dling capability, and good performancein adverse environments such as flightor space operation.

This work was done by Shirley McNeil,Philip Battle, and Todd Hawthorne of AdvR,Inc.; and John Lower, Robert Wiley, and BrettClark of 3SAE Technologies, Inc. for GoddardSpace Flight Center. Further information is con-tained in a TSP (see page 1). GSC-16348-1

Glass Solder Approach for Robust, Low-Loss, Fiber-to-Waveguide Coupling Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

High-precision mirrors for space ap-plications are traditionally manufac-tured from one piece of material, suchas lightweight glass “sandwich” or beryl-lium. The purpose of this project was todevelop and test the feasibility of a man-ufacturing process capable of producingmirrors out of welded segments of AlBe-Met® (AM162H). AlBeMet® is a HIP’d(hot isostatic pressed) material contain-ing approximately 62% beryllium and38% aluminum. As a result, AlBeMet®

shares many of the benefits of both ofthose materials for use in high perform-ance mirrors, while minimizing many oftheir weaknesses.

AlBeMet® machines more like alu-minum than beryllium, but retains manyof the beneficial structural characteris-tics of beryllium, such as a lower coeffi-cient of thermal expansion (CTE),greater stiffness, and lower density thanaluminum. AlBeMet® also has as a keycharacteristic that it can be electron-beam welded, and AlBeMet® has beendemonstrated as a suitable material foruse as an optical substrate. These last

two characteristics were central to the se-lection of AlBeMet® as the material tobe used in the construction of the seg-mented mirror. In order to effectivelycompare the performance of the mono-lithic and the segmented mirror, a planomirror was designed.

A plano mirror is the best design, as itminimizes the effect of extraneous fac-tors on the performance of the final mir-ror, such as the skill of the polisher to

achieve the proper prescription. A planomirror will also theoretically retain thesame prescription when segmented andthen reassembled. Any material lost tothe kerf will not change the prescrip-tion, unlike, for example, a sphericalmirror whose radius of curvature will be-come smaller with the loss of material.The mirror design also incorporateslight-weighting cavities and stiffeningribs, as is typical in space-based mirror

Lightweight Metal Matrix Composite Segmented forManufacturing High-Precision MirrorsNew approach is examined to reduce production costs.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Front of the welded mirror substrate. Back of the finished mirror.


design. Thicker ribs were required alongthe proposed cutting/welding lines tofacilitate the machining of those sur-faces when the mirror was segmented.The mirror was designed to be cut intofour (4) equal segments. As a result, thethicker ribs ran perpendicular to eachother through the center of the mirror.

The monolithic mirror was ma chinedand ground by closely follow ing Mate-rion’s suggested fabrication process forAlBeMet®, including stabilization, temper-ature cycling, and in-process inspectionchecks. Once the flatness had been ob-tained, the mirror was sent for nickel plat-ing. The mirror was plated with high-phos-phorous nickel to a thickness between0.003 and 0.004 in. (≈0.076 and 0.102mm) in accordance with specificationAMS 2404, class I. After nickel-plating, themirror was stabilized and then polished toobtain a finished optic. In the end, themonolithic mirror achieved a surface fig-ure of nearly ¼ λ (0.286 λ) at 633 nm witha surface roughness of 15 Å rms.

The monolithic mirror was then pre-pared to be segmented and welded. Thenickel-plating on the mirror had to becompletely stripped off in order to facil-itate welding. The mirror was cut intofour quarters using a wire EDM process.The segments were stabilized andcleaned before being delivered to Mate-rion for the welding process. The weldsalong the mirror surface were done firstand the mirror flipped and aligned, andthe backside, along the bottom of theribs, was welded.

Following welding, one first had to re-move enough material from the mirrorsurface to get below any surface damageor other irregularities caused by theweld. A small amount of material wasalso removed from the backside of themirror, simply to clean up the appear-ance of that weld. The mirror was stressrelieved before being ground to theproper flatness requirement, after whichthe mirror was inspected and sent outfor nickel plating.

The returned mirror underwent thegrinding and polishing process in thesame manner as that used on the mono-lithic mirror. The mirror was ground andpolished until it achieved a surface fig-ure of less than 1 (at 633 nm), tempera-ture cycled for stabilization, and then re-measured. In the end, the segmentedmirror achieved a surface figure of lessthan 0.7 at 633 nm with a surface rough-ness measured at 16.5 Å. It is very proba-ble that a better surface figure couldhave been achieved on the segmentedmirror, but budget constraints of thisPhase I project prevented further efforts.

Based on the results presented, thefeasibility of creating high-performancemirrors out of welded segments of AlBe-Met® has been proven and has the po-tential for being used in a full-size astro-nomical mirror.

This work was done by Vladimir Vudler ofHardric Laboratories, Inc. for Goddard SpaceFlight Center. Further information is con-tained in a TSP (see page 1). GSC-16165-1

The sounding rocket experimentFIRE (Far-ultraviolet Imaging RocketExperi ment) will improve the sciencecommunity’s ability to image a spectralregion hitherto unexplored astronomi-cally. The imaging band of FIRE (≈900to 1,100 Å) will help fill the currentwavelength imaging observation hole ex-isting from ≈620 Å to the GALEX bandnear 1,350 Å. FIRE is a single-opticprime focus telescope with a 1.75-mfocal length. The bandpass of 900 to1100 Å is set by a combination of themirror coating, the indium filter in frontof the detector, and the salt coating onthe front of the detector’s microchannelplates. Critical to this is the indium filterthat must reduce the flux from Lyman-alpha at 1,216 Å by a minimum factor of10–4. The cost of this Lyman-alpha re-moval is that the filter is not fully trans-parent at the desired wavelengths of 900to 1,100 Å.

Recently, in a project to improve theperformance of optical and solar blinddetectors, JPL developed a plasmaprocess capable of removing carboncontamination from indium metal. Inthis work, a low-power, low-temperature

Plasma Treatment To Remove Carbon From Indium UV Filters Hydrogen plasma cleaning is used in sterilization applications in healthcare as an alternative to autoclaving. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

A cutaway view shows the Detector Assembly and Filter. The indium filter sits just in front of the de-tector plates in the light beam (yellow cone) at the orange ring.


hydrogen plasma reacts with the carboncontaminants in the indium to formmethane, but leaves the indium metalsurface undisturbed. This process wasrecently tested in a proof-of-concept ex-periment with a filter provided by theUniversity of Colorado. This initial teston a test filter showed improvement intransmission from 7 to 9 percent near900 Å with no process optimization ap-plied. Further improvements in this per-formance were readily achieved to bringthe total transmission to 12% with opti-mization to JPL’s existing process.

A low-power, hydrogen plasma treat-ment is generated in a PlasmaTherm RIEetcher using a mixture of argon and hy-

drogen gas. The gas ratio is optimized inorder to control the following variables:bias voltage, atomic hydrogen content,and substrate temperature. Low bias volt-age is required to avoid mechanically de-grading the filters by sputtering the in-dium foil. High atomic hydrogencontent is required to enhance the car-bon removal rate. Low substrate temper-ature is required to avoid deformation ofthe indium foil due to sagging. Thosevariables are optimized around MFC(mass flow controller) setpoints of 25sccm argon and 7 sccm hydrogen.

This work was done by Harold F. Greer andShouleh Nikzad of Caltech, and MatthewBeasley and Brennan Gantner of the Univer-

sity of Colorado for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. Further information is containedin a TSP (see page 1).


Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-47400, volume and number

of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and thepage number.


Electronics/Computers

Telerobotics Workstation (TRWS) for Deep Space Habitats This multi- display computer workstation can be adjusted for a variety of configurations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

On medium- to long- duration humanspaceflight missions, latency in commu-nications from Earth could reduce effi-ciency or hinder local operations, con-trol, and monitoring of the variousmission vehicles and other elements. Re -gardless of the degree of autonomy ofany one particular element, a means ofmonitoring and controlling the ele-ments in real time based on missionneeds would increase efficiency and re-sponse times for their operation. Sincehuman crews would be present locally, alocal means for monitoring and control-ling all the various mission elements isneeded, particularly for robotic ele-ments where response to interesting sci-entific features in the environmentmight need near- instantaneous manipu-lation and control.

One of the elements proposed formed ium- and long- duration human space - flight missions, the Deep Space Habitat(DSH), is intended to be used as a re -mote residence and working volume forhuman crews. The proposed solution forlocal monitoring and control would beto provide a workstation within the DSHwhere local crews can operate local vehi-cles and robotic elements with little tono latency.

The Telerobotics Workstation(TRWS) is a multi- display computerworkstation mounted in a dedicated lo-cation within the DSH that can be ad-justed for a variety of configurations asrequired. From an Intra- Vehicular Ac-tivity (IVA) location, the TRWS usesthe Robot App lication ProgrammingInterface Del egate (RAPID) controlenvironment through the local net-work to remotely monitor and controlvehicles and robotic assets located out-side the pressurized volume in the im-mediate vicinity or at low- latency dis-tances from the habitat. The multipledisplay area of the TRWS allows thecrew to have numerous windows openwith live video feeds, control windows,and data browsers, as well as local mon-itoring and control of the DSH and as-sociated systems.

The novelty of the TRWS comes fromthe integration and configuration of var-ious software and hardware elementswithin the context of the DSH environ-ment. Controls, communications, powerstatus, situational awareness informa-tion, and telemetry — though employ-ing conventional and sometimes com-mercial off- the- shelf (COTS) equipment— are displayed in a unique operationalenvironment that must compete withcrew attention in a fully functional habi-tat. The TRWS RAPID software, hard-ware, structural configuration, ergo -

nom ics, and human factors combine toprovide the crew with an efficient toolfor carrying out mission remote assetcontrol objectives.

This work was done by David S. Mittman,Alan S. Howe, and Recaredo J. Torres of Cal-tech; Jennifer L. Rochlis Zumbado and Kim-berly A. Hambuchen of Johnson Space Center;and Matthew Demel and Christopher C.Chapman of JSC Jacobs Technology forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Furtherinformation is contained in a TSP (see page1). NPO- 48503

The Telerobotics Workstation (TRWS) swing frame enables the mounted computer workstation to beadjusted for a variety of configurations.


In order to reduce the effect of gainand noise instabilities in the RF chain ofa microwave radiometer, a Dicke ra-diometer topology is often used, as inthe case of the proposed surface waterand ocean topography (SWOT) ra-diometer instrument. For this topology,a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) mi-crowave switch is needed, which musthave low insertion loss at the radiometerchannel frequencies to minimize theoverall receiver noise figure. Totalpower radiometers are limited in accu-racy due to the continuous variation ingain of the receiver. Currently, there areno switches in the market that can pro-vide these characteristics at 92, 130, and166 GHz as needed for the proposedSWOT radiometer instrument.

High-frequency SPDT switches weredeveloped in the form of monolithic mi-

crowave integrated circuits (MMICs)using 75-µm indium phosphide (InP)PIN-diode technology. These switchescan be easily integrated into Dickeswitched radiometers that utilize mi-crostrip technology. The MMIC switchesoperate from 80 to 105 GHz, 90 to 135GHz, and 160 to 185 GHz. The 80- to105-GHz switches have been tested andhave achieved <2-dB insertion loss, >15-dB return loss (>18 dB for the asymmet-ric design), and >15-dB isolation. Theisolation can be tuned to achieve >20-dBisolation from 85 to 103 GHz. The 90- to135-GHz SPDT switch has achieved <2-dB insertion loss, >15-dB return loss,and 8- to 12-dB isolation. However, it hasbeen shown that the isolation of thisswitch can also be improved. Althoughthe 160- to 185-GHz switch has been fab-ricated, it has not yet been measured at

the time of this reporting. Simulation re-sults predict this switch will have <2-dBinsertion loss, >20-dB return loss, and>20-dB isolation.

The switches can be used for a ra-diometer such as the one proposed forthe SWOT Satellite Mission whose threechannels at 92, 130, and 166 GHz wouldallow for wet-tropospheric path delaycorrection near coastal zones and overland. This feat is not possible with thecurrent Jason-class radiometers due totheir lower frequency signal measure-ment and thus lower resolution.

The design work was done by Oliver Montes,Douglas E. Dawson, and Pekka P. Kangaslahtiof Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-tory. The processing of the InP MMIC circuitswas done by Kwok Loi and Augusto Gutierrezfrom NGST. Further information is containedin a TSP (see page 1). NPO-48083

Single-Pole Double-Throw MMIC Switches for a Microwave Radiometer Switches reduce the effect of gain and noise instabilities.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

On Shaft Data Acquisition System(OSDAS) is a rugged, compact, multiple-channel data acquisition computer systemthat is designed to record data from instru-mentation while operating under extremerotational centrifugal or gravitational ac-celeration forces. This system, which wasdeveloped for the Heritage Fuel Air Tur-bine Test (HFATT) program, addresses theproblem of recording multiple channels ofhigh-sample-rate data on most any rotatingtest article by mounting the entire acquisi-tion computer onboard with the turbinetest article. With the limited availability ofslip ring wires for power and communica-tion, OSDAS utilizes its own resources toprovide independent power and amplifica-tion for each instrument. Since OSDAS uti-lizes standard PC technology as well asshared code interfaces with the next-gener-ation, real-time health monitoring system(SPARTAA — Scalable Parallel Architec-ture for Real Time Analysis and Acquisi-tion), this system could be expanded be-yond its current capabilities, such as

providing advanced health monitoring ca-pabilities for the test article.

High-conductor-count slip rings are ex-pensive to purchase and maintain, yet onlyprovide a limited number of conductorsfor routing instrumentation off the articleand to a stationary data acquisition system.In addition to being limited to a smallnumber of instruments, slip rings areprone to wear quickly, and introducenoise and other undesirable characteris-tics to the signal data. This led to the devel-opment of a system capable of recordinghigh-density instrumentation, at high sam-ple rates, on the test article itself, all whileunder extreme rotational stress.

OSDAS is a fully functional PC-basedsystem with 48 channels of 24-bit, high-sample-rate input channels, phase syn-chronized, with an onboard storage ca-pacity of over ½-terabyte of solid-statestorage. This recording system takes anovel approach to the problem of record-ing multiple channels of instrumentation,integrated with the test article itself, pack-

aged in a compact/rugged form factor,consuming limited power, all while rotat-ing at high turbine speeds.

The hardware components were ori-ented, secured, and encapsulated by a vari-ety of novel application techniques thatallow for the system to continue operationunder rotational stress. This full, custom-hardened system was designed to be acomprehensive solution to attaching di-rectly to instrumentation (without externalsensor power supplies and amplification).Instead, all instrumentation has a dedi-cated power supply, integrated insideOSDAS, with the ability to withstand elec-trical faults (short circuits, etc.) withoutcompromising other sensors. The amplifi-cation required for each sensor was config-urable at build time to match that of theKulite instrumentation used in the HFATTarticle. The entire computing, storage, andacquisition hardware system was custom-encapsulated in a thermally conductivemedium that allows heat to passively dissi-pate by air via the outer shell (indoor/out-

On Shaft Data Acquisition System (OSDAS) Applications include helicopter rotor testing, onboard liquid/solid rocket engine dataacquisition, and gas-turbine-engine health monitoring. Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama


door environmental conditions) or by con-duction cooling in space conditions.

OSDAS is a comprehensive, high-ca-pacity acquisition system capable of with-standing extreme rotational forces. Theexisting products on the market are ei-ther limited in channel capacity, band-width, or simply not capable of with-standing physical stress. As part of thebuild process, a variety of mounting andencapsulation techniques was utilized,which ensures the system can withstandharsh rotational stresses. OSDAS em-ploys the use of standard PC technology.The system was built to share a code in-terface with that of the SPARTAA, other-

wise known as the next-generation, real-time vibration monitoring system(RTVMS). This allows OSDAS to be ex-panded in the future to incorporatereal-time health monitoring of the testarticle hardware.

OSDAS employs a common hardware-mounting interface that allows the acqui-sition system to be adapted to a variety oftest articles and environments. With theuse of built-in sensor amplification and in-dependent power supplies, a total sensoracquisition solution was provided. Whileacquisition storage capacity and channelcounts were limited initially by the desireof a small/compact form factor, further

expansion beyond 48 channels and multi-terabyte solutions is possible. For the finalsystem checkout, OSDAS was subjected tospeeds over 15,000 RPM (maximum facil-ity capability). A continuous Ethernetconnection was maintained throughoutthe checkout and test series.

This work was done by Marc Pedings, ShawnDeHart, Jason Formby, and Charles Naumannof Optical Sciences Corporation for MarshallSpace Flight Center. For more information, con-tact Sammy Nabors, MSFC CommercializationAssistance Lead, at [email protected] to MFS-32908-1.

The objective of this work was to de-velop a new class of readout integratedcircuit (ROIC) arrays to be operatedwith Geiger avalanche photodiode(GPD) arrays, by integrating multiplefunctions at the pixel level (smart-pixelor active pixel technology) in 250-nmCMOS (complementary metal oxidesemiconductor) processes. In order topack a maximum of functions within aminimum pixel size, the ROIC array is afull, custom application-specific inte-grated circuit (ASIC) design using amixed-signal CMOS process with com-pact primitive layout cells.

The ROIC array was processed toallow assembly in bump-bonding tech-nology with photon-counting infrareddetector arrays into 3-D imaging cam-eras (LADAR). The ROIC architecturewas designed to work with either com-mon-anode Si GPD arrays or common-cathode InGaAs GPD arrays. The cur-rent ROIC pixel design is hardwiredprior to processing one of the two GPDarray configurations, and it has the pro-vision to allow soft reconfiguration to ei-ther array (to be implemented into thenext ROIC array generation). TheROIC pixel architecture implementsthe Geiger avalanche quenching, bias,reset, and time to digital conversion(TDC) functions in full-digital design,and uses time domain over-sampling(vernier) to allow high temporal resolu-tion at low clock rates, increased data

yield, and improved utilization of thelaser beam.

The non-uniformity of the break-down voltage over large GPD arrays (aserious concern in InGaAs GPD arrays)is partially corrected by a digital-to-ana-log circuit, capable of detecting the firstbreakdown event at pixel level, storingthe breakdown voltage bin, and correct-ing for the breakdown voltage excur-sion. The correction is written at thepixel level. It is performed once at thefirst power-up and could be repeatedany time prior to field operation afterROIC hard reset. Implementing thisfeature is critical for large and verylarge GPD arrays, for which I/O limita-tions impose on-die time binning onmultiple pixels.

A pixel-level interface integrated intothe ROIC pixel was developed to workwith the GPD pixel (active quenchingor AQC). The AQC interface detectsthe Geiger pulse, quenches the Geigeravalanche, and then resets (drains) thecharge at the GPD-AQC node. TheROIC-GPD array is fully gated — GATEenable generates the START signal forthe pixel-level TDCs and biases theGPD pixel above the breakdown volt-age. The stop event in TDC is driven bythe AQC output (following the photondetection registration) and identifiesthe time stamp with respect to the sys-tem clock generating the synchronizedGATE (START) signal. The signal is fed

through multiple taps for fine timesampling (vernier bits) to a synchro-nized random counter. A programma-ble delay in the time vernier module al-lows extending the dynamic rangewithout adding counter bits to the rawrange TDC module, but at the expenseof decreased timing resolution. ROICarrays processed in 250-nm CMOS al-lowed increasing the count rate of theGeiger arrays (less than 20-ns reset)and reading out the time stamp ofGeiger events detected in each pixelwith 350-ps timing resolution. Fine timesampling is created by using redundantclock phase shifting as a time vernier,thus allowing the pixel to over-samplethe time domain at low clock frequency(200 MHz), and thus decreasing the un-certainty due to setup time violationsand improving the utilization of thelaser pulses. The programmable delayallows also super-fine timing — in thismode the ROIC should be capable of175-ps timing resolution. The row-col-umn driver, integrated with the ROICarray, enables shifting sequentially therow data. The implementation into16×32 or mosaic 32×32 pixel ROIC ar-rays should be scalable to much largerROIC/GPD arrays.

This work was done by Stefan Vasile andJerold Lipson of aPeak Inc. for GoddardSpace Flight Center. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1). GSC-16107-1

ASIC Readout Circuit Architecture for Large GeigerPhotodiode ArraysCommercial applications include 3D imaging, positron emission tomography (PET), laserranging (LADAR), night vision, and surveillance.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland


Flexible Architecture for FPGAs in Embedded SystemsA small device simplifies FPGA development in cPCI systems.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Commonly, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGAs) being developed in cPCIembedded systems include the bus inter-face in the FPGA. This complicates thedevelopment because the interface iscomplicated and requires a lot of devel-opment time and FPGA resources. In ad-dition, flight qualification requires asubstantial amount of time be devotedto just this interface.

Another complication of putting thecPCI interface into the FPGA being de-veloped is that configuration informa-tion loaded into the device by the cPCImicroprocessor is lost when a new bit fileis loaded, requiring cumbersome opera-tions to return the system to an opera-tional state.

Finally, SRAM-based FPGAs are typi-cally programmed via specialized cablesand software, with programming filesbeing loaded either directly into theFPGA, or into PROM devices. This canbe cumbersome when doing FPGA de-velopment in an embedded environ-ment, and does not have an easy path toflight. Currently, FPGAs used in spaceapplications are usually programmedvia multiple space-qualified PROM de-vices that are physically large and re-quire extra circuitry (typically including

a separate one-time programmableFPGA) to enable them to be used forthis application.

This technology adds a cPCI interfacedevice with a simple, flexible, high-per-formance backend interface supportingmultiple backend FPGAs. It includes amechanism for programming the FPGAs

directly via the microprocessor in theembedded system, eliminating special-ized hardware, software, and PROM de-vices and their associated circuitry. It hasa direct path to flight, and no extrahardware and minimal software are re-quired to support reprogramming inflight. The device added is currently asmall FPGA, but an advantage of thistechnology is that the design of the de-vice does not change, regardless of theapplication in which it is being used.This means that it needs to be qualifiedfor flight only once, and is suitable forone-time programmable devices or anapplication specific integrated circuit(ASIC). An application programminginterface (API) further reduces the de-velopment time needed to use the inter-face device in a system.

This work was done by Duane I. Clark andChester N. Lim of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further informationis contained in a TSP (see page 1).NPO-48424

The software used in this innovation isavailable for commercial licensing. Please con-tact Daniel Broderick of the California Insti-tute of Technology at [email protected] to NPO-48424.

DA

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ster

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Regi

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DM

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Bit

file

Lo

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ol

DM

A C

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Backend FPGA

cPCI bus

Interface Device A

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TA JTA

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JTAG Connector

The cPCI Interface is a common interface be-tween the cPCI bus and the backend FPGA. It isimplemented as a separate interface device onthe cPCI bus.


Materials & Coatings

Ablative materials are required toprotect a space vehicle from the ex-treme temperatures encountered dur-ing the most demanding (hyperbolic)atmospheric entry velocities, either forprobes launched toward other celestialbodies, or coming back to Earth fromdeep space missions. To that effect, the

resin-impregnated carbon ablator(RICA) is a high-temperaturecarbon/phenolic ablative thermal pro-tection system (TPS) material designedto use modern and commercially viablecomponents in its manufacture. Her-itage carbon/phenolic ablators in-tended for this use rely on materials

that are no longer in production (i.e.,Galileo, Pioneer Venus); hence the de-velopment of alternatives such as RICAis necessary for future NASA planetaryentry and Earth re-entry missions.RICA’s capabilities were initially meas-ured in air for Earth re-entry applica-tions, where it was exposed to a heat

Resin-Impregnated Carbon Ablator: A New Ablative Material forHyperbolic Entry SpeedsFrom surface temperatures as high as ≈3,000 °C, the measured back temperature is only 50 °C.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

A flexible, organic polyurea-basedaerogel insulation material was devel-oped that will provide superior thermalinsulation and inherent radiation pro-tection for government and commercialapplications. The rubbery polyurea-based aerogel exhibits little dustiness,good flexibility and toughness, anddurability typical of the parent polyureapolymer, yet with the low density and su-perior insulation properties associatedwith aerogels. The thermal conductivityvalues of polyurea-based aerogels atlower temperature under vacuum pres-sures are very low and better than that ofsilica aerogels.

Flexible, rubbery polyurea-basedaerogels are able to overcome the weakand brittle nature of conventional inor-ganic and organic aerogels, includingpolyisocyanurate aerogels, which aregenerally prepared with the one similarcomponent to polyurethane rubberaerogels. Additionally, with highercontent of hydrogen in their struc-tures, the polyurea rubber-based aero-gels will also provide inherently betterradiation protection than those of in-organic and carbon aerogels. Theaerogel materials also demonstrategood hydrophobicity due to their hy-drocarbon molecular structure.

There are several strategies to over-coming the drawbacks associated withthe weakness and brittleness of silicaaerogels. Development of the flexiblefiber-reinforced silica aerogel compos-ite blanket has proven to be one prom-ising approach, providing a conve-niently fielded form factor that isrelatively robust in industrial environ-ments compared to silica aerogel mono-liths. However, the flexible, silica aero-gel composites still have a brittle, dustycharacter that may be undesirable, oreven intolerable, in certain applicationenvironments. Although the cross -linked organic aerogels, such as resorci-nol-formaldehyde (RF), polyisocyanu-rate, and cellulose aerogels, show veryhigh impact strength, they are also verybrittle with little elongation (i.e., lessrubbery). Also, silica and carbon aero-gels are less efficient radiation shieldingmaterials due to their lower content ofhydrogen element.

The invention involves mixing atleast one isocyanate resin in solventalong with a specific amount of at leastone polyamine hardener. The hardeneris selected from a group of poly-oxyalkyleneamines, amine-based poly-ols, or a mixture thereof. Mixing is per-formed in the presence of a catalyst and

reinforcing inorganic and/or organicmaterials, and the system is then sub-jected to gelation, aging, and supercrit-ical drying. The aerogels will offer ex-ceptional flexibility, excellent thermaland physical properties, and good hy-drophobicity.

The rubbery polyurea-based aerogelsare very flexible with no dust and hy-drophobic organics that demonstratedthe following ranges of typical proper-ties: densities of 0.08 to 0.293 g/cm3,shrinkage factor (raerogel/rtarget) = 1.6to 2.84, and thermal conductivity valuesof 15.2 to 20.3 mW/m K.

This work was done by Je Kyun Lee ofAspen Aerogels, Inc. for Johnson Space Cen-ter. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1).


Aspen Aerogels, Inc.30 Forbes Road, Building BNorthborough, MA 01532Phone No.: (508) 691-1111Fax No.: (508) 691-1200 Refer to MSC-24214-1, volume and num-


Polyurea-Based Aerogel Monoliths and CompositesThese aerogels can be used in portable apparatus for warming, storing, and/or transportingfood and medicine, and can be recycled for fillers for conventional plastics.Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas


A long-term space mission requiresefficient air revitalization performanceto sustain the crew. Prefilter and partic-ulate air filter media are susceptible torapid fouling that adversely affects theirperformance and can lead to cata-strophic failure of the air revitalizationsystem, which may result in mission fail-ure. For a long-term voyage, it is im-practical to carry replacement particu-late prefilter and filter modules due tothe usual limitations in size, volume,and weight. The only solution to thisproblem is to reagentlessly regenerate

prefilter and filter media in place. Amethod was developed to modify theparticulate prefilter media to allowthem to regenerate reagentlessly, andin place, by the application of modestthermocycled transverse or reversedairflows. The innovation may allowNASA to close the breathing air loopmore efficiently, thereby sustaining thevision for manned space explorationmissions of the future.

A novel, self-cleaning coatings tech-nology was developed for air filter mediasurfaces that allows reagentless in-place

regeneration of the surface. The tech-nology grafts thermoresponsive andnonspecific adhesion minimizing poly-mer nanolayer brush coatings from theprefilter media. These polymernanolayer brush architectures can betriggered to contract and expand to gen-erate a “pushing-off” force by the simpleapplication of modestly thermocycled(i.e. cycling from ambient cabin temper-ature to 40 ºC) air streams. The nonspe-cific adhesion-minimizing properties ofthe coatings do not allow the particulatefoulants to adhere strongly to the filter

Self-Cleaning Particulate Prefilter Media This technology has application for air filter manufacturers for self-cleaning particulate prefilters.John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

flux of 14 MW/m2 for 22 seconds.Methane tests were also carried out forpotential application in Saturn’s moonTitan, with a nominal heat flux of 1.4MW/m2 for up to 478 seconds. Threeslightly different material formulations

were manufactured and subsequentlytested at the Plasma Wind Tunnel ofthe University of Stuttgart in Germany(PWK1) in the summer and fall of2010. The TPS’ integrity was well pre-served in most cases, and results showgreat promise.

There are several major elements in-volved in the creation of a successful ab-lative TPS material: the choice of fabricand resin formulation is only the begin-ning. The actual processing involved inmanufacturing involves a careful choiceof temperature, pressure, and time. Thismanufacturing process must result in amaterial that survives heat loads with node-lamination or spallation. Several tech-niques have been developed to achievethis robustness. Variants of RICA’s mate-rial showed no delamination or spalla-tion at intended heat flux levels, andtheir potential thermal protection capa-bility was demonstrated. Three resin for-mulations were tested in two separatesamples each manufactured under

slightly different conditions. A total of sixsamples was eventually chosen for test atthe PWK1. Material performance prop-erties and results for five of those areshown in the table. In the most extremecase, the temperature dropped from≈3,000 to 50 °C across 1.8 cm, demon-strating the material’s effectiveness inprotecting a spacecraft’s structure fromthe searing heat of entry.

With a manufacturing process thatcan be easily re-created, RICA hasproven to be a viable choice for high-speed hyperbolic entry trajectories, bothin methane (Titan) as well as in air(Earth) atmospheres. Further assess-ment and characterization of spallationand an exact determination of its onsetheat flux (if present for intended appli-cations) still remain to be measured.

This work was done by Jaime Esper of God-dard Space Flight Center and MichaelLengowski of the University of Stuttgart. Fur-ther information is contained in a TSP (seepage 1). GSC-16183-1

Figure 1. RICA Sample during plasma wind tun-nel testing.

RICA

PhenolicContent

(~%)

CarbonContent

(~%)Density(gm/ml)

PlasmaWindTunnel

Heat Flux

(MW/m2)

HeatDuration

(s)

IntegratedHeat Input

(J/m2)

MassLoss(gm)

AverageRecession

(mm)

AverageSurface Temp

fromPyrometer(c)

AverageThermalGradient(K/mm)

Heat ofAblation

(J/kg)

5C 17 83 1.41 1.4 478 6.69E+08 7.84 4.218 1978.1 44.37 49E.+07

SA(1) 27 73 1.39 14 22 3.08E+08 3.33 1.96 3336.1 34.32 1.1E+08

3A 24 76 1.36 1.4 478 6.69E+08 3.32 0.342 1962.5 54.50 8.5E+07

5B 33 67 1.37 1.4 476 6.67E+08 3.73 1.217 1990.8 53.68 7.7E+07

3B 31 69 1.35 1.4 477 6.67E+08 3.70 1.143 1967.5 51.11 8.5E+07

(1) Tested in Air; all others tested in Methane

Table. Material Properties and initial test results.


media, and thermocycled air streams ap-plied to the media allow easy detach-ment and in-place regeneration of themedia with minimal impact in systemdowntime or astronaut involvement inoverseeing the process.

The novel feature of this self-clean-ing coatings approach is that this is anenabling technology that can actively,controllably, and reagentlessly regener-ate filter media. The coatings applica-tion is amenable to industrial-scalemanufacturing processes and shouldallow significantly increased useful life-time for the filter media in an inexpen-sive fashion. The energy required totrigger the thermocycled self-cleaningis minimal, and can easily be divertedfrom heat exchange modules furtherdownstream in the air revitalization sys-tem. The approach will further lowerloads downstream in the air revitaliza-tion system, thereby contributing to in-creasing the lifetime of these modules,and decreasing the amount of replace-ment modules. These salient featureswill enable NASA to design more effi-cient and reliable, and less cumber-

some, air revitalization systems for fu-ture manned missions.

This work was done by Olivia Weber, San-jiv Lalwani, and Anjal Sharma of Lynntech,Inc. for Glenn Research Center. Further infor-mation is contained in a TSP (see page 1).

Inquiries concerning rights for the commer-cial use of this invention should be addressedto NASA Glenn Research Center, InnovativePartnerships Office, Attn: Steven Fedor, MailStop 4–8, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland,Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-18848-1.

Air Filter Surface

Cabin Air FlowClean Air

Rapid Fouling of Air Filter Surface

Lowered Air Flux

Lynntech’s Self-Cleaning Particulate Air Filter Surfaces

Thermoresponsive Polymer Nanobrush modified Air Filter Surface

Thermally triggered nanobrush expansion pushes off foulants and restores filter performance

Lynntech’s Self-Cleaning Coatings technology for air filter media surfaces allows reagentless in-placeregeneration of the surface.


Mechanics/Machinery

Modular, Rapid Propellant Loading System/Cryogenic Testbed John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

The Cryogenic Test Laboratory (CTL)at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has de-signed, fabricated, and installed a modu-lar, rapid propellant-loading system tosimulate rapid loading of a launch-vehi-cle composite or standard cryogenictank. The system will also function as acryogenic testbed for testing and validat-ing cryogenic innovations and groundsupport equipment (GSE) components.The modular skid-mounted system is ca-pable of flow rates of liquid nitrogenfrom 1 to 900 gpm (≈3.8 to 3,400L/min), of pressures from ambient to225 psig (≈1.5 MPa), and of tempera-tures to –320 °F (≈–195 °C). The systemcan be easily validated to flow liquid oxy-gen at a different location, and could beeasily scaled to any particular vehicle in-terface requirements.

This innovation is the first phase of de-velopment of a smart Simulated RapidPropellant Loading (SRPL) system thatcan be used at multiple sites for servicingmultiple vehicle configurations with vary-ing interface flow, temperature, and pres-sure requirements. The SRPL system canaccommodate cryogenic componentsfrom ¼ to 8 in. (≈0.6 to 20 cm) and larger,and a variety of pneumatic componenttypes and sizes. Temperature, pressure,flow, quality, and a variety of other sensorsare also incorporated into the propellantsystem design along with the capability toadjust for the testing of a multitude of sen-sor types and sizes.

The system has three modules (skids)that can be placed at any launch vehiclesite (or mobile), and can be connectedwith virtually any length of pipe re-

quired for a complete propellant load-ing system. The modules include a stor-age area pump skid (located near thestorage tank and a dump basin), a valvecontrol skid (located on or near thelaunch table to control flow to the vehi-cle, and to return to the tank or dumpbasin), and a vehicle interface skid (lo-cated at the vehicle). The skids are fullyinstrumented with pressure, tempera-ture, flow, motor, pump controls, anddata acquisition systems, and can be con-trolled from a control room, or locallyfrom a PDA (personal digital assistant)or tablet PC.

This work was done by Walter Hatfield, Sr.and Kevin Jumper of ASRC Aerospace Corp. forKennedy Space Center. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1). KSC-13460

Actuators are critical to all the roboticand manipulation mechanisms that areused in current and future NASA mis-sions, and are also needed for many otherindustrial, aeronautical, and space activi-ties. There are many types of actuatorsthat were designed to operate as linear orrotary motors, but there is still a need forlow-force, low-noise linear actuators forspecialized applications, and the disclosedmechanism addresses this need.

A simpler implementation of a rotaryactuator was developed where the end ef-fector controls the motion of a brush forcleaning a thermal sensor. The mecha-nism uses a SMA (shape-memory alloy)wire for low force, and low noise. The lin-ear implementation of the actuator in-corporates a set of springs and mechani-cal hard-stops for resetting and faulttolerance to mechanical resistance. Theactuator can be designed to work in apull or push mode, or both. Dependingon the volume envelope criteria, the ac-tuator can be configured for scaling its

volume down to 4×2×1 cm3. The actuatordesign has an inherent fault tolerance tomechanical resistance. The actuator hasthe flexibility of being designed for bothlinear and rotary motion. A specific con-figuration was designed and analyzedwhere fault-tolerant features have beenimplemented. In this configuration, anexternally applied force larger than thedesign force does not damage the activecomponents of the actuator. The actua-tor housing can be configured and pro-duced using cost-effective methods suchas injection molding, or alternatively, itscomponents can be mounted directly ona small circuit board.

The actuator is driven by a SMA -NiTias a primary active element, and it re-quires energy on the order of 20 Ws(J)per cycle. Electrical connections to pointsA and B are used to apply electricalpower in the resistive NiTi wire, causing aphase change that contracts the wire onthe order of 5%. The actuation period isof the order of a second for generating

the stroke, and 4 to 10 seconds for reset-ting. Thus, this design allows the actuatorto work at a frequency of up to 0.1 Hz.

The actuator does not make use of thewhole range of motion of the SMA mate-rial, allowing for large margins on themechanical parameters of the design.The efficiency of the actuator is of theorder of 10%, including the margins.The average dissipated power while driv-ing at full speed is of the order of 1 W,and can be scaled down linearly if therate of cycling is reduced. This designproduces an extremely quiet actuator; itcan generate a force greater than 2 Nand a stroke greater than 1 cm. The op-erational duration of SMA materials is ofthe order of millions of cycles with somereduced stroke over a wide temperaturerange up to 150 ºC.

This work was done by Mircea Badescu,Stewart Sherrit, and Yoseph Bar-Cohen ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-tory. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1). NPO-47991

Compact, Low-Force, Low-Noise Linear Actuator This actuator has potential uses in military and automotive applications. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


Future lunar landers and rovers will require vari-able thermal links that allow for heat rejection duringthe lunar daytime and passively prevent heat rejec-tion during the lunar night. During the lunar day, thethermal management system must reject the wasteheat from the electronics and batteries to maintainthem below the maximum acceptable temperature.During the lunar night, the heat rejection systemmust either be shut down or significant amounts ofguard heat must be added to keep the electronicsand batteries above the minimum acceptable tem-perature. Since guard heater power is unfavorablebecause it adds to system size and complexity, a vari-able thermal link is preferred to limit heat removalfrom the electronics and batteries during the longlunar night. Conventional loop heat pipes (LHPs)can provide the required variable thermal conduc-tance, but they still consume electrical power to shutdown the heat transfer. This innovation adds a ther-mal control valve (TCV) and a bypass line to a con-ventional LHP that proportionally allows vapor toflow back into the compensation chamber of theLHP. The addition of this valve can achieve com-pletely passive thermal control of the LHP, eliminat-ing the need for guard heaters and complex con-trols.

A schematic of the system is shown in Figures 1and 2 for operation during the Lunar day andnight, respectively. During the Lunar day, maxi-mum vapor flow to the radiator is desired for effi-cient operation. In the example shown, 95% of thevapor flows though the radiator and 5% flowsthough the bypass line. In contrast to the Lunarday, the thermal link must be as ineffective as possi-ble during the Lunar night (see Figure 2). As thetemperature of the TCV drops, more and more ofthe vapor is directed directly back into the compen-sation chamber, gradually shutting down the LHP.

Previous LHPs with a TCV have the bypass vaporflow directly mix with the liquid return line. In thisarragement, the vapor and liquid flows will interactwith each other, possibly causing flow instabilitiesas the two streams come to the thermodynamicequilibrium. A LHP incorporating a passive TCVand bypass line proportionally allows vapor to flowback into the compensation chamber, minimizingflow instabilities experienced in previous LHPs withTCVs by allowing mixing of the vapor and liquid in therelatively large volume of the compensation chamber.

This work was done by John Hartenstine, William G. An-derson, Kara Walker, and Pete Dussinger of Advanced Cool-ing Technologies, Inc. for Marshall Space Flight Center. Formore information, contact Sammy Nabors, MSFC Commer-cialization Assistance Lead, at [email protected] to MFS-32915-1.

Loop Heat Pipe With Thermal Control Valve as a VariableThermal Link New arrangement reduces energy demands while maintaining circuits and batteries withinoptimal temperature range. Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

Warm ElectronicsBox

Vapor Flow

Vapor Line

Evaporation Wick

Heat Input

5% of Vapor Flow

95% Of VaporFlow

Radiator

Heat Output

Condenser

LiquidFlow Thermal

Control Valve

Liquid Return

Line

CompensationChamber

Warm ElectronicsBox

Vapor Flow

Vapor Line

Evaporation Wick

Heat Input

95% of Vapor Flow

5% Of VaporFlow

Radiator

Heat Output

Condenser

LiquidFlow Thermal

Control Valve

Liquid Return

Line

CompensationChamber

Figure 2. Variable Conductance Loop Heat Pipe schematic during the Lunar night.Most of the vapor flows directly back into the compensation chamber, shutting downthe LHP. The 95% and 5% flow rates are representative.

Figure 1. Variable Conductance Loop Heat Pipe schematic during the Lunar day. Mostof the vapor flows through the radiator. The 5% and 95% flow rates are representa-tive.


Over-center mechanisms were used inthe orbiter payload bay to lock down therobotic arm during the launch of thespace shuttle. These mechanisms wereunlocked while in orbit in order to re-lease the arm for use. Adjusting themechanism such that it would not inad-vertently release during launch, butcould be released when needed by useof the motor, required accurate adjust-ments that were difficult to perform. Aprocedure was developed to allow thesemechanisms to be adjusted to within thespecifications required for the SpaceShuttle Program. This approach is sig-nificantly more accurate than any othertechnique, and is the only techniqueknown that met the launch require-ments of the program.

Within the payload bay of the orbiterswas a set of small over-center mecha-nisms that held the robotic arm inplace. Each of these contained twostraight segments connected with a pin.The upper end (called the drivelink)was connected via a second pin to ahook, whose purpose was to hold the ro-botic arm securely in place until it wasneeded on a mission. The lower end(called the bellcrank) was connected toa gearbox via another pin or axle. Inpractice, this mechanism was adjustedsuch that the over-center pin could beforced through the on-line position aknown over-center distance where theresidual strain in the two straight seg-ments would lock it in place (the stowedposition). The distance and the forcerequired had to be adjusted such thatthis mechanism would not deploy dur-ing launch, but such that a motor coulddrive the pin back through the on-lineposition to release the robotic armwhen needed.

The problem was that the over-centerdistance was required to be set at 0.026-in. (≈0.7 mm), which was difficult tomeasure to the required accuracy[±0.001 in. (≈±0.03 mm)]. Trying to findthe on-line position, so that one couldmeasure from it, was not possible be-

cause the mechanism would only stay inthis position if frictional forces held it,and these forces were directional andnot consistent between measurements.

Some consideration was given to sim-ply photographing the mechanism in itsstowed position and measuring the dis-tance between the center of the pin anda line connecting the centers of theouter two rotational pins, but this failedbecause the pin covers were not neces-sarily centered on the pin centers.

In order to understand the problem, aone-to-one scale model of the over-cen-ter mechanism was constructed (see fig-ure). A hex wrench was used in place ofthe motor, but the rest of the compo-nents were machined to match those inthe field. Several attempts at measuringthe over-center position were attemptedwith this model, the first few of whichfailed. One of the advantages of having amodel like this is that the dimensions ofthe parts were well known and the pinswere all accessible, so the on-line posi-tion could be measured accurately usingapproaches not possible in the field.

A jig was constructed that used adepth gage to measure the distance to

the over-center pin while resting on thetop and bottom pin. The hex wrenchwas replaced with a calibrated torquewrench. Then, the drivelink (the upperhalf of the mechanism) was reposi-tioned to make it difficult to push thedevice through the on-line position.Now, by applying a known torque, it waspossible to measure a location to thecenter pin. Then, without changing thelength of the drivelink, the top pin wasdisconnected, the mechanism wasplaced into the stowed position, the top-pin was reinserted, and the location ofthe center pin was measured while ap-plying the opposite torque. In essence,this measured the location of the centerpin while it was being pushed towardthe on-line position from two differentdirections; the average of these twomeasurements was then the on-line po-sition. Tests showed that this approachwas accurate to ±0.002 in. (≈±0.05 mm)where at least ±0.001 in. (≈±0.03 mm) oferror entered from the second measure-ment technique. Statistically, this newapproach was accurate to ±0.001 in.(≈±0.03 mm). Making static measure-ments, combined with working in re-gions where the strain is strongly de-pendent on position, led to thisenhancement in measurement accuracyand solved the problem.

Because the prior method used anLDT (linear displacement transducer)and strain gauges, most of the necessarystructures were already in place in thefield to allow the new measurementprocess to be transferred. The depthgauge would be replaced by the LDT andthe torque wrench by a wrench and astrain gauge. But rigid mounting brack-ets and a target (or contact point) wereneeded for the LDT in order to allow anaccurate position measurement.

This work was done by Robert Youngquistand Douglas Willard of Kennedy Space Cen-ter, and Joddy Stahl, Kevin Murtland, andSteven Parks of ASRC Aerospace Corporation.Further information is contained in a TSP(see page 1). KSC-13212

Process for Measuring Over-Center DistancesA more accurate approach enables mechanisms to be adjusted to within tight specifications.John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

In this model of the Over-Center Mechanism, ahex wrench is used in place of the motor, but therest of the components were machined to matchthose in the field.


Bio-Medical

Improving Balance Function Using Low Levels of ElectricalStimulation of the Balance OrgansA device based on this technology may be used as a miniature patch worn by people withdisabilities to improve posture and locomotion, and to enhance adaptability or skill acquisition.Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

Crewmembers returning from long-du-ration space flight face significant chal-lenges due to the microgravity-induced in-appropriate adaptations in balance/sensorimotor function. The NeuroscienceLaboratory at JSC is developing a methodbased on stochastic resonance to enhancethe brain’s ability to detect signals fromthe balance organs of the inner ear anduse them for rapid improvement in bal-ance skill, especially when combined withbalance training exercises. This methodinvolves a stimulus delivery system that is

wearable/portable providing impercepti-ble electrical stimulation to the balanceorgans of the human body.

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a phe-nomenon whereby the response of a non-linear system to a weak periodic input sig-nal is optimized by the presence of aparticular non-zero level of noise. Thisphenomenon of SR is based on the con-cept of maximizing the flow of informa-tion through a system by a non-zero levelof noise. Application of imperceptible SRnoise coupled with sensory input in hu-

mans has been shown to improve motor,cardiovascular, visual, hearing, and bal-ance functions. SR increases contrast sen-sitivity and luminance detection; lowersthe absolute threshold for tone detectionin normal hearing individuals; improveshomeostatic function in the humanblood pressure regulatory system; im-proves noise-enhanced muscle spindlefunction; and improves detection of weaktactile stimuli using mechanical or electri-cal stimulation. SR noise has been shownto improve postural control when applied

Current transcranial color Doppler(TCD) transducer probes are bulky anddifficult to move in tiny increments tosearch and optimize TCD signals. Thisinvention provides miniature motions ofa TCD transducer probe to optimizeTCD signals.

The mechanical probe uses a sphericalbearing in guiding and locating the tiltingcrystal face. The lateral motion of the crys-tal face as it tilts across the full range ofmotion was achieved by minimizing thedistance between the pivot location andthe crystal face. The smallest commonlyavailable metal spherical bearing was usedwith an outer diameter of 12 mm, a 3-mmtall retaining ring, and 5-mm overallheight. Small geared motors were usedthat would provide sufficient power in avery compact package. After confirmingthe validity of the basic positioning con-cept, optimization design loops were com-pleted to yield the final design.

A parallel motor configuration wasused to minimize the amount of spacewasted inside the probe case while mini-mizing the overall case dimensions. Thedistance from the front edge of the crys-

tal to the edge of the case was also mini-mized to allow positioning of the probevery close to the ear on the temporallobe. The mechanical probe is able toachieve a ±20° tip and tilt with smoothrepeatable action in a very compactpackage. The enclosed probe is about 7cm long, 4 cm wide, and 1.8 cm tall.

The device is compact, hands-free,and can be adjusted via an innovativetouchscreen. Positioning of the probe tothe head is performed via conventionaltransducer gels and pillows. This deviceis amendable to having advanced soft-ware, which could intelligently focus andoptimize the TCD signal.

The first effort will be development ofmonitoring systems for space use andfield deployment. The need for long-lived, inexpensive clinical diagnostic in-struments for military applications issubstantial. Potential future uses of thissystem by NASA and other commercialend-users include monitoring cerebralblood flow of ambulatory patients, prog-nostic of potential for embolic stroke,ultrasonic blood clot treatment, moni-toring open-heart and carotid end -

arterectomy surgery, and resolution ofthe controversy regarding transient is-chemic attacks and emboli’s role. Moni-toring applications include those forembolism formation during diving as-cents, changes in CBFV (cerebral bloodflow velocity) in relation to cognitivefunction as associated with sick buildingsyndrome or exposure to environmen-tal and workplace toxins, changes ofCBFV for testing and evaluating GulfWar Syndrome, and patients or subjectswhile moving or performing tasks.

This work was done by Robert Chin of Gen-eXpress Informatics, and Srihdar Madalaand Graham Sattler of Indus Instruments forJohnson Space Center. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1).

In accordance with Public Law 96-517, thecontractor has elected to retain title to this in-vention. Inquiries concerning rights for itscommercial use should be addressed to:

Indus Instruments721 Tristar Drive, Suite CWebster, TX 77598Refer to MSC-24702-1, volume and num-


Hands-Free Transcranial Color Doppler ProbeThese probes enable full use of TCD technology for neurological diagnostics.Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas


as mechanical noise to the soles of thefeet, or when applied as electrical noise atthe knee and to the back muscles.

SR using imperceptible stochasticelectrical stimulation of the vestibularsystem (stochastic vestibular stimulation,SVS) applied to normal subjects hasshown to improve the degree of associa-tion between the weak input periodicsignals introduced via venous bloodpressure receptors and the heart-rate re-sponses. Also, application of SVS over 24hours improves the long-term heart-ratedynamics and motor responsiveness as

indicated by daytime trunk activity meas-urements in patients with multi-systematrophy, Parkinson’s disease, or both, in-cluding patients who were un responsiveto standard therapy for Parkinson’s dis-ease. Recent studies conducted at theNASA JSC Neurosciences Laboratoriesshowed that imperceptible SVS, whenapplied to normal, young, healthy sub-jects, leads to significantly improved bal-ance performance during postural dis-turbances on unstable compliantsurfaces. These studies have shown thebenefit of SR noise characteristic opti-

mization with imperceptible SVS in thefrequency range of 0–30 Hz, and ampli-tudes of stimulation have ranged from100 to 400 microamperes.

This work was done by Jacob Bloombergand Millard Reschke of Johnson Space Cen-ter; Ajitkumar Mulavara and Scott Wood ofUSRA; Jorge Serrador of Dept. of Veterans Af-fairs NJ Healthcare System; Matthew Fiedler,Igor Kofman, and Brian T. Peters of Wyle;and Helen Cohen of Baylor College. For fur-ther information, contact the JSC InnovationPartnerships Office at (281) 483-3809.MSC-25013-1

Several technological enhancementshave been made to METI’s commercialEmergency Care Simulator (ECS) withregard to how microgravity affectshuman physiology. The ECS uses both asoftware-only lung simulation, and an in-tegrated mannequin lung that uses aphysical lung bag for creating chest ex-cursions, and a digital simulation of lungmechanics and gas exchange. METI’spatient simulators incorporate models

of human physiology that simulate lungand chest wall mechanics, as well as pul-monary gas exchange.

Microgravity affects how O2 and CO2are exchanged in the lungs. Procedureswere also developed to take into affectthe Glasgow Coma Scale for determin-ing levels of consciousness by varying theECS eye-blinking function to partially in-dicate the level of consciousness of thepatient. In addition, the ECS was modi-

fied to provide various levels of pulsesfrom weak and thready to hyper-dy-namic to assist in assessing patient con-ditions from the femoral, carotid,brachial, and pedal pulse locations.

This work was done by Nigel Parker andVeronica O’Quinn of Medical EducationTech, Inc. for Johnson Space Center. Furtherinformation is contained in a TSP (see page1). MSC-23922-1

Developing Physiologic Models for Emergency MedicalProcedures Under MicrogravityLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

The most common approach for as-sessing the abundance of viable bacter-ial endospores is the culture-based plat-ing method. However, culture-basedapproaches are heavily biased and of-tentimes incompatible with upstreamsample processing strategies, whichmake viable cells/spores uncultivable.This shortcoming highlights the needfor rapid molecular diagnostic tools toassess more accurately the abundanceof viable spacecraft-associated micro-biota, perhaps most importantly bacter-ial endospores.

Propidium monoazide (PMA) has re-ceived a great deal of attention due toits ability to differentiate live, viable

bacterial cells from dead ones. PMAgains access to the DNA of dead cellsthrough compromised membranes.Once inside the cell, it intercalates andeventually covalently bonds with thedouble-helix structures upon photoac-tivation with visible light. The cova-lently bound DNA is significantly al-tered, and unavailable to downstreammolecular-based manipulations andanalyses. Microbiological samples canbe treated with appropriate concentra-tions of PMA and exposed to visiblelight prior to undergoing total genomicDNA extraction, resulting in an extractcomprised solely of DNA arising fromviable cells. This ability to extract DNA

selectively from living cells is extremelypowerful, and bears great relevance tomany microbiological arenas.

While this PMA-based selective chem-istry has been applied to several poly-merase chain reaction (PCR)-basedmolecular protocols, it has never beencoupled with fluorescence in situ hy-bridization (FISH)-based microscopicmethods. FISH microscopy is a power-ful technique for visualizing and enu-merating microorganisms present in agiven sample, which relies on the abilityof fluorescently labeled oligonu-cleotide probes to gain access to, andhybridize with, specific nucleic acid se-quences within cells. Dogmatic princi-

PMA-Linked Fluorescence for Rapid Detection of ViableBacterial EndosporesThis method has applications in the pharmaceutical, food microbiology, semiconductor, andother industries requiring surface sterilization.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


ples suggest that by first treating a sam-ple with PMA and covalently modifyingthe DNA originating from dead cells,downstream FISH-based mi croscopyshould then enable the direct, specificvisualization and enumeration of onlyliving, viable microorganisms. An effec-tive and efficient coupling of PMA-based chemistry with downstreamFISH-microscopic methods would sig-nificantly empower the current abilityto discern viable from dead microbesby direct visualization.

The basic principle of this method isthat PMA penetrates only the dead cellsand/or spores, due to their compro-mised membrane structures. Once in-side the cell, PMA strongly intercalateswith DNA. PMA has a photoactive azidegroup that allows covalent cross-linkageto DNA upon exposure to bright whitelight. This photoactivation results in theformation of PMA-DNA complex thatrenders DNA inaccessible for hybridiza-tion reaction during FISH assay. Toavoid the difficulties and problems asso-ciated with current methods for deter-mining the actual numbers of living ver-sus dead cellular entities examined, andbiases associated therewith, a novel mo-

lecular-biological protocol was devel-oped for selective detection and enu-meration of viable microbial cells. Afterhaving been subjected to the proceduresdescribed herein, the viability (live vs.dead) of bacterial cells and spores couldbe discerned. Following treatment withPMA, living, viable cells and spores wereshown to be receptive to fluorescently la-beled oligonucleotide probes, as hy-bridization and FISH-based mi cros copywas successful. Dead cells and spores,however, were not detected, as the pre-treatment with PMA rendered theirDNA unavailable to hybridization withthe FISH-probes.

The true novelty of the technology isthe coupling of a downstream, highlyspecific means of visualizing microbialcells and spores with a chemical pre-treatment that precludes the portion ofthe microbial consortium that is not living (non-viable) from being detected.This results in the ability to selectively visualize and enumerate only the livingcells and spores present in a given sam-ple, in a molecular biological fashion,without the need for heavily biased culti-vation-based methodologies. This novelstudy demonstrates that PMA penetrates

only the heat-killed spores, which pre-cludes downstream hybridization reac-tions in the FISH assay. This novel PMA-FISH method is an attractive tool todetect viable endospores in space craft-associated environments, which is ofcrucial importance and benefit to plane-tary protection practices aimed at reduc-ing the abundance of spacecraft-bornemicrobial contaminants.

This work was done by Myron T. La Ducand Kasthuri Venkateswaran of Caltech, andBidyut Mohapatra of the University of SouthAlabama for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-tory. For more information, [email protected].


Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-48040,volume and number


There are several medical conditionsthat require intravenous (IV) fluids.Limitations of mass, volume, storagespace, shelf-life, transportation, andlocal resources can restrict the availabil-ity of such important fluids. These limi-tations are expected in long-durationspace exploration missions and in re-mote or austere environments on Earth.Current IV fluid production requireslarge factory-based processes. Easy,portable, on-site production of IV fluidscan eliminate these limitations. Basedon experience gained in developing adevice for spaceflight, a ground-use de-vice was developed.

This design uses regular drinkingwater that is pumped through two filtersto produce, in minutes, sterile, ultra-pure water that meets the stringentquality standards of the United StatesPharmacopeia for Water for Injection(Total Bacteria, Conductivity, Endo -

toxins, Total Organic Carbon). The de-vice weighs 2.2 lb (1 kg) and is 10 in.long, 5 in. wide, and 3 in. high (≈25, 13,and 7.5 cm, respectively) in its storageconfiguration. This handheld deviceproduces one liter of medical-gradewater in 21 minutes. Total productioncapacity for this innovation is expectedto be in the hundreds of liters.

The device contains one battery pow-ered electric mini-pump. Alternatively,a manually powered pump can be at-tached and used. Drinking water entersthe device from a source water bag,flows through two filters, and final ster-ile production water exits into a sealed,medical-grade collection bag. The col-lection bag contains pre-placed crys-talline salts to mix with product waterto form isotonic intravenous medicalsolutions. Alternatively, a hypertonicsalt solution can be injected into a filledbag. The filled collection bag is de-

tached from the device and is ready foruse or storage. This device currentlycontains one collection bag, but a man-ifold of several pre-attached bags or re-placement of single collection bagsunder sterile needle technique is possi-ble for the production of multipleliters. The entire system will be flushed,sealed, and radiation-sterilized.

Operation of the device is easy and re-quires minimal training. Drinking wateris placed into the collection bag. Inlinestopcock flow valves at the source andcollection bags are opened, and themini-pump is turned on by a switch tobegin fluid flow. When the collectionbag is completely filled with the med-ical-grade water, the pump can beturned off. The pump is designed so itcannot pump air, and overfilling of thecollection bag with fluid is avoided byplacing an equal amount of water in thesource bag. Backflow is avoided by in-

Portable Intravenous Fluid Production Device for Ground Use This small, portable device with high output produces medical injection-grade sterile water frompotable water sources. John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida


line check valves. The filled collectionbag is disconnected from its tubing andis ready for use. The source bag can berefilled for production of multipleliters, or the source bag can be replacedwith an input tube that can be placed ina larger potable water source if the de-vice is attended. The device functions inall orientations independent of anygravity fields.

In addition to creating IV fluids, thedevice produces medical-grade water,which can be used for mixing with med-ications for injection, reconstitutingfreeze-dried blood products for injection,or for wound hydration or irrigation.

Potential worldwide use is expectedwith medical activities in environmentsthat have limited resources, storage, orresupply such as in military field opera-

tions, humanitarian relief efforts, sub-marines, commercial cruise ships, etc.

This work was done by Philip J. Scarpa ofKennedy Space Center and Wolfgang K.Scheuer of Tiger Purification Systems, Inc. Formore information, contact Dr. Philip Scarpa at(321) 867-6386 or [email protected]

A report describes an adaptation of afilter assembly to enable it to be used tofilter out microorganisms from a propul-sion system. The filter assembly has pre-viously been used for particulates >2 µm.Projects that utilize large volumes ofnonmetallic materials of planetary pro-tection concern pose a challenge totheir bioburden budget, as a conserva-tive specification value of 30 spores/cm3

is typically used. Helium was collected utilizing an

adapted filtration approach employing

an existing Millipore filter assembly ap-paratus used by the propulsion team forparticulate analysis. The filter holder onthe assembly has a 47-mm diameter, andtypically a 1.2-5 µm pore-size filter isused for particulate analysis making itcompatible with commercially availablesterilization filters (0.22 µm) that arenecessary for biological sampling.

This adaptation to an existing tech-nology provides a proof-of-concept anda demonstration of successful use in aground equipment system. This adapta-

tion has demonstrated that the Milliporefilter assembly can be utilized to filterout microorganisms from a propulsionsystem, whereas in previous uses the fil-ter assembly was utilized for particulates>2 µm.

This work was done by James N. Benardini,Robert C. Koukol, Wayne W. Schubert, FabianMorales, and Marlin F. Klatte of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Further in-formation is contained in a TSP (see page 1).NPO-48304

Adaptation of a Filter Assembly to Assess Microbial Bioburdenof Pressurant Within a Propulsion System

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Force sensing is an essential require-ment for dexterous robot manipulation,e.g., for extravehicular robots makingvehicle repairs. Although strain gaugeshave been widely used, a new sensing ap-proach is desirable for applications thatrequire greater robustness, design flexi-bility including a high degree of multi-plexibility, and immunity to electromag-netic noise.

This invention is a force and deflec-tion sensor — a flexible shell formedwith an elastomer having passagewaysformed by apertures in the shell, withan optical fiber having one or moreBragg gratings positioned in the pas-sageways for the measurement of forceand deflection.

One object of the invention is light-weight, rugged appendages for a robotthat feature embedded sensors so thatthe robot can be more “aware” of loadsin real time. A particular class of opticalsensors, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sen-sors, is promising for space robotics andother applications where high sensitiv-ity, multiplexing capability, immunity toelectromagnetic noise, small size, andresistance to harsh environments areparticularly desirable. In addition, thebiosafe and inert nature of optical fibersmakes them attractive for medical ro-botics. FBGs reflect light with a peakwavelength that shifts in proportion tothe strain to which they are subjected.

Multiple FBG sensors can be placedalong a single fiber and optically multi-plexed. FBG sensors have previouslybeen surface-attached to or embeddedin metal parts and composites to moni-tor stresses.

An exoskeletal force sensing robotfinger was developed by embeddingFBG sensors into a polymer-based struc-ture. Multiple FBG sensors were embed-ded into the structure to allow the ma-nipulator to sense and measure bothcontact forces and grasping forces. Inorder to fabricate a three-dimensionalstructure, a new shape deposition man-ufacturing (SDM) process was devel-oped. The sensorized SDM-fabricatedfinger was then characterized using anFBG interrogator. A force localizationscheme was also developed.

A sensor is formed from a thin shell offlexible material such as elastomer toform an attachment region, a sensing re-gion, and a tip region. In one embodi-ment, the sensing region is a substan-tially cylindrical flexible shell, and has aplurality of apertures forming passage-ways between the apertures. Opticalfiber is routed through the passageways,with sensors located in the passagewaysprior to the application of the elas-tomeric material forming the flexibleshell. Deflection of the sensor, such as bya force applied to the contact region,causes an incremental strain in one or

more passageways where the opticalfiber is located. The incremental strainresults in a change of optical wavelengthof reflection or transmittance at the sen-sor, thereby allowing the measurementof force or displacement.

The ability to route a single opticalfiber through the passageways of theouter shell of the sensor, combined withthe freedom to place Bragg grating-based sensors in desired locations of theshell, provides tremendous flexibility insensing force in three axes, as well as thepossibility of providing a large numberof sensors for more sophisticated meas-urement modalities, such as torque andshell deflection in response to multi-point pressure application.

This work was done by Yong-Lae Park,Richard Black, Behzad Moslehi, MarkCutkosky, and Kelvin Chau of IntelligentFiber Optic Systems Corp. for Johnson SpaceCenter. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1).


Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corp.424 Panama MallStanford, CA 94305Refer to MSC-24501-1, volume and num-



Physical Sciences

Whispering Gallery Mode Optomechanical Resonator These devices can be used for remote and inertial sensing, and mass detection. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Great progress has been made inboth micromechanical resonators andmicro-optical resonators over the pastdecade, and a new field has recentlyemerged combining these mechanicaland optical systems. In such optome-chanical systems, the two resonators are

strongly coupled with one influencingthe other, and their interaction canyield detectable optical signals that arehighly sensitive to the mechanical mo-tion. A particularly high-Q optical sys-tem is the whispering gallery mode(WGM) resonator, which has many ap-

plications ranging from stable oscilla-tors to inertial sensor devices. There is,however, limited coupling between theoptical mode and the resonator’s exter-nal environment. In order to overcomethis limitation, a novel type of optome-chanical sensor has been developed, of-

Multiplexed Force and Deflection Sensing Shell Membranes forRobotic ManipulatorsThis technology can be used to enhance precision in robotic surgery.Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas


fering great potential for measure-ments of displacement, acceleration,and mass sensitivity.

The proposed hybrid device com-bines the advantages of all-solid opticalWGM resonators with high-qualitymicro-machined cantilevers. For directaccess to the WGM inside the resonator,the idea is to radially cut precise gapsinto the perimeter, fabricating a me-chanical resonator within the WGM.Also, a strategy to reduce losses hasbeen developed with optimized designof the cantilever geometry and positionsof gap surfaces.

The cantilever is machined by mak-ing fine cuts in a high-Q crystallineWGM resonator using focused ion-beam (FIB) technology. Such cuts canbe much smaller than the optical wave-length, which should preserve thequality of the optical resonator. At thesame time, reflection from the can-tilever surfaces will result in couplingbetween the degenerate clockwise and

counterclockwise propagating WGM.Therefore, a well-established tech-nique of position-sensitive, dual-res-onator coupling will be implementedin a novel system with optical and me-chanical resonators’ high quality fac-tors. This technique allows for opticalcooling, as well as heating, of the me-chanical oscillator.

This innovative hybrid system com-bines the advantages of both WGM andFabry-Perot (FP) cavity resonators byutilizing the WGM resonator with theaforementioned cuts in the crystal tocreate an independent micromechani-cal resonator, residing directly in themiddle of the optical WGM as an inte-gral structure of the disk. This featureallows the direct coupling of the me-chanical motion to the optical modes,much like a membrane inside an FP cav-ity. In this configuration, the single-mode optomechanical interaction canbe selectively accessed as with a stan-dard WGM resonator, or the coupled

optical mode interaction as in that of amembrane-FP cavity.

The challenge of this approach is tomaintain the optical finesse in thepresence of the air gaps and thecorrespond ing interfaces. The par-tially reflecting surfaces result instanding waves (SWs) in the res-onators, and the mode coupling be-tween them. These interfaces can alsointroduce scattering and diffractionlosses. The estimates and previousWGM experiments suggest that a com-bination of appropriate microfabrica-tion processes, such as FIB, and strate-gic use of SW modes, can reduce thelosses and yield an optical resonator Q≈108, higher than any cavity Q of opto-mechanical systems at the time of thisreporting.

This work was done by David C. Aveline,Dmitry V. Strekalov, Nan Yu, and Karl Y. Yeeof Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-tory. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1). NPO-47114

Micro aerial vehicles have limitedsensor suites and computational power.For reconnaissance tasks and to con-serve energy, these systems need theability to autonomously land at vantagepoints or enter buildings (ingress). Butfor autonomous navigation, informa-tion is needed to identify and guide thevehicle to the target. Vision algorithmscan provide egomotion estimation andtarget detection using input from cam-eras that are easy to include in minia-ture systems.

Target detection based on visual fea-ture tracking and planar homographydecomposition is used to identify a tar-get for automated landing or buildingingress, and to produce 3D waypoints tolocate the navigation target. The vehiclecontrol algorithm collects these way-points and estimates the accurate targetposition to perform automated maneu-vers for autonomous landing or build-ing ingress.

Systems that are deployed outdoorscan overcome this issue by using GPS

data for pose recovery, but this is not anoption for systems operating in deepspace or indoors. To cope with thisissue, a system was developed on a smallunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) plat-form with a minimal sensor suite thatcan operate using only onboard re -sources to autonomously achieve basicnavigation tasks. As a first step towardsthis goal, a navigation approach was de-veloped that visually detects and recon-structs the position of navigation tar-gets, but depends on an externalVICON tracking system to regain scaleand for closed-loop control.

A method was demonstrated of vision-aided autonomous navigation of a microaerial vehicle with a single monocularcamera, considering two different exam-ple applications in urban environments:autonomous landing on an elevated sur-face and automated building ingress.The method requires no special prepa-ration (labels or markers) of the landingor ingress locations. Rather, leveragingthe planar character of urban structure,

the vision system uses a planar homogra-phy decomposition to detect navigationtargets and produce approach waypointsas an input to the vehicle control algo-rithm. Scale recovery is achieved usingmotion capture data. A real-time imple-mentation running onboard a microaerial vehicle was demonstrated in ex-perimental runs.

The system is able to generate highlyaccurate target waypoints. Using athree-stage control scheme, one is ableto autonomously detect, approach, andland on an elevated landing surfacethat is only slightly larger than the foot-print of the aerial vehicles, and gathernavigation target waypoints for build-ing ingress. All algorithms run on-board the vehicles.

This work was done by Roland Brockers,Jeremy C. Ma, and Larry H. Matthies ofCaltech; and Patrick Bouffard of the Univer-sity of California, Berkeley for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected]. NPO-47841

Vision-Aided Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro Aerial Vehicles This technology enables a micro aerial vehicle to transition autonomously between indoor andoutdoor environments via windows and doors based on monocular vision. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


Self-Sealing Wet Chemistry Cell for Field Analysis Analysis of soluble species in field samples is required in agriculture, soil science, andbiomedical applications. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

In most analytical investigations,there is a need to process complex fieldsamples for the unique detection of an-alytes, especially when detecting low-concentration organic molecules thatmay identify extraterrestrial life. Wetchemistry based instruments are thetechniques of choice for most labora-tory-based analysis of organic moleculesdue to several factors including lessfragmentation of fragile biomarkers,and ability to concentrate target speciesresulting in much lower limits of detec-tion. Development of an automated wetchemistry preparation system that canoperate autonomously on Earth and isalso designed to operate under Martianambient conditions will demonstratethe technical feasibility of including wetchemistry on future missions. An Auto-mated Sample Processing System(ASPS) has recently been developedthat receives fines, extracts organicsthrough solvent extraction, processesthe extract by removing non-organicsoluble species, and delivers sample tomultiple instruments for analysis

(in cluding for non-organic solublespecies). The key to this system is a sam-ple cell that can autonomously functionunder field conditions.

As a result, a self-sealing sample cellwas developed that can autonomouslyhermetically seal fines and powder into acontainer, regardless of orientation ofthe apparatus. The cap is designed witha beveled edge, which allows the cap tobe self-righted as the capping motor en-gages. Each cap consists of a C-clip lockring below a crucible O-ring that isplaced into a groove cut into the samplecap. As the capping motor pushes thecap down onto the cell, the lock ring en-gages a small groove cut into the cellbody. When the C-clip engages, the caplocks onto the sample cell. The seal iscreated through the O-ring, which ispushed down the body of the cell, result-ing in a clean seal that has not leakedduring multiple tests with 2,000 psi(≈13.8 MPa) of pressure.

The sample cells allow solvent to be in-serted into the cell through a high-pres-sure check valve at the bottom of the cell.

The spring-loaded back end also comeswith a 5-µm sintered metal filter that re-moves particulates as the solvent and an-alyte are removed from the cell and de-livered to the analytical instrumentationfor analysis. Addi tion ally, the check valveis nominally closed so that any residualsolvent remains in the cell and does notcontaminate other instruments.

This type of technique is vital for insitu chemical analysis on future flightmissions. The current commercialbenchtop model that performs this typeof operation weighs well over 60 kg, andneeds to be loaded by hand, including aconsumable filter. The new cells are com-pletely reusable with the only consum-ables being a C-clip and two O-rings, andhave been demonstrated to be reusableover 50 times in laboratory testing.

This work was done by Luther W. Beegle ofCaltech, and Juancarlos Soto, James Lasnik,and Shane Roark of Ball Aerospace & Tech-nologies Corp. for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab-oratory. For more information, contact [email protected]. NPO-47977


The General MACOS Interface (GMI)for Modeling and Analysis for ControlledOptical Systems (MACOS) enables theuse of MATLAB as a front-end for JPL’scritical optical modeling package,MACOS. MACOS is JPL’s in-house opti-cal modeling software, which has provento be a superb tool for advanced systemsengineering of optical systems. GMI,coupled with MACOS, allows for seam-less interfacing with modeling tools fromother disciplines to make possible inte-gration of dynamics, structures, and ther-mal models with the addition of controlsystems for deformable optics and otheractuated optics.

This software package is designed as atool for analysts to quickly and easily useMACOS without needing to be an ex-pert at programming MACOS. Thestrength of MACOS is its ability to inter-face with various modeling/develop-ment platforms, allowing evaluation ofsystem performance with thermal, me-chanical, and optical modeling parame-ter variations. GMI provides an im-proved means for accessing selected keyMACOS functionalities. The main objec-tive of GMI is to marry the vast mathe-matical and graphical capabilities ofMATLAB with the powerful opticalanalysis engine of MACOS, thereby pro-

viding a useful tool to anyone who canprogram in MATLAB. GMI also im-proves modeling efficiency by eliminat-ing the need to write an interface func-tion for each task/project, reducingerror sources, speeding up user/model-ing tasks, and making MACOS wellsuited for fast prototyping.

This work was done by Norbert Sigrist, ScottA. Basinger, and David C. Redding of Caltechfor NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].

This software is available for commercial li-censing. Please contact Daniel Broderick ofthe California Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO-48009.

General MACOS Interface for Modeling and Analysis forControlled Optical SystemsNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Information Sciences


Mars Technology Rover withArm-Mounted PercussiveCoring Tool, Microimager,and Sample-Handling En-capsulation ContainerizationSubsystem

A report describes the PLuto (pro-grammable logic) Mars TechnologyRover, a mid-sized FIDO (field inte-grated design and operations) classrover with six fully drivable and steerablecleated wheels, a rocker-bogey suspen-sion, a pan-tilt mast with panorama andnavigation stereo camera pairs, forwardand rear stereo hazcam pairs, internalavionics with motor drivers and CPU,and a 5-degrees-of-freedom robotic arm.

The technology rover was integratedwith an arm-mounted percussive coringtool, microimager, and sample handlingencapsulation containerization subsys-tem (SHEC). The turret of the arm con-tains a percussive coring drill and mi-croimager. The SHEC sample cachingsystem mounted to the rover body con-tains coring bits, sample tubes, and sam-ple plugs.

The coring activities performed in thefield provide valuable data on drilling

conditions for NASA tasks developingand studying coring technology.Caching of samples using the SHEC sys-tem provide insight to NASA tasks inves-tigating techniques to store core samplesin the future.

This work was done by Paulo J. Younse,Matthew A. Dicicco, and Albert R. Morgan ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Further information is contained in a TSP(see page 1). NPO-47917

Fault-Tolerant, Real-Time, Multi-Core Computer System

A document discusses a fault-tolerant,self-aware, low-power, multi-core com-puter for space missions with thousandsof simple cores, achieving speed throughconcurrency. The proposed machine de-cides how to achieve concurrency in realtime, rather than depending on pro-grammers. The driving features of thesystem are simple hardware that is modu-lar in the extreme, with no shared mem-ory, and software with significant run-time reorganizing capability.

The document describes a mecha-nism for moving ongoing computations

and data that is based on a functionalmodel of execution. Because there isno shared memory, the processor con-nects to its neighbors through a high-speed data link. Messages are sent to aneighbor switch, which in turn forwardsthat message on to its neighbor untilreaching the intended destination. Ex-cept for the neighbor connections,processors are isolated and independ-ent of each other.

The processors on the periphery alsoconnect chip-to-chip, thus building up alarge processor net. There is no particu-lar topology to the larger net, as a func-tion at each processor allows it to for-ward a message in the correct direction.Some chip-to-chip connections are notnecessarily nearest neighbors, providingshort cuts for some of the longer physi-cal distances. The peripheral processorsalso provide the connections to sensors,actuators, radios, science instruments,and other devices with which the com-puter system interacts.

This work was done by Kim P. Gostelow ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Further information is contained in a TSP(see page 1). NPO-47894

Books & Reports


Software

Water bodies are challenging terrainhazards for terrestrial unmannedground vehicles (UGVs) for severalreasons. Traversing through deepwater bodies could cause costly damageto the electronics of UGVs. Addition-ally, a UGV that is either broken downdue to water damage or becomes stuckin a water body during an autonomousoperation will require rescue, poten-tially drawing critical resources awayfrom the primary operation and in-creasing the operation cost. Thus, ro-bust water detection is a critical per-ception requirement for UGVautonomous navigation.

One of the properties useful for de-tecting still water bodies is that theirsurface acts as a horizontal mirror athigh incidence angles. Still water bod-ies in wide-open areas can be detectedby geometrically locating the exactpixels in the sky that are reflecting oncandidate water pixels on the ground,predicting if ground pixels are waterbased on color similarity to the sky andlocal terrain features. But in clutteredareas where reflections of objects inthe background dominate the appear-ance of the surface of still water bod-ies, detection based on sky reflectionsis of marginal value. Specifically, thissoftware attempts to solve the problemof detecting still water bodies on cross-country terrain in cluttered areas atlow cost.

Still water bodies are indirectly de-tected in cluttered areas of cross-countryterrain by detecting reflections of ob-jects in the water bodies using imageryacquired from a stereo pair of colorcameras, which are mounted to thefront of a terrestrial UGV. Object reflec-tions can be from naturally occurring(e.g. vegetation, trees, hills, mountains,clouds) or man-made entities (e.g. signs,poles, vehicles, buildings, bridges).Color cameras provide a lower-cost solu-tion than specialized imaging sensors(such as a polarization camera) andlaser scanners. In addition, object reflec-tions can be detected in water bodieswith stereo vision at further ranges thanwith lidar scanners.

A hole in Stereo Range Data may be a water body still too small to be detected in image space. In thisexample, the hole was labeled a potential hazard in the world map in frame N. In the next frame,where there was previously a hole, there was range data that was detected as an object reflection,providing confirmation of a water body.

Water Detection Based on Object ReflectionsNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


Four methods for detecting object re-flections have been implemented: detec-tion in the rectified camera images usingcross correlation, detection in stereorange images, detection in a world mapgenerated from range data, and detec-tion using combined stereo range im-ages and rectified camera images. Detec-tion in stereo range images (see figure)exploits the knowledge that 3D coordi-nates of stereo range data on object re-flections occur below the ground sur-face at a range close to that of thereflecting object.

Any autonomous robotic platformused on cross-country terrain that has re-strictions on driving through watercould benefit from this software, includ-ing military platforms and perhaps someagricultural platforms. The automotiveindustry could potentially benefit froman application of this technology to de-tect wet pavement.

This work was done by Arturo L. Rankinand Larry H. Matthies of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Furtherinformation is contained in a TSP (seepage 1).


Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-48494, volume and number


Plug-in Plan Tool v3.0.3.1Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

The role of PLUTO (Plug-in Port UTi-lization Officer) and the growth of theInternational Space Station (ISS) haveexceeded the capabilities of the currenttool PiP (Plug-in Plan). Its users (crewand flight controllers) have expressedan interest in a new, easy-to-use tool witha higher level of interactivity and func-tionality that is not bound by the limita-tions of Excel.

The PiP Tool assists crewmembers andground controllers in making real-timedecisions concerning the safety andcompatibility of hardware plugged intothe UOPs (Utility Outlet Panels) on-board the ISS. The PiP Tool also pro-vides a reference to the current configu-ration of the hardware plugged in to the

UOPs, and enables the PLUTO andcrew to test Plug-in locations for con-straint violations (such as cable connec-tor mismatches or amp limit violations),to see the amps and volts for an enditem, to see whether or not the end itemuses 1553 data, and the cable length be-tween the outlet and the end item. Asnew equipment is flown or returned, thedatabase can be updated appropriatelyas needed. The current tool is a macro-heavy Excel spreadsheet with its owndatabase and reporting functionality.

The new tool captures the capabili-ties of the original tool, ports them tonew software, defines a new dataset,and compensates for ever-growingunique constraints associated with the

Plug-in Plan. New constraints were de-signed into the tool, and updates to ex-isting constraints were added to providemore flexibility and customizability. Inaddition, there is an option to associatea “Flag” with each device that will letthe user know there is a unique con-straint associated with it when they useit. This helps improve the safety and ef-ficiency of real-time calls by limiting theamount of “corporate knowledge” over-head that has to be trained and learnedthrough use.

The tool helps save time by automat-ing previous manual processes, such ascalculating connector types and decid-ing which cables are required and inwhat order.

Determining trajectories of solar tran-sients such as coronal mass ejections isnot always easy. White light images fromSECCHI’s (Sun Earth Connection Coro-nal and Heliospheric Investigation) he-liospheric imagers are difficult to inter-pret because they represent aline-of-sight projection of optically thinsolar wind structures. A structure’s imageby itself gives no information about itsangle of propagation relative to the Sun-spacecraft line, and an image may show asuperposition of several structures, allpropagating at different angles. Analyz-ing SECCHI heliospheric imager datausing plots of elongation (angle from the

Sun) versus time at fixed position angle(aka “Jplots”) has proved extremely use-ful in understanding the observed solarwind structures. This technique has beenused to study CME (coronal mass ejec-tion) propagation, CIRs (corotating in-teraction regions), and blobs.

SATPLOT software was developed tocreate and analyze such elongation ver-sus time plots. The tool uses a library ofcylindrical maps of the data for eachspacecraft’s panoramic field-of-view.Each map includes data from three SEC-CHI white-light telescopes (the COR2coronagraph and both heliospheric im-agers) at one time for one spacecraft.

The maps are created using a Plate Car-ree projection, optimized for creatingthe elongation versus time plots. Thetool can be used to analyze the observedtracks of features seen in the maps, andthe tracks are then used to extract infor-mation, for example, on the angle ofpropagation of the feature.

This work was done by Jeffrey R. Hall andPaulett C. Liewer of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1).


SATPLOT for Analysis of SECCHI Heliospheric Imager Data NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


This project provides a better onboardtool for the crew to safely test ideas forreconfigurations before calling theground, and send the changes directly.The layout provides clear detail forpower channels, module locations, anddata ports, and allows for intuitive “drag-and-drop” connections from the data-base. The software will allow only com-

patible connections to occur, and willflag violations if they exist. It also allowsthe user to flag unique constraints thatmight not be caught by the software’s ex-isting rules and calculations.

The PiP Tool includes reporting capa-bilities that allow the user to export data-base information and configuration in-formation to Excel to share with others

or run detailed comparisons andsearches as needed.

This work was done by Kathleen E. An-drea-Liner, Brion J. Au, Blake R. Fisher,Watchara Rodbumrung, Jeffrey C. Hamic,Kary Smith, and David S.Beadle of theUnited Space Alliance for Johnson Space Cen-ter. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1). MSC-24872-1

Frequency Correction for MIRO Chirp TransformationSpectroscopy SpectrumNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software processes the flyby spec-tra of the Chirp Transform Spec -trometer (CTS) of the Microwave In -strument for Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO).The tool corrects the effect of Dopplershift and local-oscillator (LO) frequencyshift during the flyby mode of MIRO op-erations. The frequency correction forCTS flyby spectra is performed and is in-tegrated with multiple spectra into ahigh signal-to-noise averaged spectrumat the rest-frame RF frequency. This in-novation also generates the 8 molecularline spectra by dividing continuous4,096-channel CTS spectra. The 8 linespectra can then be readily used for sci-entific investigations.

A spectral line that is at its rest fre-quency in the frame of the Earth or anasteroid will be observed with a time-varying Doppler shift as seen by MIRO.The frequency shift is toward thehigher RF frequencies on approach,and toward lower RF frequencies on de-parture. The magnitude of the shift de-pends on the flyby velocity. The resultof time-varying Doppler shift is that ofan observed spectral line will be seen tomove from channel to channel in theCTS spectrometer. The direction(higher or lower frequency) in thespectrometer depends on the spectralline frequency under consideration. Inorder to analyze the flyby spectra, two

steps are required. First, individualspectra must be corrected for theDoppler shift so that individual spectracan be superimposed at the same restfrequency for integration purposes.Second, a correction needs to be ap-plied to the CTS spectra to account forthe LO frequency shifts that are appliedto asteroid mode.

This work was done by Seungwon Lee ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Further information is contained in a TSP(see page 1).


Nonlinear Estimation Approach to Real-Time Georegistrationfrom Aerial Images This technology can be used for real-time search and rescue operations and surveillanceapplications using cameras mounted on aircraft or UAVs. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

When taking aerial images, it is impor-tant to know locations of specific pointsof interest in an Earth-centered coordi-nate system (latitude, longitude, height)(see figure). The correspondence be-tween a pixel location in the image andits Earth coordinate is known as georeg-istration. There are two main technicalchallenges arising in the intended appli-cation. The first is that no known fea-tures are assumed to be available in anyof the images. The second is that the in-tended applications are real time. Here,images are taken at regular intervals (i.e.once per second), and it is desired tomake decisions in real time based on the

geolocation of specific objects seen inthe images as they arrive. This is in sharpcontrast to most current methods for ge-olocation that operate “after-the-fact” byprocessing, on the ground, a database ofstored images using computationally in-tensive methods.

The solution is a nonlinear estimationalgorithm that combines processed real-time camera images with vehicle posi-tion and attitude information ob tainedfrom an onboard GPS receiver. This ap-proach provides accurate georegistra-tion estimates (latitude, longitude,height) of arbitrary features and/orpoints of interest seen in the camera im-

ages. This solves the georegistrationprob lem at the modest cost of augment-ing the camera information with a GPSreceiver carried onboard the vehicle.

The nonlinear estimation algorithm isbased on a linearized Kalman filterstructure that carries 19 states in its cur-rent implementation. Six of the 19 statesare calibration parameters associatedwith the initial camera pose. One of thestates calibrates the scale factor associ-ated with all camera-derived informa-tion. The remaining 12 states are used tomodel the current kinematic state of thevehicle (position, velocity, acceleration,and attitude).

The new georegistration approachwas validated by computer simulationbased on an aircraft flying at a speed of70 m/s in a 3-km radius circle at an alti-tude of 15,000 ft (≈4,600 m), using acamera pointed at the ground towardthe center of the circle. Results from

using the nonlinear estimation algo-rithm, in combination with GPS andcamera images taken once per second,indicate that after 20 minutes of opera-tion, real-time georegistration errors arereduced to values of less than 2 m, 1sigma, on the ground.

The new method is very modular andcleanly separates computer vision func-tions from optimal estimation func-tions. This allows the vision and estima-tion functions to be developedseparately, and leverages the power ofmodern estimation theory to fuse infor-mation in an optimal manner. Heuris-tics are avoided, which are generallysuboptimal, as are other methods thatrequire human-in-the-loop interven-tion, ad hoc parameter weightings, andawkward stitching together of varioustypes of data.

The work is applicable to any scientificor engineering application that re quiresfinding the geolocation of specific ob-jects seen in a sequence of camera im-ages. For example, in a surveying appli-cation, the precise location and height ofa mountain peak can be determined byhaving an airplane take aerial imageswhile circling around it.

This work was done by David S. Bayard andCurtis W. Padgett of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1).



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The need to maintain optimal energyefficiency is critical during the drillingoperations performed on future andcurrent planetary rover missions (seefigure). Specifically, this innovationseeks to solve the following problem.Given a spring-loaded percussive drilldriven by a voice-coil motor, one needsto determine the optimal input voltagewaveform (periodic function) and theoptimal hammering period that mini-mizes the dissipated energy, while ensur-ing that the hammer-to-rock impacts aremade with sufficient (user-defined) im-pact velocity (or impact energy).

To solve this problem, it was first ob-served that when voice-coil-actuated per-cussive drills are driven at high power, itis of paramount importance to ensurethat the electrical current of the deviceremains in phase with the velocity of the

Optimal Force Control of Vibro-Impact Systems forAutonomous Drilling ApplicationsA method is investigated how to maximize energy transfer to tools used in drilling, and can beapplied to regular power tools.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Planetary Rover equipped with a rotary percussive drill.


Operator Interface and Control Software for theReconfigurable Surface System Tri-ATHLETE The capability of future exploration missions may be greatly extended for a small additional cost.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Graphical operator interface methodshave been developed for modular, re-configurable articulated surface systemsin general, and a specific instantiationthereof for JPL’s Tri-ATHLETE. The All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-TerrestrialExplorer Robot (ATHLETE) has sixlimbs with six kinematic degrees of free-dom each (see figure).

The core advancement of this workwas the development of a novel set of al-gorithms for dynamically maintaining areduced coordinate model of any con-nected assembly of robot modules. Thekinematics of individual modules arefirst modeled using a catalog of 12 stan-dard 3D robot joints (this modeling stepneeds to be done only once). Then, in-

dividual modules can be assembled intoany closed- or open-chain topology. Thesystem automatically maintains a span-ning tree of the overall configuration,which ensures both efficiency and accu-racy of the on-screen representation.

Until now, JPL has used generic CAD(computer-aided design), simulation,and animation tools as a substitute for a

hammer. Otherwise, negative work isperformed and the drill experiences aloss of performance (i.e., reduced im-pact energy) and an increase in Jouleheating (i.e., reduction in energy effi-ciency). This observation has motivatedmany drilling products to incorporatethe standard bang-bang control ap-proach for driving their percussive drills.However, the bang-bang control ap-proach is significantly less efficient thanthe optimal energy-efficient control ap-proach solved herein.

To obtain this solution, the standardtools of classical optimal control theorywere applied. It is worth noting that thesetools inherently require the solution of atwo-point boundary value problem

(TPBVP), i.e., a system of differentialequations where half the equations haveunknown boundary conditions. Typically,the TPBVP is impossible to solve analyti-cally for high-dimensional dynamic sys-tems. However, for the case of the spring-loaded vibro-impactor, this approachyields the exact optimal control solutionas the sum of four analytic functionswhose coefficients are determined usinga simple, easy-to-implement algorithm.Once the optimal control waveform is de-termined, it can be used optimally in thecontext of both open-loop and closed-loop control modes (using standard real-time control hardware).

Future NASA in situ exploration mis-sions increasingly require extensive

drilling and coring procedures thatstress the demand for more energy effi-cient methods to accomplish these tasks.For example, when rover-based auton -omous drills are controlled non-opti-mally for long periods of time, the en-ergy loss can grow at a rate that cannotbe sustained by the rover’s internal en-ergy supply. Motorized percussive unitscan be especially energy-draining (whencontrolled non-optimally), making thistechnology especially relevant to thistype of future NASA work.

This work was done by Jack B. Aldrichand Avi B. Okon of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further informationis contained in a TSP (see page 1). NPO-48467

A Software Defined Radio (SDR)concept uses a minimum amount ofanalog/radio frequency components toup/downconvert the RF signal to/froma digital format. Once in the digital do-main, all other processing (filtering,modulation, demodulation, etc.) isdone in software. The project will lever-age existing designs and enhance capa-bilities in the commercial sector to pro-vide a path to a radiation-hardenedSDR transponder.

The SDR transponder would incorpo-rate baseline technologies dealing withimproved Forward Error Correcting(FEC) codes to be deployed to all NearEarth Network (NEN) ground stations.

By incorporating this FEC, at least a ten-fold increase in data throughput can be achieved.

A family of transponder products canbe implemented using common plat-form architecture, allowing new prod-ucts to be more quickly introduced intothe market. Software can be reusedacross products, reducing software/hardware costs dramatically. New fea-tures and capabilities, such as encodingand decoding algorithms, filters, and bitsynchronizers, can be added to the exist-ing infrastructure without requiringmajor new capital expenditures, allow-ing implementation of advanced fea-tures in the communication systems.

As new telecommunication technolo-gies emerge, incorporating them intothe SDR fabric will be easily accom-plished with little or no requirementsfor new hardware. There are no pre-ferred flight platforms for the SDR tech-nology, so it can be used on any type oforbital or sub-orbital platform, all withina fully radiation hardened design.

This work was done by William Sims andKosta Varnavas of Marshall Space Flight Center.

This invention is owned by NASA, and apatent application has been filed. For furtherinformation, contact Sammy Nabors, MSFCCommercialization Assistance Lead, [email protected]. Refer to MFS-32871-1.

Low-Cost Telemetry System for Small/Micro SatellitesMarshall Space Flight Center, Alabama


true modular robot operator interface.This workflow is extremely time-con-suming, and is not suited for use in anoperations context. Current operatorinterfaces, both at JPL and in the

broader exploration robotics commu-nity, are largely focused on non-recon-figurable hardware.

Reconfigurable modular hardwaresuch as Tri-ATHLETE promises to ex-

tend greatly the capability of future ex-ploration missions for a relatively smalladditional cost. Whereas existing mis-sions based on monolithic hardware canonly perform a limited set of pre-de-fined operations, modular hardware canpotentially be reconnected and recom-bined to serve a range of functions. Thefull realization of these promises is con-tingent not just on the development ofthe hardware itself, but also upon theavailability of corresponding softwaresystems with algorithms that enable op-erators to rapidly specify, visualize, simu-late, and control particular assemblies ofmodules. In the case of articulated, re-connectable hardware like Tri-ATH-LETE, operators also can determine fea-sible motions of the assembly, anddisconnect/reconnect actions thatchange assembly topology.

This work was done by Jeffrey S. Norris ofCaltech, Marsette A. Vona of NortheasternUniversity, and Daniela Rus of MIT forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Furtherinformation is contained in a TSP (seepage 1).


Any Assembly of Kinematic Modules may be directly operated in the system by click-and-drag directmanipulation. Here the canonical configuration of two Tri-ATHLETE modules and one pallet is oper-ated in lifting (A), sliding (B), and tilting (C) motions.

Algorithms for Determining Physical Responses of StructuresUnder LoadStructure can be monitored in real time while in actual service.Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

Ultra-efficient real-time structuralmonitoring algorithms have been devel-oped to provide extensive informationabout the physical response of structuresunder load. These algorithms are drivenby actual strain data to measure accu-rately local strains at multiple locationson the surface of a structure. Through asingle point load calibration test, thesestructural strains are then used to calcu-late key physical properties of the struc-ture at each measurement location.Such properties include the structure’sflexural rigidity (the product of thestructure’s modulus of elasticity, and itsmoment of inertia) and the sectionmodulus (the moment of inertia dividedby the structure’s half-depth). The re-sulting structural properties at each lo-cation can be used to determine thestructure’s bending moment, shear, and

b = 10 in.

l = 160 in. P = 1000 lbs

c = 5 in.

Cantilever Beam of tapered cross section subjected to tip loading.


Autonomous Rover Traverse and Precise Arm Placement onRemotely Designated Targets NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software controls a rover plat-form to traverse rocky terrain auton -omously, plan paths, and avoid obsta-cles using its stereo hazard andnavigation cameras. It does so whilecontinuously tracking a target of inter-est selected from 10–20 m away. Therover drives and tracks the target untilit reaches the vicinity of the target.The rover then positions itself to ap-proach the target, deploys its roboticarm, and places the end effector in-

strument on the designated target towithin 2–3-cm accuracy of the origi-nally selected target.

This software features continuousnavigation in a fairly rocky field in anoutdoor environment and the ability toenable the rover to avoid large rocksand traverse over smaller ones. Usingpoint-and-click mouse commands, ascientist designates targets in the initialimagery acquired from the rover’s mastcameras. The navigation software uses

stereo imaging, traversability analysis,path planning, trajectory generation,and trajectory execution. It also in-cludes visual target tracking of a desig-nated target selected from 10 m awaywhile continuously navigating therocky terrain.

Improvements in this design includesteering while driving, which uses con-tinuous curvature paths. There are alsoseveral improvements to the traversabil-ity analyzer, including improved data fu-

Mission Analysis, Operations, and Navigation ToolkitEnvironment (Monte) Version 040 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Monte is a software set designed for usein mission design and spacecraft naviga-tion operations. The system can processmeasurement data, design optimal trajec-tories and maneuvers, and do orbit deter-mination, all in one application. For thefirst time, a single software set can be usedfor mission design and navigation opera-tions. This eliminates problems due to dif-ferent models and fidelities used in legacymission design and navigation software.

The unique features of Monte 040 in-clude a blowdown thruster model forGRAIL (Gravity Recovery and InteriorLaboratory) with associated pressuremodels, as well as an updated, optimal-search capability (COSMIC) that facili-tated mission design for ARTEMIS. Ex-isting legacy software lacked thecapabilities necessary for these two mis-sions. There is also a mean orbital ele-

ment propagator and an osculating tomean element converter that allowslong-term orbital stability analysis for thefirst time in compiled code.

The optimized trajectory search toolCOSMIC allows users to place constraintsand controls on their searches withoutany restrictions. Constraints may be user-defined and depend on trajectory infor-mation either forward or backwards intime. In addition, a long-term orbit stabil-ity analysis tool (morbiter) existed previ-ously as a set of scripts on top of Monte.

Monte is becoming the primary toolfor navigation operations, a core compe-tency at JPL. The mission design capabil-ities in Monte are becoming matureenough for use in project proposals aswell as post-phase A mission design.

Monte has three distinct advantagesover existing software. First, it is being

developed in a modern paradigm: ob-ject-oriented C++ and Python. Second,the software has been developed as atoolkit, which allows users to customizetheir own applications and allows the de-velopment team to implement require-ments quickly, efficiently, and with mini-mal bugs. Finally, the software ismanaged in accordance with the CMMI(Capability Maturity Model Integra-tion), where it has been ap praised at ma-turity level 3.

This work was done by Richard F. Sunseri,Hsi-Cheng Wu, Scott E. Evans, James R.Evans, Theodore R. Drain, and Michelle M.Guevara of Caltech for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory.


structural loads in real time while thestructure is in service.

The amount of structural informa-tion can be maximized through the useof highly multiplexed fiber Bragg grat-ing technology using optical time do-main reflectometry and optical fre-quency domain reflectometry, whichcan provide a local strain measurementevery 10 mm on a single hair-sized opti-cal fiber. Since local strain is used asinput to the algorithms, this system

serves multiple purposes of measuringstrains and displacements, as well as de-termining structural bending mo ment,shear, and loads for assessing real-timestructural health.

The first step is to install a series ofstrain sensors on the structure’s surfacein such a way as to measure bendingstrains at desired locations. The nextstep is to perform a simple ground testcalibration. For a beam of length l (seeexample), discretized into n sections

and subjected to a tip load of P thatplaces the beam in bending, the flex-ural rigidity of the beam can be experi-mentally determined at each measure-ment location x. The bending momentat each station can then be determinedfor any general set of loads applied dur-ing operation.

This work was done by W. Lance Richardsand William L. Ko of Dryden Flight ResearchCenter. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1). DRC-008-023


sion of traversability maps that resultfrom pose estimation uncertainties,dealing with boundary effects to enabletighter maneuvers, and handling a widerrange of obstacles.

This work advances what has beenpreviously developed and integratedon the Mars Exploration Rovers byusing algorithms that are capable oftraversing more rock-dense terrains,

enabling tight, thread-the-needle ma-neuvers. These algorithms were inte-grated on the newly refurbishedAthena Mars research rover, and werefielded in the JPL Mars Yard. Forty-three runs were conducted with targetsat distances ranging from 5 to 15 m,and a success rate of 93% was achievedfor placement of the instrument within2–3 cm of the target.

This work was done by Issa A. Nesnas andMihail N. Pivtoraiko of Caltech, Alonzo Kellyof Carnegie Mellon University, and MichaelFleder of MIT for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab-oratory. Further information is contained ina TSP (see page 1).


A package of software computes thetime-dependent propagation of a nar-row laser beam in an arbitrary three- di-mensional (3D) medium with absorp-tion and scattering, using thetransient-discrete-ordinates method anda direct integration method. Unlikeprior software that utilizes a MonteCarlo method, this software enables sim-ulation at very small signal-to-noise ra-tios. The ability to simulate propagationof a narrow laser beam in a 3D mediumis an improvement over other discrete-ordinate software. Unlike other direct-

integration software, this software is notlimited to simulation of propagation ofthermal radiation with broad angularspread in three dimensions or of a laserpulse with narrow angular spread in twodimensions. Uses for this software in-clude (1) computing scattering of apulsed laser beam on a material havinggiven elastic scattering and absorptionprofiles, and (2) evaluating concepts forlaser-based instruments for sensingoceanic turbulence and related meas-urements of oceanic mixed-layer depths.With suitable augmentation, this soft-

ware could be used to compute radiativetransfer in ultrasound imaging in biolog-ical tissues, radiative transfer in theupper Earth crust for oil exploration,and propagation of laser pulses intelecommunication applications.

This program was written by Paul Von All-men and Seungwon Lee of Caltech for NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected].


Computing Radiative Transfer in a 3D MediumNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software demonstrates a workingimplementation of the NASA STRS(Space Telecommunications Radio Sys-tem) architecture specification. This is adeveloping specification of software ar-chitecture and required interfaces toprovide commonality among futureNASA and commercial software-definedradios for space, and allow for easiermixing of software and hardware fromdifferent vendors.

It provides required functions, andsupports interaction with STRS-com-pliant simple test plug-ins (“wave-forms”). All of it is programmed in“plain C,” except where necessary tointeract with C++ plug-ins. It offers asmall footprint, suitable for use in JPLradio hardware.

Future NASA work is expected to de-velop into fully capable software-definedradios for use on the space station, other

space vehicles, and interplanetaryprobes.

This work was done by Kenneth J. Peters,James P. Lux, Minh Lang, and Courtney B.Duncan of Caltech for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. Further information is containedin a TSP (see page 1).


Architectural Implementation of NASA SpaceTelecommunications Radio System SpecificationNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

The wave bearing software suite is aMALTA application that computes bear-ing properties for user-specified wavebearing conditions, as well as plain jour-nal bearings. Wave bearings are fluid

film journal bearings with multi-lobedwave patterns around the circumferenceof the bearing surface. In this softwaresuite, the dynamic coefficients are out-putted in a way for easy implementation

in a finite element model used in rotordynamics analysis. The software has agraphical user interface (GUI) for in-putting bearing geometry parameters,and uses MATLAB’s structure interface

Journal and Wave Bearing Impedance Calculation SoftwareJohn H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio


for ease of interpreting data. This inno-vation was developed to provide the stiff-ness and damping components of wavebearing impedances.

The computational method for com-puting bearing coefficients was origi-nally designed for plain journal bearingsand tilting pad bearings. Modificationsto include a wave bearing profile con-sisted of changing the film thickness

profile given by an equation, and writingan algorithm to locate the integrationlimits for each fluid region. Careful con-sideration was needed to implement thecorrect integration limits while comput-ing the dynamic coefficients, dependingon the form of the input/output vari-ables specified in the algorithm.

This work was done by Amanda Hanfordand Robert Campbell of ARL/Penn State for

Glenn Research Center. For further informa-tion, contact the GRC Innovation Partner-ships Office at (216) 433-8047.

Inquiries concerning rights for the com-mercial use of this invention should be ad-dressed to NASA Glenn Research Center, In-novative Partnerships Office, Attn: StevenFedor, Mail Stop 4–8, 21000 BrookparkRoad, Cleveland, Ohio 44135. Refer toLEW-18627-1.

Scalable Integrated Multi-Mission Support System (SIMSS)Simulator Release 2.0 for GMSEC Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Scalable Integrated Multi-MissionSupport System (SIMSS) Simulator Re-lease 2.0 software is designed to per-form a variety of test activities related tospacecraft simulations and ground seg-ment checks. This innovation uses theexisting SIMSS framework, which inter-faces with the GMSEC (Goddard Mis-sion Services Evolution Center) Appli-cation Programming Interface (API)Version 3.0 message middleware, andallows SIMSS to accept GMSEC stan-

dard messages via the GMSEC messagebus service.

SIMSS is a distributed, component-based, plug-and-play client-server systemthat is useful for performing real-timemonitoring and communications testing.SIMSS runs on one or more worksta-tions, and is designed to be user-config-urable, or to use predefined configura-tions for routine operations. SIMSSconsists of more than 100 modules thatcan be configured to create, receive,

process, and/or transmit data. TheSIMSS/GMSEC innovation is intendedto provide missions with a low-cost solu-tion for implementing their ground sys-tems, as well as to significantly reduce amission’s integration time and risk.

This work was done by John Kim, Sarma Ve-lamuri, Taylor Casey, and Travis Bemann ofHoneywell Technology Solutions, Inc. for God-dard Space Flight Center. For further informa-tion, contact the Goddard Innovative Partner-ships Office at (301) 286-5810. GSC-16039-1

Policy-Based Negotiation Engine for Cross-DomainInteroperability This method can be used by any organization with distributed Web entities. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

A successful policy negotiationscheme for Policy-Based Management(PBM) has been implemented. Policynegotiation is the process of determin-ing the “best” communication policythat all of the parties involved canagree on. Specifically, the problem ishow to reconcile the various (and pos-sibly conflicting) communication pro-tocols used by different divisions. Thesolution must use protocols available toall parties involved, and should at-tempt to do so in the best way possible.Which protocols are commonly avail-able, and what the definition of “best”is will be dependent on the parties in-volved and their individual communi-cations priorities.

This method is based on defeasiblepolicy composition (DPC), a new ap-proach for finding conflicts and resolv-

Introducing Priority Relations Pseudo-English Form of Rules

Introducing Variables

Introducing Rules

3 Types of Rules: Strict, Deafeasible, Defeater

Name

Defeasible Logic Policy Editor


ing priorities between rules. A formula-tion and scenario for how cross-domaininteroperability can be achieved havebeen developed based on a negotiationmechanism between different parties(domains) so that all parties can agreeon procedures for interacting with eachother. An implementation of thismethodology has been developed in theform of an executable code and corre-sponding GUI interface.

The network management and Webcommunication software used by thedifferent organizations presents astumbling block. Many of the toolsused by the various divisions do nothave the ability to communicate net-work management data with eachother. At best, this means that manualhuman intervention into the commu-nication protocols used at various net-work routers and endpoints is re-quired. This process is tedious,error-prone, and slow.

The present methods have inherentinefficiency and are not fully auto-matic, which heavily restricts their prac-tical applications. The new method isbased on an efficient algorithm. Thenew engine utilizes defeasible logic todescribe communication policy con-straints and priorities. Defeasible logic(see figure) is non-monotonic, andcontains three different types of rules:strict rules, which are strict “if/then”statements; defeasible rules that are “ifthis, then probably that” statements;and defeater rules that contradict theoutcomes of defeasible rules.

The policy negotiation program readsin two files specifying the policies thatthe user wishes to combine, and outputsa single file describing the means ofcommunication that satisfy both inputpolicies, if any can be found.

To implement this method, a toolcalled DPC (Defeasible Policy Com -position) was developed. To maintain

that efficiency in the DPC tool, the datastructures for the individual terms ofeach constraint are joined in linked-listfashion to their constraints and to a par-ent object representing each term. Thiscan be visualized as a linked grid, wherethe heads of each column are the terms,the heads of each row are the rule names,and the body of the grid is the referencesto the terms that make up those rules.Each term reference is linked to itsneighbors in the grid, which allows the al-gorithm to quickly and efficiently searchthrough, add, and delete rows, terms,and individual term references.

This work was done by Farrokh Vatan andEdward T. Chow of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1).


This new release of MBDyn is a soft-ware engine that calculates the dynamicsstates of kinematic, rigid, or flexiblemultibody systems. An MBDyn multi-body system may consist of multiplegroups of articulated chains, trees, orclosed-loop topologies. Transient top -ologies are handled through conserva-tion of energy and momentum. The so-lution for rigid-body systems is exact,and several configurable levels of non-linear term fidelity are available for flex-ible dynamics systems.

The algorithms have been optimizedfor efficiency and can be used for bothnon-real-time (NRT) and real-time (RT)simulations. Interfaces are currentlycompatible with NASA’s Trick Simula-tion Environment. This new release rep-resents a significant advance in capabil-ity and ease of use. The two mostsignificant new additions are an applica-tion programming interface (API) thatclarifies and simplifies use of MBDyn,and a link-list infrastructure that allows asingle MBDyn instance to propagate an

arbitrary number of interacting groupsof multibody top ologies.

MBDyn calculates state and state de-rivative vectors for integration using anexternal integration routine. A Trick-compatible interface is provided for ini-tialization, data logging, integration,and input/output.

This work was done by John Maclean,Thomas Brain, Leslie Quiocho, An Huynh,and Tushar Ghosh of Johnson Space Center.Further information is contained in a TSP(see page 1). MSC-24925-1

Linked-List-Based Multibody Dynamics (MBDyn) EngineLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

The Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool(MMPAT) simulates a spacecraft powersubsystem including the power source(solar array and/or radioisotope thermo-electric generator), bus-voltage control,secondary battery (lithium-ion or nickel-hydrogen), thermostatic heaters, andpower-consuming equipment. It handlesmultiple mission types including helio-centric orbiters, planetary orbiters, andsurface operations. Being parametrically

driven along with its user-programmablefeatures can reduce or even eliminateany need for software modificationswhen configuring it for a particularspacecraft. It provides multiple levels offidelity, thereby fulfilling the vast major-ity of a project’s power simulation needsthroughout the lifecycle. It can operatein a standalone mode with a graphicaluser interface, in batch mode, or as a li-brary linked with other tools.

This software can simulate all majoraspects of a spacecraft power subsystem.It is parametrically driven to reduce oreliminate the need for a programmer.Added flexibility is provided throughuser-designed state models and table-driven parameters.

MMPAT is designed to be used by avariety of users, such as power subsys-tem engineers for sizing power subsys-tem components; mission planners for

Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool (MMPAT) Version 3 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


This suite of IDL programs providesidentification and comprehensive char-acterization of the dynamical features ofthe jet streams in the upper tropo-sphere, the lower stratospheric polarnight jet, and the tropopause. The out-put of this software not only providescomprehensive information on the jetsand tropopause, but also gives this infor-mation in a form that facilitates studiesof observations in relation to the jetsand tropopauses.

The programs use data from griddedmeteorological analyses (including, cur-rently, GEOS-5/MERRA and NCEP/GFS, but are designed to easily adapt toothers) to identify the locations and char-

acteristics (wind speed, temperature,wind components, potential vorticity,equivalent latitude, potential tempera-ture, relative vorticity, and other fields) atthe jet maximum and the edges of the jetregions. It also compiles detailed tro -popause information based on severalcommonly used definitions of the tro -popause, including cataloging times/lo-cations with multiple tropo pauses. Theseproducts are calculated for the completegridded meteorological data sets, and thedifferences between jet locations/charac-teristics and measurement locations/characteristics cat alog ed for several satel-lite (currently, Aura MLS, ACE, andHIRDLS) and aircraft (currently START-

08, Winter Storms, SPURT) datasets. These products are currently being

used in studies compiling jet andtropopause climatologies, and to charac-terize trace gas observations in relationto the jets and tropopauses. The outputproducts will be made available to othercollaborators, and eventually will bepublicly available.

This work was done by Gloria L. Manneyand William H. Daffer of Caltech for NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory. Further informa-tion is contained in a TSP (see page 1).


Jet and Tropopause Products for Analysis and Characterization (JETPAC) NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

adjusting mission scenarios usingpower profiles generated by the model;system engineers for performing sys-tem-level trade studies using the resultsof the model during the early designphases of a spacecraft; and operations

personnel for high-fidelity modeling ofthe essential power aspect of the plan-ning picture.

This work was done by Eric G. Wood,George W. Chang, and Fannie C. Chen ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For more information, contact [email protected].


The Jupiter Environment Tool (JET)is a custom UI plug-in for STK that pro-vides an interface to Jupiter environ-ment models for visualization and analy-sis. Users can visualize the differentmagnetic field models of Jupiterthrough various rendering methods,which are fully integrated within STK’s3D Window. This allows users to takesnapshots and make animations of their

scenarios with magnetic field visualiza-tions. Analytical data can be accessed inthe form of custom vectors. Given thesecustom vectors, users have access to mag-netic field data in custom reports,graphs, access constraints, coverageanalysis, and anywhere else vectors areused within STK.

This work was done by Erick J. Sturm,Kenneth M. Donahue, James P. Biehl, and

Michael Kokorowski of Caltech; CedrickNgalande of Microcosm, Inc.; and JordanBoedeker of Iowa State University forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Furtherinformation is contained in a TSP (seepage 1).


Jupiter Environment ToolNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software implements digitalcontrol of a WGM (whispering-gallery-mode) resonator temperature basedon the dual-mode approach. It com-prises one acquisition (dual-channel)and three control modules. The inter-action of the proportional-integral

loops is designed in the original way,preventing the loops from fighting.The data processing is organized inparallel with the acquisition, which al-lows the computational overhead timeto be suppressed or often completelyavoided.

WGM resonators potentially provideexcellent optical references for metrol-ogy, clocks, spectroscopy, and other ap-plications. However, extremely accu-rate (below micro-Kelvin) temperaturestabilization is required. This softwareallows one specifically advantageous

WGM Temperature Tracker NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


method of such stabilization to be im-plemented, which is immune to a vari-ety of effects that mask the tempera-ture variation.

WGM Temperature Tracker 2.3 (seefigure) is a LabVIEW code developedfor dual-mode temperature stabilizationof WGM resonators. It has allowed forthe temperature stabilization at the levelof 200 nK with one-second integrationtime, and 6 nK with 10,000-second inte-gration time, with the above room-tem-perature set point.

This software, in conjunction withthe appropriate hardware, can be usedas a noncryogenic temperature sen-sor/controller with sub-micro-Kelvinsensitivity, which at the time of this re-porting considerably outperforms thestate of the art.

This work was done by Dmitry V.Strekalov of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further informa-tion is contained in a TSP (see page 1).

This software is available for commercial li-censing. Please contact Daniel Broderick ofthe California Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO-48306. A Screen Shot of the WGM Temperature Tracker 2.3 graphic interface.

This software solved the problem of dis-playing terrains that are usually too largeto be displayed on standard workstationsin real time. The software can visualizeterrain data sets composed of billions ofvertices, and can display these data sets atgreater than 30 frames per second.

The Large Terrain Continuous Levelof Detail 3D Visualization Tool allows

large terrains, which can be composedof billions of vertices, to be visualized inreal time. It utilizes a continuous levelof detail technique called clipmappingto support this. It offloads much of thework involved in breaking up the ter-rain into levels of details onto the GPU(graphics processing unit) for fasterprocessing.

This work was done by Steven Myint andAbhinandan Jain of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected].


Large Terrain Continuous Level of Detail 3D Visualization ToolNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

The mathematical theory of capillarysurfaces has developed steadily over thecenturies, but it was not until the last fewdecades that new technologies have puta more urgent demand on a substan-tially more qualitative and quantitativeunderstanding of phenomena relatingto capillarity in general. So far, the newtheory development successfully pre-dicts the behavior of capillary surfacesfor special cases. However, an efficientquantitative mathematical prediction of

capillary phenomena related to theshape and stability of geometrically com-plex equilibrium capillary surfaces re-mains a significant challenge. As one ofmany numerical tools, the open-sourceSurface Evolver (SE) algorithm hasplayed an important role over the lasttwo decades. The current effort was un-dertaken to provide a front-end to en-hance the accessibility of SE for the pur-poses of design and analysis. Like SE, thenew code is open-source and will remain

under development for the foreseeablefuture.

The ultimate goal of the current Sur-face Evolver – Fluid Interface Tool (SE-FIT) development is to build a fully inte-grated front-end with a set of graphicaluser interface (GUI) elements. Such afront-end enables the access to function-alities that are developed along with theGUIs to deal with pre-processing, con-vergence computation operation, andpost-processing. In other words, SE-FIT

SE-FITJohn H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio


Mars Express Forward Link Capabilities for the Mars RelayOperations Service (MaROS) NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software provides a new capabil-ity for landed Mars assets to perform for-ward link relay through the Mars Ex-press (MEX) European Union orbitalspacecraft. It solves the problem of stan-

dardizing the relay interface betweenlander missions and MEX.

The Mars Operations Relay Service(MaROS) is intended as a central pointfor relay planning and post-pass analysis

for all Mars landed and orbital assets.Through the first two phases of imple-mentation, MaROS supports relay coordi-nation through the Odyssey orbiter andthe Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

is not just a GUI front-end, but an inte-grated environment that can performsophisticated computational tasks, e.g.importing industry standard file formatsand employing parameter sweep func-tions, which are both lacking in SE, andrequire minimal interaction by the user.These functions are created using a mix-ture of Visual Basic and the SE script lan-guage. These form the foundation for ahigh-performance front-end that sub-stantially simplifies use without sacrific-ing the proven capabilities of SE. Thereal power of SE-FIT lies in its auto-mated pre-processing, pre-definedgeometries, convergence computationoperation, computational diagnostictools, and crash-handling capabilities tosustain extensive computations.

SE-FIT performance is enabled by itsso-called file-layer mechanism. Duringthe early stages of SE-FIT development,

it became necessary to modify the origi-nal SE code to enable capabilities re-quired for an enhanced and synchro-nized communication. To this end, afile-layer was created that serves as acommand buffer to ensure a continuousand sequential execution of commandssent from the front-end to SE. It also es-tablishes a proper means for handlingcrashes. The file layer logs input com-mands and SE output; it also supportsuser interruption requests, back and for-ward operation (i.e. ‘undo’ and ‘redo’),and others. It especially enables thebatch mode computation of a series ofequilibrium surfaces and the searchingof critical parameter values in studyingthe stability of capillary surfaces. In thisway, the modified SE significantly ex-tends the capabilities of the original SE.

There is a growing need for SE in sub-jects such as flows related to micrograv-

ity tankage, inkjet printing, nanotech-nologies, transport in porous media,capillary self-assembly and self-align-ment, microscale wicking structures,foams, and more. It is hoped that SE-FITwill prove to be an essential tool for myr-iad capillary design and analysis applica-tions as well as a tool for both educationand inquiry.

This work was done by Yongkang Chen,Mark Weislogel, Ben Schaeffer, Ben Semerjian,and Lihong Yang of the Portland State Univer-sity Office of Research and Sponsored Projects;and Gregory Zimmerli of Glenn Research Cen-ter. Further information is contained in aTSP (see page 1).

Inquiries concerning rights for the commer-cial use of this invention should be addressedto NASA Glenn Research Center, InnovativePartnerships Office, Attn: Steven Fedor, MailStop 4–8, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleve-land, Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-18824-1.

The Scalable Integrated Multi-missionSupport System (SIMSS) is a tool thatperforms a variety of test activities re-lated to spacecraft simulations andground segment checks.

The GSFC Mission Services EvolutionCenter (GMSEC) has been advancingnew technologies using its architectureto aid missions in the development ofcontrol centers, and to enable the inter-operability of mission operations center(MOC) components. These new tech-nologies are intended to provide mis-sions with low-cost solutions in imple-menting their ground systems. SIMSSVersion 2.0 was developed to run withinthe GMSEC architecture as a plug-incomponent. To accomplish this, SIMSS

is integrated with GMSEC applicationprogramming interface (API) 3.0 li brar -ies, which allows SIMSS to successfullyoperate in the GMSEC environment andcommunicate with other componentsusing GMSEC messages that are trans-mitted over the GMSEC messaging mid-dleware interface bus.

This innovation (SIMSS Release 3.0)provides a Generic Simulator module,which supports the use of an XTCE-based project database (PDB) fromwhich telemetry data is generated, andthen is published onto the GMSEC mes-sage bus.

SIMSS is a distributed, component-based, plug-and-play client-server systemuseful for performing real-time monitor-

ing and communications testing. SIMSSruns on one or more workstations and isdesigned to be user-configurable or to usepredefined configurations for routine op-erations. SIMSS consists of more than 100modules that can be configured to create,receive, process, and/or transmit data.The SIMSS/GMSEC innovation is in-tended to provide missions with a low-costsolution for implementing their groundsystems, as well as significantly reducing amission’s integration time and risk.

This work was done by John Kim, SarmaVelamuri, and Taylor Casey of GoddardSpace Flight Center; and Travis Bemann ofHoneywell. For further information, contactthe Goddard Innovative Partnerships Officeat (301) 286-5810. GSC-16041-1

Scalable Integrated Multi-Mission Support System SimulatorRelease 3.0Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland


With this new software, MaROS now fullyintegrates the Mars Express spacecraftinto the relay picture. This new softwaregenerates and manages a new set of fileformats that allows for relay request toMEX for forward and return link relay, in-cluding the parameters specific to MEX.

Existing MEX relay planning interac-tions were performed via email ex-changes and point-to-point file transfers.By integrating MEX into MaROS, alltransactions are managed by a central-

ized service for tracking and analysis.Additionally, all lander missions have asingle, shared interface with MEX anddo not have to integrate on a mission-by-mission basis.

Relay is a critical element of Mars lan-der data management. Landed assetsdepend largely upon orbital relay fordata delivery, which can be impacted bythe availability and health of each or-biter in the network. At any time, anissue may occur to prevent relay. For

this reason, it is imperative that all pos-sible orbital assets be integrated into theoverall relay picture.

This work was done by Daniel A. Allard,Michael N. Wallick, Roy E. Gladden, andPaul Wang of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propul-sion Laboratory. Further information is con-tained in a TSP (see page 1).

This software is available for commercial li-censing. Please contact Daniel Broderick of theCalifornia Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO-48345.

FERMI/GLAST Integrated Trending and Plotting SystemRelease 5.0Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

An Integrated Trending and PlottingSystem (ITPS) is a trending, analysis,and plotting system used by space mis-sions to determine performance and sta-tus of spacecraft and its instruments.ITPS supports several NASA mission op-erational control centers providing engi-neers, ground controllers, and scientistswith access to the entire spacecrafttelemetry data archive for the life of themission, and includes a secure Web com-ponent for remote access.

FERMI/GLAST ITPS Release 5.0 fea-tures include the option to display dates(yyyy/ddd) instead of orbit numbersalong orbital Long-Term Trend (LTT)plot axis, the ability to save statistics fromdaily production plots as image files, and

removal of redundant “edit/create InputDefinition File (IDF)” screens. Other fea-tures are a fix to address invalid packetlengths, a change in naming conventionof image files in order to use in script, theability to save all ITPS plot images (fromWindows or the Web) as GIF or PNG for-mat, the ability to specify ymin and ymax onplots where previously only the desiredrange could be specified, Web interfacecapability to plot IDFs that contain out-of-order page and plot numbers, and a fix tochange all default file names to show yyyy-dddhhmmss time stamps instead of hh-mmssdddyyyy.

A Web interface capability sorts filesbased on modification date (with newestone at top), and the statistics block can

be displayed via a Web interface. Via theWeb, users can graphically view the vol-ume of telemetry data from each daycontained in the ITPS archive in theWeb digest.

The ITPS could be also used in non-space fields that need to plot data ortrend data, including financial andbanking systems, aviation and trans-portation systems, healthcare and educa-tional systems, sales and marketing, andhousing and construction.

This work was done by Sheila Ritter of God-dard Space Flight Center, and Haim Brumerand Denise Reitan of Honeywell TechnologySolutions. Further information is containedin a TSP (see page 1). GSC-15974-1

WMD provides a centralized inter-face to access data stored in the MissionData Processing and Control System(MPCS) GDS (Ground Data Systems)databases during MSL (Mars ScienceLaboratory) Testbeds and ATLO (As-sembly, Test, and Launch Operations)test sessions. The MSL project organ-izes its data based on venue (Testbed,ATLO, Ops), with each venue’s datastored on a separate database, makingit cumbersome for users to access dataacross the various venues.

WMD allows sessions to be retrievedthrough a Web-based search using severalcriteria: host name, session start date, orsession ID number. Sessions matching

the search criteria will be displayed andusers can then select a session to obtainand analyze the associated data.

The uniqueness of this software comesfrom its collection of data retrieval andanalysis features provided through a sin-gle interface. This allows users to obtaintheir data and perform the necessaryanalysis without having to worry aboutwhere and how to get the data, whichmay be stored in various locations. Addi-tionally, this software is a Web applica-tion that only requires a standardbrowser without additional plug-ins, pro-viding a cross-platform, lightweight solu-tion for users to retrieve and analyzetheir data.

This software solves the problem ofefficiently and easily finding and retriev-ing data from thousands of MSL Test-bed and ATLO sessions. WMD allowsthe user to retrieve their session in as lit-tle as one mouse click, and then toquickly retrieve additional data associ-ated with the session.

This work was done by William L. Quach,Tadas Sesplaukis, Kyran J. Owen-Mankovich,and Lori L. Nakamura of Caltech for NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected].


Where’s My Data — WMD NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


This software is a higher-performanceimplementation of tiled WMS, with inte-gral support for KML and time-varyingdata. This software is compliant with theOpen Geospatial WMS standard, and sup-ports KML natively as a WMS return type,including support for the time attribute.Regionated KML wrappers are generatedthat match the existing tiled WMS dataset.Ping and JPG formats are supported, andthe software is implemented as an Apache

2.0 module that supports a threading exe-cution model that is capable of support-ing very high request rates.

The module intercepts and responds toWMS requests that match certain patternsand returns the existing tiles. If a KMLformat that matches an existing pyramidand tile dataset is requested, regionatedKML is generated and returned to the re-questing application. In addition, KMLrequests that do not match the existing

tile datasets generate a KML response thatincludes the corresponding JPG WMS re-quest, effectively adding KML support to abacking WMS server.

This work was done by Lucian Plesea of Cal-tech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Formore information, contact [email protected].


Tiled WMS/KML Server V2NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

CometQuest: A Rosetta Adventure NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

CometQuest is an educational AppleiPhone game outlining the Rosetta mis-sion to comet Churyumov-Gerasi-menko. Its goal is to provide an enjoy-able means to learn about the Rosettamission through action gameplay wherethe player takes the role of Rosetta’smission operator and tries to captureand record as much science data as pos-sible. It offers a multiple-choice quiz-type learning experience in which theplayer is asked to answer questions

about the Rosetta mission and comets ingeneral. The answers to all the ques-tions are included in the app’s “Learnmore” section.

CometQuest would become one offew NASA educational games availableon the iPhone and iPad platforms, in-cluding the first educational NASAgame optimized for iPad. The app is aspecialized outreach tool for the Rosettamission, enabling NASA to disseminateinformation and appreciation of its

value to the public in a medium other-wise unavailable.

This work was done by Nancy J. Leon,Diane K. Fisher, Alexander Novati, Artur B.Chmielewski, Austin J. Fitzpatrick, and An-drea Angrum of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further informationis contained in a TSP (see page 1).


Dig Hazard Assessment Using a Stereo Pair of CamerasA lander can autonomously determine the areas within its robotic arm’s workspace that have theleast risk for digging hazards.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software evaluates the terrainwithin reach of a lander’s robotic armfor dig hazards using a stereo pair ofcameras that are part of the lander’s sen-sor system. A relative level of risk is cal-culated for a set of dig sectors. There aretwo versions of this software; one is de-signed to run onboard a lander as partof the flight software, and the other runson a PC under Linux as a ground toolthat produces the same results gener-ated on the lander, given stereo imagesacquired by the lander and downlinkedto Earth.

Onboard dig hazard assessment is ac-complished by executing a workspacepanorama command sequence. This se-quence acquires a set of stereo pairs ofimages of the terrain the arm can reach,generates a set of candidate dig sectors,

and assesses the dig hazard of each can-didate dig sector.

The 3D perimeter points of candidatedig sectors are generated using config-urable parameters. A 3D reconstructionof the terrain in front of the lander isgenerated using a set of stereo imagesacquired from the mast cameras. The3D reconstruction is used to evaluate thedig “goodness” of each candidate digsector based on a set of eight metrics.The eight metrics are:1. The maximum change in elevation in

each sector,2. The elevation standard deviation in

each sector,3. The forward tilt of each sector with re-

spect to the payload frame,4. The side tilt of each sector with re-

spect to the payload frame,

5. The maximum size of missing data re-gions in each sector,

6. The percentage of a sector that hasmissing data,

7. The roughness of each sector, and8. Monochrome intensity standard devi-

ation of each sector.Each of the eight metrics forms a

goodness image layer where the good-ness value of each sector ranges from 0to 1. Goodness values of 0 and 1 corre-spond to high and low risk, respectively.For each dig sector, the eight goodnessvalues are merged by selecting the low-est one. Including the merged good-ness image layer, there are nine good-ness image layers for each stereo pair ofmast images.

There are three modes of operation forthe ground tool version of the software:


1. View image, dig sector, and “digabil-ity” data products generated onboardthe lander.

2. Given a set of raw images from astereo pair of mast cameras, generateimage, dig sector, and dig hazardproducts identical to what would begenerated onboard the lander andview them.

3. Given a set of image products down-linked from the lander, generate digsector and dig hazard products identi-cal to what would be generated on-board the lander and view them. Theground tool can be used to view the 3Dreconstruction of the terrain. Themouse buttons can be used to rotatethe 3D model of the terrain and zoomin and out. Drop-down menus enablethe user to display the dig sectors, oneof the eight goodness image layers,and the merged goodness map layer.When viewing a goodness map layer,the dig sectors within the 3D recon-struction are color-coded. Green sec-tors are safe for digging. The colors be-tween green and red correspond tothe increasing level of risk.This work was done by Arturo L. Rankin and

Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1).


Bad Good

Eight metrics are used to determine the Dig Hazard goodness map in which the dig sectors within the3D reconstruction are color-coded. Green sectors are safe for digging. The colors between green andred correspond to the increasing level of risk.

NASA is interested in designing aspacecraft capable of visiting a near-Earth object (NEO), performing experi-ments, and then returning safely. Certainperiods of this mission would require thespacecraft to remain stationary relative tothe NEO, in an environment character-ized by very low gravity levels; such situa-tions require an anchoring mechanismthat is compact, easy to deploy, and uponmission completion, easy to remove.

The design philosophy used in this taskrelies on the simulation capability of ahigh-performance multibody dynamicsphysics engine. On Earth, it is difficult tocreate low-gravity conditions, and testingin low-gravity environments, whether arti-ficial or in space, can be costly and very

difficult to achieve. Through simulation,the effect of gravity can be controlledwith great accuracy, making it ideallysuited to analyze the problem at hand.

Using Chrono::Engine, a simulationpack age capable of utilizing massively

parallel Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)hardware, several validation experimentswere performed. Modeling of the regolithinteraction has been carried out, afterwhich the anchor penetration tests wereperformed and analyzed. The regolith

High-Performance Modeling and Simulation of Anchoring inGranular Media for NEO ApplicationsNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

In this simulated Brazil Nut Problem, the large ball moves slowly up as the granular material is vibrated.


Leveraging Cloud Computing to Improve Storage Durability,Availability, and Cost for MER Maestro NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

The Maestro for MER (Mars Ex -ploration Rover) software is the pre-miere operation and activity planningsoftware for the Mars rovers, and it is re-quired to deliver all of the processed

image products to scientists on de-mand. These data span multiple stor-age arrays sized at 2 TB, and a backupscheme ensures data is not lost. In a ca-tastrophe, these data would currently

recover at 20 GB/hour, taking severaldays for a restoration.

A seamless solution provides access tohighly durable, highly available, scalable,and cost-effective storage capabilities.

was modeled by a granular medium com-posed of very large numbers of convexthree-dimensional rigid bodies, subject tomicrogravity levels and interacting witheach other with contact, friction, and co-hesional forces.

The multibody dynamics simulationapproach used for simulating anchorspenetrating a soil uses a differential vari-ational inequality (DVI) methodology tosolve the contact problem posed as a lin-ear complementarity method (LCP).Implemented within a GPU processing

environment, collision detection isgreatly accelerated compared to tradi-tional CPU (central processing unit)-based collision detection. Hence, systemsof millions of particles interacting withcomplex dynamic systems can be effi-ciently analyzed, and design recommen-dations can be made in a much shortertime. The figure shows an example ofthis capability where the Brazil Nut prob-lem is simulated: as the container full ofgranular material is vibrated, the largeball slowly moves upwards.This capability

was expanded to account for anchors ofdifferent shapes and penetration veloci-ties, interacting with granular soils.

This work was done by Marco B. Quadrelliand Abhinandan Jain of Caltech; and Dan Ne-grut and Hammad Mazhar of the University ofWisconsin-Madison for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. Further information is containedin a TSP (see page 1).


Mobile Multi-System Overview NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

At the time of this reporting, there are2,589 rich mobile devices used at JPL, in-cluding 1,550 iPhones and 968 Blackber-rys. Considering a total JPL population of5,961 employees, mobile applicationshave a total addressable market of 43 per-cent of the employees at JPL, and thatnumber is rising.

While it was found that no existingdesktop tools can realistically be replacedby a mobile application, there is certainlya need to improve access to these desktoptools. When an alarm occurs and an engi-neer is away from his desk, a convenient

means of accessing relevant data can savean engineer a great deal of time and im-prove his job efficiency. To identify whichdata is relevant, an engineer benefits froma succinct overview of the data housed in13+ tools. This need can be well met by asingle, rich, mobile application that pro-vides access to desired data across tools inthe ops infrastructure.

This software is an iPhone app that al-lows a single configurable screen thatpresents an overview of many disparateWeb applications. This tool can be ap-plied to bring data from any public Web

site into a native iPhone app. This con-cept (see figure) is similar to what the“Mint” financial aggregation site does togather and format data from other Websites, without APIs, onto its own site.

The benefits of this app are as follows: • Developed as a native iPhone applica-

tion, it thereby inherits iPhone usabil-ity and mobile device accessibility.

• Integration with seven distinct sourcesof data for the Cassini mission.

• Compatibility with existing html-based infrastructure, and requiresno infrastructure upgrade.

• Configurable interface to show onlyrelevant information to the user.

• Easily extendable to add informa-tion from any existing Web site.

• Does not intend to replace existingtools, only complement and in-crease user efficiency.

This work was done by Robert J. Witoff andDavid F. Doody of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. Further information iscontained in a TSP (see page 1).

This software is available for commercial li-censing. Please contact Daniel Broderick of theCalifornia Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO-47634.User Interface Progression from concept to implementation.


This approach also employs a novel tech-nique that enables storage of the major-ity of data on the cloud and some data lo-cally. This feature is used to store themost recent data locally in order to guar-antee utmost reliability in case of an out-age or disconnect from the Internet.This also obviates any changes to the soft-ware that generates the most recent dataset as it still has the same interface to thefile system as it did before updates.

This software provides a seamless inte-gration between existing software toolsthat would enable any mission acrossNASA to leverage the capability withminimal customization. It also unleashesa virtually limitless amount of storageand delivers it to projects without havingto worry about provisioning, managing,and backing up large storage arrays.

The software integrates with AmazonSimple Storage Service (Amazon S3)service to provide the aforementioned

solutions. By integrating with S3, un-precedented durability is delivered tothe storage system with 99.999999999%data retention rate. Furthermore, it is aself-healing replication system that re-pairs objects automatically if they areever lost. Since data is stored on a per-object basis rather than a file systemmount, correlated loses of objects areextremely unlikely and recovery of eachobject is fast. This also reduces relianceon a single file system, where an outagecan take the system offline for extendedduration. The solution, built on cloudcomputing technology, reduces MERMaestro’s storage costs by over 80%.Most importantly, the solution is com-pletely server-side, providing a seamlessintegration with existing clients withoutmodifying any of their code or redeliver-ing code.

An HTTP proxy was built that enablesclients to access large amounts of data

on S3 securely, and without any changesto existing software. The proxy cachesinformation and is capable of accessingdata from local channels as well as onS3. This enables the proxy to serve themost recent data from local storage,while the older archived data is re-trieved on-demand from S3. The datastored on S3 is private and can only beaccessed by the proxy. Furthermore, theproxy authenticates its users throughJPL LDAP, and verifies their member-ship in a specific group before givingthem access to the data.

This work was done by George W. Chang,Mark W. Powell, John L. Callas, Recaredo J.Torres, and Khawaja S. Shams of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].


WMS Server 2.0NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software is a simple, yet flexibleserver of raster map products, compliantwith the OGC WMS 1.1.1 protocol. Theserver is a full implementation of theOGC WMS 1.1.1 as a fastCGI client andusing GDAL for data access. The servercan operate in a proxy mode, where allor part of the WMS requests are done ona back server.

The server has explicit support for acolocated tiled WMS, including rapid re-sponse of black (no-data) requests. Itgenerates JPEG and PNG images, in-

cluding 16-bit PNG. The GDAL back-end support allows great flexibility onthe data access.

The server is a port to a Linux/GDALplatform from the original IRIX/IL plat-form. It is simpler to configure and use,and depending on the storage formatused, it has better performance thanother available implementations.

The WMS server 2.0 is a high-per-formance WMS implementation due tothe fastCGI architecture. The use ofGDAL data back end allows for great

flexibility. The configuration is relativelysimple, based on a single XML file. Itprovides scaling and cropping, as well asblending of multiple layers based onlayer transparency.

This work was done by Lucian Plesea andJames F. Wood of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected].


I-FORCAST (Instrument – Field ofRegard Coverage Analysis and Simula-tion Tool) is a flight planning toolspecifically designed for quickly verify-ing the feasibility and estimating thecost of airborne remote sensing cam-paigns (see figure). Flights are simu-lated by being broken into three prede-fined routing algorithms as necessary:mapping in a snaking pattern, mappingthe area around a point target (like avolcano) with a star pattern, and map-ping the area between a list of points. Three Possible Scencarios were identified. This tool can handle all three as well as combinations.

I-FORCAST: Rapid Flight Planning Tool NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


Earth-Science Data Co-Locating ToolNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This software is used to locate Earth-science satellite data and climate-model analysis outputs in space andtime. This enables the direct compari-son of any set of data with differentspatial and temporal resolutions. It iswritten in three separate modules thatare clearly separated for their func-tionality and interface with othermodules. This enables a fast develop-

ment of supporting any new data set.In this updated version of the tool,several new front ends are developedfor new products.

This software finds co-locatable datapairs for given sets of data products andcreates new data products that share thesame spatial and temporal coordinates.This facilitates the direct comparison be-tween the two heterogeneous datasets

and the comprehensive and synergisticuse of the datasets.

This work was done by Seungwon Lee, LeiPan, and Gary L. Block of Caltech for NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory. Further informationis contained in a TSP (see page 1).


The tool has been used to plan missionsfor radar, lidar, and in-situ atmosphericmeasuring instruments for a variety ofaircraft. It has also been used for globaland regional scale campaigns and auto-matically includes landings when refuel-ing is required.

The software has been compared tothe flight times of known commercial

aircraft route travel times, as well as aUAVSAR (Uninhabited Aerial VehicleSynthetic Aperture Radar) campaign,and was within 15% of the actual flighttime. Most of the discrepancy is due tonon-optimal flight paths taken by ac-tual aircraft to avoid restricted air-space and used to follow landing andtake-off corridors.

This work was done by Bogdan Oaida,Mohammed O. Khan, and Michael B. Mer-cury of Caltech for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. Further information is containedin a TSP (see page 1).


Ascent/Descent Software Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

The Ascent/Descent Software Suite hasbeen used to support a variety of NASAShuttle Program mission planning andanalysis activities, such as range safety, onthe Integrated Planning System (IPS)platform. The Ascent/Descent SoftwareSuite, containing Ascent Flight Design(ASC)/Descent Flight Design (DESC)

Configuration items (Cis), lifecycle docu-ments, and data files used for shuttle as-cent and entry modeling analysis and mis-sion design, resides on IPS/Linuxworkstations. A list of tools in Navigation(NAV)/Prop Software Suite representstool versions established during or afterthe IPS Equipment Rehost-3 project.

This work was done by Charles Brown,Robert Andrew, Scott Roe, Ronald Frye,Michael Harvey, Tuan Vu, Krishnaiyer Bal-achandran, and Ben Bly of the United SpaceAlliance for Johnson Space Center. For furtherinformation, contact the JSC Inno vationPartnerships Office at (281) 483-3809.MSC-24960-1

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