Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Efficient Switching Arrangement for (N + 1)/N Redundancy
An efficient arrangement of four switches has been conceived for coupling, to four output ports, the output powers of any subset of four devices that are members of a redundant set of...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Lightweight Reflectarray Antenna for 7.115 and 32 GHz
A lightweight reflectarray antenna that would enable simultaneous operation at frequencies near 7.115 GHz and frequencies near 32 GHz is undergoing development. More precisely, what is...
Briefs: Information Technology
C Namelist Facility
C Namelist Facility (CNL) is a package of software that supports the development of data-driven programs that utilize relatively free-form input files (e.g., text files) to control complex operations. The only comparable prior namelist facility is built into Fortran and does not support arrays or records. Newer computing...
Briefs: Information Technology
Software Framework for Peer Data-Management Services
Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) is a software framework for creating a Web-based system for exchange of scientific data that are stored in diverse formats on computers at different sites under the management of scientific peers. OODT software consists of a set of cooperating,...
Briefs: Information Technology
Autogen Version 2.0
Version 2.0 of the autogen software has been released. "Autogen" (automated sequence generation) signifies both a process and software used to implement the process of automated generation of sequences of commands in a standard format for uplink to spacecraft. Autogen requires fewer workers than are needed for older manual...
Briefs: Information Technology
Efficient Mosaicking of Spitzer Space Telescope Images
A parallel version of the MOPEX software, which generates mosaics of infrared astronomical images acquired by the Spitzer Space Telescope, extends the capabilities of the prior serial version. In the parallel version, both the input image space and the output mosaic space are divided among...
Briefs: Information Technology
Tracking-Data-Conversion Tool
A computer program denoted Tracking Data Delivery Software Orbit Data File (TDDSODF) converts deep- space- radiocommunication spacecraft-tracking data from a currently used file format known in the art as "TRK-2-34" to a legacy format denoted "TRK-2-18." TDDSODF reads standard formatted data units (SFDUs) of several...
Briefs: Information Technology
NASA Enterprise Visual Analysis
NASA Enterprise Visual Analysis (NEVA) is a computer program undergoing development as a successor to Launch Services Analysis Tool (LSAT), formerly known as Payload Carrier Analysis Tool (PCAT). NEVA facilitates analyses of proposed configurations of payloads and packing fixtures (e.g. pallets) in a spaceshuttle...
Briefs: Information Technology
Advanced Reference Counting Pointers for Better Performance
A computer program implements reference counting pointers (RCPs) that are lock-free, thread-safe, async-safe, and operational on a multiprocessor computer. RCPs are powerful and convenient means of managing heap memory in C++ software. Most prior RCP programs use locks to ensure thread...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Robot Would Climb Steep Terrain
The figure depicts the steep terrain access robot (STAR) — a walking robot that has been proposed for exploring steep terrain on remote planets. Robots based on the STAR concept could also be used on...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Measuring Dynamic Transfer Functions of Cavitating Pumps
A water-flow test facility has been built to enable measurement of dynamic transfer functions (DTFs) of cavitating pumps and of inducers in such pumps. Originally, the facility was intended for use in an investigation of the effects of cavitation in a rocket-engine low-pressure oxygen...
Briefs: Medical
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device
The advanced resistive exercise device (ARED), now at the prototype stage of development, is a versatile machine that can be used to perform different customized exercises for which, heretofore, it has been necessary to use different machines. Conceived as a means of helping astronauts and others to maintain...
Briefs: Medical
Rapid Engineering of Three-Dimensional, Multicellular Tissues With Polymeric Scaffolds
A process has been developed for the rapid tissue engineering of multicellular- tissue-equivalent assemblies by the controlled enzymatic degradation of...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Enhancing Spin Filters by Use of Bulk Inversion Asymmetry
Theoretical calculations have shown that the degrees of spin polarization in proposed nonmagnetic semiconductor resonant tunneling spin filters could be increased through exploitation...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Resonant Tunneling Spin Pump
The resonant tunneling spin pump is a proposed semiconductor device that would generate spin-polarized electron currents. The resonant tunneling spin pump would be a purely electrical device in the sense that it...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
CO₂-Reduction Primary Cell for Use on Venus
A document proposes a CO2-reduction primary electrochemical cell as a building block of batteries to supply electric power on the surface of Venus. The basic principle of the proposed cell is similar to that of terrestrial Zn-air batteries, the major differences being that (1) the anode...
Briefs: Information Technology
POD Model Reconstruction for Gray-Box Fault Detection
Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is the mathematical basis of a method of constructing low-order mathematical models for the "gray-box" fault- detection algorithm that is a component...
Briefs: Information Technology
System for Estimating Horizontal Velocity During Descent
The descent image motion estimation system (DIMES) is a system of hardware and software, designed for original use in estimating the horizontal velocity of a spacecraft descending...
Articles: Nanotechnology
National Nano Engineering Conference Preview
The 2007 NASA Tech Briefs National Nano Engineering Conference (NNEC), to be held November 14-15 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, is produced for design engineers who want to know what’s...
Articles: Research Lab
Eye On Innovation
National Instruments
Business & Technology Fellow
National Instruments
Austin, TX
High-tech companies live and die by their ability to innovate. Creating new products and...
Products
LPC-350-PCI Little PC
Stealth Computer Corp., Woodbridge, ON, Canada, has introduced the LPC- 350PCI Little PC, a mini personal computer that can fit in the palm of your hand. The anodized aluminum chassis measures about 2" tall, and...
Who's Who: Aerospace
David Iverson, Computer Scientist, NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
The Inductive Monitoring System (IMS) is a new computer program that monitors gyroscopes that keep the International Space Station properly oriented in space....
Techs for License
Laser Drilling of Ceramic Composites to Form Smooth-Walled Holes
Attempts to mechanically drill high-temperature ceramic components can doom them to failure. Even laser drilling can compromise the surface oxidation layer that protects the...
Techs for License
Molecular Vaccine for Prophylaxis and Treatment of Listeriosis
Biomedical Center in Moscow has developed a peptide formulation that induces activation and proliferation of the cytotoxic lymphocyte’s (CTL) clones and enables them to...
Tech Needs
Rapid DC Magnetron Sputtering
DC magnetron sputtering provides a very durable and stable coating that has many high-energy laser (HEL) and industrial applications, especially in producing coatings for high-reflectivity (HR) mirrors and anti-reflection (AR) coated windows. However, the DC magnetron sputtering deposition process is extremely slow....
Tech Needs
Low VOC Binder/Resin System
Technology is required to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in binder/resins while maintaining or enhancing existing product properties. Potential solutions could include the addition of a compound or additive that reduces VOC demand, a new crosslinking system for polymers to enhance molecular network...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Cold Atom Source Containing Multiple Magneto-Optical Traps
An apparatus that serves as a source of a cold beam of atoms contains multiple two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical traps (MOTs). (Cold beams of atoms are used in atomic clocks and...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
LED-Equipped Spectrophotometers Find Their Way to the Factory Floor
Companies that manufacture products ultimately used by consumers — interior trim for cars, vinyl siding for homes, decorative stone for landscaping, interior wall paints,...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Improving Lens Performance With Transmitted Wavefront Error Testing
During design and manufacturing, optical systems and lenses are toleranced and tested to ensure the smallest possible performance error. Matching most optics manufacturing...
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