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Software Tech Briefs is a special supplement to NASA Tech Briefs. Download the digital version (PDF) at right to learn about 59 new software programs outlined in the table of contents below.
Table of Contents
DESIGN & ANALYSIS SOFTWARE
4 Multiphysics Modeling Simplifies Analysis of Electrical and Electromagnetic Effects
7 Geophysical Wave Propagation Calculation Using Multiphysics
8 Simulating the Manufacturing Process of Ceramic Matrix Composites
9 3D Program Aids Design of Custom Iron Work
9 Displaying CFD Solution Parameters on Arbitrary Cut Planes
10 Flow Solver for Incompressible 2-D Drive Cavity
10 Flow Solver for Incompressible Rectangular Domains
ELECTRONICS/COMPUTERS
10 Simulating Avionics Upgrades to the Space Shuttles
11 Simulating the Phoenix Landing Radar System
11 Injecting Artificial Memory Errors Into a Running Computer Program
12 Fault-Tolerant, Multiple-Zone Temperature Control
12 Implementing a Digital Phasemeter in an FPGA
MECHANICS/MACHINERY
13 Post-Flight Estimation of Motion of Space Structures: Part 1
13 Post-Flight Estimation of Motion of Space Structures: Part 2
13 Simulating Operation of a Large Turbofan Engine
14 Automated Assistance for Designing Active Magnetic Bearings
14 Computational Simulation of a Water-Cooled Heat Pump
15 Computational Model of Heat Transfer on the ISS
15 Optimization of Angular-Momentum Biases of Reaction Wheels
15 Short- and Long-Term Propagation of Spacecraft Orbits
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
18 Monte Carlo Simulation to Estimate Likelihood of Direct Lightning Strikes
18 Adaptive MGS Phase Retrieval
19 Predicting Boundary-Layer Transition on Space-Shuttle Re-Entry
20 Calculations for Calibration of a Mass Spectrometer
20 Simulating the Gradually Deteriorating Performance of an RTG
20 2D/3D Synthetic Vision Navigation Display
21 Automated Camera Array Fine Calibration
22 Multichannel Networked Phasemeter Readout and Analysis
22 MISR Instrument Data Visualization
22 Platform for Postprocessing Waveform-Based NDE
23 System for Continuous Delivery of MODIS Imagery to Internet Mapping Applications
24 Automatic Rock Detection and Mapping from HiRISE Imagery
24 Parallel Computing for the Computed-Tomography Imaging Spectrometer
24 Processing LiDAR Data to Predict Natural Hazards
INFORMATION SCIENCES
25 Rock Segmentation Through Edge Regrouping
26 DSN Array Simulator
27 Estimating Software-Development Costs With Greater Accuracy
27 Visual Target Tracking on the Mars Exploration Rovers
28 Parametric-Studies and Data-Plotting Modules for the SOAP
29 Testing of Error-Correcting Sparse Permutation Channel Codes
30 SPICE Module for the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP)
30 Enhanced Reporting of Mars Exploration Rover Telemetry
31 Facilitating Analysis of Multiple Partial Data Streams
32 Service-Oriented Architecture for NVO and TeraGrid Computing
32 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Wrapper Scripta
Overview
This September 2008 supplement to NASA Tech Briefs’s Design & Analysis Software issue highlights a broad range of advanced software tools and methodologies primarily focused on multiphysics simulation and analysis across aerospace, electronics, physical sciences, and information sciences domains. The document showcases 45 new software programs that enhance design, simulation, and data processing capabilities for engineers and researchers.
A key feature of this collection is the emphasis on multiphysics modeling, exemplified by an article from the Saab Group and COMSOL, illustrating how COMSOL Multiphysics software simplifies the complex simulation of lightning strikes on airplane composite wings. This tool enables simultaneous electromagnetic and thermal analysis with temperature-dependent material properties, demonstrating the power of coupled differential equation solvers in solving real-world engineering challenges.
Additional aerospace-focused software includes NASA JPL’s Mars Exploration Rover Enhanced Telemetry Extraction and Reporting System (METERS), facilitating consolidated, human-readable summaries of rover mobility and arm operations from disparate telemetry streams, resilient even to missing data. Alongside, the ROAMING tool supports combined tactical and strategic analysis of rover telemetry over varied time scales, automating data resampling for multi-source integration and annotation of images and plots. The SPICE module for the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) enables high-fidelity 3D visualization and orbital simulation of spacecraft and planetary bodies, supporting mission planning and anomaly analysis by leveraging NASA’s ephemeris data.
Several other innovations include a software suite for continuous, automated integration and delivery of global MODIS Earth imagery to Web Mapping Services, supporting near-real-time environmental monitoring. Tools for fault injection in running programs (BITFLIPS) allow evaluation of radiation-induced memory errors onboard spacecraft, enhancing fault tolerance verification without program source code modification.
The document also highlights advances in avionics simulation for Space Shuttle upgrades, radar system simulation for the Phoenix Mars Lander, and GUI-based tools for processing waveform signals in nondestructive evaluation. Across physical sciences, mechanics, and electronics, tools extend to thermal control, phasemeter implementations, computational fluid dynamics, and reactive engineering labs.
Prominently, the content underscores how open and commercial software tools enhance collaborative engineering workflows, enable complex multiphysics analyses, and accelerate design and testing cycles in aerospace and other high-tech sectors. The inclusion of conference announcements and free info resources reinforces this supplement as a valuable resource for professionals seeking to harness simulation and analysis software to innovate and improve system reliability.
