Stories
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Pneumatic Conveying of Lunar Regolith Simulant
Planetary regolith (dust) is an aggregation of various minerals and different particle sizes. Collection, storage, processing, and disposal of this material are very challenging in the harsh planetary environment. Extraterrestrial operations involving In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) require...
Briefs: Software
Synthetic Imaging Maneuver Optimization — SIMO
Space-based interferometry missions have the potential to revolutionize imaging and astrometry, providing observations of unprecedented accuracy. Realizing the full potential of these interferometers poses several significant technological challenges. These include the efficient maneuvering of...
Articles: Imaging
Forward-facing cameras, integrated with vehicle controls, are being used to recognize pedestrians, signs, and other cars and motorcycles. Automatic brake mechanisms — often connected...
Briefs: Software
The Global Elevation Data Adaptive Compression Algorithms (GEDACA) were developed to provide compression and rapid decompression of digital terrain maps (DTMs) in constrained computing...
Articles: Automotive
The global automotive industry faces incredible pressures today. The skyrocketing costs of traditional fuels — along with worldwide supply uncertainties — are forcing automakers to not only increase the efficiency...
Briefs: Information Technology
Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Spacecraft Collision Avoidance Maneuver Decisions
A document discusses sequential probability ratio tests that explicitly allow decision-makers to incorporate false alarm and missed detection risks, and are potentially less sensitive to modeling errors than a procedure that relies solely on a probability of...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Wireless Chalcogenide Nanoionic-Based Radio- Frequency Switch
A new nonvolatile nanoionic switch is powered and controlled through wireless radio-frequency (RF) transmission. A thin layer of chalcogenide glass doped with a metal ion, such as silver, comprises the operational portion of the switch. For the switch to function, an oxidizable electrode...
Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
Collision avoidance radar Numerica Corporation Loveland, COM 970-561-2000 www.numerica.us
The National Airspace System (NAS) is a complex and shared network of people, procedures,...
Articles: Research Lab
The Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, is NASA’s primary center for atmospheric flight research and operations. Dryden plays a vital role in advancing technology and science through...
Application Briefs: Imaging
For five years, Michael Lunoe, President of Zorg Industries, had been in need of a camera system that could identify objects and provide accurate distance from the rear of a vehicle.
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A diffractive optic element (DOE) can be used as a beam splitter to generate multiple laser beams from a single input laser beam. This technology has been recently used in...
Briefs: Information Technology
Reactive Collision Avoidance Algorithm
The reactive collision avoidance (RCA) algorithm allows a spacecraft to find a fuel-optimal trajectory for avoiding an arbitrary number of colliding spacecraft in real time while accounting for acceleration limits. In addition to spacecraft, the technology can be used for vehicles that can accelerate in any...
Briefs: Imaging
A machine-vision system capable of detecting obstacles large enough to damage or trap a robotic vehicle is undergoing development. The system includes (1) a pattern generator that...
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Spherical Sensor Configurations (SSC) have been designed for detecting and tracking signals in three dimensions. The Spherical Sensor Configurations offer distinct...
Application Briefs: Motion Control
The Onyx guided parachute designed and manufactured by Atair Aerospace (Brooklyn, NY) is an autonomous precision airdrop system. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses motors and planetary...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
There’s no rule that says when a technology becomes mature, but one might think that image sensors would be by now, 40 years after their conception. Nothing could be further from the truth. After...
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 space shuttle...
Articles: Motion Control
The task of choosing the correct mix of motion control components for a successful servo positioning system involves a combination of art, science, and experience. It also includes a little luck, but luck is...
Articles: Aerospace
In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of NASA Tech Briefs, our features in 2006 highlight a different technology category each month, tracing the past 30 years of the technology, and continuing with a glimpse...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A ladar-based system now undergoing development is intended to enable an autonomous mobile robot in an outdoor environment to avoid moving toward trees, large rocks, and other obstacles...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Algorithms for Collision Avoidant Formation Flying
A report discusses algorithms for realtime planning of translation paths of multiple spacecraft flying in formation. The algorithm takes account of requirements to avoid collisions while operating within resource constraints (e.g., not calling for an acceleration greater than maximum possible) and...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A methodology of active control has been developed in an effort to alter (preferably to reduce) the tendency of a four-wheel land vehicle to roll over during tight turns and similar...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Collision-Avoidance Experiments on 7-DOF Robot Arms
A report describes experiments on the concept described in "Real-Time Collision Avoidance for a Robot Arm" (NPO-19861), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 20, No. 12 (December 1996), page 98. Under this concept, collision-avoidance software processes data computed by model-based obstacle-detection software...
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Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
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Blog: Physical Sciences
INSIDER: Power
Fast Charging of Electric Cars Without Cables
Blog: Design
Making Tungsten Carbide a More Viable Alternative
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Choosing the Right N-Port Strategy: Multiport VNAs vs. Switch...
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Upcoming Webinars: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The Over-Engineering Trap: Aligning Custom Equipment Specs with...
