8,33,42,44,45,47,52,54,68
-1
3120
30
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Circuit for Communication Over Power Lines
Many distributed systems share common sensors and instruments along with a common power line supplying current to the system. A communication technique and circuit has been developed that allows for the simple inclusion of an instrument, sensor, or actuator node within any system containing a common power...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
NASA is planning a number of Space Exploration, Earth Observation and Space Science missions where Ka-band solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) could have a role. Monolithic...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
10–100 Gbps Offload NIC for WAN, NLR, and Grid Computing
An extremely fast offload engine system has been developed that operates at 60 Gigabits per second (Gbps), and has scalability to 100 Gbps full-duplex (f-d). This system is based on unique coding and architecture derived from splintered UDP (User Datagram Protocol) offload technology,...
Briefs: Software
Flight Planning in the Cloud
This new interface will enable Principal Investigators (PIs), as well as UAVSAR (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar) members to do their own flight planning and time estimation without having to request flight lines through the science coordinator. It uses an all-in-one Google Maps interface, a JPL...
Briefs: Software
MPS Editor
Previously, it was time-consuming to hand-edit data and then set up simulation runs to find the effect and impact of the input data on a spacecraft. MPS Editor provides the user the capability to create/edit/update models and sequences, and immediately try them out using what appears to the user as one piece of software. MPS Editor...
Briefs: Software
Object-Oriented Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool
An Object-Oriented Optimization (O3) tool was developed that leverages existing tools and practices, and allows the easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. At the heart of the O3 tool is the Central Executive Module (CEM), which can integrate disparate...
Briefs: Information Technology
Generic, Extensible, Configurable Push-Pull Framework for Large-Scale Science Missions
The push-pull framework was developed in hopes that an infrastructure would be created that could literally connect to any given remote site, and (given a set of restrictions) download files from that remote site based on those restrictions.
Briefs: Information Technology
Space-Time Localization of Plasma Turbulence Using Multiple Spacecraft Radio Links
Space weather is described as the variability of solar wind plasma that can disturb satellites and systems and affect human space exploration. Accurate prediction requires information of the heliosphere inside the orbit of the Earth. However, for predictions using...
Briefs: Information Technology
Dynamic Loads Generation for Multi-Point Vibration Excitation Problems
A random-force method has been developed to predict dynamic loads produced by rocket-engine random vibrations for new rocket-engine designs. The method develops random forces at multiple excitation points based on random vibration environments scaled from accelerometer data...
Briefs: Information Technology
Optimal Control Via Self-Generated Stochasticity
The problem of global maxima of functionals has been examined. Mathematical roots of local maxima are the same as those for a much simpler problem of finding global maximum of a multi-dimensional function. The second problem is instability — even if an optimal trajectory is found, there is no...
Briefs: Energy
An important aspect of wind power plant impact studies is to evaluate the short-circuit current (SCC) contribution of the plant into the...
Briefs: Information Technology
Health Monitor for Multitasking, Safety-Critical, Real-Time Software
Health Manager can detect “Bad Health” prior to a failure occurring by periodically monitoring the application software by looking for code corruption errors, and sanity-checking each critical data value prior to use. A processor’s memory can fail and corrupt the software,...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Early Oscillation Detection Technique for Hybrid DC/DC Converters
Oscillation or instability is a situation that must be avoided for reliable hybrid DC/DC converters. A real-time electronics measurement technique was developed to detect catastrophic oscillations at early stages for hybrid DC/DC converters. It is capable of identifying low-level...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Compact THz receivers with broad bandwidth and low noise have been developed for the frequency range from 100 GHz to 1 THz. These receivers meet the requirements for high-resolution...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Coaxial Cables for Martian Extreme
Work was conducted to validate the use of the rover external flexible coaxial cabling for space under the extreme environments to be encountered during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. The antennas must survive all ground operations plus the nominal 670-Martian-day mission that includes summer and winter...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Carbon Nanofiber-Based, High-Frequency, High-Q, Miniaturized Mechanical Resonators
High Q resonators are a critical component of stable, low-noise communication systems, radar, and precise timing applications such as atomic clocks. In electronic resonators based on Si integrated circuits, resistive losses increase as a result of the continued...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Using Spare Logic Resources To Create Dynamic Test Points
A technique has been devised to enable creation of a dynamic set of test points in an embedded digital electronic system. As a result, electronics contained in an application specific circuit [e.g., gate array, field programmable gate array (FPGA)] can be internally “probed,” even when...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Ultracapacitor-Based Uninterrupted Power Supply System
The ultracapacitor-based uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system enhances system reliability; reduces life-of-system, maintenance, and downtime costs; and greatly reduces environmental impact when compared to conventional UPS energy storage systems. This design provides power when required and...
Briefs: Software
Autonomous Coordination of Science Observations Using Multiple Spacecraft
This software provides capabilities for autonomous cross-cueing and coordinated observations between multiple orbital and landed assets. Previous work has been done in re-tasking a single Earth orbiter or a Mars rover in response to that craft detecting a science event. This...
Briefs: Software
EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing Software, Version 3
This software is an improvement on Version 2, which was described in “EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing, Version 2.2,” NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 33, No. 5 (May 2009), p. 34. It accepts the EOS MLS Level 0 science/engineering data, and the EOS Aura spacecraft ephemeris/attitude data, and produces...
Briefs: Software
Cassini Tour Atlas Automated Generation
During the Cassini spacecraft’s cruise phase and nominal mission, the Cassini Science Planning Team developed and maintained an online database of geometric and timing information called the Cassini Tour Atlas. The Tour Atlas consisted of several hundreds of megabytes of EVENTS mission planning software...
Briefs: Software
Software Development Standard Processes (SDSP)
A JPL-created set of standard processes is to be used throughout the lifecycle of software development. These SDSPs cover a range of activities, from management and engineering activities, to assurance and support activities. These processes must be applied to software tasks per a pre- scribed set of...
Briefs: Software
Autonomous Phase Retrieval Calibration
The Palomar Adaptive Optics System actively corrects for changing aberrations in light due to atmospheric turbulence. However, the underlying internal static error is unknown and uncorrected by this process. The dedicated wavefront sensor device necessarily lies along a different path than the science camera,...
Briefs: Information Technology
Receive Mode Analysis and Design of Microstrip Reflectarrays
Traditionally microstrip or printed reflectarrays are designed using the “transmit mode” technique. In this method, the size of each printed element is chosen so as to provide the required value of the reflection phase such that a collimated beam results along a given direction. The...
Briefs: Information Technology
Chance-Constrained Guidance With Non-Convex Constraints
Missions to small bodies, such as comets or asteroids, require autonomous guidance for descent to these small bodies. Such guidance is made challenging by uncertainty in the position and velocity of the spacecraft, as well as the uncertainty in the gravitational field around the small body. In...
Briefs: Energy
A design of a highly efficient and lightweight space magnetic cooler has been developed at Goddard Space Flight Center that can continuously provide remote/distributed cooling at temperatures in the range of 2 K with a heat sink at about 15 K. The innovative design uses a cryogenic circulator that enables the cooler to operate at a high cycle frequency to achieve a large cooling capacity.
Briefs: Lighting
Polymer nanofibers are nanoscale materials whose properties can be adjusted to provide desirable light management performance for high efficiency solid-state lighting...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
On-Wafer S-Parameter Measurements in the 325-508-GHz Band
New circuits have been designed and fabricated with operating frequencies over 325 GHz. In order to measure S-parameters of these circuits, an extensive process of wafer dicing and packaging, and waveguide transition design, fabrication, and packaging would be required. This is a costly and...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Reconfigurable Microwave Phase Delay Element for Frequency Reference and Phase-Shifter Applications
A technique was developed to provide a reconfigurable high-precision microwave electrical phase delay for resonators and phase shifters. The invention employs multiple branches of transmission lines with open-ended or ground-ended terminations as...
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