Electronics & Software

Failure-reporting devices somewhat similar to the “black box” data recorders on aircraft have been proposed. These devices were conceived for use on spacecraft, but might also be useful on terrestrial autonomous underwater vessels or terrestrial remote exploratory robots. The...

A computer program under continuing development strives to locate a safe landing site for a spacecraft through realtime processing of image data acquired by a video camera aimed at the terrain below while the spacecraft descends. The program might also be useful for aiding the selection of...

The hybrid electric-field sensor (HEFS) has been proposed for measuring quasi-static electric fields — especially those associated with thunderstorms. The HEFS would combine the relative compactness, low cost, and low power consumption of prior inductionprobe- type electric-field sensors with the higher sensitivity of...

Improved multiple-cavity ruby masers are under development for use as low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) for receiving very weak radio signals in frequency bands up to and including one centered approximately at 32 GHz. These masers were designed specifically to be incorporated into receivers in ground stations of...

The Cartridge Automated Reliance Tracking (CART) computer program enables authorized requesters associated with NASA to gain access to the most recent tracking data on LiOH-based airpurification cartridges used during space-shuttle flights. CART could also be adapted to suit the needs of other...

Fuzzy Inference System Translator (FIST) is a computer program that facilitates the implementation of fuzzy-logic software on commercial or other viable microcontrollers. In the original application for which FIST was developed, there was a need to implement plantgrowth- chamber (PGC)...

Facility Management Tracking System (FMTS) is a computer program for constructing an integrated database that defines any event in a managed facility. FMTS provides a simple user interface for entering all relevant data connected to the event. The entered data, as displayed and processed by...

The CCSDS Telemetry and Telecom Software Library provides a reference implementation of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) international protocol standard for the transmission and reception of telemetry and telecommand data in radio communications with spacecraft. The library supports...

Parallel Telemetry Processor (PTEP) is a high-speed, robust, extensible, Javalanguage computer program that (1) enables the parallel processing of a serial stream of telemetric data and (2) generates a graphical display for monitoring the processing. Originally intended for application to spacecraft...

The WorldWinds™ software system generates high-resolution global weather forecasts, with emphasis on wind and ocean-wave vectors, in nearly real time. WorldWinds™ was developed primarily to serve organizations and individuals needing accurate forecasts for scientific, safety, or economic...

Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool (MMPAT) is a computer program for constructing computational models of the generation, storage, consumption, and flow of electric power in a spacecraft. Heretofore, such modeling has been accomplished by means of unique software for each application. In contrast,...

U-HUNTER (also called “UXOHUNTER”) is a computer program that affords knowledge-based real-time sensor- fusion and display capabilities for detecting buried objects and materials of interest. U-HUNTER is intended especially for inferring the presence of buried unexploded ordnance and...

A mathematical model that represents several physical and mental behaviors has been developed to enable the phenomenological description of basic functions of immune systems. This development is part of a continuing effort to improve the autonomy of robots and spacecraft by use of computational methods...

A mathematical model of a quantum analog-computing device that would simulate the human decision-making process has been developed. Like the immune-inspired- computing model described in the preceding article, this model is intended to contribute to improvement in the autonomy of robots and spacecraft.

A little-known parametric form of an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter has been found to be useful in digital postprocessing of noisy test signals. The filter equation is: y(n) = α[x(n) + x(n – 1)] + γy(n – 1),

A report presents a theoretical and experimental study of amplification in electronic circuits that include combinations of discrete light sources (e.g., lightemitting diodes) and photodetectors (e.g., reverse-biased photodiodes), which combinations perform essentially the same functions as...

A report presents a study of the complexity of an algorithm that performs model-based diagnosis of a complex hardware system. [In model-based diagnosis, an algorithm detects logical inconsistencies between observational data and a description (mathematical model) of the system.] In the study, the problem of...

A technical report enunciates the concept of a hierarchy of sensor classes (meaning transducers, associated circuitry, and embedded software) that have different levels of intelligence, and discusses issues pertaining to the development of sensors of the highest level of intelligence, called cognitive. The other...