Tech Briefs

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A comprehensive library of technical briefs from engineering experts at NASA and major government, university, and commercial laboratories covering all aspects of innovations in electronics, software, photonics, imaging, motion control, automation, sensors, test, materials, manufacturing, mechanical, and mechatronics.

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Briefs: Software
Displaying Properties of PDFs

PDFVis is a computer program that assists in visualization of uncertainty as represented by a probability density function (PDF) located at each grid cell in a spatial domain. PDFVis performs the following functions:

Briefs: Software

The Flyby Geometry Optimization Tool is a computer program for computing trajectories and trajectory-altering impulsive maneuvers for spacecraft used in radio relay of scientific data to Earth from an...

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Briefs: Software
WMAP C&DH Software

The command- and-data- handling (C&DH) software of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) spacecraft functions as the sole interface between (1) the spacecraft and its instrument subsystem and (2) ground operations equipment.

This software includes a command-decoding and -distribution system, a telemetry/...

Briefs: Software

Livingstone2 is a reusable, artificial intelligence (AI) software system designed to assist spacecraft, life support systems, chemical plants, or other complex systems by operating with...

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Briefs: Software

Patented in 1991, friction stir welding (FSW) has since been used widely to create strong joints in aluminum alloys. The aircraft industry has started to adapt this...

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Briefs: Software

Computational analysis of fluid-structure interactions (FSI) represents a considerable challenge for most computational analysis codes. Simple one-way coupled problems,...

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Briefs: Software
Modular Filter and Source-Management Upgrade of RADAC

In an upgrade of the Range Data Acquisition Computer (RADAC) software, a modular software object library was developed to implement required functionality for filtering of flight-vehicle- tracking data and management of tracking-data sources. (The RADAC software is used to process...

Briefs: Software
CASPER Version 2.0

The Continuous Activity Scheduling Planning Execution and Replanning (CASPER) computer program has been updated to version 2.0. A prototype version was reported in "Software for Continuous Replanning During Execution" (NPO-20972), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 26, No. 7 (April 2002), page 67. To recapitulate: CASPER is designed to...

Briefs: Software

Information Sharing Protocol Advanced Tool of Math (ISPATOM) is an application program allowing for the streamlined generation of "comps," which subscribe to streams of...

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Briefs: Software
Program Management Tool

The Program Management Tool (PMT) is a comprehensive, Web-enabled business intelligence software tool for assisting program and project managers within NASA enterprises in gathering, comprehending, and disseminating information on the progress of their programs and projects. The PMT provides planning and management...

Briefs: Software

A computer program implements the algorithm described in "Hypothetical Scenario Generator for Fault-Tolerant Diagnosis" (NPO-42516), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 6 (June 2007), page 71. To...

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Briefs: Software
Automatic Command Sequence Generation

Automatic Sequence Generator (Autogen) Version 3.0 software automatically generates command sequences for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and several other JPL spacecraft operated by the multi-mission support team. Autogen uses standard JPL sequencing tools like APGEN, ASP, SEQGEN, and the DOM database...

Briefs: Software
Mission Simulation Toolkit

The Mission Simulation Toolkit (MST) is a flexible software system for autonomy research. It was developed as part of the Mission Simulation Facility (MSF) project that was started in 2001 to facilitate the development of autonomous planetary robotic missions. Autonomy is a key enabling factor for robotic exploration....

Briefs: Software
Model Checker for Java Programs

Java Pathfinder (JPF) is a verification and testing environment for Java that integrates model checking, program analysis, and testing. JPF consists of a custom-made Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that interprets bytecode, combined with a search interface to allow the complete behavior of a Java program to be...

Briefs: Software
Parallel-Processing Software for Correlating Stereo Images

A computer program implements parallel-processing algorithms for correlating images of terrain acquired by stereoscopic pairs of digital stereo cameras on an exploratory robotic vehicle (e.g., a Mars rover). Such correlations are used to create three-dimensional computational models of...

Briefs: Software
Web-Based Environment for Maintaining Legacy Software

"Advanced Tool Integration Environment" ("ATIE") is the name of both a software system and a Web-based environment created by the system for maintaining an archive of legacy software and expertise involved in developing the legacy software. ATIE can also be used in modifying legacy software...

Briefs: Software

A report discusses a computer vision algorithm for position estimation to enable precision landing during planetary descent. The Descent Image Motion Estimation System for the Mars Exploration...

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Briefs: Software
Grid Task Execution

IPG Execution Service is a framework that reliably executes complex jobs on a computational grid, and is part of the IPG service architecture designed to support location-independent computing. The new grid service enables users to describe the platform on which they need a job to run, which allows the service to locate the...

Briefs: Software

The SharpKBE software provides a graphical user interface environment for domain experts to build and manage knowledge base systems. Knowledge bases can be exported/translated to various target languages...

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Briefs: Software
Simulating Operations at a Spaceport

SPACESIM is a computer program for detailed simulation of operations at a spaceport. SPACESIM is being developed to greatly improve existing spaceports and to aid in designing, building, and operating future spaceports, given that there is a worldwide trend in spaceport operations from very expensive,...

Briefs: Software
Web-Based Real-Time Emergency Monitoring

The Web-based Real-Time Asset Monitoring (RAM) module for emergency operations and facility management enables emergency personnel in federal agencies and local and state governments to monitor and analyze data in the event of a natural disaster or other crisis that threatens a large number of people and...

Briefs: Software
Parallel Computing With Satellite Orbit Analysis Program

This software innovation speeds up the computation time of the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) tool by parallelizing the code using the message- passing interface (MPI) library. The speed increases almost linearly with the number of processors, allowing the perstudy duration of the...

Briefs: Software
Periodic, On-Demand, and User-Specified Information Reconciliation

POUR is a framework that accepts periodic information updates, collects information on demand, and accepts user-specified information while presenting a single unified view to the user. The primary functionality of POUR is through its query interface. A query consists of any...

Briefs: Software
Information Metacatalog for a Grid

SWIM is a Software Information Metacatalog that gathers detailed information about the software components and packages installed on a grid resource. Information is currently gathered for Executable and Linking Format (ELF) executables and shared libraries, Java classes, shell scripts, and Perl and Python...

Briefs: Software
Automated Sequence Generation Process and Software

"Automated sequence generation" (autogen) signifies both a process and software used to automatically generate sequences of commands to operate various spacecraft. Autogen requires fewer workers than are needed for older manual sequence-generation processes and reduces sequence-generation times...

Briefs: Software

A master metadata repository (MMR) software system manages the storage and searching of metadata pertaining to data from national and international satellite sources of the Global...

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Briefs: Software
Real-Time Data Display

RT-Display is a MATLAB- based data acquisition environment designed to use a variety of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware to digitize analog signals to a standard data format usable by other post-acquisition data analysis tools. This software presents the acquired data in real time using a variety of...

Briefs: Software
Collaborative Resource Allocation

Collaborative Resource Allocation Networking Environment (CRANE) Version 0.5 is a prototype created to prove the newest concept of using a distributed environment to schedule Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna times in a collaborative fashion. This program is for all space-flight and terrestrial science project...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Electroform/Plasma-Spray Laminates for X-Ray Optics

Electroform/ plasma-spray laminates have shown promise as lightweight, strong, low-thermal-expansion components for x-ray optics. The basic idea is to exploit both (1) the well-established art of fabrication of optical components by replication and (2) plasma spraying as a means of reinforcing...

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On-Demand Webinars: Defense

From Data to Decision: How AI Enhances Warfighter Readiness

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Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

April Battery & Electrification Summit

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Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Tech Update: 3D Printing for Transportation in 2024

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Unleashing Epoxy's Potential: Ensuring Hermetic Sealing in Modern...

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Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement

Building an Automotive EMC Test Plan

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Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

The Moon and Beyond from a Thermal Perspective

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