Briefs: Information Technology
Three documents discuss the Sustainable Objective Valuation and Attainability (SOVA) algorithm and software as used to plan tasks (principally, scientific observations and associated maneuvers) for the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite. SOVA is a means of managing risk in a...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A patent disclosure document discusses a photonic method for connecting a spacecraft with a launch vehicle upper-stage telemetry system as a means for monitoring a spacecraft’s health and status during and right after separation and deployment. This method also provides an efficient...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A document discusses an approach to insulating propulsion lines for spacecraft. In spacecraft that have propulsion lines that are located externally with open bus architecture, the lines are typically insulated by Multi Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets. MLI on propulsion lines tends to...
Articles: Materials
The Hall effect can be observed when the combination of a magnetic field through a sample and a current along the length of the sample create an...
Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
Heat exchanger coilsSuper Radiator CoilsChaska, MN952-556-3330superradiatorcoils.com
A 25-foot-high wall of heat exchanger coils manufactured by Super Radiator Coils will replace the...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Flight lasers and test laserFibertekHerndon, VA703-471-7671www.fibertek.com
Managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission is scheduled to launch in 2016. The satellite will replace the original ICESat...
Articles: Materials
In direct response to the National Research Council’s report “Capabilities for the Future: An Assessment of NASA Laboratories for Basic Research, 2010,” the Space Technology program was born and formally approved by...
Briefs: Information Technology
Test and evaluation relies on computer collection and manipulation of data from a myriad of sensors and sources. More computing power allows for increases in the breadth and depth of the information collected. The same computing power must assist in identifying, ordering,...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Analyzing microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch behavior is a new field of study that guides the production of MEMS switches. One issue of primary importance is the degradation of contact...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
T est and evaluation of current systems is a time-consuming process that reflects both the intricacies of the object of the test and the range of equipment, personnel, and environments required. Many argue that this process consumes far too much of the time that it takes to put new systems into...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Medical devices are designed to function in environmentally controlled locations, such as stationary hospitals, and not within the harsh, dynamic aircraft environment. Yet, the same medical devices used...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Gallium nitride (GaN) high-power electronic (HPE) devices have the potential to outperform those made from 4H-silicon carbide (SiC), the polytype used for HPE devices, because it has a larger critical...
Briefs: Materials
Lasers present the means to deliver powerful, coherent, and directional high-frequency electromagnetic energy. However, the diffraction limit of light imposes fundamental constraints on how...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Rare-earth-doped soft glass optical fibers were developed and characterized for fiber lasers emitting at wavelengths longer than 2 microns to allow...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A ircraft and rotorcraft structures are being redesigned with new lower weight materials; however, older metallic structures continue to be used. These older structures need monitoring and characterization of damage for con-
tinued operation. The use of...
Articles: Aerospace
The US Army has announced plans to increase the autonomy of its Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). “We are moving along that spectrum from tele-operating to semi-autonomy where you can...
Articles: Aerospace
Though developers of avionics software are among the most conservative in the software engineering community, and rightly so, Java is beginning to penetrate even this very specialized industry. The...
Application Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Hybrid battery systemInternational BatteryAllentown, PA610-366-3925
International Battery has been given a contract from the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research,...
Application Briefs: Defense
Lansmont Corp. engineers have developed the active impact surface design technology for several test machines currently installed at the Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Maryland and the Air...
Tech Transfer Reports: Photonics/Optics
The Missile Defense Agency-funded Optical Physics Company (Calabasas, CA) has developed a new generation of deformable mirror systems that minimize unwanted surface distortion caused by the...
Articles: Imaging
A new, versatile imaging technology quickly gives users accurate three-dimensional depictions of objects being tracked. The image system, developed by Visidyne, Inc. (Burlington, MA),...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
The military’s transition to Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) has created an enormous demand for improved networking and performance capabilities for ground mobile command and control...
Podcasts: Manned Systems
Leland D. Melvin is responsible for the development and implementation of the agency’s education programs that strengthen student involvement and public awareness about NASA’s scientific goals and missions.
To download this interview as a podcast, click...
Who's Who: Aerospace
As NASA’s associate administrator for education, Leland Melvin is responsible for the development and implementation of the agency's education programs...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
The true worth of an industry standard is measured in its ability to stand the test of time. From the onset, the system configuration, hardware components, and integration strategy all...
Products: Electronics & Computers
Alligator Technologies (Costa Mesa, CA) has introduced the USBPGF-S1™, a USB controlled single channel programmable signal conditioning instrumentation amplifier and low pass filter. It can configure itself...
Products: Electronics & Computers
The Zynq™-7000 Extensible Processing Platform (EPP) devices from Xilinx (San Jose, CA) integrate an ARM® dual-core Cortex®-A9 MPCore™ processing system with NEON and Double Precision Floating Point engine. Each...
Products: Electronics & Computers
MPL AG (Dättwill, Switzerland) announced that it is now offering QNX support for its PIP20 and PIP22 embedded computers with Core 2 Duo processors. Triadem Solutions AG (Biel, Switzerland), the official QNX distributor...