Research papers

Ditching Investigations of Dynamic Models and Effects of Design Parameters on Ditching Characteristics

Data from ditching investigations conducted at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory with dynamic scale models of various airplanes are presented in the form of tables.

A summary of investigations of severe turbulence incidents using airline flight records

Work done on the NASA-Ames data base of digital flight records from airliners involved in severe turbulence incidences is summarized. The summary includes descriptions of the archived cases, data processing procedures, e…

Crew factors in flight operations 9: Effects of planned cockpit rest on crew performance and alertness in long-haul operations

This study examined the effectiveness of a planned cockpit rest period to improve alertness and performance in long-haul flight operations.

Whither CRM? Future directions in Crew Resource Management training in the cockpit and elsewhere

The past decade has shown worldwide adoption of human factors training in civil aviation, now known as Crew Resource Management (CRM).

Modelling decision-making by pilots

Our scientific goal is to understand the process of human decision-making. Specifically, a model of human decision-making in piloting modern commercial aircraft which prescribes optimal behavior, and against which we can…

Mission operations and command assurance - Automating an operations TQM task

A long-term program is in progress at JPL to reduce cost and risk of mission operations through defect prevention and error management.

Fidelity assessment of a UH-60A simulation on the NASA Ames vertical motion simulator

Helicopter handling qualities research requires that a ground-based simulation be a high-fidelity representation of the actual helicopter, especially over the frequency range of the investigation.

Design project: Viper

The design specification of the primary flight trainer are: must conform to F.A.R. 23, including the crashworthiness standards; is limited to two to four occupants; engine must be FAA certified; must comply with FAA stan…

A small satellite design for deep space network testing and training

With the continuing exploration of the Solar System and the reemphasis on Earth focused missions, the need for faster data transmission rates has grown.

The impact of visual noise on spatial orientation

The effect of noise in the visual environment on spatial orientation was investigated experimentally using postural stability as an objective measure.

Experimental evaluation of certification trails using abstract data type validation

Certification trails are a recently introduced and promising approach to fault-detection and fault-tolerance. Recent experimental work reveals many cases in which a certification-trail approach allows for significantly f…

Certification trails for data structures

Certification trails are a recently introduced and promising approach to fault detection and fault tolerance. The applicability of the certification trail technique is significantly generalized.

Airplane Parachutes

The "Bulletin Technique", of March, 1919, gave the results of tests and studies made up to that date in connection with airplane parachutes. This work has been continued.

Gemini 8, This is Houston Flight

The historic first docking in space with the Agena is completed. Camaras record the harrowing experiences of the astronauts as Gemini VIII wildly gyrates through space following a malfunction.

Comparative Tests of Pitot-static Tubes

Comparative tests were made on seven conventional Pitot-static tubes to determine their static, dynamic, and resultant errors. The effect of varying the dynamic opening, static opening, wall thickness, and inner-tube dia…

Investigation of two pitot-static tubes at supersonic speeds

The results of tests at a Mach number of 1.94 of an ogives-nose cylindrical pitot-static tube and similar tests at Mach numbers of 1.93 and 1.62 of a service pitot-static tube to determine body static pressures and indic…

Differential Pressures on a Pitot-venturi and a Pitot-static Nozzle over 360 Degrees Pitch and Yaw

Measurements of the differential pressures on two navy air-speed nozzles, consisting of a Zahm type Pitot-Venturi tube and a SQ-16 two-pronged Pitot-static tube, in a tunnel air stream of fixed speed at various angles of…

Calibrations of Pitot-static Tubes at High Speeds

Altitude deviations: Breakdowns of an error-tolerant system

Pilot reports of aviation incidents to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) provide a window on the problems occurring in today's airline cockpits.

Airborne derivation of microburst alerts from ground-based Terminal Doppler Weather Radar information: A flight evaluation

An element of the NASA/FAA windshear program is the integration of ground-based microburst information on the flight deck, to support airborne windshear alerting and microburst avoidance.

Cognitive engineering in aerospace application: Pilot interaction with cockpit automation

Because of recent incidents involving glass-cockpit aircraft, there is growing concern with cockpit automation and its potential effects on pilot performance.

An evaluation of software tools for the design and development of cockpit displays

The use of all-glass cockpits at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) simulation facility has changed the means of design, development, and maintenance of instrument displays.

Synthetic vision display evaluation studies

The goal of this research was to help us understand the display requirements for a synthetic vision system for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT).

Parallel runway requirement analysis study. Volume 1: The analysis

The correlation of increased flight delays with the level of aviation activity is well recognized. A main contributor to these flight delays has been the capacity of airports.

Eagle RTS: A design for a regional transport aircraft

This university design project concerns the Eagle RTS (Regional Transport System), a 66 passenger, twin turboprop aircraft with a range of 836 nautical miles.

Improvement of fatigue life of an aluminum alloy by overstressing

Fatigue tests were made on some 1.375-inch-diameter and 0.300-inch diameter specimens of a 17S-T aluminum alloy rod. One test of a large specimen was run continuously to failure at a maximum stress of 22,000 pounds per s…

Results of a sub-scale model rotor icing test

A heavily instrumented sub-scale model of a helicopter main rotor was tested in the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) in September and November 1989.

Performance of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and General Purpose Work Station (GPWS) and other hardware in the microgravity environment

This paper discusses the performance of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and General Purpose Work Station (GPWS) plus other associated hardware during the recent flight of Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1).

Spacelab Life Sciences 1, development towards successive life sciences flights

A general review is presented of flight data and related hardware developments for Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS) 1 with an eye toward applying this knowledge to projected flight planning.

Reliability analysis techniques for engine-out failures in main propulsion systems

Reliability formulas are derived for a liquid main propulsion system consisting of n engines, which allows for mission success in the event a single-engine controlled shutdown occurs afer some given time.

Shuttle abort landing site emergency medical services

NASA and DOD studies of medical-planning and logistical problems are reviewed as applicable to providing emergency medical care at remote transoceanic abort landing (TAL) sites.

A simple, analytical, axisymmetric microburst model for downdraft estimation

A simple analytical microburst model was developed for use in estimating vertical winds from horizontal wind measurements. It is an axisymmetric, steady state model that uses shaping functions to satisfy the mass continu…

Design methodology for a community response questionnaire on sonic boom exposure

A preliminary draft questionnaire concerning community response to sonic booms was developed. Interviews were conducted in two communities that had experienced supersonic overflights of the SR-71 airplane for several yea…

Experimental water droplet impingement data on modern aircraft surfaces

An experimental method has been developed to determine the water droplet impingement characteristics on two- and three-dimensional aircraft surfaces.

Automated flight test management system

The Phase 1 development of an automated flight test management system (ATMS) as a component of a rapid prototyping flight research facility for artificial intelligence (AI) based flight concepts is discussed.

Certification of damage tolerant composite structure

A reliability based certification testing methodology for impact damage tolerant composite structure was developed. Cocured, adhesively bonded, and impact damaged composite static strength and fatigue life data were stat…

Dual towline spin-recovery device

A device which corrects aerodynamic spin is described wherein a parachute exerts antispin forces on an aircraft to effect spin recovery.

Flutter clearance of the Schweizer 1-36 deep-stall sailplane

A Schweizer 1-36 sailplane was modified for a controlled, deep-stall flight program. This modification allowed the horizontal stabilizer to pivot as much as 70 deg leading edge down.

Bifurcation techniques for nonlinear dynamic analysis of compressor stall phenomena

Compressor stall phenomena is analyzed from nonlinear control theory viewpoint, based on bifurcation-catastrophe techniques. This new approach appears promising and offers insight into such well known compressor instabil…

Flight crew performance when pilot-flying and pilot-not-flying duties are exchanged

This study compares reports from the ASRS database depicting operational anomalies related to flight crew performance when pilot-flying and pilot-not-flying duties were exchanged.

Analysis of Convair 990 rejected-takeoff accident with emphasis on decision making, training and procedures

This paper analyzes a NASA Convair 990 (CV-990) accident with emphasis on rejected-takeoff (RTO) decision making, training, procedures, and accident statistics.

Aircraft accident report: NASA 712, Convair 990, N712NA, March Air Force Base, California, July 17, 1985, facts and analysis

On July 17, l985, at 1810 P.d.t., NASA 712, a Convair 990 aircraft, was destroyed by fire at March Air Force Base, California. The fire started during the rollout after the pilot rejected the takeoff on runway 32.

The development of a Space Shuttle General Purpose Work Station (GPWS)

The GPWS being developed for the Life Sciences Laboratory to be flown on the fourth Spacelab mission in late 1985 is characterized, and results from Phase I and Phase II tests are reported.

Improved computer simulation of the TCAS 3 circular array mounted on an aircraft

The Traffic advisory and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is being developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assist aircraft pilots in mid-air collision avoidance.

Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techniques

The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.

Failure analysis of a Stirling engine heat pipe

Failure analysis was conducted on a heat pipe from a Stirling Engine test rig which was designed to operate at 1073 K. Premature failure had occurred due to localized overheating at the leading edge of the evaporator fin…

Dual-fuel, dual-mode rocket engine

The invention relates to a dual fuel, dual mode rocket engine designed to improve the performance of earth-to-orbit vehicles. For any vehicle that operates from the earth's surface to earth orbit, it is advantageous to u…

Constitutive modelling of single crystal and directionally solidified superalloys

The trend towards improved engine efficiency and durability places increasing demands on materials that operate in the hot section of the gas turbine engine.

Analysis of extreme wind shear

New methods utilizing extreme value statistical theory are applied in the analysis of the largest wind component shear in a wind profile as a function of shear layer thickness and season.

Analysis of aircraft performance during lateral maneuvering for microburst avoidance

Aircraft response to a severe and a moderate three-dimensional microburst model using nonlinear numerical simulations of a Boeing 737-100 is studied.