Considerations for a design and operations knowledge support system for Space Station Freedom

Engineering and operations of modern engineered systems depend critically upon detailed design and operations knowledge that is accurate and authoritative. A design and operations knowledge support system (DOKSS) is a modern computer-based information system providing knowledge about the creation, evolution, and growth of an engineered system. The purpose of a DOKSS is to provide convenient and effective access to this multifaceted information. The complexity of Space Station Freedom's (SSF's) systems, elements, interfaces, and organizations makes convenient access to design knowledge especially important, when compared to simpler systems. The life cycle length, being 30 or more years, adds a new dimension to space operations, maintenance, and evolution. Provided here is a review and discussion of design knowledge support systems to be delivered and operated as a critical part of the engineered system. A concept of a DOKSS for Space Station Freedom (SSF) is presented. This is followed by a detailed discussion of a DOKSS for the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and Work Package-2 portions of SSF

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes

This report lists reports, articles and other documents recently announced in the NASA STI Database. In its subject coverage, Aerospace Medicine and Biology concentrates on the biological, physiological, psychological, and environmental effects to which humans are subjected during and following simulated or actual flight in the Earth's atmosphere or in interplanetary space. References describing similar effects on biological organisms of lower order are also included. Such related topics as sanitary problems, pharmacology, toxicology, safety and survival, life support systems, exobiology, and personnel factors receive appropriate attention. Applied research receives the most emphasis, but references to fundamental studies and theoretical principles related to experimental development also qualify for inclusion

An Ontology Framework for Addressing Cost Overrun through Risk Modeling: A Risk Path Approach

Whether forced by economic conditions or internal motivations, contractors may choose to minimize their mark-up margins in order to maximize their chances of winning a bid. Such bidding conditions render contractors sensitive towards all types of risks associated with executing a project. This research aims at providing contractors with a framework through which they can reduce their bid prices to be able to compete in low biding conditions. This aim is realized through identifying risk elements that have the greatest impact on projects’ costs in the Egyptian construction industry. Work on this research follows a risk path approach consisting of risk sources, risk events, and risk consequences, and vulnerability factors consisting of robustness factors, resistance factors and sensitivity factors, whose relationships and risk paths are mapped through an ontology model. The weights characterizing that relationship between each of these elements is estimated through a three-phase model that utilizes both optimization and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), through 52 risks cenarios collected from 35 experts in the Egyptian Construction industry. Outputs generated by the model comprise of five sets of weights. Each set represents the effect of one risk path element on a subsequent element, collectively demonstrating the relations connecting the risk path elements to cost overruns. The model’s outputs showed that that 35 percent of the top 20 Robustness factors are related to project design. Lack of contractor’s technical resources rank higher than that of contractor’s financial resources in terms of their effect on Risk events. Project type has the most impact on project cost overrun, followed by Project delivery method. Further, delays due to bureaucracy whether from the owner or the government’s side rank at the bottom of the list

Proportional ratios and geometrical setups for achieving the floating effect of architectonic structures

Kontinuitet ideje "lebdećih" arhitektonskih objekata, postojao je kroz čitavo razdoblje razvoja civilizacije. U ovom radu istražuje se ideja "lebdećih" prostornih struktura kroz povijesne primjere u različitim arhitektonskim stilovima. Razlozi takvog formalnog oblikovanja su od utilitarnih, do apstraktnih i estetskih. Kroz analizu kontinuiteta ideje i oblikovne pojavnosti spomenutih objekata dolazi se i do načina postizanja efekta i klasifikacije koja iz njih proizlazi. U ovom radu je postizanje efekta lebdenja arhitektonskih objekata analizirano s aspekta proporcijskih odnosa i geometrijskih postavki u procesu projektiranja.In the entire period of development of human civilization, there has been a continuity of the concept of "hovering" architectonic structures. This paper deals with discovering the idea of "hover" structures in numerous historical examples and in various architectural styles. The reasons of such formal shaping are utilitarian, but also conceptual and esthetic. Through an analysis of the continuity of the idea and formal appearance of the mentioned structures, the methods of achieving the effect can be defined and classification resulting from them made. In this paper, the achievement of the floating effect of architectonic structures has been analyzed from the aspect of ratios and geometrical setups in design process

Project management of an integrated iron and steelworks during design, planning and construction

Much has been said, and many papers written, on the technical design problems associated with all branches of engineering involved in the building of a multi-million pound integrated steel plant. The object of this paper is not to add to their number, but rather to highlight the executive and management problems which arise in the course of the development and construction of this type of plant

Spatial design thinking in the age of multimedia

There are several emerging design methods and design thoughts, such as Evidence-Based design, Universal design, and so on, that have been utilized in spatial design. Further, the space design has been changed in the wake of invention of new materials, building technologies, and users\u27 functional needs. Designers need to collect and reorganize a new spectrum of information in order to conduct design. Designer\u27s thinking power plays an important role in creating space. Base on the research results in the realm of human cognitive faculty, synesthesia may hold the key to understanding a mechanism for thinking, cross-sensory perception and association involved in artistic and spatial creation. In addition, multimedia is the acting edge tool to support design methods and design thinking. Mathematical model can also be used for explain space design generation and design thinking. As a result, Chaos theory and Mandelbrot Set can be used to support new spatial design thinking and design models. Finally, this study examines Prezi, a multimedia-based tool, to integrate design thinking and communication

A Designer's Log: Case Studies in Instructional Design

Books and articles on instructional design in online learning abound but rarely do we get such a comprehensive picture of what instructional designers do, how they do it, and the problems they solve as their university changes. Power documents the emergence of an adapted instructional design model for transforming courses from single-mode to dual-mode instruction, making this designer’s log a unique contribution to the fi eld of online learning

Base RDT&E investment strategy

Issued as Statement of work, and Reports [nos. 1-5], Project D-48-628 (subproject E-20-616

Lost Shadows

There are thousands of pages of technical argumentation on lighting. We could say that there is already a legacy of technical lighting. It is the result of the activity of technically oriented people. In the 1900, CIE was founded to research oil socks and their properties. Standardization got a huge boost in 1931 when CIE introduced international trichromatic colorimetry system, known as “CIE System”. Engineers became active in illumination engineering societies. Sadly, the more visual skills of the lighting designer started to ebb. The lighting design work shifted from the hands of visually oriented people to the hands of technically oriented people. Engineers have done a good job as far as the quantity and distribution of light, but lighting design is at the same time unbalanced and skewed. Because of this, projects also look technical and often suffer from lack of visual beauty. It is good to look at and study lighting with open eyes, and to not judge earlier activities, solutions, norms or recommendations. It is also good to carefully study existing solutions and their connection to technical lighting recommendations. It opens doors for better architectural lighting design solutions. Recommendations are really only recommendations, not solutions for lighting design projects. They are only one tool, which must be used very carefully. Projects late in this thesis work are good examples to help to understand recommendations and put them in the right perspective as a helping tool. This thesis work is focusing on finding back the tools for beautiful architectural lighting solutions. It is not easy task after decades in darkness and under the influence of strong technical lighting eras. Thesis is divided in 2 parts. Part 1 is the core of my Thesis in nutshell and Part 2 has more detailed information for readers who want to learn more on architectural lighting design

The real city - the mental city

The search for relationships and dependencies between the real city and its mental image, may prove to be a key to understanding and reading the needs of the residents, primarily related to safety and comfort of living, as well as the location of places conducive to the development of social bonds. One of the important elements in the structure of a city is the public space. Reproduced on the mental maps, it is the most distinctive and recurring element in its image. Not adapted to new needs and neglected, it disintegrates the local community. Erased from memory, it leaves an empty space in the notional image of the city. Students from three Kraków-based universities have been dealing with the issue of the repair of public spaces (at the stage of creation of conceptual designs) for several years, forming interdisciplinary design teams made up of architects, interior designers, sociologists and aesthetes. Practical sociological studies are employed in order to create an image of the needs of the local inhabitants, which is then translated into design visions of various types of public spaces, conducive to the realization of their needs