3,112 research outputs found

    Experimental Evaluation of an Integrated Datalink and Automation-Based Strategic Trajectory Concept

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    This paper presents research on the interoperability of trajectory-based automation concepts and technologies with modern Flight Management Systems and datalink communication available on many of today s commercial aircraft. A tight integration of trajectory-based ground automation systems with the aircraft Flight Management System through datalink will enable mid-term and far-term benefits from trajectory-based automation methods. A two-way datalink connection between the trajectory-based automation resident in the Center/TRACON Automation System and the Future Air Navigation System-1 integrated FMS/datalink in NASA Ames B747-400 Level D simulator has been established and extensive simulation of the use of datalink messages to generate strategic trajectories completed. A strategic trajectory is defined as an aircraft deviation needed to solve a conflict or honor a route request and then merge the aircraft back to its nominal preferred trajectory using a single continuous trajectory clearance. Engineers on the ground side of the datalink generated lateral and vertical trajectory clearances and transmitted them to the Flight Management System of the 747; the airborne automation then flew the new trajectory without human intervention, requiring the flight crew only to review and to accept the trajectory. This simulation established the protocols needed for a significant majority of the trajectory change types required to solve a traffic conflict or deviate around weather. This demonstration provides a basis for understanding the requirements for integration of trajectory-based automation with current Flight Management Systems and datalink to support future National Airspace System operations

    The Relationship Between Religious Beliefs/Attitudes and Psychopathology in an Evangelical Seminary Sample

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    This study sought to measure the relationship between religiosity and psychopathology in an evangelical seminary. A sample of 55 randomly selected male Masters of Divinity students was selected from the first through third year classes at a prominent evangelical seminary during the spring quarter of 1984. This study was one facet of a larger research project which addressed adjustment in this seminary population from different perspectives (Neder 1985; Powers 1985). The sample was given a demographic questionnaire, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and three measures of religiosity. These were the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB), the Spiritual Maturity Index (SMI), and the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS). The analysis of the data was primarily correlational in nature with some use of multiple and stepwise regressions. Statistical analysis of the data produced several interesting results. No positive correlations between religiosity and psychopathology were found in the highly religious sample. This finding suggests that the preconception that religious interests contribute to psychopathology needs to be reassessed. Additionally, the Existential Well-Being (EWB) subscale of the SWB and the demographic question Wife\u27s Perceived Attitude About Seminary Involvement (WAS) were found to have an ability to predict psychopathology as measured by MMPI code-type T-scores. This suggests that in addition to several variables studied by Neder (1985) and Powers (1985), EWB and WAS may be helpful in the assessment and training of seminarians. An implication of the findings is that when dealing with clients, both the clinical student and practitioner need to respect the viability of their client\u27s religious world view as well as being sensitive to their own

    Psychological Implications of the Doctrine of Christian Perfection with Special Reference to John Wesley\u27s View

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    The doctrine of Christian Perfection is viewed by some as a wonderful and liberating doctrine, but by others it is seen as producing false expectations and guilt. John Wesley, the first major theologian to develop a theology of Christian Perfection, encountered misunderstandings and problems with this doctrine. He wrote and preached to correct the misunderstandings. Unfortunately, misunderstandings persist and sometimes have psychological effects on individuals. This article explores common understandings, beliefs, and experiences regarding Christian Perfection among evangelical Christians from the holiness tradition. The material was gathered by means of interviews that were recorded. The interviews were then studied by a theologian and by a clinical psychologist in order to examine how close the beliefs were to Wesley\u27s position and what psychological implications were contained in both the beliefs and the experiences related to the belief of those interviewed

    Handling Qualities of a Capsule Spacecraft During Atmospheric Entry

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    A piloted simulation was conducted to study handling qualities for capsule spacecraft entering the Earth s atmosphere. Eight evaluation pilots, including six pilot astronauts, provided Cooper-Harper ratings, workload ratings, and qualitative comments. The simulation began after descending through the atmospheric entry interface point and continued until the drogue parachutes deployed. There were two categories of piloting tasks, both of which required bank angle control. In one task category, the pilot followed a closed-loop bank angle command computed by the backup guidance system to manage g-loads during entry. In the other task category, the pilot used intuitive rules to determine the desired bank angle independently, based on an open-loop schedule of vertical speed, Mach, and total energy specified at several range-to-target gates along the entry trajectory. Pilots were able to accurately track the bank angle guidance commands and steered the capsule toward the recovery site with essentially the same range error as the benchmark autopilot trajectory albeit with substantially higher propellant usage, and the handling qualities for this task were satisfactory. Another key result was that the complex piloting task of atmospheric entry could be performed satisfactorily, even in the presence of large dispersions, by controlling bank angle to follow a simple open-loop schedule

    The covering property of the object-oriented data model: design and implementation issues

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    Inheritance is a necessary condition for construction of an object- oriented data model (OODM), but it is not sufficient. This is because inheritance applies to only one hierarchy. The covering construct meets this deficiency because covering maps an object in one hierarchy to a class of objects in another hierarchy. To date, covering has not been implemented into an existing OODM application. This thesis implements the covering construct into a functioning object-oriented database environment. Implementation was achieved through modification of data constructs and the creation of a user-defined relation linking two or more hierarchies. Using the Multi-model Multi-lingual Database Supercomputer (MDBS), a sample, working application is described illustrating real world applications. The results of this thesis show that the covering property can be implemented into an existing OODM without sacrificing the integrity of the data model. The cross-hierarchical mapping afforded by covering is a powerful construct that expands the capabilities of the model beyond pure inheritance. This makes the OODM suitable for a far wider range of applications. Together, inheritance and covering meet the necessary and sufficient conditions of the OODM.http://archive.org/details/thecoveringprope1094539938Lieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States Navy ReserveApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

    Handling Qualities Evaluation of Pilot Tools for Spacecraft Docking in Earth Orbit

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    A new generation of spacecraft is now under development by NASA to replace the Space Shuttle and return astronauts to the Moon. These spacecraft will have a manual control capability for several mission tasks, and the ease and precision with which pilots can execute these tasks will have an important effect on mission risk and training costs. This paper focuses on the handling qualities of a spacecraft based on dynamics similar to that of the Crew Exploration Vehicle, during the last segment of the docking task with a space station in low Earth orbit. A previous study established that handling qualities for this task degrade significantly as the level of translation-into-rotation coupling increases. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of various pilot aids designed to mitigate the handling qualities degradation caused by this coupling. Four pilot tools were ev adluaetead:d-band box/indicator, flight-path marker, translation guidance cues, and feed-forward control. Each of these pilot tools improved handling qualities, generally with greater improvements resulting from using these tools in combination. A key result of this study is that feedforward control effectively counteracts coupling effects, providing solid Level 1 handling qualities for the spacecraft configuration evaluated

    Piloted Well Clear Performance Evaluation of Detect and Avoid Systems with Suggestive Guidance

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    Regulations to establish operational and performance requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are being developed by a consortium of government, industry and academic institutions (RTCA, 2013). Those requirements will apply to the new detect-and-avoid (DAA) systems and other equipment necessary to integrate UAS with the United States (U.S) National Airspace System (NAS) and will be determined according to their contribution to the overall safety case. That safety case requires demonstration that DAA-equipped UAS collectively operating in the NAS meet an airspace safety threshold (AST). Several key gaps must be closed in order to link equipment requirements to an airspace safety case. Foremost among these is calculation of the systems risk ratio, the degree to which a particular system mitigates violation of an aircraft separation standard (FAA, 2013). The risk ratio of a DAA system, in combination with risk ratios of other collision mitigation mechanisms, will determine the overall safety of the airspace measured in terms of the number of collisions per flight hour. It is not known what the effectiveness is of a pilot-in-the-loop DAA system or even what parameters of the DAA system most improve the pilots ability to maintain separation. The relationship between the DAA system design and the overall effectiveness of the DAA system that includes the pilot, expressed as a risk ratio, must be determined before DAA operational and performance requirements can be finalized. Much research has been devoted to integrating UAS into non-segregated airspace (Dalamagkidis, 2009, Ostwald, 2007, Gillian, 2012, Hesselink, 2011, Santiago, 2015, Rorie 2015 and 2016). Several traffic displays intended for use as part of a DAA system have gone through human-in-the-loop simulation and flight-testing. Most of these evaluations were part of development programs to produce a deployable system, so it is unclear how to generalize particular aspects of those designs to general requirements for future traffic displays (Calhoun, 2014). Other displays have undergone testing to collect data that may generalize to new displays, but have not been evaluated in the context of the development of an overall safety case for UAS equipped with DAA systems in the NAS (Bell, 2012). Other research efforts focus on DAA surveillance performance and separation standards. Together with this work, they are expected to facilitate validation of the airspace safety case (Park, 2014 and Johnson, 2015). The contribution of the present work is to quantify the effectiveness of the pilot-automation system to remain well clear as a function of display features and surveillance sensor error. This quantification will help enable selection of a minimum set of DAA design features that meets the AST, a set that may not be unique for all UAS platforms. A second objective is to collect and analyze pilot performance parameters that will improve the modeling of overall DAA system performance in non-human-in-the-loop simulations. Simulating the DAA-equipped UAS in such batch experiments will allow investigation of a much larger number of encounters than is possible in human simulations. This capability is necessary to demonstrate that a particular set of DAA requirements meets the AST under all foreseeable operational conditions

    Sub-millimeter wave frequency heterodyne detector system

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    The present invention relates to sub-millimeter wave frequency heterodyne imaging systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sub-millimeter wave frequency heterodyne detector system for imaging the magnitude and phase of transmitted power through or reflected power off of mechanically scanned samples at sub-millimeter wave frequencies
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