High End Computer Network Testbedding at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Earth & Space Data Computing (ESDC) Division, at the Goddard Space Flight Center, is involved in development and demonstrating various high end computer networking capabilities. The ESDC has several high end super computers. These are used to run: (1) computer simulation of the climate systems; (2) to support the Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) project; (3) to support the Grand Challenge (GC) Science, which is aimed at understanding the turbulent convection and dynamos in stars. GC research occurs in many sites throughout the country, and this research is enabled by, in part, the multiple high performance network interconnections. The application drivers for High End Computer Networking use distributed supercomputing to support virtual reality applications, such as TerraVision, (i.e., three dimensional browser of remotely accessed data), and Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVE). Workstations can access and display data from multiple CAVE's with video servers, which allows for group/project collaborations using a combination of video, data, voice and shared white boarding. The ESDC is also developing and demonstrating the high degree of interoperability between satellite and terrestrial-based networks. To this end, the ESDC is conducting research and evaluations of new computer networking protocols and related technologies which improve the interoperability of satellite and terrestrial networks. The ESDC is also involved in the Security Proof of Concept Keystone (SPOCK) program sponsored by National Security Agency (NSA). The SPOCK activity provides a forum for government users and security technology providers to share information on security requirements, emerging technologies and new product developments. Also, the ESDC is involved in the Trans-Pacific Digital Library Experiment, which aims to demonstrate and evaluate the use of high performance satellite communications and advanced data communications protocols to enable interactive digital library data access between the U. S. Library of Congress, the National Library of Japan and other digital library sites at 155 MegaBytes Per Second. The ESDC participation in this program is the Trans-Pacific access to GLOBE visualizations in real time. ESDC is participating in the Department of Defense's ATDNet with Multiwavelength Optical Network (MONET) a fully switched Wavelength Division Networking testbed. This presentation is in viewgraph format

The Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (SNPP): Continuing NASA Research and Applications

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite was successfully launched into a polar orbit on October 28, 2011 carrying 5 remote sensing instruments designed to provide data to improve weather forecasts and to increase understanding of long-term climate change. SNPP provides operational continuity of satellite-based observations for NOAA's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) and continues the long-term record of climate quality observations established by NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites. In the 2003 to 2011 pre-launch timeframe, NASA's SNPP Science Team assessed the adequacy of the operational Raw Data Records (RDRs), Sensor Data Records (SDRs), and Environmental Data Records (EDRs) from the SNPP instruments for use in NASA Earth Science research, examined the operational algorithms used to produce those data records, and proposed a path forward for the production of climate quality products from SNPP. In order to perform these tasks, a distributed data system, the NASA Science Data Segment (SDS), ingested RDRs, SDRs, and EDRs from the NOAA Archive and Distribution and Interface Data Processing Segments, ADS and IDPS, respectively. The SDS also obtained operational algorithms for evaluation purposes from the NOAA Government Resource for Algorithm Verification, Independent Testing and Evaluation (GRAVITE). Within the NASA SDS, five Product Evaluation and Test Elements (PEATEs) received, ingested, and stored data and performed NASA's data processing, evaluation, and analysis activities. The distributed nature of this data distribution system was established by physically housing each PEATE within one of five Climate Analysis Research Systems (CARS) located at either at a NASA or a university institution. The CARS were organized around 5 key EDRs directly in support of the following NASA Earth Science focus areas: atmospheric sounding, ocean, land, ozone, and atmospheric composition products. The PEATES provided the system level interface with members of the NASA SNPP Science Team and other science investigators within each CARS. A sixth Earth Radiation Budget CARS was established at NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LaRC) to support instrument performance, data evaluation, and analysis for the SNPP Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Budget Energy System (CERES) instrument. Following the 2011 launch of SNPP, spacecraft commissioning, and instrument activation, the NASA SNPP Science Team evaluated the operational RDRs, SDRs, and EDRs produced by the NOAA ADS and IDPS. A key part in that evaluation was the NASA Science Team's independent processing of operational RDRs and SDRs to EDRs using the latest NASA science algorithms. The NASA science evaluation was completed in the December 2012 to April 2014 timeframe with the release of a series of NASA Science Team Discipline Reports. In summary, these reports indicated that the RDRs produced by the SNPP instruments were of sufficiently high quality to be used to create data products suitable for NASA Earth System science and applications. However, the quality of the SDRs and EDRs were found to vary greatly when considering suitability for NASA science. The need for improvements in operational algorithms, adoption of different algorithmic approaches, greater monitoring of on-orbit instrument calibration, greater attention to data product validation, and data reprocessing were prominent findings in the reports. In response to these findings, NASA, in late 2013, directed the NASA SNPP Science Team to use SNPP instrument data to develop data products of sufficiently high quality to enable the continuation of EOS time series data records and to develop innovative, practical applications of SNPP data. This direction necessitated a transition of the SDS data system from its pre-launch assessment mode to one of full data processing and production. To do this, the PEATES, which served as NASA's data product testing environment during the prelaunch and early on-orbit periods, were transitioned to Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPS). The distributed data architecture was maintained in this new system by locating the SIPS at the same institutions at which the CARS and PEATES were located. The SIPS acquire raw SNPP instrument Level 0 (i.e. RDR) data over the full SNPP mission from the NOAA ADS and IDPS through the NASA SDS Data Distribution and Depository Element (SD3E). The SIPS process those data into NASA Level 1, Level 2, and global, gridded Level 3 standard products using peer-reviewed algorithms provided by members of the NASA Science Team. The SIPS work with the NASA SNPP Science Team in obtaining enhanced, refined, or alternate real-time algorithms to support the capabilities of the Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL). All data products, algorithm source codes, coefficients, and auxiliary data used in product generation are archived in an assigned NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC)

Crystallization of dense binary hard-sphere mixtures with marginal size ratio

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for binary hard-sphere mixtures with a size ratio of γ=0.9 and a volume fraction of ϕ=0.58 over a range of compositions. We show how, at this high volume fraction, crystallization depends sensitively on the composition. Evidence is presented that crystallization in these mixtures does not proceed by the standard nucleation and growth paradigm. Rather, some crystallite forms almost immediately and then an interplay between compositional fluctuations and crystal growth is able to dramatically extend the time scale on which further crystallization occurs. This can be seen as a form of geometric frustration

P1_1 That Lucky Old Sun

In this paper we assessed the plausability of the Archimedes II orbital laser, found in the Fallout New Vegas videogame, by assessing the potential destructive output of the laser. We found that the laser would be a lot weaker than presented in game, but if it were connected to a power plant with a typical output, it would easily be able to output the destructive powers seen in the Fallout serie

P1_5 The View Of The Sun From Alien Worlds

In this paper, we estimate whether the planets of the Solar System would be detectable by a theoretical extraterrestrial civilisation with a level of technology similar to present day Earth. We found that Jupiter, Earth, and Venus could have been detected already, while Saturn, Uranus and Neptune would be detectable in the future. Mars and Mercury are considered undetectable

P1_4 Starship UK, the Hardest of Brexits?

In this paper we estimated the amount of energy and mass of fuel required to move the landmass of the United Kingdom, including the crust down to a depth of 24 km, into a “stable” circular Low Earth Orbit. We also compared various launch vehicles in terms of how much they can carry to orbit, and thus how many would be required and how much this would cost. It was found that 5.17X 10^26 J of energy would be required, or  7.06X10^14 Falcon 9 launchers, %at a cost of\\ £2.69X 10^22,which would take 1.48 Tera-years to save for.

P1_6 "Let the old gods flow through me one last time!

This paper investigates whether the Bifrost, a magical beam of light that the Asguardians use to travel between realms, can act as a spaceship transporting the Hulk across space by looking at the time and energy required to send him back to Earth in Marvels; Infinity War. We calculated that at 0.999 c the Hulk would take 2.52 ± 0.14 million years with a kinetic energy of 1.01x1021 J and a total energy of 23.5x1021 J

P1_8 Magcargo, I Don't Choose You!

In this paper we estimate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) of Magcargo, the "Lava Pokemon" from the popular Pokemon video game series, and from there estimate the caloric intake necessary to maintain its extremely high internal temperature of 10, 000 C. We then calculate approximately how much heat energy a Magcargo would leak to its surroundings in the Pokemon world. It was found that it would have an impossibly high BMR of 3.94×10^733 W, which would require Magcargo to ingest 1.18×10^733 Calories each second. Additionally, it would emit thermal radiation with a Luminosiy of 1.27×10^9 W

Generic Helicopter-Based Testbed for Surface Terrain Imaging Sensors

To be certain that a candidate sensor system will perform as expected during missions, we have developed a field test system and have executed test flights with a helicopter-mounted sensor platform over desert terrains, which simulate Lunar features. A key advantage to this approach is that different sensors can be tested and characterized in an environment relevant to the flight needs prior to flight. Testing the various sensors required the development of a field test system, including an instrument to validate the truth of the sensor system under test. The field test system was designed to be flexible enough to cover the test needs of many sensors (lidar, radar, cameras) that require an aerial test platform, including helicopters, airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or balloons. To validate the performance of the sensor under test, the dynamics of the test platform must be known with sufficient accuracy to provide accurate models for input into algorithm development. The test system provides support equipment to measure the dynamics of the field test sensor platform, and allow computation of the truth position, velocity, attitude, and time