Some aerospace applications of estimation theory

In this report, the application of estimation theory to three problems from aerospace research is described. The applications considered deal with spacecraft attitude estimation, software reliability modelling and estimation, and with a satellite-based navigation algorithm. Maximum likelihood estimation is used in the software reliability case...

What is on the machine's mind? Models for reasoning with incomplete and uncertain knowledge

In this thesis, which consists of two parts, two different subjects are discussed. In the first part of the thesis a logic for reasoning with inconsistent knowledge will be described. The second part of the thesis contains a proposal for to view a reasoning process as a process of constructing a partial model of the world we are reasoning about....

Wave drag determination in the transonic full-potential flow code matrics

The mathematical background is described of a method that is currently being developed at NLR to calculated wave drag in transonic potential flow. The method is a generalization and extension of Garabedian's and McFadden's idea of determining wave drag by volume-integration of the artificial viscosity. The generalization of Garabedian's and...

Numerical evaluation of an efficient ROE scheme and chemical models for chemically reacting nozzle flows in thermal equilibrium

An efficient Roe-type flux-difference scheme for chemically reacting inviscid compressible flow in thermal equilibrium is presented. The numerical scheme is validated. Three well known chemical models are compared. The set of testcases concerned quasi one-dimensional hypersonic nozzle flows, with and without strong normal Shockwaves.

Numerical solution of dynamical systems with equality state-space constraints

Numerical simulation of constrained dynamical systems is known to exhibit stability problems even when the unconstrained system can be simulated in a stable manner. We show that not the constraints themselves, but the transformation of a continuous set of equations to a discrete set of equations is the true source of the stability problem....

Study on efficient numerical time-integration methods for simulation of multi-body systems

This report describes the results of an evaluation of numerical integration schemes to be used for the digital simulation of second order ordinary differential equations (ODE's) which are characteristic for multibody systems such as space manipulators. The study focuses on dedicated schemes for this type of systems. Main attention is paid to the...

The B2000 linear buckling processor

In many practical problems of plate and shell buckling, the pre-buckling state is linear and can be obtained from the linearized equations of elasticity. The computation of the buckling load and mode in such cases correponds to a linear eigenvalue problem that can easily be formulated and implemented in a finite element code. This report...

A positioning system based on NAVSAT

A worldwide navigation system called NAVSAT is discussed. This positioning system is based on satellites which broadcast information which can be used by receivers of this Information to estimate their position. The motion of the users is modelled by splines. The estimation procedure is based on the extended Kalman filter approach.

ARSPNS: a method to calculate steady and unsteady potential flow about fixed and rotating lifting and nonlifting bodies

A new method ARNSPNS is described for the calculation of steady and time-linearized unsteady incompressible potential flow about arbitrary lifting and nonlifting bodies in an arbitrary mean steady flow field, including rotation. The method belongs to the category of the so-called panel methods. Applications have been made to wind turbines...

A survey of computational methods for subsonic and transonic aerodynamic design

An overview is provided of computational methods that can be used in solving the design problem of aerodynamics; i.e. the problem of finding the detailed shape of (parts of) configurations of which the gross geometric characteristics have already been determined in a preliminary, overall design process, and that, subject to certain constraints,...

Towards digital computer simulation of the dynamics of flexible spacecraft

Software design for digital computer simulation of the dynamics of flexible spacecraft equipped with actuators and sensors, should take into account two properties of the overall system: (i) s.ampled-data control of the spacecraft leads to discontinuous inputs (forcing functions) in the differential equations of motion, thereby requiring...

Comparison of a jump-diffusion tracker with a Kalman tracker: an evaluation with emphasis on air traffic control

A sophisticated starting point for a probabilistic approach to the radar tracking problem is a Markov jump-diffusion model for the aircraft dynamics, its control and the radar measurements. From nonlinear filtering theory, a closed form description of the evolution of the conditional distribution of this Markov process can be obtained. This jump...