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ZL2VAL > ROVERS 13.08.04 11:57l 90 Lines 4100 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Sent: 040813/1044Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:45521 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : ROVERS@WW
NEWS RELEASE: 2004-199
August 12, 2004
Mars Software Honored by NASA
NASA has selected a data visualization and simulation software package
used by Mars rovers and landers, and a software package that can be used
in aerospace and industrial flow fluid applications, as the "best of the
best" software developed by the agency this year.
The "Science Activity Planner" developed by a team of experts at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., combines cutting-edge
visualization with sophisticated planning and simulation capabilities to
provide an intuitive interface to Mars rovers and landers. It is a
multi-mission, multi-purpose tool that has achieved three simultaneous
successes in mission operations, public outreach and technology
development.
The software comes in two versions. The first is used in mission
operations and contains the official mission activity dictionary. The
second version was released under the name
"Maestro" to the public for education and outreach. Maestro includes
additional training features that make it a more effective tool for
public engagement.
The software is used heavily in the Mars Exploration Rover Mission on a
daily basis. Scientists on the rover missions depend on the Science
Activity Planner as their primary interface to the Spirit and
Opportunity rovers. Every day, mission scientists and engineers use it
to plan the next actions of the rovers and analyze the data arriving
from Mars. The software has completed over 350 Mars days of successful
mission operations of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers without a single
critical failure and will continue to serve this role until the end of
the mission.
?We are thrilled to receive this award and honored to have been a part
of the amazing team behind the Mars Exploration Rover mission,? said
Jeff Norris, the software team leader at JPL.
NASA also selected the TetrUSS 2004 software as an award winner. TetrUSS
2004 is a suite of computer programs used for fluid dynamics and
aerodynamics analysis. Originally developed for NASA internal
applications, TetrUSS 2004 has evolved into an efficient and versatile
computer fluid dynamics tool used by engineers and scientists throughout
the nation. The software is widely used in other government
organizations, the aerospace industry, academia and non-aerospace
industries such as automotive, biomedical and civil engineering.
Increased use of TetrUSS 2004 has occurred in critical NASA, government
and industry programs. TetrUSS 2004 is now in use at over 500 sites for
all classes of aerospace and industrial fluid flow applications, inside
and outside of NASA, worth many billions of dollars. The TetrUSS 2004
team leader is Neal Frink of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
NASA began the competition in 1994, designed to reward outstanding
software at the agency, as measured by the following criteria.
-- The science and technology significance of the software and its
impact on NASA's mission
-- The extent of current and potential use
-- The usability of the software
-- The quality factors considered in the software
-- Intellectual property factors such as patents and copyrights
-- Innovation of the software
Software eligible for this award must have NASA intellectual property
interest, be of commercial grade, and be available to appropriate
commercial users or dedicated to a NASA mission.
For more information about the Software of the Year award on the
Internet, visit: http://icb.nasa.gov/nasaswy.html
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,
manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate, Washington. Images and additional information about the
project are available from JPL at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
and from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., at http://athena.cornell.edu
73 - Alan, ZL2VAL @ ZL2AB
Message timed: 22:31 on 2004-Aug-13
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