UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ
This task supports the initial integration of third-party advanced trajectory synthesis tools for terminal trajectory generation into the Air Traffic Management Lab for Airspace Super Density Operations (ASDO) research. The software applications used for this research include Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS), Trajectory Route Analyzer/Constructor (TRAC), Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations Research (ASTOR), Tool for Analysis of Separation and Throughput (TASAT), Boeing (INFLT), and the Boeing Commercial Aircraft FMS Test Bench. CTAS and TRAC are being developed as part of the Airspace Systems Program (ASP) at NASA Ames. ASTOR is being developed as part of the ASP at NASA Langley. TASAT, Boeing (INFLT) and the Boeing FMS Test Bench are third-party tools developed by external research organizations.
The purpose of this initial integration is to enable limited comparison of different aircraft, trajectory and FMS models for terminal trajectories, as part of the ASDO scheduling research.
The following tools are already available to use at NASA Ames:
1. NASA’s Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) is a suite of air traffic management and air traffic control decision support tools that span the entire national airspace system from take off to touchdown. The CTAS tools benefit air traffic managers and air traffic controllers by reducing stress and workload, and they benefit airspace users by reducing delays, increasing safety, allowing environmentally-friendly operations and improving robustness in all-weather conditions.
2. NASA’s Trajectory Route Analyzer/Constructor (TRAC) is a graphical design, simulation, and analysis tool designed to make the process of designing routes for simulations faster and more transparent by enabling routes to be graphically manipulated. TRAC can also host fasttime agent-based Monte Carlo simulations using an aircraft simulation module with advanced Flight Management System (FMS) functionality.
3. NASA’s Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations Research (ASTOR) is a civil air transport simulation capable of modeling current day on-board avionics systems, as well as future avionics systems.
4. Boeing INFLT and REPORT were developed for operational in-flight data production. Data from these programs are used for the production of Operations Manuals, Flight Planning Performance Manuals and tabular data to support flight planning dispatch systems. INFLT and
REPORT can be used to generate climb, cruise, holding, drift down, descent, optimum altitude, and simple flight planning data.
5. Georgia Tech’s Tool for Analysis of Separation and Throughput (TASAT) is a separation analysis methodology and Monte Carlo simulation environment that determines the target spacing at a selected intermediate metering point such that there is a desired probability that the procedure can be completed without controller intervention. TASAT includes stochastic models of various uncertainty factors such as pilot actions, aircraft weight, and winds.
6. Boeing Commercial Aircraft FMS Test Bench
This task will include the following areas of responsibility related to terminal trajectory modeling:
- review third-party trajectory synthesis tools used for terminal trajectory generation worldwide
- integrate the trajectory synthesis tools into Air Traffic Management Lab
- document the procedures to run the trajectory synthesis tools
- document the trajectory information generated by the trajectory synthesis tools
- create common scenarios to evaluate differences between trajectory models
- perform initial analyses of the trajectory results