Author: JT Smith
chemical/industrial programs and more to business IT users.Last month, NASA celebrated its 43rd birthday by releasing the potential solutions to a
wide range of engineering and analysis problems in the disciplines of medicine, chemistry, aerodynamics, and more. As a
result, Chicago-based Open Channel Software (OCS) announces that its non-profit arm, the Open Channel Foundation,
together with the National Technology Transfer Center, will publish a series of applications called the NASA CLASSICS
collection. A small step for potential users, the NASA software collection may be accessed now at the company’s Website,
www.openchannelsoftware.com. This does, however, represent a giant leap in commercialization for as many of these
applications as possible.
Specifically, OCS has entered into an agreement with the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) at
Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia, whereby it will market individual pieces of the Space Agency software
collection. Some will be available as free, downloadable, open-source product, and others will sell at prices ranging from
$20.00 to $8,000.00, according to Douglas Curry, vice president of business development at Open Channel Software.
“NTTC is the ‘distributor’ of more than 500 software programs created by NASA developers,” said Joseph Allen, president
of NTTC. “OCS now has access to these programs, as well as those from other Federal agencies. As we work with NASA
and its field centers, OCS will enable us to help NASA promote open source software for the public benefit,” Allen stated.
Originally published as part of the COSMIC collection – 500+ programs across the widest imaginable range of disciplines –
NASA CLASSIC software essentially is the “retail” end of that collection. OCS will be marketing more than 200 titles in all,
initially by making them available on its web site. These applications began in 1966 as part of a program to establish a central
repository for all NASA software developed by research centers, subcontractors and universities working on NASA-funded
projects.
Operated by The University of Georgia until 1999, NASA CLASSICS represent a majority of the software developed by
NASA during a 30-year research period that supported activities related to both the Space Program and other scientific
efforts. The majority of these software applications have high levels of reliability associated with their core computational
capabilities. In general, the applications are well-tested and debugged, based upon benchmark testing. Since debugging
represents a major cost to nearly all software developers, substantial time and dollar savings can be enjoyed by commercial
organizations wanting to modify these newly available, application-specific NASA software products for their own use.
More Than Historic Value
Most of the NASA CLASSIC programs were based on the high-level application of scientific knowledge as solutions to
real-world engineering problems. There were used in the design of space vehicles for equipment and facilities – the Apollo
moon project, for example – as well as in the analysis and planning of real operational problems related to the space program
and other NASA activities. A substantial portion of the NASA CLASSIC software collection was developed with dual-use
capabilities, such as engineering, materials processing, biological sciences, medical information management, operational
decision-making, and several other areas now of interest to today’s commercial users of cost-effective business solutions.
By launching this joint marketing program with NTTC, Open Channel Software (OCS) is taking a giant leap in software
technology transfer. This is because a large portion of the NASA CLASSICS software programs is based upon the
FORTRAN computing language, either in toto or in the form of modular structures that can be linked with C and C++
language modules.
The increasing availability of Linux operating systems for all computer platforms (including the new IBM S/390), combined
with the free availability of GNU software, means that these highly stable NASA software applications can be readily
modified, compiled, and run on systems run at most commercial enterprises, as well as at research and educational
institutions.
The first set of 205 applications from the collection, distributed by NTTC, is now available at
http://www.openchannelsoftware.com, according to Douglas Curry. Users can locate the NASA software by looking
through disciplines of interest on our website, or by searching on the term “NASA,” he notes.
# # #
About NTTC
The Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center was established at Wheeling Jesuit University in 1989 by U.S.
Congress to strengthen American industry by providing access to more than $70 billion worth of federally funded research.
Today, it is a full-service technology commercialization center, providing access to federal technology information;
technology commercialization training; technology assessment services; assistance in finding strategic business partners;
and electronic business development services.
About Open Channel Software
Open Channel Software (OCS) is an Internet-based organization that publishes, distributes, and commercializes software
created at academic and research institutions, serving as a central clearinghouse for high-quality, technically advanced
scientific applications. By hosting these programs in an open-source environment, OCS is able to monitor market activity
and identify breakthrough opportunities with strong commercial potential for appropriate hosted applications. At that point,
revenues can be generated by providing needed support services to commercially sponsored programs targeted for success.
The OCS Web site offers truly innovative, cutting-edge programs focused around certain categories, or Disciplines. OCS
actively promotes the software that it sponsors, in order to build and maintain a community of involved users. If software
has sufficient commercial viability, OCS provides the resources that are required to bring that software to commercial
distribution, proactively markets it, and offers fee-based support and services to its customers. Please contact OCS by
visiting http://www.openchannelsoftware.org or by phoning 773-334-8177, to learn more about Open Channel Software,
the Open Channel Foundation, its software Disciplines, products and services, or to become a participating
author/developer.
NOTE: All product names mentioned in this news release are brands or registered trademarks of the respective owners.
This list represents roughly half of the “NASA CLASSIC” software collection now available at
http://www.openchannelsoftware.com . .
ACARA Availability, Cost and Resource Allocation
ACTOMP AutoCAD To Mass Properties
AIRLOADS Oscillatory Airloads on Blades of Turbosystems in Spatially Non-Uniform Inflow
AMPS_PC Automatic Manufacturing Programming System
ARAM – Automated Reliability/Availability/Maintainability, Version 2.0
ASAP Artificial Satellite Analysis Program
AUTOCLASS III Automatic Class Discovery from Data Axial Flow Turbine Software Preliminary Design Analysis of
Axial Flow Turbines
BPP Binomial Probability Program
CAMRAD Computer Aided Material Review Automated Disposition System
CARES_LIFE Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures Life Prediction Program
CARES_PC Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures PC version
CEA Chemical Equilibrium with Applications
CEMCAN Ceramic Matrix Composites Analyzer
CET93 PC Chemical Equilibrium with Transport Properties
CFC Compressible Flow Computer Program
COMPSIZE Composite Structure Preliminary Sizing Program
Contour Plot Algorithm A General Algorithm for the Construction of Contour Plots
CUTSETS Minimal Cut Set Calculation for Digraph and Fault Tree Reliability Models
DANST-PC Dynamic Analysis of Spur Gear Transmissions
DFFSM Dynamic Fluid Flow Simulation Models
DUALREF Generalized Dual Reflector Analysis Computer Program
EIVAN An Interactive Orbital Trajectory Planning Tool
ELAPSE NASA Ames LISP and ADa Benchmark Suite
ETARA Event Time Availability, Reliability Analysis
FAST Flow Analysis Software Toolkit
FASTRAN II Fatigue Crack Growth Structural Analysis
FATPLUS The Automated Fatigue Calculation Program
FEAT Failure Environment Analysis Tool
FREDOM Frequency Domain Propagation Model
FSCATS Forth Source Code Analysis Tool Set
GAP Groove Analysis Program, Version 1.0
GAS Graphics Animation System
GEMPAK General Meteorological Package
GISS Generalized Impact Stress Software
GRAM-95 NASA/MSFC Global Reference Atmospheric Model-1995
GRAPE Two-Dimensional Grids About Airfoils and Other Shapes By the Use of Poisson’s Equation
GRIDGEN Multiple Block Grid Generation Software
GVS General Visualization System
HARP Hybrid Automated Reliability Predictor, Version 7.0
HEVA Hybrid Electric Vehicle Analysis
HME Hierarchical Modeling Environment
HONTIOR Higher-Order Neural Network for Transformation Invariant Object Recognition
IESIP Improved Exploratory Search Technique for Pure Integer Linear Programming Problems
IMP Integrated Mission Program
IND Decision Tree Package
IPEG Improved Price Estimation Guidelines
Computer Model of Temperature Distribution in Optically Pumped Laser Rods
LSENS General Chemical Kinetics and Sensitivity Analysis Code
-AT Multi-Attribute Task Battery for Human Operator Workload and Strategic Behavior Research
METCAN-PC Metal Matrix Composite Analyzer
MLITEMP Prediction of Thermal Effects associated with Hypervelocity Impact Damage
MOLFLUX Molecular Flux Program
MOM3D A Method of Moments Code for Electromagnetic Scattering
NASA FLAGRO v2 Fatigue Crack Growth Computer Program
NASTRAN NASA Structural Analysis System
NBOD2 Program to Derive and Solve Equations of Motion for Coupled N-Body Systems
NETS A Neural Network Development Tool, Version 3.0
OPMILL Micro Computer Programming Environment For CNC Milling Machines
Optimal Aircraft Trajectories for Specified Range
PACKMAN Packing Manager Software for 3-Dimensional Cargo
Panel Library and Editor
PCPANEL_PNLGRF A Flow Solver for Single/Multi-Element Airfoils and Turbomachinery Blade Rows
PDT Particle Displacement Tracking Software
PFAFAT Probabilistic Failure Assessment for Fatigue
PLOT3D Visualization software for Computational Fluid Dynamics
PMARC 12 Software for computing the potential flow field around complex three-dimensional bodies
PUMPA Centrifugal and Axial Pump Design and Off-design Meanline Performance
PYROLASER Pyrolaser Optical Pyrometer Operating System
ROCKFILL Software for Calculation of Key Robot Weld Information
S-CHART Scheduling Chart Program
SAGE Multi-Dimensional Self-Adaptive Grid Code
SCAT System Commonality Analysis Tool
SCRAM An Engineer’s Tool for Prediction of Airframe Integrated Scramjet Performance
SDVIC Sub-Pixel Digital Video Image Correlation
SEAL Dynamics of Face and Annular Seals with Two-phase Flow
SHABERTH Analysis of a Shaft Bearing System
SHAFT ORBIT Shaft Orbit Display program
SILHOUETTE Hidden Line Computer Code with Generalized Silhouette Solution
SPLICER A Genetic Algorithm Tool for Search and Optimization, Version 1.0
SRGULL An Advanced Engineering Model for the Prediction of Airframe Integrated Scramjet Cycle Performance
SSM Solid Surface Modeler, Version 6.0
STAGS Structural Analysis of General Shells, Version 2.0
STEADY A Steady State Thermal Analysis Program for Microcomputers
SUPER PHACOMP Sigma Phase Prediction
SWTPAS Subsonic Wind Tunnel Performance Analysis Software
TAP Thermal Analyzer Program
TF Tolerance Factors and Non-Central T Distribution Computer Program
TFSSRA Thick Frequency Selective Surface with Rectangular Apertures
TRASYS Thermal Radiation Analyzer System
TWOBODY Improved Implementation of LaGrange Multiplier
VASP Variable Dimension Automatic Synthesis Program
VIEW Radiation View Factor Program
VLMD Vortex-Lattice Code for Determination of Mean Camber Surface for Trimmed Non-Co-Planer Platforms
with Minimum Vortex Drag
VLOADS Launch Vehicle Loads Analysis For Preliminary Design
XYPLOT An Interactive 2D Plotting Program for the Iris Workstation
ZIP3D An Elastic and Elastic-Plastic Finite-Element Analysis Program for Cracked Bodies
