Engineering topics
Umsted, Carson
Publications and source records attributed to Umsted, Carson.
Mars 2020 Lander Vision System Flight Performance 1
The Mars 2020 Entry Descent and Landing (EDL) system delivered the Perseverance rover to the surface of Mars on February 18th, 2021. A large fraction of the Jezero Crater landing site was covered with landing hazards including cliffs, inescapable dune fields and rocks. These hazards were identified or inferred using orbital imagery before launch so that they could be avoided using Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) which was composed of two parts: the Lander Vision System (LVS) and Safe Target Selection (STS). During EDL, the LVS successfully estimated map relative position by fusing landmarks matched between descent imagery and a map of the landing site with Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data. This position estimate was used by STS to identify the safest target for landing that was also reachable given fuel and other constraints. The EDL system then used the powered descent phase to retarget to this location and land safely. The overall error between the targeted location and actual landing location was 5m which was an order of magnitude less than the 60m touchdown error requirement. This paper will describe the final tests of the LVS before launch, the checkout of the LVS during operations and the LVS performance during EDL.
A sub-arcsecond Pointing stability fine stage for a high altitude balloon platform
High-altitude balloons (HABs) are platforms for collecting astrophysical and planetary science data that offer a number of advantages compared to conventional groundbased or space-based systems. However, they also pose a set of new environmental challenges that must be addressed in order to offer a viable alternative to ground- or space- based assets. In particular, maintaining science-quality pointing stability is a critical challenge for HAB platforms. For these missions, dynamic errors must be limited to a fraction of the observation wavelength, so as the wavelength becomes smaller, it becomes more difficult to meet the needed performance. As a result, there are very few existing pointing stabilization solutions that use visible-spectrum guide stars, despite their relatively wide distribution across the sky. This paper describes the results achieved with the STABLE (Subarcsecond Telescope And BaLloon Experiment) project whose goal is to provide the fine pointing stage for a balloonborne platform observing in the visible wavelength.
Towards a Unified, Scalable, and Highly Capable Next Generation Avionics Interconnect: The NEXUS Approach
No abstract available
Overview of Testing and Debugging of the ISAAC iBoard (Instrument Shared Artifact for Computing)
No abstract available
Hardware Testing and Implementation of RapidIO Protocol on the ISAAC iBoard for Use in the NEXUS Testbed
I am assisting the NEXUS (NEXtbUS) and ISAAC (Instrument ShAred Artifact for Computing) teams in achieving a highly reusable, highly configurable FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) system which uses a unified, high-speed bus standard. One of my tasks is to verify that all new ISAAC iBoards features are functioning as expected by using my previous builds to test these features and resolving any errors found. My other task is to investigate and implement the RapidIO protocol and to implement it onto the new ISAAC iBoards to be used in the NEXUS testbed. Completing these tasks will demonstrate the potential of both NEXUS and ISAAC technology. This will allow others to see the power in making use of a unified, modular system.