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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS1994

NASA Telerobotics Technology Highlights

The goal of the NASA Telerobotics Program, part of the overall research program of the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology, is to develop the technology in space-borne systems which enables new space tasks in Eath-orbiting satellite and platform servicing; robotic tending of science payloads and instruments; and planetary surface exploration, scientific sampling, and in-situ analysis. Our objective is that by 2004, 50 percent of the EVA-required operations on orbit and on planetary surfaces may be conducted via remote operation.

robotics exploration robotics↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Survey of Space Robotics

In this paper we summarize a survey conducted by NASA to determine the state-of-the-art in space robotics and to predict future robotic capabilities under either nominal and intensive development effort. The space robotics assessment study examined both in-space operations including assembly, inspection, and maintenance and planetary surface operations like mobility and exploration. Applications of robotic autonomy and human-robot cooperation were considered. The study group devised a decomposition of robotic capabilities and then suggested metrics to specify the technical challenges associated with each. The conclusion of this paper identifies possible areas in which investment in space robotics could lead to significant advances of important technologies.

Space robotics survey↗
NASA NTRS2011

Traverse Planning Experiments for Future Planetary Surface Exploration

This paper describes the results of a recent (July-August 2010 and July 2011) planetary surface traverse planning experiment. The purpose of this experiment was to gather data relevant to robotically repositioning surface assets used for planetary surface exploration. This is a scenario currently being considered for future human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. The specific scenario selected was a robotic traverse on the lunar surface from an outpost at Shackleton Crater to the Malapert Massif. As these are exploration scenarios, the route will not have been previously traversed and the only pre-traverse data sets available will be remote (orbital) observations. Devon Island was selected as an analog location where a traverse route of significant length could be planned and then traveled. During the first half of 2010, a team of engineers and scientists who had never been to Devon Island used remote sensing data comparable to that which is likely to be available for the Malapert region (eg., 2-meter/pixel imagery, 10-meter interval topographic maps and associated digital elevation models, etc.) to plan a 17-kilometer (km) traverse. Surface-level imagery data was then gathered on-site that was provided to the planning team. This team then assessed whether the route was actually traversable or not. Lessons learned during the 2010 experiment were then used in a second experiment in 2011 for which a much longer traverse (85 km) was planned and additional surface-level imagery different from that gathered in 2010 was obtained for a comparative analysis. This paper will describe the route planning techniques used, the data sets available to the route planners and the lessons learned from the two traverses planned and carried out on Devon Island.

Hoffman, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Robotic Technology Efforts at the NASA/Johnson Space Center

The NASA/Johnson Space Center has been developing robotic systems in support of space exploration for more than two decades. The goal of the Center's Robotic Systems Technology Branch is to design and build hardware and software to assist astronauts in performing their mission. These systems include: rovers, humanoid robots, inspection devices and wearable robotics. Inspection systems provide external views of space vehicles to search for surface damage and also maneuver inside restricted areas to verify proper connections. New concepts in human and robotic rovers offer solutions for navigating difficult terrain expected in future planetary missions. An important objective for humanoid robots is to relieve the crew of "dull, dirty or dangerous" tasks allowing them more time to perform their important science and exploration missions. Wearable robotics one of the Center's newest development areas can provide crew with low mass exercise capability and also augment an astronaut's strength while wearing a space suit. This presentation will describe the robotic technology and prototypes developed at the Johnson Space Center that are the basis for future flight systems. An overview of inspection robots will show their operation on the ground and in-orbit. Rovers with independent wheel modules, crab steering, and active suspension are able to climb over large obstacles, and nimbly maneuver around others. Humanoid robots, including the First Humanoid Robot in Space: Robonaut 2, demonstrate capabilities that will lead to robotic caretakers for human habitats in space, and on Mars. The Center's Wearable Robotics Lab supports work in assistive and sensing devices, including exoskeletons, force measuring shoes, and grasp assist gloves.

Diftler, Ron↗
NASA NTRS2017

Robotic Technology Efforts at the NASA/Johnson Space Center

The NASA/Johnson Space Center has been developing robotic systems in support of space exploration for more than two decades. The goal of the Center’s Robotic Systems Technology Branch is to design and build hardware and software to assist astronauts in performing their mission. These systems include: rovers, humanoid robots, inspection devices and wearable robotics. Inspection systems provide external views of space vehicles to search for surface damage and also maneuver inside restricted areas to verify proper connections. New concepts in human and robotic rovers offer solutions for navigating difficult terrain expected in future planetary missions. An important objective for humanoid robots is to relieve the crew of “dull, dirty or dangerous” tasks allowing them more time to perform their important science and exploration missions. Wearable robotics one of the Center’s newest development areas can provide crew with low mass exercise capability and also augment an astronaut’s strength while wearing a space suit.This presentation will describe the robotic technology and prototypes developed at the Johnson Space Center that are the basis for future flight systems. An overview of inspection robots will show their operation on the ground and in-orbit. Rovers with independent wheel modules, crab steering, and active suspension are able to climb over large obstacles, and nimbly maneuver around others. Humanoid robots, including the First Humanoid Robot in Space: Robonaut 2, demonstrate capabilities that will lead to robotic caretakers for human habitats in space, and on Mars. The Center’s Wearable Robotics Lab supports work in assistive and sensing devices, including exoskeletons, force measuring shoes, and grasp assist gloves.

Diftler, Ron↗
NASA NTRS2019

Towards Articulated Mobility and Efficient Docking for the DuAxel Tethered Robot System

Sites of increasing interest for planetary science,such as craters, cold traps, and vents lie in terrains that are inaccessible to state-of-the-art rovers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with Caltech, is actively developing a tethered mobile robot, Axel, for traversing and exploring extremely steep terrain, such as Recurring Slope Lineae on Mars and vertical pits on the Moon. However, on Mars, where landing-site uncertainty is high due to the presence of an atmosphere, Axel may need to traverse several kilometers from its lander untethered due to a finite tether carrying capacity (⇠300m). This paper proposes a novel design for a hybrid mobility system that allows a pair of Axel rovers to dock, lock, and drive long distances as a four-wheeled, articulated steering vehicle. The design improves upon prior efforts to achieve DuAxel mobility by leveraging two actuated docking mechanisms attached on opposite ends of a central module to enable ‘sit/stand’ functionality; the prior DuAxel system was limited to skid steering, which was inefficient due to Axel’s grouser-style, high-friction wheels. In the proposed system, the ‘sit’ configuration is achieved by aligning each dock parallel to the surface, allowing one Axel to detach and explore while the other remains docked and serves as a backup. While ‘sitting’, the central module rests on the ground and is outfitted with shovel-style wedges for passive anchoring to sandy terrain (an optional drill can be integrated for anchoring to rock). In order to ‘stand’, the exploring Axel reattaches, locks, and both docks are rotated until Axel’s tether caster arm is upright and the central module is lifted off the ground. Once upright, each Axel rotates about a pivot point for articulated, all-wheel steering, which is accomplished by applying differential wheel torques. The main contributions of this paper are i) a detailed systems design of the docking mechanism and central module, ii) kinematic modeling of articulated mobility and ‘sit/stand’ docking functionality, and iii) initial testing in a relevant environment to characterize the mobility of the proposed system.

Nesnas, Issa↗
NASA NTRS2004

Smart Rotorcraft Field Assistants for Terrestrial and Planetary Science

Field science in extreme terrestrial environments is often difficult and sometimes dangerous. Field seasons are also often short in duration. Robotic field assistants, particularly small highly mobile rotary-wing platforms, have the potential to significantly augment a field season's scientific return on investment for geology and astrobiology researchers by providing an entirely new suite of sophisticated field tools. Robotic rotorcraft and other vertical lift planetary aerial vehicle also hold promise for supporting planetary science missions.

Young, Larry A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The development of the human exploration demonstration project (HEDP), a planetary systems testbed

The Human Exploration Demonstration Project (HEDP) is an ongoing task at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center to address the advanced technology requirements necessary to implement an integrated working and living environment for a planetary surface habitat. The integrated environment will consist of life support systems, physiological monitoring of project crew, a virtual environment workstation, and centralized data acquisition and habitat systems health monitoring. There will be several robotic systems on a simulated planetary landscape external to the habitat environment to provide representative work loads for the crew. This paper describes the status of the HEDP after one year, the major facilities composing the HEDP, the project's role as an Ames Research Center testbed, and the types of demonstration scenarios that will be run to showcase the technologies.

Chevers, Edward S.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Human-Robot Teaming: Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration

In this talk, I will describe how NASA Ames has been studying how human-robot teams can increase the performance, reduce the cost, and increase the success of a variety of endeavors. The central premise of our work is that humans and robots should support one another in order to compensate for limitations of automation and manual control. This principle has broad applicability to a wide range of domains, environments, and situations. At the same time, however, effective human-robot teaming requires communication, coordination, and collaboration -- all of which present significant research challenges. I will discuss some of the ways that NASA Ames is addressing these challenges and present examples of our work involving planetary rovers, free-flying robots, and self-driving cars.

robotics↗
NASA NTRS2003

Bio-inspired Computing for Robots

Living creatures may provide algorithms to enable active sensing/control systems in robots. Active sensing could enable planetary rovers to feel their way in unknown environments. The surface of Jupiter's moon Europa consists of fractured ice over a liquid sea that may contain microbes similar to those on Earth. To explore such extreme environments, NASA needs robots that autonomously survive, navigate, and gather scientific data. They will be too far away for guidance from Earth. They must sense their environment and control their own movements to avoid obstacles or investigate a science opportunity. To meet this challenge, CICT's Information Technology Strategic Research (ITSR) Project is funding neurobiologists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and selected universities to search for biologically inspired algorithms that enable robust active sensing and control for exploratory robots. Sources for these algorithms are living creatures, including rats and electric fish.

Laufenberg, Larry↗
NASA NTRS2025

NASA Planetary Protection Handbook

This handbook provides guidance to mission providers and Planetary Protection (PP) practitioners on implementing PP measures for both robotic and crewed space missions. This handbook represents major updates to PP practices since a previously drafted handbook from 2010. In 2017, NASA reorganized the Office of Planetary Protection (OPP) from the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to a Technical Authority (TA) within the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA). With this organizational change came a complete overhaul of NASA’s PP policy and technical standards. This handbook reflects the latest NASA PP policy updates in NPR 8715.24, Planetary Protection Provisions for Robotic Extraterrestrial Missions and technical requirements of NASA-STD-8719.27, Implementing Planetary Protection Requirements for Space Flight. This handbook is a companion document to the NPR and technical standard and provides guidance, best practices, background information, and advice for practitioners to consider when implementing PP on NASA missions and NASA-partnered missions.

Nick Benardini↗
NASA NTRS2016

NASA Johnson Space Center's Planetary Sample Analysis and Mission Science (PSAMS) Laboratory: A National Facility for Planetary Research

NASA Johnson Space Center's (JSC's) Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division, part of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate, houses a unique combination of laboratories and other assets for conducting cutting edge planetary research. These facilities have been accessed for decades by outside scientists, most at no cost and on an informal basis. ARES has thus provided substantial leverage to many past and ongoing science projects at the national and international level. Here we propose to formalize that support via an ARES/JSC Plane-tary Sample Analysis and Mission Science Laboratory (PSAMS Lab). We maintain three major research capa-bilities: astromaterial sample analysis, planetary process simulation, and robotic-mission analog research. ARES scientists also support planning for eventual human ex-ploration missions, including astronaut geological training. We outline our facility's capabilities and its potential service to the community at large which, taken together with longstanding ARES experience and expertise in curation and in applied mission science, enable multi-disciplinary planetary research possible at no other institution. Comprehensive campaigns incorporating sample data, experimental constraints, and mission science data can be conducted under one roof.

Draper, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Planetary protection policy (U.S.A.)

Through existing treaty obligations of the United States, NASA is committed to exploring space while avoiding biological contamination of the planets, and to the protection of the earth against harm from materials returned from space. Because of the similarities between Mars and earth, plans for the exploration of Mars evoke discussions of these Planetary Protection issues. U.S. Planetary Protection Policy will be focused on the preservation of these goals in an arena that will change with the growth of scientific knowledge about the Martian environment. Early opportunities to gain the appropriate data will be used to guide later policy implementation. Because human presence on Mars will result in the end of earth's separation from the Martian environment, it is expected that precursor robotic missions will address critical planetary protection concerns before humans arrive.

Rummel, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Planetary rover technology development requirements

Planetary surface (including lunar) mobility and sampling capability is required to support proposed future National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) solar system exploration missions. The NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) is addressing some of these technology needs in its base research and development program, the Civil Space Technology Initiative (CSTI) and a new technology initiative entitled Pathfinder. The Pathfinder Planetary Rover (PPR) and Sample Acquisition, Analysis and Preservation (SAAP) programs will develop and validate the technologies needed to enable both robotic and piloted rovers on various planetary surfaces. The technology requirements for a planetary roving vehicle and the development plans of the PPR and SAAP programs are discussed.

Bedard, Roger J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Navigation Doppler Lidar

A Doppler lidar has been developed by NASA as an alternative to radars for providing velocity and altitude data to landing vehicles. Future robotic and manned missions to planetary bodies demand precise ground-relative velocity vector and altitude data to execute complex descent maneuvers for safe, soft and pinpoint landing at a pre-designated site. This lidar sensor, referred to as Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL), provides velocity and altitude data from over five kilometers altitude to within a few cm/sec and tens of centimeters precision, respectively. NDL technology will be demonstrated on two lunar landing missions this year that will serve as precursors for large robotic and manned landing missions to the Moon, Mars, and other solar system destinations. NDL can also benefit terrestrial aerial vehicles that cannot rely on the GPS for position and velocity data or require precision data relative to local ground.

Doppler Lidar↗