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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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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Horizon Based Orientation Estimation for Planetary Surface Navigation

Planetary rovers navigate in extreme environments for which a Global Positioning System (GPS) is unavailable, maps are restricted to relatively low resolution provided by orbital imagery, and compass information is often lacking due to weak or not existent magnetic fields. However, an accurate rover localization is particularly important to achieve the mission success by reaching the science targets, avoiding negative obstacles visible only in orbital maps, and maintaining good communication connections with ground. This paper describes a horizon solution for precise rover orientation estimation. The detected horizon in imagery provided by the on board navigation cameras is matched with the horizon rendered over the existing terrain model. The set of rotation parameters (roll, pitch yaw) that minimize the cost function between the two horizon curves corresponds to the rover estimated pose.

localization↗
NASA NTRS1989

Mars rover local navigation and hazard avoidance

A Mars rover sample return mission has been proposed for the late 1990's. Due to the long speed-of-light delays between earth and Mars, some autonomy on the rover is highly desirable. JPL has been conducting research in two possible modes of rover operation, Computer-Aided Remote Driving and Semiautonomous Navigation. A recently-completed research program used a half-scale testbed vehicle to explore several of the concepts in semiautonomous navigation. A new, full-scale vehicle with all computational and power resources on-board will be used in the coming year to demonstrate relatively fast semiautonomous navigation. The computational and power requirements for Mars rover local navigation and hazard avoidance are discussed.

Wilcox, B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Planetary Rover local navigation and hazard avoidance

A Planetary Rover will have to be able to navigate through its local environment autonomously, due to communication delays. This implies that the vehicle must be able to sense its environment, plan a course through that environment, and react appropriately to unexpected situations as they appear. All this must be done while guiding the vehicle toward the goals that have been given to it from its operators on the earth. This paper describes research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory which concentrates on the sensing, perception, planning and execution monitoring that must be carried out by the rover to ensure that a safe and efficient path is found by the rover, and that that path is performed correctly.

Miller, David P.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Subsurface Gravimetry Using Rover IMU Navigation Systems Data

Gravimetry is a valuable analytical tool for probing density distributions in the subsurface. Extraterrestrial data is currently limited to orbital collection, restricting spatial resolution to tens to hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, surface-based gravity surveys are necessary to study the gravity field and- lateral density variations at a finer scale. Traditional gravity sensors (gravimeters) are rare on science payloads owing to their relatively high mass, fragility, and cost. Inertial measurement units (IMU); however, are included on every rover platform to perform navigation and attitude determination. This project aims to solve this issue by demonstrating the utility in recalibrating the accelerometers contained within an IMU to measure the static acceleration of gravitational fields and, by extension, gravity anomalies induced by subsurface density variations.

Chandler Lawson↗
NASA NTRS1997

Fuzzy Behavior-Based Navigation for Planetary

Adaptive behavioral capabilities are necessary for robust rover navigation in unstructured and partially-mapped environments. A control approach is described which exploits the approximate reasoning capability of fuzzy logic to produce adaptive motion behavior. In particular, a behavior-based architecture for hierarchical fuzzy control of microrovers is presented. Its structure is described, as well as mechanisms of control decision-making which give rise to adaptive behavior. Control decisions for local navigation result from a consensus of recommendations offered only by behaviors that are applicable to current situations. Simulation predicts the navigation performance on a microrover in simplified Mars-analog terrain.

Tunstel, Edward↗
NASA NTRS1999

Long Range Navigation for Mars Rovers Using Sensor-Based Path Planning and Visual Localisation

The Mars Pathfinder mission illustrated the benefits of including a mobile robotic explorer on a planetary mission. However, for future Mars rover missions, significantly increased autonomy in navigation is required in order to meet demanding mission criteria. To address these requirements, we have developed new path planning and localisation capabilities that allow a rover to navigate robustly to a distant landmark. These algorithms have been implemented on the JPL Rocky 7 prototype microrover and have been tested extensively in the JPL MarsYard, as well as in natural terrain.

Laubach, Sharon L.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Pancam Imaging of the Mars Exploration Rover Landing Sites in Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum

The Mars Exploration Rovers carry four Panoramic Camera (Pancam) instruments (two per rover) that have obtained high resolution multispectral and stereoscopic images for studies of the geology, mineralogy, and surface and atmospheric physical properties at both rover landing sites. The Pancams are also providing significant mission support measurements for the rovers, including Sun-finding for rover navigation, hazard identification and digital terrain modeling to help guide long-term rover traverse decisions, high resolution imaging to help guide the selection of in situ sampling targets, and acquisition of education and public outreach imaging products.

Bell, J. F., III↗
NASA NTRS2001

Multi-resolution mapping using surface, descent and orbit images

Our objective is to produce high-accuracy maps of the terrain elevation at landing sites on planetary bodies through the use of all available image data. These technologies are important for performing rover navigation in future space missions and the maps provide a tool for coordinating rovers in a robotic colony.

localization↗
NASA NTRS1994

Small image laser range finder for planetary rover

A variety of technical subjects need to be solved before planetary rover navigation could be a part of future missions. The sensors which will perceive terrain environment around the rover will require critical development efforts. The image laser range finder (ILRF) discussed here is one of the candidate sensors because of its advantage in providing range data required for its navigation. The authors developed a new compact-sized ILRF which is a quarter of the size of conventional ones. Instead of the current two directional scanning system which is comprised of nodding and polygon mirrors, the new ILRF is equipped with the new concept of a direct polygon mirror driving system, which successfully made its size compact to accommodate the design requirements. The paper reports on the design concept and preliminary technical specifications established in the current development phase.

Wakabayashi, Yasufumi↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Mars Exploration Rover suncam

One of the onboard cameras is to point the high gain antenna at Earth and to provide a reference for the inertial measurement unit that is used for rover navigation.

Mars rover sunsensing CCD centroiding↗
NASA NTRS2006

Using Planning, Scheduling and Execution for Autonomous Mars Rover Operations

With each new rover mission to Mars, rovers are traveling significantly longer distances. This distance increase raises not only the opportunities for science data collection, but also amplifies the amount of environment and rover state uncertainty that must be handled in rover operations. This paper describes how planning, scheduling and execution techniques can be used onboard a rover to autonomously generate and execute rover activities and in particular to handle new science opportunities that have been identified dynamically. We also discuss some of the particular challenges we face in supporting autonomous rover decision-making. These include interaction with rover navigation and path-planning software and handling large amounts of uncertainty in state and resource estimations. Finally, we describe our experiences in testing this work using several Mars rover prototypes in a realistic environment.

automated rover operations↗
NASA NTRS2014

Real-Time Science Operations to Support a Lunar Polar Volatiles Rover Mission

Future human exploration of the Moon will likely rely on in situ resource utilization (ISRU) to enable long duration lunar missions. Prior to utilizing ISRU on the Moon, the natural resources (in this case lunar volatiles) must be identified and characterized, and ISRU demonstrated on the lunar surface. To enable future uses of ISRU, NASA and the CSA are developing a lunar rover payload that can (1) locate near subsurface volatiles, (2) excavate and analyze samples of the volatile-bearing regolith, and (3) demonstrate the form, extractability and usefulness of the materials. Such investigations are important both for ISRU purposes and for understanding the scientific nature of these intriguing lunar volatile deposits. Temperature models and orbital data suggest near surface volatile concentrations may exist at briefly lit lunar polar locations outside persistently shadowed regions. A lunar rover could be remotely operated at some of these locations for the approx. 2-14 days of expected sunlight at relatively low cost. Due to the limited operational time available, both science and rover operations decisions must be made in real time, requiring immediate situational awareness, data analysis, and decision support tools. Given these constraints, such a mission requires a new concept of operations. In this paper we outline the results and lessons learned from an analog field campaign in July 2012 which tested operations for a lunar polar rover concept. A rover was operated in the analog environment of Hawaii by an off-site Flight Control Center, a rover navigation center in Canada, a Science Backroom at NASA Ames Research Center in California, and support teams at NASA Johnson Space Center in Texas and NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We find that this type of mission requires highly efficient, real time, remotely operated rover operations to enable low cost, scientifically relevant exploration of the distribution and nature of lunar polar volatiles. The field demonstration illustrated the need for science operations personnel in constant communications with the flight mission operators and the Science Backroom to provide immediate and continual science support and validation throughout the mission. Specific data analysis tools are also required to enable immediate data monitoring, visualization, and decision making. The field campaign demonstrated that this novel methodology of real-time science operations is possible and applicable to providing important new insights regarding lunar polar volatiles for both science and exploration.

Moon; Volatiles; Rover; Missions↗