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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Commercial Application of In-Space Assembly

In-Space assembly (ISA) expands the opportunities for cost effective emplacement of systems in space. Currently, spacecraft are launched into space and deploy into their operational configuration through a carefully choreographed sequence of operations. The deployment operation dictates the arrangement of the primary systems on the spacecraft, limiting the ability to take full advantage of launch vehicles volume and mass capability. ISA enables vastly different spacecraft architectures and emplacement scenarios to be achieved, including optimal launch configurations ranging from single launch and assembly to on-orbit aggregation of multiple launches at different orbital locations and times. The spacecraft can be visited at different orbital locations and times to effect expansion and maintenance of an operational capability. To date, the primary application of ISA has been in large programs funded by government organizations, such as the International Space Station. Recently, Space Systems Loral (SSL) led a study funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), called Dragonfly, to investigate the commercial applicability and economic advantages of ISA. In the study, it was shown that ISA enables SSL to double the capability of a commercial satellite system by taking advantage of alternate packaging approaches for the reflectors. The study included an ultra-light-weight robotic system, derived from Mars manipulator designs, to complete assembly of portions of the antenna system using a tool derived from DARPA orbital express and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) automated structural assembly experience. The mechanical connector that enables robotic ISA takes advantage of decades of development by NASA from the 1970's to 1980's during the Space Station Freedom program, the precursor to the ISS. The mechanical connector was originally designed for rapid astronaut assembly while also providing a high quality structural connection with linear load deflection response. The paper will discuss the business case for ISA, the general approach taken to exploit on-orbit assembly in the GEO communication satellite market, and the concept of operations associated with the ISA approach, thus laying the foundation for ISA to become an accepted operational approach for commercial in-space operations.

Lymer, John↗
NASA NTRS1991

Executive system software design and expert system implementation

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include: software requirements; design layout of the automated assembly system; menu display for automated composite command; expert system features; complete robot arm state diagram and logic; and expert system benefits.

Cheryl L Allen↗
NASA NTRS1991

Technology for increased human productivity and safety on orbit

Technologies are addressed that can facilitate the efficient performance of station operations on the Space Station Freedom (SSF) and thereby optimize the utilization of SSF for scientific research. The dedication of SSF capabilities to scientific study and to the payload-user community is a key goal of the program. Robotics applications are discussed in terms of automating the processing of experiment materials on-orbit by transferring ampules to a furnace system or by handling plant-tissue cultures. Noncontact temperature measurement and medical support technology are considered important technologies for maximizing time for scientific purposes. Detailed examinations are conducted of other technologies including advanced data systems and furnace designs. The addition of the listed technologies can provide an environment in which scientific research is more efficient and accurate.

Ambrus, Judith↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development Of Software To Recognize Parts Of Plants

Report describes first phase in development of digital image-processing subsystem recognizing parts of plants. Subsystem part of robotic system tending and harvesting plants in automated plant-growth chamber. Initial focus on image-processing software that distinguishes among seed heads, stems, and leaves of wheat plants and further distinguishes between these parts and background. Software adaptable to other types of plants.

Despain, Ronald R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Preliminary test results and upgrades for an automated assembly system

An automated structures assembly testbed developed by Langley Research Center to study the practical problems associated with the automated assembly of large space structures using robotic manipulators is described. Emphasis is placed on the requirements and features of system upgrades and their impact on system performance, flexibility, and reliability. The current research program is aimed at evolving the baseline assembly system into a flexible, robust, sensor-based system capable of assembling more complex truss-supported satellite systems. To achieve this objective, five system upgrades have been developed including a machine vision capability to eliminate taught robot arm positions; an on-board end-effector microprocessor to reduce communications; a second-generation end-effector to construct contoured trusses for antennas and install payloads; the installation of reflector-type panels on the truss to produce a complete and functional system, and an expert system to significantly reduce the amount of software code required for system operation and provide greater flexibility in implementing new features.

Will, Ralph W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Model Checking JAVA Programs Using Java Pathfinder

This paper describes a translator called JAVA PATHFINDER from JAVA to PROMELA, the "programming language" of the SPIN model checker. The purpose is to establish a framework for verification and debugging of JAVA programs based on model checking. This work should be seen in a broader attempt to make formal methods applicable "in the loop" of programming within NASA's areas such as space, aviation, and robotics. Our main goal is to create automated formal methods such that programmers themselves can apply these in their daily work (in the loop) without the need for specialists to manually reformulate a program into a different notation in order to analyze the program. This work is a continuation of an effort to formally verify, using SPIN, a multi-threaded operating system programmed in Lisp for the Deep-Space 1 spacecraft, and of previous work in applying existing model checkers and theorem provers to real applications.

Havelund, Klaus↗
NASA NTRS2003

Agent Interaction with Human Systems in Complex Environments: Requirements for Automating the Function of CapCom in Apollo 17

A human-centered approach to computer systems design involves reframing analysis in terms of people interacting with each other, not only human-machine interaction. The primary concern is not how people can interact with computers, but how shall we design computers to help people work together? An analysis of astronaut interactions with CapCom on Earth during one traverse of Apollo 17 shows what kind of information was conveyed and what might be automated today. A variety of agent and robotic technologies are proposed that deal with recurrent problems in communication and coordination during the analyzed traverse.

Clancey, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Roles for Agent Assistants in Field Science: Understanding Personal Projects and Collaboration

A human-centered approach to computer systems design involves reframing analysis in terms of the people interacting with each other. The primary concern is not how people can interact with computers, but how shall we design work systems (facilities, tools, roles, and procedures) to help people pursue their personal projects, as they work independently and collaboratively? Two case studies provide empirical requirements. First, an analysis of astronaut interactions with CapCom on Earth during one traverse of Apollo 17 shows what kind of information was conveyed and what might be automated today. A variety of agent and robotic technologies are proposed that deal with recurrent problems in communication and coordination during the analyzed traverse. Second, an analysis of biologists and a geologist working at Haughton Crater in the High Canadian Arctic reveals how work interactions between people involve independent personal projects, sensitively coordinated for mutual benefit. In both cases, an agent or robotic system's role would be to assist people, rather than collaborating, because today's computer systems lack the identity and purpose that consciousness provides.

Clancey, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Studies on Automated Manufacturing of High Performance Composites

The NASA Langley Research Center fiber placement facility has proven to be a valuable asset for obtaining data, experience, and insights into the automated fabrication of high performance composites. The facility consists of two automated devices: an Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) robotic arm with a modified heated head capable of hot gas and focused infrared heating and a 7' x 17' gantry containing a feeder head, rotating platform, focused infrared lamp and e-beam gun. While uncured thermoset tow and tape, e.g., epoxy and cyanate prepreg, can be placed with a robot, the placement facility s most powerful attribute is the ability to place thermoplastic and e-beam curable material to net shape. In recent years, ribbonizing techniques have been developed to make high quality thermoplastic and thermoset dry material forms to the standards required for robotic placement. A variety of composites have been fabricated from these ribbons by heated head tow and tape placement including both flat plates and cylinders. Composite mechanical property values of the former were between 85 and 100 percent of those obtained by hand lay-up/autoclave processing.

Cano, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2019

An analysis of binary microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0060

We present the analysis of stellar binary microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0060 based on observations obtained from 13 different telescopes. Intensive coverage of the anomalous parts of the light curve was achieved by automated follow-up observations from the robotic telescopes of the Las Cumbres Observatory. We show that, for the first time, all main features of an anomalous microlensing event are well covered by follow-up data, allowing us to estimate the physical parameters of the lens. The strong detection of second-order effects in the event light curve necessitates the inclusion of longer-baseline survey data in order to constrain the parallax vector. We find that the event was most likely caused by a stellar binary-lens with masses M ͙(1) = 0.87 ± 0.12M(☉) and M ͙(2)= 0.77 ± 0.11M(☉). The distance to the lensing system is 6.41 ± 0.14 kpc and the projected separation between the two components is 13.85 ± 0.16 au. Alternative interpretations are also considered.

Y. Tsapras↗
NASA NTRS2008

Multi-sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking

During the past two years, many sensors have been tested in an open-loop fashion in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL) to both determine their suitability for use in Automated Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) systems and to ensure the test facility is prepared for future multi-sensor testing. The primary focus of this work was in support of the CEV AR&D system, because the AR&D sensor technology area was identified as one of the top risks in the program. In 2006, four different sensors were tested individually or in a pair in the MSFC FRL. In 2007, four sensors, two each of two different types, were tested simultaneously. In each set of tests, the target was moved through a series of pre-planned trajectories while the sensor tracked it. In addition, a laser tracker "truth" sensor also measured the target motion. The tests demonstrated the functionality of testing four sensors simultaneously as well as the capabilities (both good and bad) of all of the different sensors tested. This paper outlines the test setup and conditions, briefly describes the facility, summarizes the earlier results of the individual sensor tests, and describes in some detail the results of the four-sensor testing. Post-test analysis includes data fusion by minimum variance estimation and sequential Kalman filtering. This Sensor Technology Project work was funded by NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program.

Howard, Richard T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Process development for automated solar cell and module production. Task 4: Automated array assembly

Progress in the development of automated solar cell and module production is reported. The unimate robot is programmed for the final 35 cell pattern to be used in the fabrication of the deliverable modules. The mechanical construction of the automated lamination station and final assembly station phases are completed and the first operational testing is underway. The final controlling program is written and optimized. The glass reinforced concrete (GRC) panels to be used for testing and deliverables are in production. Test routines are grouped together and defined to produce the final control program.

Hagerty, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2015

NASA Automated Fiber Placement Capabilities: Similar Systems, Complementary Purposes

New automated fiber placement systems at the NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center provide state-of-art composites capabilities to these organizations. These systems support basic and applied research at Langley, complementing large-scale manufacturing and technology development at Marshall. These systems each consist of a multi-degree of freedom mobility platform including a commercial robot, a commercial tool changer mechanism, a bespoke automated fiber placement end effector, a linear track, and a rotational tool support structure. In addition, new end effectors with advanced capabilities may be either bought or developed with partners in industry and academia to extend the functionality of these systems. These systems will be used to build large and small composite parts in support of the ongoing NASA Composites for Exploration Upper Stage Project later this year.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗
NASA NTRS2020

Object and Gas Source Detection with Robotic Platforms in Perceptually-Degraded Environments

In exploration-oriented robotic missions for disaster relief in unknown subterranean environments, it is of prime importance for a human supervisor to rapidly gain situational awareness of salient objects within the environment. In this paper we present an automated object detection pipeline that is adaptable to heterogeneous robots with arbitrary sensor configurations. It has been deployed in time-critical scenarios with multiple collaborative robots in a variety of demanding underground environments. For visually observable objects, detections are made in both the visible and thermal spectra using a state-of-the-art machine learning framework for object detection and classification. Our pipeline can be rapidly adapted to a specific task by using a small, structured dataset to fine-tune a pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN). Relative localization is separated from the CNN for speed of operation. A robust architecture for localization is used with outlier rejection and a hierarchy of fall-back distance measurement methods. Point-source objects such as gas and WiFi hotspots can also be detected, by tracking signal strength over time and presenting an intuitive visualization on a map. Observations of each object types are presented to the operator in ranked confidence order for final evaluation.

Agha-mohammadi, Ali-akbar↗
NASA NTRS1984

Space station automation study: Automation requirements derived from space manufacturing concepts. Volume 1: Executive summary

The electroepitaxial process and the Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits (chips) facilities were chosen because each requires a very high degree of automation, and therefore involved extensive use of teleoperators, robotics, process mechanization, and artificial intelligence. Both cover a raw materials process and a sophisticated multi-step process and are therfore highly representative of the kinds of difficult operation, maintenance, and repair challenges which can be expected for any type of space manufacturing facility. Generic areas were identified which will require significant further study. The initial design will be based on terrestrial state-of-the-art hard automation. One hundred candidate missions were evaluated on the basis of automation portential and availability of meaning ful knowldege. The design requirements and unconstrained design concepts developed for the two missions are presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2000

Tactile Sensing for Dexterous Robotic Hands

Robotic systems will be used as precursors to human exploration to explore the solar system and expand our knowledge of planetary surfaces. Robotic systems will also be used to build habitats and infrastructure required for human presence in space and on other planetary surfaces . Such robots will require a high level of intelligence and automation. The ability to flexibly manipulate their physical environment is one characteristic that makes humans so effective at these building and exploring tasks . The development of a generic autonomous grasp ing capability will greatly enhance the efficiency and ability of robotics to build, maintain and explore. To tele-operate a robot over vast distances of space, with long communication delays, has proven to be troublesome. Having an autonomous grasping capability that can react in real-time to disturbances or adapt to generic objects, without operator intervention, will reduce the probability of mishandled tools and samples and reduce the number of re-grasp attempts due to dropping. One aspect that separates humans from machines is a rich sensor set. We have the ability to feel objects and respond to forces and textures. The development of touch or tactile sensors for use on a robot that emulates human skin and nerves is the basis for this discussion. We will discuss the use of new piezo-electric and resistive materials that have emerged on the market with the intention of developing a touch sensitive sensor. With viable tacti le sensors we will be one step closer to developing an autonomous grasping capability.

Martin, Toby B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Artificial intelligence planning applications for space exploration and space robotics

Mission sequencing involves the plan for actuation of the experiments to be conducted aboard a spacecraft; automation is under study by NASA as a means to reduce time and manpower costs in mission planning and in robotic implementation. The development of a mission sequence is conditioned by the limited duration of advantageous spacecraft encounters with objects of study, more research requests than can be satisfied, and requested changes in objectives. Autonomous robot development is hampered by the absence of task-level programming languages, the existence of anomalies in real-world interactions, and a lack of required capabilities in current sensor technology.

Rokey, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2024

Ultra-Light, Strong, and Self-Reprogrammable Mechanical Metamaterials

Versatile programmable materials have long been envisioned that can reconfigure themselves to adapt to changing use cases in adaptive infrastructure, space exploration, disaster response, and more. We introduce a robotic structural system as an implementation of programmable matter, with mechanical performance and scale on par with conventional high-performance materials and truss systems. Fiber reinforced composite truss-like building-blocks form strong, stiff, and lightweight lattice structures as mechanical metamaterials. Two types of mobile robots operate over the exterior surface and through the interior of the system, performing transport, placement, and reversible fastening using the intrinsic lattice periodicity for indexing and metrology. Leveraging programmable matter algorithms to achieve scalability in size and complexity, this system design enables robust collective automated assembly and reconfiguration of large structures with simple robots. We describe the system design and experimental results from a 256-unit cell assembly demonstration and lattice mechanical testing, as well as demonstration of disassembly and reconfiguration. The assembled structural lattice material exhibits ultra-light mass density (0.0103 g/cc) with high strength and stiffness for its weight (0.01117 MPa and 1.1129 MPa, respectively), a material performance realm appropriate for applications like space structures. With simple robots and structure, high mass-specific structural performance, and competitive throughput, this system demonstrates potential for self-reconfiguring autonomous metamaterials for diverse applications.

Robotics↗