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NASA NTRS1998

The Effect of Shared Information on Pilot/Controller Situation Awareness and Re-Route Negotiation

The effect of shared information is assessed in terms of pilot/controller negotiation and shared situation awareness. Pilot goals and situation awareness requirements are developed and compared against those of air traffic controllers to identify areas of common and competing interest. A part-task simulator experiment is described which probes pilot/controller interaction in areas where common information has the potential to lead to contention, as identified in the comparative analysis. Preliminary results are presented which suggest that shared information can effect more collaborative interaction between pilots and air traffic controllers.

Farley, Todd C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Motion Simulator

MOOG, Inc. supplies hydraulic actuators for the Space Shuttle. When MOOG learned NASA was interested in electric actuators for possible future use, the company designed them with assistance from Marshall Space Flight Center. They also decided to pursue the system's commercial potential. This led to partnership with InterActive Simulation, Inc. for production of cabin flight simulators for museums, expositions, etc. The resulting products, the Magic Motion Simulator 30 Series, are the first electric powered simulators. Movements are computer-guided, including free fall to heighten the sense of moving through space. A projection system provides visual effects, and the 11 speakers of a digital laser based sound system add to the realism. The electric actuators are easier to install, have lower operating costs, noise, heat and staff requirements. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center and several other organizations have purchased the simulators.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2003

Models And Experiments Of Laminar Diffusion Flames In Non-Uniform Magnetic Fields

Non-uniform magnetic fields affect laminar diffusion flames as a result of the paramagnetic and diamagnetic properties of the products and reactants. Paramagnetism is the weak attraction to a magnetic field a material exhibits as a result of permanent magnetic dipole moments in the atoms of the material. Diamagnetism is the weak repulsion to a magnetic field exhibited by a material due to the lack of permanent magnetic dipole moments in the atoms of a material. The forces associated with paramagnetic and diamagnetism are several orders of magnitude less than the forces associated with the more familiar ferromagnetism. A typical example of a paramagnetic gas is oxygen while hydrocarbon fuels and products of combustion are almost always diamagnetic. The fact that magnets can affect flame behavior has been recognized for more than one hundred years. Early speculation was that such behavior was due to the magnetic interaction with the ionized gases associated with a flame. Using a scaling analysis, it was later shown that for laminar diffusion flames the magnetic field/ionized gas interaction was insignificant to the paramagnetic and diamagnetic influences. In this effort, the focus has been on examining laminar diffusion slot flames in the presence of non-uniform upward decreasing magnetic fields produced using permanent magnets. The principal reason for choosing slot flames was mathematical models of such flames show an explicit dependence on gravitational body forces, in the buoyancy-controlled regime, and an applied magnetic field would also impose a body force. In addition, the behavior of such flames was more easily visualized while maintaining the symmetry of the two-dimensional problem whereas it would have been impossible to obtain a symmetric magnetic field around a circular flame and still visually record the flame height and shape along the burner axis. The motivation for choosing permanent magnets to produce the magnetic fields was the assumption that space-related technologies based on the knowledge gained during this investigation would more likely involve permanent magnets as opposed to electromagnets. While no analysis has been done here to quantify the impact that an electric field, associated with an electromagnetic, would have relative to the paramagnetic and diamagnetic interactions, by using permanent magnets this potential effect was completely eliminated and thus paramagnetic and diamagnetic effects were isolated.

Baker, J.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Development of a Computationally Efficient, High Fidelity, Finite Element Based Hall Thruster Model

This report documents the development of a two dimensional finite element based numerical model for efficient characterization of the Hall thruster plasma dynamics in the framework of multi-fluid model. Effect of the ionization and the recombination has been included in the present model. Based on the experimental data, a third order polynomial in electron temperature is used to calculate the ionization rate. The neutral dynamics is included only through the neutral continuity equation in the presence of a uniform neutral flow. The electrons are modeled as magnetized and hot, whereas ions are assumed magnetized and cold. The dynamics of Hall thruster is also investigated in the presence of plasma-wall interaction. The plasma-wall interaction is a function of wall potential, which in turn is determined by the secondary electron emission and sputtering yield. The effect of secondary electron emission and sputter yield has been considered simultaneously, Simulation results are interpreted in the light of experimental observations and available numerical solutions in the literature.

Jacobson, David↗

NASA NTRS2000

Concentration of simple aldehydes by sulfite-containing double-layer hydroxide minerals: implications for biopoesis

Environmental conditions play an important role in conceptual studies of prebiotically relevant chemical reactions that could have led to functional biomolecules. The necessary source compounds are likely to have been present in dilute solution, raising the question of how to achieve selective concentration and to reach activation. With the assumption of an initial 'RNA World', the questions of production, concentration, and interaction of aldehydes and aldehyde phosphates, potential precursors of sugar phosphates, come into the foreground. As a possible concentration process for simple, uncharged aldehydes, we investigated their adduct formation with sulfite ion bound in the interlayer of positively charged expanding-sheet-structure double-layer hydroxide minerals. Minerals of this type, initially with chloride as interlayer counter anion, have previously been shown to induce concentration and subsequent aldolization of aldehyde phosphates to form tetrose, pentose, and hexose phosphates. The reversible uptake of the simple aldehydes formaldehyde, glycolaldehyde, and glyceraldehyde by adduct formation with the immobilized sulfite ions is characterized by equilibrium constants of K=1.5, 9, and 11, respectively. This translates into an observable uptake at concentrations exceeding 50 mM.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

NASA NTRS2007

Physiological Self-Regulation and Adaptive Automation

Adaptive automation has been proposed as a solution to current problems of human-automation interaction. Past research has shown the potential of this advanced form of automation to enhance pilot engagement and lower cognitive workload. However, there have been concerns voiced regarding issues, such as automation surprises, associated with the use of adaptive automation. This study examined the use of psychophysiological self-regulation training with adaptive automation that may help pilots deal with these problems through the enhancement of cognitive resource management skills. Eighteen participants were assigned to 3 groups (self-regulation training, false feedback, and control) and performed resource management, monitoring, and tracking tasks from the Multiple Attribute Task Battery. The tracking task was cycled between 3 levels of task difficulty (automatic, adaptive aiding, manual) on the basis of the electroencephalogram-derived engagement index. The other two tasks remained in automatic mode that had a single automation failure. Those participants who had received self-regulation training performed significantly better and reported lower National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index scores than participants in the false feedback and control groups. The theoretical and practical implications of these results for adaptive automation are discussed.

Prinzell, Lawrence J.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Impact of Pilot Delay and Non-Responsiveness on the Safety Performance of Airborne Separation

Assessing the safety effects of prediction errors and uncertainty on automationsupported functions in the Next Generation Air Transportation System concept of operations is of foremost importance, particularly safety critical functions such as separation that involve human decision-making. Both ground-based and airborne, the automation of separation functions must be designed to account for, and mitigate the impact of, information uncertainty and varying human response. This paper describes an experiment that addresses the potential impact of operator delay when interacting with separation support systems. In this study, we evaluated an airborne separation capability operated by a simulated pilot. The experimental runs are part of the Safety Performance of Airborne Separation (SPAS) experiment suite that examines the safety implications of prediction errors and system uncertainties on airborne separation assistance systems. Pilot actions required by the airborne separation automation to resolve traffic conflicts were delayed within a wide range, varying from five to 240 seconds while a percentage of randomly selected pilots were programmed to completely miss the conflict alerts and therefore take no action. Results indicate that the strategicAirborne Separation Assistance System (ASAS) functions exercised in the experiment can sustain pilot response delays of up to 90 seconds and more, depending on the traffic density. However, when pilots or operators fail to respond to conflict alerts the safety effects are substantial, particularly at higher traffic densities.

Consiglio, Maria↗

NASA NTRS2009

Multiscale Computer Simulation of Tensile and Compressive Strain in Polymer- Coated Silica Aerogels

While the low thermal conductivities of silica aerogels have made them of interest to the aerospace community as lightweight thermal insulation, the application of conformal polymer coatings to these gels increases their strength significantly, making them potentially useful as structural materials as well. In this work we perform multiscale computer simulations to investigate the tensile and compressive strain behavior of silica and polymer-coated silica aerogels. Aerogels are made up of clusters of interconnected particles of amorphous silica of less than bulk density. We simulate gel nanostructure using a Diffusion Limited Cluster Aggregation (DLCA) procedure, which produces aggregates that exhibit fractal dimensions similar to those observed in real aerogels. We have previously found that model gels obtained via DLCA exhibited stress-strain curves characteristic of the experimentally observed brittle failure. However, the strain energetics near the expected point of failure were not consistent with such failure. This shortcoming may be due to the fact that the DLCA process produces model gels that are lacking in closed-loop substructures, compared with real gels. Our model gels therefore contain an excess of dangling strands, which tend to unravel under tensile strain, producing non-brittle failure. To address this problem, we have incorporated a modification to the DLCA algorithm that specifically produces closed loops in the model gels. We obtain the strain energetics of interparticle connections via atomistic molecular statics, and abstract the collective energy of the atomic bonds into a Morse potential scaled to describe gel particle interactions. Polymer coatings are similarly described. We apply repeated small uniaxial strains to DLCA clusters, and allow relaxation of the center eighty percent of the cluster between strains. The simulations produce energetics and stress-strain curves for looped and nonlooped clusters, for a variety of densities and interaction parameters.

Good, Brian↗

NASA NTRS2011

DMSP Spacecraft Charging in Auroral Environments

The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft are a series of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites whose mission is to observe the space environment using the precipitating energetic particle spectrometer (SSJ/4-5). DMSP satellites fly in a geosynchronous orbit at approx.840 km altitude which passes through Earth s ionosphere. The ionosphere is a region of partially ionized gas (plasma) formed by the photoionization of neutral atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere of Earth. For satellites in LEO, such as DMSP, the plasma density is usually high and the main contributors to the currents to the spacecraft are the precipitating auroral electrons and ions from the magnetosphere as well as the cold plasma that constitutes the ionosphere. It is important to understand how the ionosphere and auroral electrons can accumulate surface charges on satellites because spacecraft charging has been the cause of a number of significant anomalies for on-board instrumentation on high altitude spacecraft. These range from limiting the sensitivity of measurements to instrument malfunction depending on the magnitude of the potential difference over the spacecraft surface. Interactive Data Language (IDL) software was developed to process SSJ/4-5 electron and ion data and to create a spectrogram of the particles number and energy fluxes. The purpose of this study is to identify DMSP spacecraft charging events and to present a preliminary statistical analysis. Nomenclature

Colson, Andrew↗

NASA NTRS2014

NASA Wearable Technology CLUSTER 2013-2014 Report

Wearable technology has the potential to revolutionize the way humans interact with one another, with information, and with the electronic systems that surround them. This change can already be seen in the dramatic increase in the availability and use of wearable health and activity monitors. These devices continuously monitor the wearer using on-‐body sensors and wireless communication. They provide feedback that can be used to improve physical health and performance. Smart watches and head mounted displays are also receiving a great deal of commercial attention, providing immediate access to information via graphical displays, as well as additional sensing features. For the purposes of the Wearable Technology CLUSTER, wearable technology is broadly defined as any electronic sensing, human interfaces, computing, or communication that is mounted on the body. Current commercially available wearable devices primarily house electronics in rigid packaging to provide protection from flexing, moisture, and other contaminants. NASA mentors are interested in this approach, but are also interested in direct integration of electronics into clothing to enable more comfortable systems. For human spaceflight, wearable technology holds a great deal of promise for significantly improving safety, efficiency, autonomy, and research capacity for the crew in space and support personnel on the ground. Specific capabilities of interest include: Continuous biomedical monitoring for research and detection of health problems. Environmental monitoring for individual exposure assessments and alarms. Activity monitoring for responsive robotics and environments. Multi-modal caution and warning using tactile, auditory, and visual alarms. Wireless, hands-free, on-demand voice communication. Mobile, on-demand access to space vehicle and robotic displays and controls. Many technical challenges must be overcome to realize these wearable technology applications. For example, to make a wearable device that is both functional and comfortable for long duration wear, developers must strive to reduce electronic mass and volume while also addressing constraints imposed by the body attachment method. Depending on the application, the device must be placed in a location that the user can see and reach, and that provides the appropriate access to air and the wearer's skin. Limited power is available from body-‐worn batteries and heat must be managed to prevent discomfort. If the clothing is to be washed, there are additional durability and washability hurdles that traditional electronics are not designed to address. Finally, each specific capability has unique technical challenges that will likely require unique solutions. In addition to the technical challenges, development of wearable devices is made more difficult by the diversity of skills required and the historic lack of collaboration across domains. Wearable technology development requires expertise in textiles engineering, apparel design, software and computer engineering, electronic design and manufacturing, human factors engineering, and application-‐specific fields such as acoustics, medical devices, and sensing. Knowledge from each of these domains must be integrated to create functional and comfortable devices. For this reason, the diversity of knowledge and experience represented in the Wearable Technology is critical to overcoming the fundamental challenges in the field.

Simon, Cory↗

NASA NTRS2014

International Space Station (ISS) Plasma Contactor Unit (PCU) Utilization Plan Assessment Update

The International Space Station (ISS) vehicle undergoes spacecraft charging as it interacts with Earth's ionosphere and magnetic field. The interaction can result in a large potential difference developing between the ISS metal chassis and the local ionosphere plasma environment. If an astronaut conducting extravehicular activities (EVA) is exposed to the potential difference, then a possible electrical shock hazard arises. The control of this hazard was addressed by a number of documents within the ISS Program (ISSP) including Catastrophic Safety Hazard for Astronauts on EVA (ISS-EVA-312-4A_revE). The safety hazard identified the risk for an astronaut to experience an electrical shock in the event an arc was generated on an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) surface. A catastrophic safety hazard, by the ISS requirements, necessitates mitigation by a two-fault tolerant system of hazard controls. Traditionally, the plasma contactor units (PCUs) on the ISS have been used to limit the charging and serve as a "ground strap" between the ISS structure and the surrounding ionospheric plasma. In 2009, a previous NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) team evaluated the PCU utilization plan (NESC Request #07-054-E) with the objective to assess whether leaving PCUs off during non-EVA time periods presented risk to the ISS through assembly completion. For this study, in situ measurements of ISS charging, covering the installation of three of the four photovoltaic arrays, and laboratory testing results provided key data to underpin the assessment. The conclusion stated, "there appears to be no significant risk of damage to critical equipment nor excessive ISS thermal coating damage as a result of eliminating PCU operations during non- EVA times." In 2013, the ISSP was presented with recommendations from Boeing Space Environments for the "Conditional" Marginalization of Plasma Hazard. These recommendations include a plan that would keep the PCUs off during EVAs when the space environment forecast input to the ISS charging model indicates floating potentials (FP) within specified limits. These recommendations were based on the persistence of conditions in the space environment due to the current low solar cycle and belief in the accuracy and completeness of the ISS charging model. Subsequently, a Noncompliance Report (NCR), ISS-NCR-232G, Lack of Two-fault Tolerance to EVA Crew Shock in the Low Earth Orbit Plasma Environment, was signed in September 2013 specifying new guidelines for the use of shock hazard controls based on a forecast of the space environment from ISS plasma measurements taken prior to the EVA [ISS-EVA-312-AC, 2012]. This NESC assessment re-evaluates EVA charging hazards through a process that is based on over 14 years of ISS operations, charging measurements, laboratory tests, EMU studies and modifications, and safety reports. The assessment seeks an objective review of the plasma charging hazards associated with EVA operations to determine if any of the present hazard controls can safely change the PCU utilization plan to allow more flexibility in ISS operations during EVA preparation and execution.

Hernandez-Pellerano, Amri↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Biocybernetic Closed-Loop System for Mitigating Hazardous States of Awareness

The past century of passenger flight has seen continuous improvement in aviation safety by the aerospace industry. However, while commercial aviation accident rates have continued to decline, human error-related incident and accident rates remain remarkably constant across all types of aviation (Shappell, et al., 2007). Unfortunately, this level of human error is unacceptable when considering projections for increased traffic volume (FAA, 2009), and is likely to yield more incidents and accidents unless a more complete understanding of operator error is achieved and remediations are implemented. One area of interest highlighted by researchers is Hazardous States of Awareness (HSAs) that can result from deficiencies in the design and inappropriate use of human-machine interfaces. Identifying and mitigating HSAs is critical for reducing operator errors. One promising approach uses psychophysiological measures which enable automated systems to adapt to the operator?s state and modify modes of operation to support optimal human performance (Scerbo, 2007). This paper will survey previous research and describe future directions for the application of psychophysiological measures of operators derived from cortical and autonomic assessment to perform real-time adaptive modulation of human-automation task mode mixes. The authors will present a summary of previous work done at NASA LaRC and Old Dominion University using a Psychophysiologically Adaptive System (PAS) in which the level of automation of the NASA Multi-Attribute Task Battery was modulated based on Engagement Indices derived from the users? electroencephalogram (Pope, Bogart, & Bartolome, 1995; for review see, Scerbo, Freeman, & Mikulka, 2003). Future theoretical and methodological directions for this type of closed-loop research will be discussed. Specifically, the capacity for this type of PAS to maintain effective operator state and to enable validation of candidate physiological indices will be described. Consideration will also be given to critical system characteristics (e.g., engagement indices, methods for invoking changes among system states, individual differences among users, etc.) that have been or still need to be studied. The potential of the PAS approach for interactive system design and prototyping will also be described. Examples of adaptive automation flight deck concepts in recent experiments will be highlighted and discussed.

Chad L Stephens↗

NASA NTRS2021

Mineral Dust Cycle in the Multiscale Online Nonhydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry Model (Monarch) Version 2.0

We present the dust module in the Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) version 2.0, a chemical weather prediction system that can be used for regional and global modeling at a range of resolutions. The representations of dust processes in MONARCH were upgraded with a focus on dust emission (emission parameterizations, entrainment thresholds, considerations of soil moisture and surface cover), lower boundary conditions (roughness, potential dust sources), and dust–radiation interactions. MONARCH now allows modeling of global and regional mineral dust cycles using fundamentally different paradigms, ranging from strongly simplified to physics-based parameterizations. We present a detailed description of these updates along with four global benchmark simulations, which use conceptually different dust emission parameterizations, and we evaluate the simulations against observations of dust optical depth. We determine key dust parameters, such as global annual emission/deposition flux, dust loading, dust optical depth, mass-extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, and direct radiative effects. For dust-particle diameters up to 20 µm, the total annual dust emission and deposition fluxes obtained with our four experiments range between about 3500 and 6000 Tg, which largely depend upon differences in the emitted size distribution. Considering ellipsoidal particle shapes and dust refractive indices that account for size-resolved mineralogy, we estimate the global total (longwave and shortwave) dust direct radiative effect (DRE) at the surface to range between about −0.90 and −0.63 W m−2 and at the top of the atmosphere between −0.20 and −0.28 W m−2. Our evaluation demonstrates that MONARCH is able to reproduce key features of the spatiotemporal variability of the global dust cycle with important and insightful differences between the different configurations.

Dust cycle↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Astrobee: Completed, Current, and Future Research using Free Flying Robots on the International Space Station

After four years on the International Space Station (ISS), the Astrobee Research Facility, has completed over 130 Test Sessions logging over 1000 hours of operations. Managed by the NASA ISS Program OZ office and supported by NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in California, the Astrobee Team maintains three identical free-flying Astrobee robots for research on the ISS. As a technology demonstration platform, the Astrobee Robots are available for Guest Scientists to use for a spectrum of research capabilities. Astrobee, propelled by battery-operated fans, is designed to autonomously operate throughout most of the USOS (US Orbital Segment), with the objective of minimizing astronaut support. Astrobee carries a suite of six cameras, a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) arm with a gripper that can grasp ISS handrails and other objects, and three payload bays that provide power and data for guest science hardware. Astrobee can autonomously execute hours-long flight plans or be teleoperated from the ground or by astronauts. While the Astrobee Team continues to improve mapping and autonomous flight capabilities, one of the main goals of Astrobee Robots is to provide research opportunities for Guest Scientists. The Astrobee Robot Software (ARS) makes extensive use of the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS). The ARS can be used interchangeably with an Astrobee Simulator or as Astrobee’s onboard software. ARS features include autonomous docking and perching, real-time teleoperations from the ground, plan based autonomous tasks, multi Astrobee communication, among other capabilities. Through simulation software and ground testing laboratories, the Astrobee Team is available to support Guest Scientists during development and testing and lead real-time ISS operations. Guest Scientists can participate in this research opportunity following the Guest Science Lifecycle (GSL) shown in Figure 1: Guest Science Lifecycle below. The Astrobee Team and Guest Scientists have complete research including Gecko materials studies, RFID and sound sensing capabilities, student Robotics Programming Challenges, and Free Flyer formation flight investigations. Current science with the Astrobee Robots includes Free Flyer self-toss studies, new docking capabilities, advanced mapping resolution capabilities, and high resolution panoramic imagery. Future Guest scientists and Astrobee Team research will focus on robotics applications for future NASA missions such as Gateway and Artemis and potential experiments involving human-robot interactions. This presentation will focus on four main subjects, 1) completed, current, and future planned research using the Astrobee robots, 2) how Guest Scientist get from conception to the ISS, 3) Astrobee Facility resources available for Guest Science ground testing and real-time ISS operations support, and 4) lessons learned from four years of ISS operations.

Astrobee↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Trace Element Abundances Measured in Concentric and Texturally Distinct Fine-Grained Rims Surrounding Allende Chondrules

Layered rims of dust-sized material surround some chondrules and other early formed nebular particles, such as calcium aluminum inclusions in chondritic meteorites. In the Allende meteorite most chondrules(~85%) are un-rimmed and in direct contact with the host matrix material [1]. When present, rim thickness appears correlated to underlying particle size in both the Allende and Murchison chondrites [1,2]. This diverse behavior strongly argues for pre-parent body formation of rimmed particles as they traversed distinct (cooler and/or dustier) nebular environments [1]. Nebular rim formation involves accretion of unequilibrated dust to chondrule surfaces, recording evidence for the formation of at least two separate particle populations (chondrules and dust) that interacted in the nebula, and therefore potentially record distinct nebular reservoirs (e.g. [3-5]). Additionally, some particles exhibit textural evidence for multiple rim layers, (e.g., [1], further investigated herein). Herein, we evaluate the chemistry of concentrically and texturally distinct chondrule rim layers to investigate the possibility of discrete rim formation events recorded by individual chondrules (Fig. 1A,B). Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) we measure major, minor, and trace elements of the rims and particles in Allende. Samples were characterized in detail previously by electron microanalysis for their mineralogy, textures, particle size, and rim thickness(es) [1].

Chondrites↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Tracing Nebular Reservoirs and Processes Via In-situ Trace Element Analyses of Chondrule Rims in Allende

Introduction: Layered rims of dust-sized material surround some chondrules and other early formed nebular particles, such as calcium aluminum inclusions in chondritic meteorites. Most chondrules (~85%) in the Allende meteorite (CV3) are un-rimmed and in direct contact with the host material or matrix. For the 15% of rimmed particles, rim thickness is correlated to the underlying particle size, arguing for pre-parent body formation of rimmed particles as they traversed distinct (cooler and/or dustier) nebular environments. Nebular rim formation involves accretion of unequilibrated dust to chondrule surfaces, recording evidence for the formation of at least two separate particle populations (chondrules and dust) that interacted in the nebula, and therefore potentially record distinct nebular reservoirs.

J B Setera↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Astrobee: Five years of Completed, Current, and Future Research on the International Space Station using Free Flying Robots.

After five years on the International Space Station (ISS), the Astrobee Research Facility, has completed over 160 Test Sessions logging over 1200 hours of operations. Managed by the NASA ISS Program OZ office and supported by NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in California, the Astrobee Team currently maintains two identical free-flying Astrobee robots and a Docking Station for research on the ISS. As a technology demonstration platform, the Astrobee Robots are available for Guest Scientists to use for a spectrum of research capabilities. Using ambient air on the ISS, propelled by battery-operated fans, Astrobee is designed to autonomously operate throughout most of the USOS (US Orbital Segment), with the objective of minimizing the need for astronaut support. Astrobee carries a suite of six cameras, a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) arm with a gripper that can grasp ISS handrails and other objects, and three payload bays that provide power and data for guest science hardware. Astrobee can autonomously execute hours-long flight plans or be tele-operated from the ground. While the Astrobee Team continues to improve mapping and autonomous flight capabilities, one of the main goals of Astrobee Robots is to provide research opportunities for Guest Scientists. The Astrobee Robot Software (ARS) makes extensive use of the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS). The ARS can be used interchangeably with an Astrobee Simulator or as Astrobee’s onboard software. ARS features include autonomous docking and perching, real-time teleoperations from the ground, plan based autonomous tasks, multi Astrobee communication, among other capabilities. Through simulation software and ground testing laboratories, the Astrobee Team is available to support Guest Scientists during development and testing and lead real-time ISS operations. The Astrobee Team and Guest Scientists have completed research including Astrobatics maneuvers, RFID and sound sensing capabilities, Gecko materials studies, student Robotics Programming Challenges, and Free Flyer formation flight investigations. Current science with the Astrobee Robots is investigating new docking capabilities through software only research as well as testing new docking hardware installed on the Astrobees. The Astrobee Team and other researchers at NASA Ames continue to explore robotics applications for future NASA missions such as Gateway and potential experiments involving human-robot interactions. Continued advanced mapping resolution capabilities, and high-resolution panoramic imagery also remains areas of research. Exciting in development research involves docking for rendezvous proximity operation (CLINGERS), multi resolution 3D scanning (MRS), space debris removal in microgravity (REACCH). This presentation will mainly focus on completed research over the past year and current science being performed on the Astrobees. This presentation will also focus on how a Guest Scientist/Researcher progresses from conception to running their science on the Astrobees on the ISS, as well as discuss the Astrobee Facility resources available for supporting ground testing and real-time ISS operations.

Astrobee↗

NASA NTRS1973

Ground state properties of spin-alined atomic hydrogen

Theoretical calculation of the ground state properties of spin-alined atomic hydrogen by the Monte Carlo method. The interatomic interaction, as described by the results of Kolos and Wolniewicz (1965), is made fit to a Morse potential form. An appropriate trail wavefunction is formed from the short-range part of the WKB solution for a pair of atoms interacting through a Morse potential.

Dugan, J. V., Jr.↗