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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Some Unexpected Risks from Lunar Ejecta

Human or robotic operations on the lunar surface or other airless bodies are vulnerable not just to direct impacts from meteoroids, but by impacts of meteoroids or asteroids elsewhere on the planetary surface excavating a large mass of high-speed ejecta that may in turn impact the asset. While this ejecta environment has been known since Apollo days, recent analysis of this risk has uncovered some interesting and unexpected properties of the ejecta environment. This includes a non-trivial contribution from nearby primary impacts (within a few tens of meters) where the ejecta impact the asset while still ascending from the planetary surface, over and above the more “traditional” ejecta component that descends from above. In addition, the outsized contribution to the ejecta risk from nearby primary impacts (within a few tens of kilometers) relative to impacts far away means that the flux on an asset will show considerable stochastic variability, such that a simple average flux may not reveal the full impact risk to a mission. This presentation will describe some of these phenomena and offer suggestions for how these risks can be better calculated to ensure mission safety.

Mark Matney↗
NASA NTRS2024

An Integrated Architecture Study for Autonomous Lunar Construction

Lunar construction is an expanding field within NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives that presents many challenges and requires innovative and reliable forms of autonomous operations on the surface of the Moon to further the technologies needed for human space exploration. Marshal Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) Advanced Concepts Office (ACO) addressed Lunar Infrastructure Objective LI-4 l by developing a Pre-Phase A, integrated architecture to inform a demonstration for lunar construction operations. The ACO study traded three architectures that would survey and prepare a construction area to build a landing pad out of lunar regolith using MMPACT (Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology) platforms, rovers, and navigation outposts. The main trades examined navigation for the system/architecture, options for rover navigation, battery vs continuous tether power for the MMPACT robotic arm, and assigning site prep functionality to the rovers vs the platforms. Results of the study determined that the best options for the scenario provided would be local navigation (more accurate and continuous), a combination of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) for initial site mapping with subsequent Smart Video Guidance Sensors (SVGS) to save power for construction, and using tethered power to decrease mission duration. The team also concluded that assigning site prep functionality to either the rovers or the platforms has benefits and challenges; future studies could explore having that functionality on both the rovers and platforms. Lastly, the team provided a Concept of Operations (ConOps) timeline that can be used in real-time ground demonstrations to explore the mission timeline, construction processes, autonomous operations, and communication systems that can be tested using MSFC’s lunar regolith field and Lunar Utilization Control Area (LUCA).

Sarah Triana↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lattice Confinement Fusion Fast Fission – A Hybrid Power System for Accessing Icy World Oceans

Lattice Confinement Fusion (LCF) is an emerging power technology that can be combined with nuclear fission to produce a hybrid innovative power system. The proposed innovation is a compact, scalable nuclear energy source that does not use highly enriched uranium (HEU), high-assay enriched uranium (HALEU), low enriched uranium (LEU) nor plutonium-238. The nuclear energy source consists of a hybrid fusion-fast-fission method whereby neutrons generated from LCF are used to fission materials such as depleted uranium or thorium. LCF has been demonstrated by both NASA (published in Physical Review C) and by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (published in the Journal of Applied Physics). Although these methods are reminiscent of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR), both methods operate at much higher energies than any attempt at cold fusion. This new hybrid energy source is sufficient to provide power and heat for melting or boring through icy caps with untethered, autonomous probes. These probes can be used for planetary (i.e., Pluto), lunar (i.e., Enceladus), or asteroid (i.e., Ceres) exploration where icy caps are encountered. Each world may have a liquid water ocean beneath their ice crust. A robotic probe exploring the oceans beneath must either melt or bore through the ice crust first. Such a mission requires a small, but robust and long lived, electrical energy and heat source such as the LCF Fast Fission hybrid power system.

Theresa L. Benyo↗
NASA NTRS2022

Unlocking the Spacecraft and Human Habitat Microbiome to Enable the Next Generation of Space Exploration

Planetary protection is the discipline that prevents harmful contamination of the solar system during exploration activities. The current international guidelines and NASA policy addressing biological contamination on spacecraft surfaces contains prescriptive guidelines of spore requirements (e.g., 300 spores/m2, 5×105 spores per spacecraft) applicable to spacecraft bound for Mars. To verify these requirements spacecraft engineers sample spacecraft surfaces throughout the assembly, test and launch operations phase of the mission using damp water cotton swabs and polyester wipes. After sampling, the potential biological contamination is enumerated using a series of traditional microbiology techniques to include sonication, heat shocking at 80°C for 15min to select for spores, and growth on tryptic soy agar at 32°C for 72 hours. To enable crewed missions to Mars and robotic exploration of the Ocean Worlds a risk informed decision making / performance-based approach to assess biological contamination offers a promising solution in the trade space. Recognizing the need for a performance-based approach, NASA’s new Planetary Protection policies now incorporate the agility for missions to be able to leverage a performance or prescriptive approach. One of top contenders in the option space is a coupled quantitative, descriptive and functional based approach to be able to assess the quantity, types and capabilities of the biological contamination present on spacecraft surfaces. A tailored, mission by mission assurance case could then be formulated by building an argument around the target body, projected capabilities surrounding the types of organisms their potential for survival and proliferation, and ability to be transported on the target body to contaminate an area of biological interest. A performance-based requirement would then be used to demonstrate the mission’s compliance in protecting the planetary environment safety objectives. This symposium talk will showcase the background and need case for NASA to develop such a capability as well as provide an update on the efforts underway in developing a transparent and responsible performance-based approach to biological contamination assessments on spacecraft surfaces.

Habitat Microbiome↗
NASA NTRS2010

GeoLab in NASA's Pressurized Excursion Module: First Results from the 2010 Field Trials

Before humans explore other planets, NASA must develop advanced techniques for collection, preservation and return of unique extraterrestrial samples. To help evaluate hardware requirements and operational concepts for future sample-return missions, we designed and built GeoLab our first generation lab for geological samples into NASA s Habitat Demonstration Unit in the Pressurized Excursion Module (HDU1-PEM). The center of GeoLab is a glovebox for the examination of samples in a shirt-sleeve environment. As part of a deployable habitat, GeoLab can participate in NASA s analog missions that simulate planetary exploration activities and support the testing of relevant technologies for collecting and handling geological samples. Over time, these tests will evaluate sample handling environments (field and lab), sampling tools and analytical instruments, and different scenarios involving both robotic and human procedures. The GeoLab design supports evolving tests and configurations. The glovebox is mounted on the habitat bulkhead, with three sample pass-though chambers that allow for direct sample transfer into the glovebox from the outside. The glovebox design and construction (low-particle shedding, minimally off-gassing materials) provides a clean environment to reduce sample contamination; in the future, we will integrate a positive pressure, enriched nitrogen atmosphere. The glovebox is equipped with configurable instrument ports. The 2010 test included a mass balance, a stereomicroscope with a HD camera for detailed imaging of samples, and a handheld XRF analyzer for preliminary geochemical characterization of samples. Network cameras provided context imagery and sample handling activities. We present early results from the initial field trial of GeoLab during the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) planetary analog test near Flagstaff AZ. The 2010 D-RATS mission involved two rovers, the habitat with GeoLab, four crew members, and a team of scientists and flight controllers. The crewed rovers conducted geological traverses and collected samples on the planetary surface. Selected samples were transferred into GeoLab for detailed examination and initial analysis, providing critical data to the science team for evaluation and prioritization of samples.

Evans, Cynthia A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Information Technology and the Autonomous Control of a Mars In-Situ Propellant Production System

With the rapidly increasing performance of information technology, i.e., computer hardware and software systems, as well as networks and communication systems, a new capability is being developed that holds the clear promise of greatly increased exploration capability, along with dramatically reduced design, development, and operating costs. These new intelligent systems technologies, utilizing knowledge-based software and very high performance computer systems, will provide new design and development tools, scheduling mechanisms, and vehicle and system health monitoring capabilities. In addition, specific technologies such as neural nets will provide a degree of machine intelligence and associated autonomy which has previously been unavailable to the mission and spacecraft designer and to the system operator. One of the most promising applications of these new information technologies is to the area of in situ resource utilization. Useful resources such as oxygen, compressed carbon dioxide, water, methane, and buffer gases can be extracted and/or generated from planetary atmospheres, such as the Martian atmosphere. These products, when used for propulsion and life-support needs can provide significant savings in the launch mass and costs for both robotic and crewed missions. In the longer term the utilization of indigenous resources is an enabling technology that is vital to sustaining long duration human presence on Mars. This paper will present the concepts that are currently under investigation and development for mining the Martian atmosphere, such as temperature-swing adsorption, zirconia electrolysis etc., to create propellants and life-support materials. This description will be followed by an analysis of the information technology and control needs for the reliable and autonomous operation of such processing plants in a fault tolerant manner, as well as the approach being taken for the development of the controlling software. Finally, there will be a brief discussion of the verification and validation process so crucial to the implementation of mission-critical software.

Gross, Anthony R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Near-Earth Objects: Targets for Future Human Exploration, Solar System Science, Resource Utilization, and Planetary Defense

U.S. President Obama stated on April 15, 2010 that the next goal for human spaceflight will be to send human beings to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025. Given this direction from the White House, NASA has been involved in studying various strategies for near-Earth object (NEO) exploration in order to follow U.S. Space Exploration Policy. This mission would be the first human expedition to an interplanetary body beyond the Earth-Moon system and would prove useful for testing technologies required for human missions to Mars and other Solar System destinations. Missions to NEOs would undoubtedly provide a great deal of technical and engineering data on spacecraft operations for future human space exploration while conducting in-depth scientific investigations of these primitive objects. In addition, the resulting scientific investigations would refine designs for future extraterrestrial resource extraction and utilization, and assist in the development of hazard mitigation techniques for planetary defense. This presentation will discuss some of the physical characteristics of NEOs and review some of the current plans for NEO research and exploration from both a human and robotic mission perspective.

Abell, Paul A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Missions to Near-Earth Asteroids: Implications for Exploration, Science, Resource Utilization, and Planetary Defense

Introduction: In 2009 the Augustine Commission identified near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) as high profile destinations for human exploration missions beyond the Earth-Moon system as part of the Flexible Path. More recently the U.S. presidential administration directed NASA to include NEAs as destinations for future human exploration with the goal of sending astronauts to a NEA in the mid to late 2020s. This directive became part of the official National Space Policy of the United States of America as of June 28, 2010. NEA Space-Based Survey and Robotic Precursor Missions: The most suitable targets for human missions are NEAs in Earth-like orbits with long synodic periods. However, these mission candidates are often not observable from Earth until the timeframe of their most favorable human mission opportunities, which does not provide an appropriate amount of time for mission development. A space-based survey telescope could more efficiently find these targets in a timely, affordable manner. Such a system is not only able to discover new objects, but also track and characterize objects of interest for human space flight consideration. Those objects with characteristic signatures representative of volatile-rich or metallic materials will be considered as top candidates for further investigation due to their potential for resource utilization and scientific discovery. Once suitable candidates have been identified, precursor spacecraft are required to perform basic reconnaissance of a few NEAs under consideration for the human-led mission. Robotic spacecraft will assess targets for potential hazards that may pose a risk to the deep space transportation vehicle, its deployable assets, and the crew. Additionally, the information obtained about the NEA's basic physical characteristics will be crucial for planning operational activities, designing in-depth scientific/engineering investigations, and identifying sites on the NEA for sample collection. Human Exploration Considerations: These missions would be the first human expeditions to interplanetary bodies beyond the Earth-Moon system and would prove useful for testing technologies required for human missions to Mars, Phobos and Deimos, and other Solar System destinations. Current analyses of operational concepts suggest that stay times of 15 to 30 days may be possible at a NEA with total mission duration limits of 180 days or less. Hence, these missions would undoubtedly provide a great deal of technical and engineering data on spacecraft operations for future human space exploration while simultaneously conducting detailed investigations of these primitive objects with instruments and equipment that exceed the mass and power capabilities delivered by robotic spacecraft. All of these activities will be vital for refinement of resource characterization/identification and development of extraction/utilization technologies to be used on airless bodies under low- or micro-gravity conditions. In addition, gaining enhanced understanding of a NEA s geotechnical properties and its gross internal structure will assist the development of hazard mitigation techniques for planetary defense. Conclusions: The scientific, resource utilization, and hazard mitigation benefits, along with the programmatic and operational benefits of a human venture beyond the Earth-Moon system, make a piloted sample return mission to a NEA using NASA s proposed human exploration systems a compelling endeavor.

Abell, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

A Modular, Reusable Latch and Decking System for Securing Payloads During Launch and Planetary Surface Transport

Efficient handling of payloads destined for a planetary surface, such as the moon or mars, requires robust systems to secure the payloads during transport on the ground, in space and on the planetary surface. In addition, mechanisms to release the payloads need to be reliable to ensure successful transfer from one vehicle to another. An efficient payload handling strategy must also consider the devices available to support payload handling. Cranes used for overhead lifting are common to all phases of payload handling on Earth. Similarly, both recent and past studies have demonstrated that devices with comparable functionality will be needed to support lunar outpost operations. A first generation test-bed of a new high performance device that provides the capabilities of both a crane and a robotic manipulator, the Lunar Surface Manipulation System (LSMS), has been designed, built and field tested and is available for use in evaluating a system to secure payloads to transportation vehicles. A payload handling approach must address all phases of payload management including: ground transportation, launch, planetary transfer and installation in the final system. In addition, storage may be required during any phase of operations. Each of these phases requires the payload to be lifted and secured to a vehicle, transported, released and lifted in preparation for the next transportation or storage phase. A critical component of a successful payload handling approach is a latch and associated carrier system. The latch and carrier system should minimize requirements on the: payload, carrier support structure and payload handling devices as well as be able to accommodate a wide range of payload sizes. In addition, the latch should; be small and lightweight, support a method to apply preload, be reusable, integrate into a minimal set of hard-points and have manual interfaces to actuate the latch should a problem occur. A latching system which meets these requirements has been designed and fabricated and will be described in detail. This latching system works in conjunction with a payload handling device such as the LSMS, and the LSMS has been used to test first generation latch and carrier hardware. All tests have been successful during the first phase of operational evaluations. Plans for future tests of first generation latch and carrier hardware with the LSMS are also described.

Doggett, William R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Terrain interaction with the quarter scale beam walker

Frame walkers are a class of mobile robots that are robust and capable mobility platforms. Variations of the frame walker robot are in commercial use today. Komatsu Ltd. of Japan developed the Remotely Controlled Underwater Surveyor (ReCUS) and Normed Shipyards of France developed the Marine Robot (RM3). Both applications of the frame walker concept satisfied robotic mobility requirements that could not be met by a wheeled or tracked design. One vehicle design concept that falls within this class of mobile robots is the walking beam. A one-quarter scale prototype of the walking beam was built by Martin Marietta to evaluate the potential merits of utilizing the vehicle as a planetary rover. The initial phase of prototype rover testing was structured to evaluate the mobility performance aspects of the vehicle. Performance parameters such as vehicle power, speed, and attitude control were evaluated as a function of the environment in which the prototype vehicle was tested. Subsequent testing phases will address the integrated performance of the vehicle and a local navigation system.

Chun, Wendell H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Mars Rover Navigation Results Using Sun Sensor Heading Determination

Upcoming missions to the surface of Mars will use mobile robots to traverse long distances from the landing site. To prepare for these missions, the prototype rover, Rocky 7, has been tested in desert field trials conducted with a team of planetary scientists. While several new capabilities have been demonstrated, foremost among these was sun-sensor based traversal of natural terrain totaling a distance of one kilometer. This paper describes navigation results obtained in the field tests, where cross-track error was only 6% of distance traveled. Comparison with previous results of other planetary rover systems shows this to be a significant improvement.

Volpe, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2007

High-Performance, Radiation-Hardened Electronics for Space Environments

The Radiation Hardened Electronics for Space Environments (RHESE) project endeavors to advance the current state-of-the-art in high-performance, radiation-hardened electronics and processors, ensuring successful performance of space systems required to operate within extreme radiation and temperature environments. Because RHESE is a project within the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP), RHESE's primary customers will be the human and robotic missions being developed by NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) in partial fulfillment of the Vision for Space Exploration. Benefits are also anticipated for NASA's science missions to planetary and deep-space destinations. As a technology development effort, RHESE provides a broad-scoped, full spectrum of approaches to environmentally harden space electronics, including new materials, advanced design processes, reconfigurable hardware techniques, and software modeling of the radiation environment. The RHESE sub-project tasks are: SelfReconfigurable Electronics for Extreme Environments, Radiation Effects Predictive Modeling, Radiation Hardened Memory, Single Event Effects (SEE) Immune Reconfigurable Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) (SIRF), Radiation Hardening by Software, Radiation Hardened High Performance Processors (HPP), Reconfigurable Computing, Low Temperature Tolerant MEMS by Design, and Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) Integrated Electronics for Extreme Environments. These nine sub-project tasks are managed by technical leads as located across five different NASA field centers, including Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. The overall RHESE integrated project management responsibility resides with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Initial technology development emphasis within RHESE focuses on the hardening of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA)s and Field Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAA)s for use in reconfigurable architectures. As these component/chip level technologies mature, the RHESE project emphasis shifts to focus on efforts encompassing total processor hardening techniques and board-level electronic reconfiguration techniques featuring spare and interface modularity. This phased approach to distributing emphasis between technology developments provides hardened FPGA/FPAAs for early mission infusion, then migrates to hardened, board-level, high speed processors with associated memory elements and high density storage for the longer duration missions encountered for Lunar Outpost and Mars Exploration occurring later in the Constellation schedule.

Keys, Andrew S.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Low-Latency Teleoperations for Human Exploration and Evolvable Mars Campaign

NASA has been analyzing a number of mission concepts and activities that involve low-latency telerobotic (LLT) operations. One mission concept that will be covered in this presentation is Crew-Assisted Sample Return which involves the crew acquiring samples (1) that have already been delivered to space, and or acquiring samples via LLT from orbit to a planetary surface and then launching the samples to space to be captured in space and then returned to the earth with the crew. Both versions of have key roles for low-latency teleoperations. More broadly, the NASA Evolvable Mars Campaign is exploring a number of other activities that involve LLT, such as: (a) human asteroid missions, (b) PhobosDeimos missions, (c) Mars human landing site reconnaissance and site preparation, and (d) Mars sample handling and analysis. Many of these activities could be conducted from Mars orbit and also with the crew on the Mars surface remotely operating assets elsewhere on the surface, e.g. for exploring Mars special regions and or teleoperating a sample analysis laboratory both of which may help address planetary protection concerns. The operational and technology implications of low-latency teleoperations will be explored, including discussion of relevant items in the NASA Technology Roadmap and also how previously deployed robotic assets from any source could subsequently be used by astronauts via LLT.

crew autonomy↗
NASA NTRS2016

An Update on NAIF's Package of "SPICE" Astrodynamics Tools

"SPICE" is an information system, comprising both data and software, providing engineers and scientists with the geometry data needed to help design robotic solar system missions, conduct mission engineering operations, plan observations from instruments, and analyze the data returned from those observations. The SPICE system has been used on the majority of worldwide planetary exploration missions since the time of NASA's Magellan mission to Venus, and it appears to be the ancillary information system of choice for most future solar system exploration missions. Along with its "free" price tag, portability and the absence of licensing and export restrictions, its stable, enduring qualities and substantial user support in terms of training and consultation help make it a popular choice among scientists and engineers.

Acton, Charles↗
NASA NTRS2017

Cryo-Gearbox Using Bulk Metallic Glasses

Harmonic drives are a highly efficient and compact gearing technology that are widely used in robotics and aerospace applications (e.g. Mars Science Lab) due to their excellent torque-to-mass ratio, low backlash, and high positional accuracy. One major problem using any gearing on other planetary bodies is the need for heaters to keep the gearbox from freezing. Currently the Mars Science Lab uses 40% of its daily power output to operate heaters to keep the grease in the gearboxes from freezing. Also wear can limit the lifetime and performance of these systems. One possible solution to this problem could be to use a relatively new material known as Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMGs, also known as Amorphous Metals). BMGs are non-crystalline metallic alloys that exhibit superior mechanical properties. Compared to modern aerospace steels BMGs have a higher strength, higher elastic limit, and lower density. BMGs used in harmonic drives (especially the flex spline) could lead to longer system lifetimes, lower mass, and increased performance. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is researching a new method of manufacturing the flex spline by injection molding and is hoping to have reduced costs as well as the benefits listed above. In conjunction with Kennedy Space Center (KSC), JPL is providing gearboxes that KSC will test greaseless in an extreme environment. KSC has completed the assembly and checkout of a test stand that is capable of testing a gearbox in a vacuum of less than 2 milli torr, 100 Kelvin temperature, 250 Nm of load, input and output torque measurements and 120 RPM input speed.

Drew Smith↗
NASA NTRS2018

Mars Sample Return Conceptual Mission Overview

This talk will provide an overview of an overall Mars Sample Return campaign architecture, and the current concepts and options for the architecture and design of a Mars Sample Retrieval Lander (called Sample Retrieval Lander, SRL). The overall SRL mission concept and key mission objectives will be described, including the mission’s concept of operations and a notional timeline from launch to entry, through surface operations, to delivery of the samples to Mars orbit. The overall lander vehicle concept will be described, including current options being evaluated. Key lander element options will be discussed, including a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), Fetch Rover, Orbiting Sample container (OS), and tube transfer robotics systems. Details of the notional Fetch Rover functions, constraints and operations will be discussed. Specific challenges and approaches for addressing those challenges will be discussed, including key technical margins and planetary protection. Major trade studies and implementation approaches and a proposed schedule will also be discussed. The information provided about possible Mars sample return architectures and concepts is for planning and discussion purposes only. NASA and ESA have made no official decisions to implement Mars Sample Return.

Beyer, Friederike↗
NASA NTRS2019

Autonomous Mars ISRU robotic excavation: characterstics and performance targets

Characteristic hardware concepts and performance targets are described for a potential robotic excavation system that can operate and robotically maintain itself without regular human intervention. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is the exploitation of available resources at the site of a landed spacecraft on the surface of another planetary body. This can include harvesting of atmosphere, regolith, or rock for direct use (e.g. as radiation or micrometeorite shielding) or for separation/purification (e.g. for propellant production). The objective of this study is to try to identify a potential ISRU architecture, specifically for extracting water from hydrated minerals identified from orbital multispectral imaging on Mars, which can be implemented in an affordable way.

Howe, A. Scott↗