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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Algorithmic Analysis of the Effect of Human Behavior on Future Urban Air Mobility Operations

The demand for a ride to work without running into the inefficiencies of traffic in a bustling, metropolitan area beckons for a system to tackle on-the ground traffic congestion, thus fueling the need for Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The instant gratification culture, notably its effect on Generation Z, has given way to the nature of impulsive decision making. The 2020 COVID-19 crisis, with its use of tap-to-gratify technology, highlights passengers preferring late booking. This last-minute airport reorganization crisis spearheaded our research goal to create a more user-personalized assessment of cancellation rates. Our research highlights that there will be a market in the 2030s for UAM, short-distance air transportation, and the world must prepare for the challenges that come with this new market. Through a two-part model, we obtained two randomized sets of profiles of user-specific and ridership attributes and their relationship with cancellations. Recommendations for future research include factoring this personalized aspect into cancellation projections to provide reasoned user discounts as well as a remedy for the scheduling chaos that stems from the airport organizational crisis.

Harbani Jaggi↗

NASA NTRS2021

Ultra Long-Lived, Self-Surveying Autonomous Air Quality Sensing - Executive Summary

We set out to evolve ultra-low power air quality sensing technologies developed at JSC to add a highly accurate positioning sensor based on SBIR technology to give a self-surveying air quality monitoring platform with years-long lifetime on a small, disposable coin cell battery. Using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for data transport, the system can take advantage of RFID-based inventory management systems in place on lunar exploration assets to provide this capability with extremely small SWAP impacts. Years-long operational lifetimes enable flexible, autonomous environmental monitoring during lengthy intervals between and unprecedented situational awareness during crewed missions. Software integration of the localization system into the JSC RFID sensing platform was advanced, but the COVID-19 pandemic complicated and slowed maturation of the localization system SBIR product, and center closure indefinitely deferred a final hardware integration and system demonstration. In the meantime, progress was made to mature the air-quality sensing platform for flight, including hardware, software, antenna, and mechanical improvements. The underlying RFID sensing capability was also adapted to a drawer motion sensing system, which is currently (FY21) being taken toward an ISS flight demonstration as part of the RFID Enhanced Autonomous Logistics Management (REALM)-3 experiment.

Raymond Summers Wagner↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ultra Long-Lived, Self-Surveying Autonomous Air Quality Sensing

Environmental sensing will be key to autonomous vehicle operation and crew health monitoring in tended/untended long-duration habitats for Human Space Exploration in deep space. Small wireless sensors, based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, can provide unprecedented capacity to monitor crew/habitat health. We develop a next-generation, path-to-flight wireless air quality sensor capable of operating for years on a small coin-cell battery without crewmember intervention. Initial steps are taken to integrate a self-surveying capability under development as a NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project, though final integration was prevented due to COVID-19 center closure.

Raymond S Wagner↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

m:N ConOps/R&R Remote Simulation

This presentation details the experimental design of an investigation of small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) operations involving multiple vehicle management by a remote operator. The study is part of an ongoing effort to explore multiple vehicle control by multiple operators, i.e., the control of N vehicles by m operators (m:N operations). For this effort, NASA and collaborators have developed prototypes of a concept of operations (ConOps), roles and responsibilities (R&R) for operators and supervisors, and a ground control station (GCS), including software displays and interfaces. Participants in this study acted as the pilot-in-command of twelve aircraft flying pre-approved routes in a simulation of a food delivery operation utilizing sUAS in the San Diego, CA area. Each participant experienced four experimental trials. Twice within the course of each trial, participants were responsible for responding to a sudden, unanticipated, and high-priority contingency: an airspace restriction for sUAS operations known as a UAS Volume Reservation (UVR). Upon issuance of a UVR, pilots were expected to reroute affected vehicles around the airspace. The level of automation (LoA) and workload of the flight rerouting task were varied. The LoA was manipulated by providing reroute suggestions ("auto" condition) for aircraft or by requiring pilots to manually reroute ("manual" condition) affected vehicles. Workload was varied as a function of the number of vehicles affected by the UVR contingencies: 2 vehicles ("low workload" condition) versus 4 vehicles ("high workload" condition). Additionally, some vehicles required pilots to adjust for terrain conflicts while avoiding the UVR region. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person data collection for this study was not possible. Researchers adapted to this circumstance through the development of remote data collection protocol. Participants were able to view adapted GCS displays using the Microsoft Teams teleconferencing platform and responded to events by using a verbal protocol developed for the experiment. Using this protocol, participants provided instructions for actions to a researcher, referred to as the surrogate, to carry out on their behalf. This presentation describes the experiment design, including special details for remote data collection via a subject-surrogate configuration, and concludes with planned data analysis and results to be presented at a later date.

multi-UAS↗

NASA NTRS2021

Multi-Physics Based Thermo-Well Fatigue Design Tool

In this study, mathematical-based models for fatigue life were developed for Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs)/thermo-wells in high-pressure, cryogenic flow environments. A literature review that identified bench-scale stainless steel fatigue data at cryogenic temperatures that can be used to validate fatigue life mathematical models was pursued. Developing the ability to predict the fatigue life of RTDs/thermo-wells in high-pressure, cryogenic flow environments, especially liquid oxygen (LOX), will lead to a lower incidence of RTD damage and failure during propulsion test activities. During this performance period, the project was transitioned to a computational RTD/thermos-well fatigue modeling effort rather than the previously proposed experimental fatigue testing in FY19 since the computational modeling approach will provide a better fundamental understanding of fatigue behavior at cryogenic temperatures prior to pursuing potentially costly experimental tests. Due to COVID-19 issues impairing access to some needed university partnerships, tools and lab facilities, FY20efforts are continuing into FY21 and will be reported upon in greater detail in the FY21 report

Harry Ryan↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Cognitive Walkthrough of Multiple Drone Delivery Operations

Advances of early twenty-first century aviation and transportation technologies provide opportunities for enhanced aerial projects, and the overall integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) has applications across a wide range of operations. Through these, remote operators have learned to manage several UAS at the same time in a variety of operational environments. The present work details a component piece of an ongoing body of research into multi-UAS operations. Beginning in early 2020, NASA has collaborated with Uber Technologies to design and develop concepts of operations, roles and responsibilities, and ground control station (GCS) concepts to enable food delivery operations via multiple, small UAS (sUAS). A cognitive walkthrough was chosen as the method for data collection. This allowed information to be gathered from UAS subject matter experts (SMEs) that could further mature designs for future human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations; in addition, it allowed information to be collected remotely during the stringent restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the described cognitive walkthrough activity utilized remote data collection protocols mediated through the usage of programs designed for presentation and telecommunications. Scenarios were designed, complete with airspace, contingencies, and remedial actions, to be presented to the SMEs. Information was collected using a combination of rating scales and open-ended questions. Results received from the SMEs revealed expected hazards, workloads, and information concerns inherent in the contingency scenarios. SMEs also provided insight into the design of GCS tools and displays as well as the duties and relationships of human operators (i.e., monitors) and automation (i.e., informers and flight managers). Implications of these findings are discussed.

unmanned aircraft systems↗

NASA NTRS2021

A Cognitive Walkthrough of Multiple Drone Delivery Operations

unmanned aircraft systems↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Functional Volume Assessment of an Early Version of the Mars Transit Habitat

During the summer of 2020, the NASA Mars Architecture Team (MAT) conducted a functional volume assessment of the Transit Habitat (TH). The TH has evolved substantially since that time and the current TH does not share the same internal configuration, but the insights gained from the assessment remain relevant. In virtually all architectures involving chemical, electric, or nuclear propulsion, the majority of the crew mission is spent aboard the TH. The Earth to Mars transit durations may vary from architecture to architecture, but all are on the order of hundreds of days, regardless of whether an opposition or conjunction class trajectory is selected, and regardless of whether the propulsion system is chemical, electric, or nuclear. Thus, the TH must provide capabilities appropriate to a very long duration. So, despite significant changes in the current Mars architecture over the past few years, this evaluation still provides useful recommendations in the form of habitability guidance that can be applied to current and future TH concepts. This assessment had six primary objectives: provide a sanity check to the BOC-derived TH layout; understand if we can fit the hardware and functional tasks in the volume; provide a high-level assessment of how aggressive the layout is; generate a list of challenges or assumptions necessary to make it work; generate a list of future work to refine understanding; and identify proposed requirements. All of this information is critical to drive habitat sizing studies and key architecture decisions. It was clear that a human-in-the-loop (HITL) evaluation of some kind would be necessary, but several challenges were immediately identified. The most information could be gleaned from a Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) type of mission operations test (MOT), but the TH concept was too low fidelity to construct the type of prototype necessary to conduct a MOT, nor were their financial resources to do so. The next best option – and really the one most appropriate for the BOC’s stage of maturity – is a Virtual Reality (VR) walk-through evaluation. However, NASA was in a shutdown state due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the VR labs were inaccessible. As a result, a tabletop evaluation was created, using .jpg imagery from the ECM CAD model along with Excel-based datasheets. High-level crew living and working functions within the habitat were identified for evaluation. Questionnaires using Likert scales assessed acceptability of habitat functions and sim quality – the degree to which the function was represented in CAD. This enabled the evaluation to be conducted by personnel working remotely. Each function was evaluated individually along with several overarching habitability parameters and vehicle subsystems. The results of this evaluation are discussed, including methodological challenges and rating challenges. Acceptability results are discussed for functions that the participants were able to rate and participant comments for functions that could not be related are also described. Final conclusions are described, including challenges or assumptions needed to make the TH design acceptable, future work needed to refine understanding of the TH, and proposed habitat requirements based on test data.

Transit Habitat↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Integrated National and Regional Agricultural Planning with AgMIP Tools and Methods

AgMIP, through its unique integration of multi-modeling approaches with stakeholder engagement, has advanced co-development of decision support tools and adaptation strategies in the face of climate change and other shocks (especially COVID-19). This has helped generate actionable information for adaptation planning processes in developing countries. Local-to-national stakeholders and decision-makers appreciate the research-informed stakeholder dialogue as very helpful in identifying research and policy gaps. These motivate concise recommendations for productivity-enhancing, environmentally sound technologies, and inclusive development approaches. Furthermore, these stakeholder dialogues help bridge the gaps between policy, research, and adaptation strategies, especially for low-input smallholder farming systems.

Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement↗

NASA NTRS2021

Tonlé Sap Food Security and Agriculture II: Evaluating Changes in Ecosystem Vitality and Freshwater Healthin the Tonlé Sap Basin using Remotely Sensed Data

The Tonlé Sap Lake and river basin in central Cambodia provide critical ecosystem services to the region, including fisheries, agricultural irrigation, hydropower, and biodiverse habitats. Deforestation, increased pumping for farming, and effects of climate change such as droughts and forest fires threaten the health of the lake and food security in the region. This project built upon the previous term through a partnership with Conservation International (CI), the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, and the Tonlé Sap Authority to assess ecosystem vitality and implement CI’s Freshwater Health Index (FHI) tool, in an effort to prioritize resource expenditure and highlight areas of concern. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions, partners had not been able to readily collect in situ data for the past year, which make up the majority of FHI inputs. To help fill this data gap, we developed a methodology for using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data to calculate groundwater storage depletion, and a Python Application Programming Interface for processing and formatting remotely-sensed data for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. We then used SWAT to model nutrient flows and of phosphorous, nitrogen and suspended sediments amounts in the basin from October 2000 to December 2020. These outputs served as inputs for the FHI and provided policy makers with robust monitoring information to aid decision-making in the area and safeguard the lake’s vital fisheries and biodiversity.

Justine Spore↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pilot Assessment of Immune Dysregulation, Stress and Latent Herpesvirus Reactivation at Palmer, Antarctica - Platform for validation of Immune Countermeasures?

Recent studieshave characterized adverse health events potentially relatedto immune system dysregulation, latent herpesvirus reactivation, and clinical incidence for crewmembers onboard ISS. Both areview article describing potential spaceflight countermeasures related to immunityand a specific countermeasures protocol for deep space missions were recently published. An appropriate ground analogto enable spaceflight countermeasures has yet to be validated, although winterover in Antarctica (AWO) seems a highly relevant mission parallel to spaceflight. AWO consists of prolonged deployment, extreme environment, circadian misalignment, personal isolation, station lifestyle (varies by base), and personal risk. Through several studies, AWO at several European bases has beencharacterized, and to date the data has revealed that (immunologically) deployment to interior bases at elevation and with persistent hypobaric hypoxia possesses certaindissimilarities to spaceflight. This proposal seeks to collect low cost pilot data assessing stress, immunity and viral reactivation during AWOat thecoastalU.S. Palmer Station. Even among coastal bases, lifestyle, available crew time/workload and logistical access can vary considerably. Considering all factors, if validated, Palmer may be the most feasible location to evaluate NASA countermeasures. The goal of this pilot study is to ascertain if Palmer may serve as a spaceflight analog option for ground validation of immune countermeasures.The study initiatedwith the crew deployed for winterover at Palmer in 2020.A second crew participated in the recently concluded WO2021 season.All participatingcrew havecollectedand preservedsaliva, plasma and hair samples. On location, the crewmembers alsoperformeda fingerstick blood collection for immediate analysis of basic peripheral leukocyte subsets. Preserved biosamples have beenreturned for analysis, with the WO2020 samples received, and the WO2021 samples currently en-route to Houston. It should be noted that COVID-19 had significant impacts on operations, including training and the collection of pre-mission baseline samples. Preliminary data from the 2020 crewmembers indicate that a relatively mild but detectable immune dysregulation persists at Palmer Station, including alterations in concentration of some plasma cytokines and consistent increases in the incidence of EBV reactivation. Final study data will be tabulated upon receipt of the 2021 crew samples.

Stephanie Krieger↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electromagnetic Pain Relief/Blocking: Feasibility Assessment

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND Astronauts use pharmaceuticals during spaceflight to manage acute and chronic pain, but use of analgesics will have drawbacks for exploration-class missions because the shelf life of these medications is limited, resupply will be curtailed, astronauts may develop tolerance and/or addiction to these medications, and side effects can include impairment of cognitive abilities. Electromagnetic devices have been developed that treat pain terrestrially by affecting neuromodulation–dubbed “electroceuticals”, these devices have varied mechanisms of action that either stimulate or suppress neural activity in the central nervous system or peripheral nerves. OBJECTIVE/PURPOSE The available literature was reviewed and FDA-approved pain treatments (both pharmacological and non-pharmacological), as well as those currently under development, were assessed for their suitability for use in exploration class spaceflight missions. DATA SOURCES Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of libraries, data sources were restricted to those available digitally. Online database searches included PubMed, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, federal grant award databases (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Defense (DoD), National Institutes of Health (NIH)), and general internet searches. More than 1,600 records were reviewed in this effort. STUDY SELECTION/ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Targeted searches included different aspects of pain management. Priority was given to review studies, to cover as much of the available literature as possible in this limited effort. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS/DATA EXTRACTION AND DATA SYNTHESIS The titles of the studies and the awards that were obtained by searching online databases were reviewed and further information was sought for the relevant titles. Abstracts or award summaries were generally available online; for journal abstracts, full text articles were either available online or were requested via interlibrary loan. RESULTS An overwhelming majority of the literature focuses on the treatment of chronic rather than acute pain because it is assumed that acute pain only rarely fails to resolve and instead transitions into chronic pain when the central nervous system becomes hypersensitized. The available electromagnetic devices marketed for pain treatment have varying levels of invasiveness, use different mechanisms of action, and have demonstrated varying efficacy when evaluated scientifically. A truly noninvasive, highly efficient device is desired for use during spaceflight. One portable, self-contained, FDA-approved device was identified that, from preliminarily assessment, best met these criteria; the device noninvasively applies pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT) to modify pain signals from peripheral nerves, however, the device has limited battery life and the effects are relatively non-selective in type of neural signal modified. LIMITATIONS This current effort, although extensive, did not identify a comprehensive list of all alternatives for pain treatment. Once the pandemic limitations are lifted, a longer, more thorough effort may find additional options. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS The ideal electromagnetic pain treatment device for use on exploration-class spaceflight missions does not yet exist, but it may be available soon. It is not feasible for NASA to develop medical devices due to the schedule constraints for pending exploration-class missions, but adapting a promising device that is already FDA-approved might be an option. Monitoring research that is ongoing at other federal agencies is recommended, and further review of the candidate PSWT device identified in this current effort may be warranted.

C A Mullenax↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Resilient Autonomy in the Face of Adversity

The NASA Resilient Autonomy Project developed a software framework that implemented a Run Time Assurance (RTA) architecture that leveraged ASTM International’s F3269 Industry Standard for safely bounding complex behavior in aircraft. This framework was called the Expandable Variable Autonomy Architecture, or EVAA. EVAA was developed during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown that caused the Resilient Autonomy team to pivot from flight test to distributed simulator testing. EVAA was developed to be platform and mission agnostic where platform specifics were behind a hardware abstraction layer that EVAA called a Coupler. EVAA was able to host multiple safety monitors that could resolve individual safety hazards. EVAA was able to resolve priority conflicts when multiple safety hazards needed to be resolved simultaneously and was able to resolve highly complex situations in a safe manner that could exceed human capabilities.

Ethan Williams↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lessons Learned in the Implementation of a Training Knowledge Management System for the SERVIR Network

The SERVIR program is a unique partnership between NASA, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), focusing on building capacity to use Earth observations for addressing development challenges. In that context, between 2004 and 2020, the program delivered approximately 365 trainings to almost 10,000 professionals. More recently, between November 2020 and August 2021, the SERVIR network executed some 55 training events addressing SERVIR’s 4 priority thematic areas, and roughly a quarter of SERVIR trainings overall have focused on themes related to Ecological Forecasting. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, almost four-fifths of recent training events have been virtual, with the remainder being in-person under limited circumstances. The large number of training events delivered represents both an opportunity and a challenge in terms of knowledge management. While the training materials developed can later be reused in other parts of the SERVIR network, prior to recently, the lack of a central repository for those materials has prevented wider dissemination and use. The recently developed Training Knowledge Management System (TKMS) is now becoming an integral part of the SERVIR Capacity Building Framework, supporting the exchange of resources and methods for conducting training activities across the network. This presentation focuses on the structure of this system, as well as on the anticipated benefits for the User Communities for Earth Observations of Terrestrial Systems.

training↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Evening with NASA Scientists and Engineers: A Senior Living Community Outreach Program

Introduction: An Evening with NASA Scientists and Engineers is an outreach program for senior living communities, where participants learn from and interact with a scientist or engineer in a virtual setting. Participants learn about NASA science and engineering through a behind-the-scenes look from the people who work at NASA. The program focuses on both the stories behind the discoveries and the stories behind the people. The audience tunes in to the events via the NASA Zoom Webinar platform, where they have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the approximately 30-minute program. By bringing the audience into the conversation, we build rapport and thus improve their connection with NASA. Overview: An Evening with NASA Scientists and Engineers began in September 2020 when we identified a need for outreach to this particular demographic, as senior living communities had been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program covers a wide range of topics, including heliophysics, astrophysics, planetary science, Earth science, planetary defense, and more, depending on what is topically appropriate at the time, and occurs on a roughly monthly basis. Each interactive presentation is between 20-25 minutes with 5-10 minutes of dedicated Q&A. Future dates and topics may change depending on new developments to NASA missions and stories. Audience: As of December 2021, we have four regularly attending senior living communities, spanning the East Coast from New Hampshire to Florida, with each joining the overall program at various stages of its development. The ability to reach many different senior living communities is crucial so that a diversity of people may benefit from this program. The audience consists of seniors with varying experience and comprehension levels – some are very familiar with the sciences while others are simply curious to learn more. Residents tune in to each event from their individual rooms or from their larger community rooms. RiverWoods Exeter. The RiverWoods Exeter community was our initial audience who acted as our “guinea pig” to see how this program might be implemented and to work out any major issues. They are located in Exeter, NH but also have two additional campuses in Durham, NH and Manchester, NH, that joined us a few months into the program. Culpepper Garden. Our second community to join the program was Culpepper Garden, a senior living community in Arlington, VA that provides both independent and assisted living housing to low-income seniors. Edinburgh Square. Our third community, Edinburgh Square, connected with us after hearing about the program through Culpepper Garden. Edinburgh Square is an HUD-subsidized retirement community in Roanoke, VA that houses both seniors and those living with disabilities. Moonstruck Astronomy Club. The Moonstruck Astronomy Club consists of residents from the On Top of the World retirement community in Ocala, FL and was the latest senior living community to join us. NASA Zoom Webinar: An Evening with NASA Scientists and Engineers reaches numerous senior living communities through live presentations that we host using the NASA Zoom Webinar virtual platform. Participants are typically already familiar with the Zoom platform which enables a lower barrier to entry. A recording of each talk is added to a designated video playlist on the NASA STEM YouTube channel so that audiences worldwide may view them [1]. These recordings began with our April 1, 2021 presentation, as this was when NASA Zoom Webinar was implemented, thus enabling us to record each talk. Metrics: We record attendance numbers from the senior living communities for each event as well as those from YouTube views after the presentation recording is posted online. Depending on which communities tune in, typical attendance numbers are between 60-100 people. RiverWoods Exeter has the most regularly attending residents, with an average of 55 attendees per event. As of December 2021, we have hosted fourteen events, nine of which were recorded and posted to our designated NASA STEM YouTube Channel playlist. The nine recordings combined have roughly 4,000 YouTube views thus far, with specific videos seeing higher view counts around launch dates (e.g. NASA’s DART mission) and trending topics (e.g. JWST). A list of speakers, topics, and links to presentation recordings is shown in Table 1. Future Program Expansion: Thus far, we have been adding communities on an individual basis. To make this process more streamlined, we are looking into working with senior living community networks and organizations such as LeadingAge [2]. In this manner, we will be able to reach more communities while also making it easier to send and receive relevant information.

S L Tiedeken↗

NASA NTRS2022

Systemic Risk

Systemic risk is the name given to impacts that spread within and across systems and sectors (e.g. ecosystems, health, infrastructure and the food sector) via the movements of people, goods, capital and information within and across boundaries (e.g. regions, countries and continents). The spread of these impacts can lead to potentially existential consequences and system collapse across a range of time horizons. Globalization contributes to systemic risk affecting people worldwide. The impacts of climate change or COVID-19 show how the challenges of addressing systemic risk go beyond conventional risk management and governance. Critical system interdependencies, amplified by underlying vulnerabilities, highlight that there is a growing need to better understand cascading impacts, systemic risks and the possible political (governance) and societal responses. This includes improving our understanding of the root causes of systemic risk, both biophysical and socio-economic, and related information needs. Addressing contemporary challenges in terms of systemic risk requires integrating different systems perspectives and fostering system thinking, while implementing key intergovernmental agendas, such as the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals.

systemic risk↗

NASA NTRS2021

An Innovative Approach to Modeling VIPER Rover Software Life Cycle Cost

NASA’s “Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover” (VIPER) will be the first robotic mission to prospect for water ice near the south pole of the Moon in late 2023 on a 100-Earth-day mission. The information that the VIPER rover provides will help improve understanding of the composition, distribution, and accessibility of Lunar polar volatiles and will help determine how the Moon’s resources can support future human space exploration. VIPER, however, represents a radical departure from the way that NASA has traditionally developed planetary robotic missions. A key consequence of these differences is that estimating the cost of VIPER’s rover software is challenging and complex.For example, VIPER is being developed using management procedures typically applied to NASA research and technology projects, rather than space flight programs. In addition, key portions of the rover’s software are being designed as ground software to run on mission control computers (rather than on-board the rover as flight software as with prior planetary missions) taking advantage of continuous, interactive data communications between the Moon and Earth and higher performance computing available on the ground. Moreover, the rover’s software is being engineered using Agile software development practices and incorporates a significant amount of open-source, rather than following traditional (spiral, waterfall, etc.) development methods and in-house code. In this paper, we present an innovative process to estimate the life cycle cost of VIPER’s rover software. We first describe how we modeled the architecture and code counts for three software elements: Rover Flight Software (RFSW), Rover Ground Software (RGSW), and Rover Simulation Software (RSIM). We then discuss key challenges and unique aspects of our approach, such as the lack of Lunar rover analogies, the need to integrate and test large open source software, and the strategies developed to account for use of non-space flight management practices and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude with a summary of our results, including cumulative distribution, nearest neighbors and cluster analysis, as well as heuristics used to confirm the reasonableness of the cost estimate.

Utz, Hans↗

NASA NTRS2021

Commanding Curiosity from the Couch: MSL Remote Operations, Challenges, and Path Ahead

This paper describes how the Mars ScienceLaboratory (MSL) project prepared for and successfully beganCuriosity rover Mars operations from their homes in responseto the COVID-19 work-from-home orders. In a very shortperiod, the team developed procedures and executed a remoteoperations readiness test in parallel with the team's support fornominal operations. Continuing regular rover operations withan entirely remote team had not previously been consideredfeasible due to a variety of factors. These included both thehuman factors, such as multiple concurrent person-to-personinteractions of the uplink planning team, as well as technicalfactors, such as reliance on powerful workstations dedicated tographically intensive software tools used for planning. The testwas conducted on March 12th, with both the downlink anduplink teams successfully simulating a near full planning day.The JPL administration announced the transition to mandatorytelework on Monday, March 16th. MSL stood down the uplinkplanning originally scheduled for the next day while downlinkcontinued monitoring the rover. Full operations then resumedper schedule with nearly the entire operations team teleworkingon Friday, March 20th, during which the team planned roveractivities for three Martian days (sols). These activities includedthe successful drilling of the "Edinburgh" rock target, a highlycomplex contact science activity.As of October 1st, 2020, the Mars Science Laboratory missionoperations team has conducted 88 remote tactical uplink shiftsfor a total of 190 sols of planned rover activity, which accountsfor more than 6% of the mission to date. In this period the roverhas completed four drilling campaigns and driven over 1150meters towards its next major science target – a sulfate bearinggeologic unit at the foot of Mount Sharp. Success has not beenwithout its challenges. Many of these have been addressed whileothers will remain in some form until the team can safely returnto JPL, which in turn is the largest challenge for the future.

Stroupe, Ashley↗