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NASA NTRS2016

Trajectory Design Employing Convex Optimization for Landing on Irregularly Shaped Asteroids

Mission proposals that land on asteroids are becoming popular. However, in order to have a successful mission the spacecraft must reliably and softly land at the intended landing site. The problem under investigation is how to design a fuel-optimal powered descent trajectory that can be quickly computed on- board the spacecraft, without interaction from ground control. An optimal trajectory designed immediately prior to the descent burn has many advantages. These advantages include the ability to use the actual vehicle starting state as the initial condition in the trajectory design and the ease of updating the landing target site if the original landing site is no longer viable. For long trajectories, the trajectory can be updated periodically by a redesign of the optimal trajectory based on current vehicle conditions to improve the guidance performance. One of the key drivers for being completely autonomous is the infrequent and delayed communication between ground control and the vehicle. Challenges that arise from designing an asteroid powered descent trajectory include complicated nonlinear gravity fields, small rotating bodies and low thrust vehicles. There are two previous studies that form the background to the current investigation. The first set looked in-depth at applying convex optimization to a powered descent trajectory on Mars with promising results.1, 2 This showed that the powered descent equations of motion can be relaxed and formed into a convex optimization problem and that the optimal solution of the relaxed problem is indeed a feasible solution to the original problem. This analysis used a constant gravity field. The second area applied a successive solution process to formulate a second order cone program that designs rendezvous and proximity operations trajectories.3, 4 These trajectories included a Newtonian gravity model. The equivalence of the solutions between the relaxed and the original problem is theoretically established. The proposed solution for designing the asteroid powered descent trajectory is to use convex optimization, a gravity model with higher fidelity than Newtonian, and an iterative solution process to design the fuel optimal trajectory. The solution to the convex optimization problem is the thrust profile, magnitude and direction, that will yield the minimum fuel trajectory for a soft landing at the target site, subject to various mission and operational constraints. The equations of motion are formulated in a rotating coordinate system and includes a high fidelity gravity model. The vehicle's thrust magnitude can vary between maximum and minimum bounds during the burn. Also, constraints are included to ensure that the vehicle does not run out of propellant, or go below the asteroid's surface, and any vehicle pointing requirements. The equations of motion are discretized and propagated with the trapezoidal rule in order to produce equality constraints for the optimization problem. These equality constraints allow the optimization algorithm to solve the entire problem, without including a propagator inside the optimization algorithm.

Pinson, Robin M.↗

NASA NTRS2019

SPARROW: A Steam Propelled Autonomous Retrieval Robot for Ocean Worlds

This paper presents the results of a NIAC Phase I study into the use of a propulsively hopping robot for the exploration of Europa’s rugged, icy surface. Named the“Steam Propelled Retrieval Robot for Ocean Worlds,” SPARROW is a multi-thruster robot passively gimballed within a protective, spherical shell, which enables it to freely rotate, self-right, and tumble over chaotic terrains. SPARROW is envisioned as a soccerball-sized payload to a primary lander mission. Europa’s abundant surface ice would be harvested as an in situ propellant source. The principal objective of SPARROW would be to increase the science return of a Europa landed asset by enabling access to distal, spatially distributed geologic units. The design of mobility systems for Europa is challenging, due in part to its almost entirely unconstrained surface topography and strength. Images returned by Voyager and Galileo yielded resolutions on the order of hundreds of meters per pixel, with localized regions reaching 6 meters per pixel—still far larger than a typical rover. A key beneﬁt of SPARROW’s hopping, impact-tolerant design, is that it eliminates the need for a piori information on the terrain topography and surface strength; no surface reaction forces are required for motion. In this context, SPARROW is entirely terrain agnostic. In this paper we detail the results of three study objectives: i) to quantify the energy required to collect surface ice, change its phase, and maintain propellant temperature, ii) to identify control and estimation strategies that enable SPARROW to successfully reach, and return from, regions of scientiﬁc interest, and iii) to characterize the impact of SPARROW’s range on likely science return. Five water-based propellant architectures are presented alongside their mass, power, and volume requirements. Monte Carlo simulations of SPARROW hopping and tumbling over 1 km of glacial ice are summarized, characterizing SPARROW’s sensitivity to uncertainty in: initial conditions, thrust control, and cage-terrain interaction. Finally, a science traceability matrix is presented, which details the effect of sortie range on three science goals: constraining Europa’s evolutionary morphology, assessing sub-surface ocean habitability, and searching for life and/or biosignatures.

Phillips, Cynthia↗

DOE OSTI2026

Crystal generation using the fully differentiable pipeline and latent space optimization

We present a materials generation framework that couples a symmetry-conditioned variational autoencoder with a differentiable SO(3) power spectrum objective to steer candidates toward a specified local environment under the crystallographic constraints. In particular, we implement a fully differentiable pipeline that performs batch-wise optimization on both direct and latent crystallographic representations. Using the GPU acceleration, the implementation achieves about fivefold speed compared to our previous CPU workflow, while yielding comparable outcomes. In addition, we introduce the optimization strategy that alternatively performs optimization on the direct and latent crystal representations. This dual-level relaxation approach can effectively escape local minima defined by different objective gradients, thus increasing the success rate of generating complex structures satisfying the target local environments. This framework can be extended to systems consisting of multi-components and multi-environments, providing a scalable route to generate material structures with the target local environment.

conditional VAE↗

NASA NTRS2019

Medical Data Architecture (MDA) Project Status

The Medical Data Architecture (MDA) project supports the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) risk to minimize or reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes and decrements in performance due to in-flight medical capabilities on human exploration missions. To mitigate this risk, the ExMC MDA project addresses the technical limitations identified in ExMC Gap Med 07: We do not have the capability to comprehensively process medically-relevant information to support medical operations during exploration missions. This gap identifies that the current in-flight medical data management includes a combination of data collection and distribution methods that are minimally integrated with on-board medical devices and systems. Furthermore, there are a variety of data sources and methods of data collection. For an exploration mission, the seamless management of such data will enable a more medically autonomous crew than the current paradigm. The medical system requirements are being developed in parallel with the exploration mission architecture and vehicle design. ExMC has recognized that in order to make informed decisions about a medical data architecture framework, current methods for medical data management must not only be understood, but an architecture must also be identified that provides the crew with actionable insight to medical conditions. This medical data architecture will provide the necessary functionality to address the challenges of executing a self-contained medical system that approaches crew health care delivery without assistance from ground support. Hence, the products supported by current prototype development will directly inform exploration medical system requirements.In fiscal year 2018, the MDA project developed Test Bed 2, the second iteration in a series of prototypes with functionality focused on data security through role-based access control and encryption, integration with One Portal exercise software and ingestion of an ultrasound Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) file and image display. Test Bed 2 advances the medical data system architecture framework by providing these functionalities in a scalable system that maintained a layered, modular design. The architecture framework uses a data services approach with role-based access to data in a customized medical record system suitable for space exploration. These functionalities were demonstrated as part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) ground test demonstrated at the NASA Johnson Space Center Integrated Power, Avionics and Software (iPAS) facility. Interfacing to a Core Flight Software (CFS) system, the MDA system, using Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) protocol, transferred an exercise file from the simulated flight MDA system to a mirrored MDA system on the ground through the CFS system. The selection of data sources and demonstrations enabled the team to address stakeholder concerns throughout the development process. In the next iteration, the MDA team will work with stakeholders to identify additional relevant functionalities to further advance system data models, standards and principles that will inform the medical system requirements development.

medical data architecture↗

DOE OSTI2017

Automation Toward Tether-less Robotic Operations in Nuclear Facilities - 17474

Automation capabilities that enable communication-denied nuclear robotic operations have come of age. These layer over tethered operation or enable un-tethered systems for some operations. Tele-operated, tethered devices are traditionally preferred for nuclear remote systems. Tethers provide comm, power, and a means for mechanical extraction. They also restrict mobility and create additional failure points, and in some cases, circumstances preclude mechanical recovery by tether. Tethering has superb advantages where it is viable, but a subset of nuclear EM challenges compel mobile remote systems that forgo tethering. Tethering was essential at a time when autonomy or wireless comm could not accomplish viable operations, but now an emerging class of un-tethered exploration and service robots are compelling for situations where tethers compound waste and exposure, or are not viable. Technical advances in localization, modeling, planning, autonomy, integration and reliability have made it possible to augment tethered operations or operate altogether without tether in selective operations. Tether preclusion technologies include localization, perception, navigation, safeguarding and task prescription. These effectively accomplish tasks like way-point following, wall-following, coverage patterning, navigate-to-goal, next-best view and many others. Although these are not yet general for the broad agenda of the nuclear complex, these are already useful for many operations. These provide a foundational base that can be built upon over time for more complex operations yet to come. As a context and analog study, the technologies are exhibited by robotically (without tether) modeling a coal mine with tracks and train cars. This is analogous to technology and operation that might apply for inspection of waste storage at WIPP or the PUREX tunnels. Autonomous exploration of this nature is within state-of-art and possible with or without tether. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS2004

The Swift Gamma Ray Burst Mission

The Swift mission: scheduled for launch in early 2004: is a multiwavelength observatory for gamma-ray burst (GRB) astronomy. It is the first-of-its-kind autonomous rapid-slewing satellite for transient astronomy and pioneers the way for future rapid-reaction and multiwavelength missions. It will be far more powerful than any previous GRB mission, observing more than 100 bursts per year and performing detailed X-ray and UV/optical afterglow observations spanning timescales from 1 minute to several days after the burst. The objectives are to: 1) determine the origin of GFU3s; 2) classify GRBs and search for new types; 3) study the interaction of the ultra-relativistic outflows of GRBs with their surrounding medium; and 4) use GRBs to study the early universe out to z greater than 10. The mission is being developed by a NASA-led international collaboration. It will carry three instruments: a new-generation wide-field gamma-ray (15-150 keV) detector that will detect bursts, calculate 1-4 arcmin positions: and trigger autonomous spacecraft slews; a narrow-field X-ray telescope that will give 5 arcsec positions and perform spectroscopy in the 0.2 to 10 keV band; and a narrow-field UV/optical telescope that will operate in the 170-600 nm band and provide 0.3 arcsec positions and optical finding charts. Redshift determinations will be made for most bursts. In addition to the primary GRB science, the mission will perform a hard X-ray survey to a sensitivity of approx. 1 mCrab (approx. 2 x l0(exp -11) erg/sq cm s in the 15-150 keV band), more than an order of magnitude better than HEAO A-4. A flexible data and operations system will allow rapid follow-up observations of all types of high-energy transients. with rapid data downlink and uplink available through the NASA TDRSS system. Swift transient data will be rapidly distributed to the astronomical community and all interested observers are encouraged to participate in follow-up measurements. A Guest Investigator program for the mission will provide funding for community involvement. Innovations from the Swift program applicable to the future include: 1) a large-area gamma-ray detector us- ing the new CdZnTe detectors; 2) an autonomous rapid slewing spacecraft; 3) a multiwavelength payload combining optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray instruments; 4) an observing program coordinated with other ground-based and space-based observatories; and 5) immediate multiwavelength data flow to the community. The mission is currently funded for 2 years of operations and the spacecraft will have a lifetime to orbital decay of approx. 8 years.

Gehrels, N.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Visual Odometry for Autonomous Deep-Space Navigation Project

Autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D) is a critical need for manned spaceflight, especially in deep space where communication delays essentially leave crews on their own for critical operations like docking. Previously developed AR&D sensors have been large, heavy, power-hungry, and may still require further development (e.g. Flash LiDAR). Other approaches to vision-based navigation are not computationally efficient enough to operate quickly on slower, flight-like computers. The key technical challenge for visual odometry is to adapt it from the current terrestrial applications it was designed for to function in the harsh lighting conditions of space. This effort leveraged Draper Laboratory's considerable prior development and expertise, benefitting both parties. The algorithm Draper has created is unique from other pose estimation efforts as it has a comparatively small computational footprint (suitable for use onboard a spacecraft, unlike alternatives) and potentially offers accuracy and precision needed for docking. This presents a solution to the AR&D problem that only requires a camera, which is much smaller, lighter, and requires far less power than competing AR&D sensors. We have demonstrated the algorithm's performance and ability to process 'flight-like' imagery formats with a 'flight-like' trajectory, positioning ourselves to easily process flight data from the upcoming 'ISS Selfie' activity and then compare the algorithm's quantified performance to the simulated imagery. This will bring visual odometry beyond TRL 5, proving its readiness to be demonstrated as part of an integrated system. Once beyond TRL 5, visual odometry will be poised to be demonstrated as part of a system in an in-space demo where relative pose is critical, like Orion AR&D, ISS robotic operations, asteroid proximity operations, and more.

Robinson, Shane↗

DOE OSTI2018

Shared autonomy for low–cost underwater vehicles

This field report presents an overview of the development and testing of a semi-autonomous underwater vehicle (sAUV). The work presented here is aimed at bridging the gap between current remotely operated vehicles and autonomous research platforms by developing shared autonomy capabilities for low-cost underwater vehicles. We use commercially available components and open-source software interfaces to provide a wider range of capabilities for underwater autonomy research at a lower cost than previously available systems. We describe the overall structure of the system, discuss its capabilities, and provide results demonstrating system performance. We place particular emphasis on shared autonomy, where a human operator is assisted in controlling an underwater tethered vehicle. We present three capabilities developed for the sAUV: (a) an assisted control mode that provides a variable level of assistance using an on-line estimate of user skill level, (b) a planner to generate paths that avoid tether entanglement, and (c) a sonar processing algorithm that identifies informative sonar images for selecting features for 3D scene reconstruction. Here, the vehicle has been deployed on five off-shore and near-shore marine field deployments since 2015, and this report includes selected results from four of those trials to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the sAUV system.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

NASA NTRS2012

Design for the Structure and the Mechanics of Moballs

The moball is envisioned to be a round, self-powered, and wind-driven multifunctioning sensor used in the Gone with the Wind ON-Mars (GOWON) [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/ marsconcepts2012/pdf/4238.pdf]: A Wind-Driven Networked System of Mobile sensors on Mars. The moballs would have sensing, processing, and communication capabilities. The moballs would perform in situ detection of key environmental elements such as vaporized water, trace gases, wind, dust, clouds, light and UV exposure, temperature, as well as minerals of interest, possible biosignatures, surface magnetic and electric fields, etc. The embedded various low-power micro instruments could include a Multispectral Microscopic Imager (to detect various minerals), a compact curved focal plane array camera (UV/Vis/NIR) with a large field of view, a compact UV/Visible spectrometer, a micro-weather station, etc. The moballs could communicate with each other and an orbiter. Their wind- or gravity-driven rolling movement could be used to harvest and store electric energy. They could also generate and store energy using the sunlight, when available, and the diurnal temperature variations on Mars. The moballs would be self-aware of their (and their neighbors ) positions, energy storage, and memory availability; they would have processing power and could intelligently cooperate with neighboring moballs by distributing tasks, sharing data, and fusing information. The major advantages of using the wind-driven and spherical moball network over rovers or other fixed sensor webs to explore Mars would be: (1) moballs could explore a much larger expanse of Mars in a much faster fashion, (2) they could explore the difficult terrains such as steep slopes and sand dunes, and (3) they would be self-energy- generating and could work together and move around autonomously. The challenge in designing the structure and the mechanics of the moball would be that it should be sturdy enough to withstand the impact of its initial fall, as well as other impacts from obstacles in its way. A mechanism would be needed that could enable hundreds of moballs to be carried while they would be deflated and compact, then would inflate them just after deploying them to their drop site. Furthermore, the moballs should also be light enough to allow them to move easily over obstacles by force of the wind. They also should have some kind of maneuvering mechanism in place to help them avoid very hazardous sharp objects or events, and to enable them to get closer to the objects of interest. The structure of the moballs was designed so that they would have different layers. The outer layer should comprise a sturdy, yet light, polymer that could withstand both the impact of the initial drop, as well as the impact of the different obstacles it would encounter while traversing the surface of Mars. This polymer should not deteriorate with the 100 K daily temperature swings on Mars. The inner layer should consist of a very light gas such as nitrogen or helium. In terms of maneuvering, six very light weights placed at strategic locations would give moballs the ability to turn, or even hop, over hazardous (e.g., sharp) obstacles, or even initiate a movement (before getting more help from the wind to be carried around) when stuck. Maneuvering would be necessary in order to get closer to objects of interest. If the weights would be allowed to move freely, they could also be used to generate energy.

Davoodi, Faranak↗

NASA NTRS2008

Launch-Off-Need Shuttle Hubble Rescue Mission: Medical Issues

The Space Shuttle Hubble repair mission (STS-125) is unique in that a rescue mission (STS-400) has to be ready to launch before STS-125 life support runs out should the vehicle become stranded. The shuttle uses electrical power derived from fuel cells that use cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen (CRYO) to run all subsystems including the Environmental Control System. If the STS-125 crew cannot return to Earth due to failure of a critical subsystem, they must power down all nonessential systems and wait to be rescued by STS-400. This power down will cause the cabin temperature to be 60 F or less and freeze the rest of the vehicle, preventing it from attempting a reentry. After an emergency has been declared, STS-125 must wait at least 7 days to power down since that is the earliest that STS-400 can be launched. Problem The delayed power down of STS-125 causes CYRO to be consumed at high rates and limits the survival time after STS-400 launches to 10 days or less. CRYO will run out sooner every day that the STS-400 launch is delayed (weather at launch, technical issues etc.). To preserve CRYO and lithium hydroxide (LiOH - carbon dioxide removal) the crew will perform no exercise to reduce their metabolic rates, yet each deconditioned STS-125 crewmember must perform an EVA to rescue himself. The cabin may be cold for 10 days, which may cause shivering, increasing the metabolic rate of the STS-125 crew. Solution To preserve LiOH, the STS-125 manifest includes nutrition bars with low carbohydrate content to maintain crew respiratory quotient (RQ) below 0.85 as opposed to the usual shuttle galley food which is rich in carbohydrates and keeps the RQ at approximately 0.95. To keep the crew more comfortable in the cold vehicle warm clothing also has been included. However, with no exercise and limited diet, the deconditioned STS-125 crew returning on STS-400 may not be able to egress the vehicle autonomously requiring a supplemented crash-and-rescue capability.

Hamilton, Douglas↗

DOE OSTI2024

An Autonomous Critical Data Extrapolator for the AGN-201m

Nuclear nonproliferation serves as a key goal, being undertaken by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To recognize proliferation there are two pathways that states, who intend to use nuclear material for malicious purposes can take, diversion can misuse. Diversion is when fissile nuclear material is declared to the IAEA for non-weapon purposes, but then covertly removed. If the source of nuclear material, that is not declared and not fissionable, is placed inside the reactor core to create fissile material used to create weapons then the state is using the second pathway of proliferation, misuse. With the emerging development in areas of simulation and machine learning the creation of virtual models of reactor systems, digital twins, serve as a potential method to identify proliferation through detecting anomalous behavior in the reactor. A digital twin for a physical nuclear reactor has never been developed, as digital twins serve as an emerging technology. To investigate the process for development and use of a digital twin for a nuclear reactor Idaho State University’s AGN-201m serves as the nuclear reactor used for development of this digital twin. A data acquisition system has been installed to the reactor system allowing for the transfer of collected data from a reactor operation to Idaho National Laboratory’s Deeplynx data warehouse. When utilizing data to train reactor physics and machine learning models, a significant challenge encountered is the initial state of the data. Nuclear proliferation will have the capacity to be detected when the reactor immediately starts up, nor will it occur after the reactor shuts down. Generally, it will be detected when the reactor is operating at some desired power over a sufficient period for that specific reactor design. For the AGN-201m this will be when the reactor is critical (generally 1 mW or above) for a timespan that is within or less than the range of a regular business day. Datasets sent to Deeplynx have had to be manually cut to when the reactor is critical based on plots of power levels. This method is inefficient and laborious, especially when using multiple datasets at once to train a model. To provide a more streamlined approach an automated critical data extrapolator is developed, with capabilities of recognizing when the reactor operation first reaches criticality, and when the reactor undergoes a SCRAM and is shutdown.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS2001

Use of Soft Computing Technologies for a Qualitative and Reliable Engine Control System for Propulsion Systems

The problem to be addressed in this paper is to explore how the use of Soft Computing Technologies (SCT) could be employed to improve overall vehicle system safety, reliability, and rocket engine performance by development of a qualitative and reliable engine control system (QRECS). Specifically, this will be addressed by enhancing rocket engine control using SCT, innovative data mining tools, and sound software engineering practices used in Marshall's Flight Software Group (FSG). The principle goals for addressing the issue of quality are to improve software management, software development time, software maintenance, processor execution, fault tolerance and mitigation, and nonlinear control in power level transitions. The intent is not to discuss any shortcomings of existing engine control methodologies, but to provide alternative design choices for control, implementation, performance, and sustaining engineering, all relative to addressing the issue of reliability. The approaches outlined in this paper will require knowledge in the fields of rocket engine propulsion (system level), software engineering for embedded flight software systems, and soft computing technologies (i.e., neural networks, fuzzy logic, data mining, and Bayesian belief networks); some of which are briefed in this paper. For this effort, the targeted demonstration rocket engine testbed is the MC-1 engine (formerly FASTRAC) which is simulated with hardware and software in the Marshall Avionics & Software Testbed (MAST) laboratory that currently resides at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, building 4476, and is managed by the Avionics Department. A brief plan of action for design, development, implementation, and testing a Phase One effort for QRECS is given, along with expected results. Phase One will focus on development of a Smart Start Engine Module and a Mainstage Engine Module for proper engine start and mainstage engine operations. The overall intent is to demonstrate that by employing soft computing technologies, the quality and reliability of the overall scheme to engine controller development is further improved and vehicle safety is further insured. The final product that this paper proposes is an approach to development of an alternative low cost engine controller that would be capable of performing in unique vision spacecraft vehicles requiring low cost advanced avionics architectures for autonomous operations from engine pre-start to engine shutdown.

Trevino, Luis↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Survey of Formal Methods for Intelligent Swarms

Swarms of intelligent autonomous spacecraft, involving complex behaviors and interactions, are being proposed for future space exploration missions. Such missions provide greater flexibility and offer the possibility of gathering more science data than traditional single spacecraft missions. The emergent properties of swarms make these missions powerful, but simultaneously far more difficult to design, and to assure that the proper behaviors will emerge. These missions are also considerably more complex than previous types of missions, and NASA, like other organizations, has little experience in developing or in verifying and validating these types of missions. A significant challenge when verifying and validating swarms of intelligent interacting agents is how to determine that the possible exponential interactions and emergent behaviors are producing the desired results. Assuring correct behavior and interactions of swarms will be critical to mission success. The Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm (ANTS) mission is an example of one of the swarm types of missions NASA is considering. The ANTS mission will use a swarm of picospacecraft that will fly from Earth orbit to the Asteroid Belt. Using an insect colony analogy, ANTS will be composed of specialized workers for asteroid exploration. Exploration would consist of cataloguing the mass, density, morphology, and chemical composition of the asteroids, including any anomalous concentrations of specific minerals. To perform this task, ANTS would carry miniaturized instruments, such as imagers, spectrometers, and detectors. Since ANTS and other similar missions are going to consist of autonomous spacecraft that may be out of contact with the earth for extended periods of time, and have low bandwidths due to weight constraints, it will be difficult to observe improper behavior and to correct any errors after launch. Providing V&V (verification and validation) for this type of mission is new to NASA, and represents the cutting edge in system correctness, and requires higher levels of assurance than other (traditional) missions that use a single or small number of spacecraft that are deterministic in nature and have near continuous communication access. One of the highest possible levels of assurance comes from the application of formal methods. Formal methods are mathematics-based tools and techniques for specifying and verifying (software and hardware) systems. They are particularly useful for specifying complex parallel systems, such as exemplified by the ANTS mission, where the entire system is difficult for a single person to fully understand, a problem that is multiplied with multiple developers. Once written, a formal specification can be used to prove properties of a system (e.g., the underlying system will go from one state to another or not into a specific state) and check for particular types of errors (e.g., race or livelock conditions). A formal specification can also be used as input to a model checker for further validation. This report gives the results of a survey of formal methods techniques for verification and validation of space missions that use swarm technology. Multiple formal methods were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in modeling and assuring the behavior of swarms of spacecraft using the ANTS mission as an example system. This report is the first result of the project to determine formal approaches that are promising for formally specifying swarm-based systems. From this survey, the most promising approaches were selected and are discussed relative to their possible application to the ANTS mission. Future work will include the application of an integrated approach, based on the selected approaches identified in this report, to the formal specification of the ANTS mission.

Truszkowski, Walt↗

NASA NTRS2024

ISS Technology Demonstrations for Future Spaceflight Medical Systems

Throughout the history of human spaceflight, crewmembers have experienced various in-flight medical conditions including illness and injury. Planned missions to the Moon and Mars will require capabilities to maintain the health of future space travelers. Mass, power, and volume available in the vehicles and habitats for these missions will be severely constrained; resupply of resources will be limited or non-existent, as will opportunities for evacuation to Earth. Furthermore, ground-based support will be hampered by communication latencies and blackouts. These vehicle and mission constraints will necessitate a medical system that has been efficiently planned, providing on-board procedural guidance in addition to a variety of medical devices and consumable resources. Medical capabilities required for the diagnosis and treatment of potential medical conditions during future spaceflight missions may include real-time health monitoring, medical imaging, and biomarker analyses ( e.g., blood or urine). Terrestrial medicine shares these needs, thus many of these medical capabilities could likely be satisfied by Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) devices and methodologies; however, in some cases the unique space environment and increased mission duration will drive the need to modify technologies and the way care is provided. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element and Mars Campaign Office’s Exploration Medical Integrated Product Team (XMIPT) are working together to decrease medical risk during exploration missions. Flight-tested medical diagnostic and treatment technologies are necessary to effectively manage medical conditions relevant to exploration missions while meeting vehicle constraints, integrating with medical decision-support tools, and enabling increasingly Earth-independent operations. Several projects have leveraged the ISS as a testbed for exploration, including 1) i n- situ blood analysis, 2) medical inventory, 3) intravenous fluid generation, and 4) autonomous medical procedure guidance. Management of several in-flight medical conditions, such as bacterial and viral infections and acute radiation syndrome, is dramatically improved with ability to assess blood cell populations, electrolytes, and metabolites. I n December 2020 and January 2021 ExMC performed an ISS technology demonstration (Tech Demo) of the HemoCue® WBC DIFF analyzer (HemoCue, Brea, CA), a COTS device that was modified to enable functionality in a spaceflight environment. This Tech Demo marked the first time that hematology measurements were successfully performed real-time in microgravity. Also modified and demonstrated was the reusable Handheld Electrolytes and Lab Technology for Humans (rHEALTH) ONE analyzer (rHEALTH, Bedford, MA), which uses flow cytometry and sheath-based hydrodynamic focusing methodologies. The rHEALTH ONE ISS Tech Demo in May 2022 demonstrated test results obtained in-flight matched those on the ground. NASA currently relies on crew self-reporting to manage and maintain medical inventory on ISS.The ability to maintain an accurate inventory becomes more critical during long duration missions since the crew will need to be increasingly autonomous in finding and utilizing medical items, including those scenarios when alternative treatments need to be considered due to limited or no resupply. HRP’s Medical Consumables Tracking (MCT) project was developed by ZIN Technologies, Inc. (Cleveland, OH), and demonstrated real-time tracking of medical supplies aboard the ISS between December 2016 and July 2018. The MCT system design utilized Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology to perform automated inventory and was installed in the Crew Health Care System (CHeCS) Resupply Stowage Rack (RSR). The challenge of limited shelf life, exacerbated by the lack of resupply opportunities, affects a plethora of medical system components including consumables, pharmaceuticals, and intravenous (IV) fluid. In 2010, ExMC funded ZIN Technologies, Inc. (Cleveland, OH), to develop the Intravenous Fluid Generation (IVGEN) system. IV fluids were successfully generated with IVGEN using the potable water supply on ISS during ISS Expedition 23. The XMIPT is in the process of developing a miniaturized version of the original IVGEN hardware for a future Tech Demo aboard the ISS. Current ISS medical operations rely heavily on preflight training and real-time remote guidance, both of which become impractical or impossible for exploration missions. The primary goal of the Autonomous Medical Officer Support (AMOS) Software Tech Demos on ISS was to confirm telemedical proof-of-concept for autonomous medical imaging in an operational setting. This novel software tool shifts emphasis from preflight training and real-time remote guidance to in-flight just-in-time instruction, a new and necessary paradigm for crew medical autonomy. AMOS introduces a novel, streamlined skill management concept for exploration missions featuring comprehensive training and guidance modules for ultrasound examinations using the ISS Ultrasound 2 (a modified GE Vivid-q™; General Electric HealthCare, Chicago, IL). With no prior crew training or remote guidance, two Tech Demos on the ISS (April 2020 and June 2022) resulted in high quality, clinically useful image sets. We will provide a review of historical, current, and planned medical devices and technologies considered for inclusion within future spaceflight medical systems and summarize hardware development activities and medical device tech demos conducted on the ISS.

Astronaut health and performance↗

DOE OSTI2025

Optimize the Autonomous Sensor Fish Device for Understanding Interactions of Aquatic Animals with Marine and Hydrokinetic and Hydro Systems (CRADA 476) Final Report

This project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) enhances our understanding of how aquatic life interacts with marine renewable energy (MRE) and hydropower systems through the development and testing of advanced sensor technology. The Marine Sensor Fish (MSF) and its smaller variants, the Sensor Fish Mini (SF Mini) and Flexible Sensor Fish (FSF), measure critical environmental stressors, such as shear forces, pressure changes, and strike impacts, that are essential for assessing the risks posed by energy devices, including tidal turbines, hydropower installations, and other MRE infrastructure. Rigorous field testing has shown that these tools are effective in capturing detailed data on turbulence, pressure variations, strike impacts, and other stressors near these devices, providing valuable insights into the conditions faced by aquatic species. Economically, these tools offer renewable energy developers a practical solution for streamlining environmental assessments and ensuring regulatory compliance, ultimately reducing costs associated with evaluating and mitigating ecological impacts. This research also benefits the public by promoting the growth of renewable energy sources that protect aquatic ecosystems, advancing both sustainable energy production and environmental stewardship.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advances in Autonomous Communications and Operations: Tes-N Series

Advances in nanosat subsystems over the past decade have taken the CubeSat standard from a communication-limited educational tool to a powerful platform enabling space research. The potential for autonomous operations may greatly increase the capability of downlinking even larger data sets. This is enabled through miniaturization of software-defined radio/cognitive communication solutions and a rapidly growing number of ground stations and satellite network crosslinks. The TechEdSat-n orbital flight series is currently demonstrating experiments using cognitive communication concepts including User Initiated Service (UIS) and High-rate Delay Tolerant Networks (HDTN), which show a significant step toward improved capability. At the core of this is the use of the Iridium L-band Short Burst Data (SBD) modems, pioneered by TES-n for space applications. SBD enables unique rapid command, control, and scheduling to initiate the UIS and HDTN protocols. This occurs by performing GPS-assisted on-orbit ephemeris determination, enabling negotiation with high bandwidth ground assets to repeatedly downlink over a specific commercial or government-owned ground station. The technique is RF band-agnostic and may be extended to higher bandwidth stations and SDRs. This may also include free-space optical communication, through both laser and omnidirectional LEDs, which can provide an attractive protocol for downlinking very large datasets over far fewer ground stations. In addition, this may be extended to lunar applications for such future concepts as LunaNet, whereby scheduling and cognitive technologies can assist in greatly improving Earth downlink capabilities with ground stations which will see greater competition for usage. Lastly, the NASA Communication Service Program (CSP), intended to eventually replace the NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) will also demonstrate the feasibility of commercially-provided satellite communication capabilities. All of these combined advances, including large advances in on-board computation on small platforms, will result in more remarkable data processing capability – yielding even more as of yet unknown discoveries.

Autonomy↗

DOE OSTI2025

Predicting Pulsed-Laser Deposition SrTiO 3 Homoepitaxy Growth Dynamics Using High-Speed Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction

Pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is a powerful technique for growing complex oxides with controlled stoichiometry. To understand growth dynamics therein, it is common to leverage in situ spectroscopies, such as reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), to monitor surface crystallinity. Most commercial systems rely on video-rate cameras operating at 60-120 Hz that lack sufficient temporal resolution to capture growth dynamics at practical deposition frequencies. Here, a high-speed platform to record in situ dynamics via RHEED at >500 Hz is implemented. An open-source analysis package is designed to fit diffraction spots to 2D Gaussians, allowing single-pulse surface reconstruction kinetics extraction. Using homoepitaxially deposited (001)-oriented SrTiO 3 as a model system, we demonstrate how high-speed RHEED can provide real-time insight into growth processes obscured by slower acquisition systems. By fitting the single-pulse intensity to a set of exponential functions, we observe changes in the characteristic decay time and mechanism correlated to the substrate step width and surface termination. We observe distinct surface effects, with diffraction intensity decaying on lower-energy TiO 2 -terminated surfaces and stabilizing on SrO- or mixed-terminated surfaces. Similarly, using an exponential model, the extracted characteristic time of adatom deposition decreases with increased density of bonding sites associated with mixed termination and narrower step widths. Ultimately, this work shows how increasing RHEED temporal resolution can uncover new insights into growth processes, with practical implications for the design and control of PLD processes. This experimental platform provides new capabilities to enable data-driven machine learning analysis and autonomous control systems to enhance the complexity and fecundity of PLD.

(SrO)↗

DOE OSTI2019

SPARR: Spiking/Processing Array for Wide Dynamic Range and High Resolution Photonic Sensing

The Spiking/Processing Array (spARR) is a novel photonic focal plane that uses pixels which generate electronic spikes autonomously and without a clock. These spikes feed into a network of digital asynchronous processing elements or DAPES. By building a useful assemblage of DAPES, and connecting them together in the correct way, sophisticated signal processing can be accomplished within the focal plane. Autonomous self-resetting pixels (AsP) enable SPARR to generate electronic response with very small signals--as little as a single photon in the case of Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes to as few as several hundred photons for in-cmos photodetectors. These spiking pixels enable fast detector response, but do not draw as much continuous power as synchronous clocked designs. The spikes emitted by the pixels all have the same magnitude, the information from the scene is effectively encoded into the rate of spikes and the time at which the spike is emitted. The spiking pixels, having converted incident light into electronic spikes, supply the spikes to a network of digital asynchronous processors. These are small state machines which respond to the spikes arriving at their input ports by either remaining unchanged or updating their internal state and possibly emitting a spike on one or more output ports. We show a design that accomplishes the sophisticated signal processing of a Haar spatial wavelet transform with spatial-spectral whitening. We furthermore show how this design results in a data streams which support imaging and transient optical source detection. Two simulators support this analysis: SPICE and sparrow. The CMOS SPICE simulator Cadence provides accurate CMOs design with accounting for effects of circuit parasitics throughout layout, accurate timing, and accurate energy consumption estimates. To more rapidly assess larger networks with more pixels, sparrow is a custom discrete event simulator that supports the non-homogeneous Poisson processes that lie behind photoelectric interaction. Sparrow is a photon-exact simulator that nevertheless performs SPARR system simulator for large-scale systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗