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Consideration is given to the facilities in earth orbit that would be required to prepare for a manned mission to Mars. It is suggested that the facilities required for the development of technology for a Mars mission include the Space Station, a variable gravity research station, and an assembly dock, in addition to ground facilities. The types of research that would be conducted at each of these facilities are examined.
NASA has initiated a program to demonstrate a Satellite Servicer System prototype in a series of flight tests with the Space Shuttle. When the commitment to an operational system has been demonstrated, it is anticipated that a variety of missions will develop that can productively use the servicing capability. Rendezvous and proximity operations contain key enabling technologies needed for an effective operational system. Guidance, navigation and control hardware and operational techniques must be integrated into the program. Supporting sensor technology may limit or enhance the capability of the system depending on its readiness. Requirements for docking the spacecraft in the system concept development and technology requirements are reviewed. Examples of the initial assessment of technology readiness and applications opportunities are discussed. The degree of autonomy is of particular interest.
The control system of NASA's Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) will employ range/range-rate radar, a forward command link, and a compressed video return link. The video data is compressed by sampling every sixth frame of data; a rate of 5 frames/sec is adequate for the OMV docking speeds. Further axial compression is obtained, albeit at the expense of spatial resolution, by averaging adjacent pixels. The remaining compression is achieved on the basis of differential pulse-code modulation and Huffman run-length encoding. A concatenated error-correction coding system is used to protect the compressed video data stream from channel errors.
The operating principles, design, and development histories of three image correlation systems, the Portable Correlator Unit (PCU), the Miniature Correlator Unit (MCU), and the Coherence Interferometer (CI) are reviewed. The PCU and MCU are compact versions of the classical Vander Lught filter optical correlator, essentially parallel optical processors by light valve; the CI is a white-light correlator which functions entirely by interfering light waves, with electronic detection only at the final output, and thus represents a parallel optical processor by rotational-shear interferometer. Details of the design and construction are discussed and illustrated with drawings and photographs. Also considered are applications of the MCU to NASA tasks such as rendezvous and docking on the Mars Rover and Sample Return mission, autonomous robotic exploration of planetary surfaces, and compression and pattern-recognition of remote-sensing data.
A crew emergency return vehicle (CERV) is proposed to perform the lifeboat function for the manned Space Station Freedom. This escape module will be permanently docked to Freedom and, on demand, will be capable of safely returning the crew to earth. The unique requirements that the CERV imposes on its power source are presented, power source options are examined, and a baseline system is selected. It consists of an active Li-BCX DD-cell modular battery system and was chosen for the maturity of its man-rated design and its low development costs.
The current reference Mars Rover and Sample Return mission is described. Technical issues are outlined, including high-resolution image acquisition and reconstruction, approach navigation, ground and flight systems operational complexity, rover autonomy, autonomous rendezvous and docking in Mars orbit, aerocapture and aeromaneuver, estimating the probability of mission success, and end-to-end information system design. Focus is placed on lander hazard identification and avoidance, pinpoint landing guidance and control, Mars ascent vehicle guidance and control, planetary protection and quarantine, sample acquisition and preservation, project management and control, systems requirements and interface control, and costing. In addition, program issues such as international participation, fiscal constraints, and launch-vehicle availability are considered.
This paper illustrates how traditional analysis and design tools can be successfully applied, with insights derived from recent research on control-structure interaction, to preliminary control system design for a large space structure such as the Space Station Freedom. The control system regulates attitude during construction, normal on-orbit operation, reboost, and docking using control-moment gyros and thrusters. The tools include finite-element modeling, model reduction based on modal truncation, single-input/single-output Bode plot design, position and rate feedback, roll-off and phase filter, and simulation. The resulting system is characterized by simple architecture and moderate bandwidth. The large configuration changes during the construction period are handled by gain scheduling.
In this paper the design of an active control law for the rejection of persistent disturbances in large space structures is presented. The control system design approach is based on a deterministic model of the disturbances, with a model-based-compensator (MBC) structure, optimizing the magnitude of the disturbance that the structure can tolerate without violating certain predetermined constraints. In addition to closed-loop stability, the explicit treatment of state, control and control rate constraints, such as structural displacement, control actuator effort, and compensator time guarantees that the final design will exhibit desired performance characteristics. The technique is applied for the vibration damping of a simple two bay truss structure which is subjected to persistent disturbances, such as shuttle docking. Preliminary results indicate that the proposed control system can reject considerable persistent disturbances by utilizing most of the available control, while limiting the structural displacements to within desired tolerances. Further work, however, for incorporating additional design criteria, such as compensator robustness to be traded-off against performance specifications, is warranted.
A dynamic compensator for active rejection of persistent disturbances in flexible space structures is designed on the principle of the H(infinity)-optimization of the sensitivity transfer function matrix. A general state space solution is formulated to the multiinput multioutput H(infinity)-optimal control problem, allowing the use of the H(infinity)-optimal synthesis algorithm for the state-space models of space structures that result from model order reduction. Disturbances encountered in flexible space structures, such as shuttle docking, are investigated using the high-mode and the reduced-order models of a cantilevered two-bay truss, demonstrating the applicability of the H(infinity)-optimal approach.
The optimized preliminary engineering design concepts for postlanding operations of a water-landing Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) during a medical rescue mission are presented. Two ACRVs will be permanently docked to Space Station Freedom, fulfilling NASA's commitment to Assured Crew Return Capability in the event of an accident or illness. The optimized configuration of the ACRV is based on an Apollo command module (ACM) derivative. The scenario assumes landing a sick or injured crewmember on water with the possibility of a delayed rescue. Design emphasis is placed on four major areas. First is the design of a mechanism that provides a safe and time-critical means of removing the sick or injured crewmember from the ACRV. Support to the assisting rescue personnel is also provided. Second is the design of a system that orients and stabilizes the craft after landing so as to cause no further injury or discomfort to the already ill or injured crewmember. Third is the design of a system that provides full medical support to a sick or injured crewmember aboard the ACRV from the time of separation from the space station to rescue by recovery forces. Last is the design of a system that provides for the comfort and safety of the entire crew after splashdown up to the point of rescue. The four systems are conceptually integrated into the ACRV.
The current space exploration initiative is focused around the development of the Space Station Freedom (SSF). Regular resupply missions must support a full crew on the station. The present mission capability of the shuttle is insufficient, making it necessary to find an alternative. One alternative is a reusable Cargo Return Vehicle (CRV). The suggested design is a biconic shaped, dry land recovery CRV with an advance recovery system (ARC). A liquid rocket booster will insert the CRV into a low Earth orbit. Three onboard liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines are used to reach the orbit of the station. The CRV will dock to the station and cargo exchange will take place. Within the command and control zone (CCZ), the CRV will be controlled by a gaseous nitrogen reaction control system (RCS). The CRV will have the capability to exchange the payload with the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV). The bent biconic shape will give the CRV sufficient crossrange to reach Edwards Air Force Base and several alternative sites. Near the landing site, a parafoil-shaped ARS is deployed. The CRV is designed to carry a payload of 40 klb, and has an unloaded weight of 35 klb.
NASA is committed to placing a permanent space station in Earth orbit in the 1990's. Space Station Freedom (SSF) will be located in a 220 n.m. orbit at 28.5 degrees inclination. The Winged Cargo Return Vehicle's (CRV) primary mission is to support SSF crew by flying regular resupply missions. The winged CRV is designed to be reusable, dry land recoverable, and unmanned. The CRV will be launched inline on three liquid hydrogen/oxygen rocket boosters with a payload capacity of 113,000 lbs. The three boosters will take the CRV to an orbit of 50 by 110 n.m. From this altitude the orbital manuevering engine will place the vehicle in synchronous orbit with the space station. The winged CRV will deliver cargo modules to the space station by direct docking or by remaining outside the SSF command zone and using the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) to transfer cargo. After unloading/loading, the CRV will deorbit and fly back to Kennedy Space Center. The CRV has a wing span of 57.8 feet, a length of 76.0 feet, and a dry weight of 61.5 klb. The cargo capacity of the vehicle is 44.4 klb. The vehicle has a lift-drag ratio of 1.28 (hypersonic) and 6.0 (subsonic), resulting in a 1351 n.m. cross range. The overall mission length ranges between 18.8 and 80.5 hr. The operational period will be the years 2000 to 2020.
A brief description of several laboratories' current research in the general area of manual control of orbital flight is presented. With an operational-space-station era (and its increased traffic levels) approaching, now is an opportune time to investigate issues such as docking and rendezvous profiles and course-planning aids. The tremendous increase in the capabilities of computers and computer graphics has made extensive study possible and economical. It is time to study these areas, from a human factors and manual control perspective in order to preclude the occurrence of problems analogous to those that occurred in the airline and other related industries.
The remote piloting of spacecraft is discussed using the orbital maneuvering vehicle (OMV) as a case in point. Some challenges to remotely piloted operations are listed. Approaches to solving operation problems are discussed for the two major participants in the loop tasks involved. These tasks are the remotely piloted docking task, and the task of ensuring that the rendezvous is successfully completed. Resulting changes to the OMV system are outlined. The outcome of these changes and the approaches taken in the OMV program are presented. Comparisons are drawn between philosophies and techniques used for Space Transportation System rendezvous and proximity operations, and those currently envisioned for OMV. Finally, a few of the lessons learned are summarized.
The Satellite Servicer System Flight Demonstration (SSSFD) program is a series of Shuttle flights designed to verify major on-orbit satellite servicing capabilities, such as rendezvous and docking of free flyers, Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) exchange, and fluid transfer. A major part of this system is the manipulator system that will perform the ORU exchange. The manipulator must possess adequate toolplate dexterity to maneuver a variety of EVA-type tools into position to interface with ORU fasteners, connectors, latches, and handles on the satellite, and to move workpieces and ORUs through 6 degree of freedom (dof) space from the Target Vehicle (TV) to the Support Module (SM) and back. Two cost efficient tools were combined to perform a study of robot manipulator design parameters. These tools are graphical computer simulations and Taguchi Design of Experiment methods. Using a graphics platform, an off-the-shelf robot simulation software package, and an experiment designed with Taguchi's approach, the sensitivities of various manipulator kinematic design parameters to performance characteristics are determined with minimal cost.
In the life cycle of a complex physical device or part, for example, the docking bay door of the Space Station, there are many uses for knowledge about the device or part. The same piece of knowledge might serve several uses. Given the quantity and complexity of the knowledge that must be stored, it is critical to maintain the knowledge in one repository, in one form. At the same time, because of quantity and complexity of knowledge that must be used in life cycle applications such as cost estimation, re-design, and diagnosis, it is critical to automate such knowledge uses. For each specific use, a knowledge base must be available and must be in a from that promotes the efficient performance of that knowledge base. However, without a single source knowledge repository, the cost of maintaining consistent knowledge between multiple knowledge bases increases dramatically; as facts and descriptions change, they must be updated in each individual knowledge base. A use-neutral representation of a hydraulic system for the F-111 aircraft was developed. The ability to derive portions of four different knowledge bases is demonstrated from this use-neutral representation: one knowledge base is for re-design of the device using a model-based reasoning problem solver; two knowledge bases, at different levels of abstraction, are for diagnosis using a model-based reasoning solver; and one knowledge base is for diagnosis using an associational reasoning problem solver. It was shown how updates issued against the single source use-neutral knowledge repository can be propagated to the underlying knowledge bases.
Research is underway at the NASA Johnson Space Center on the development of vision systems that recognize objects and estimate their position by processing their images. This is a crucial task in many space applications such as autonomous landing on Mars sites, satellite inspection and repair, and docking of space shuttle and space station. Currently available algorithms and hardware are too slow to be suitable for these tasks. Electronic digital hardware exhibits superior performance in computing and control; however, they take too much time to carry out important signal processing operations such as Fourier transformation of image data and calculation of correlation between two images. Fortunately, because of the inherent parallelism, optical devices can carry out these operations very fast, although they are not quite suitable for computation and control type operations. Hence, investigations are currently being conducted on the development of hybrid vision systems that utilize both optical techniques and digital processing jointly to carry out the object recognition tasks in real time. Algorithms for the design of optimal filters for use in hybrid vision systems were developed. Specifically, an algorithm was developed for the design of real-valued frequency plane correlation filters. Furthermore, research was also conducted on designing correlation filters optimal in the sense of providing maximum signal-to-nose ratio when noise is present in the detectors in the correlation plane. Algorithms were developed for the design of different types of optimal filters: complex filters, real-value filters, phase-only filters, ternary-valued filters, coupled filters. This report presents some of these algorithms in detail along with their derivations.
The topics covered include the following: (1) space basing technology requirements sources; (2) orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) processing heritage; (3) ground processing progression to space processing; (4) technology requirements for space based OTV servicing and maintenance; (5) design and development schedule for OTV's and OTV accommodations/ support hardware; (6) cryogenic technology test program development; (7) cryogenic propellant transfer, storage, and reliquefaction management summary; (8) propellant transfer technology analysis and ground testing; (8) OTV propellant storage depot development critical scaling relationships; (9) flight experiment options; (10) OTV maintenance; (11) automated fault detection/ isolation and system checkout summary; (12) engine replacement; (13) alternative docking operation; (14) OTV/payload integration; and (15) technology criticality and capability assessment. This document is presented in viewgraph form.