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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2020

Planning and Optimization for Multi-robot Planetary Cave Exploration under Intermittent Connectivity Constraints

Exploring subsurface structures with autonomous robots is of growing interest in the context of planetary caves studies. Communication between robots in these environments is severely degraded which complicates coordination and information distribution. In this paper we focus on planning for mobility and communication in a cave exploration scenario where the situational awareness of a static base station is critical. We propose a notion of information-consistency where a plan itself is part of the information to be shared between robots, and propose a method for generating information-consistent plans. We discuss in detail how the resulting plan can be robustly implemented with minimal communication through local mission executives that run on individual robots. We describe preliminary results on the performance of the planning algorithm and integration of the local mission executives in a high-fidelity simulation environment.

Murray, Richard M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Radiation and Nuclear Technology in Planetary Cave Environments

Many technological and environmental challenges must be resolved to enable successful lunar habitation and exploration, and to maximize scientific return. This presentation is intended as a preliminary discussion on three such areas of interest with the intent to identify likely areas of mutual benefit for collaboration and data sharing between the space nuclear and radiological disciplines with the planetary cave community. First is the previously identified and studied possible application of lunar lava tubes or pits to reduce the solar and cosmic radiation environment burden on crew health and hardware reliability. This is an area of continued interest, and should be kept in the forefront of discussion during the selection of sites for potential exploration or long-term habitation. In theory, the prospect of using existing morphology presents an enticing opportunity to reduce the requirements on landed mass or construction while also reducing dose or fluence of harmful natural radiation. However, such discussions should also include the practical implications of relocating habitation hardware and personnel from a landing site to a subsurface location. Inherent risks associated with landing in proximity to the relevant terrain must also be considered and weighed against those imposed by the natural radiation environment. Second is a discussion on the means by which a long-term habitation module or base of operations may be powered throughout the lunar day-night cycle. Fission surface power presents an opportunity to establish round-the-clock power in any lunar surface environment, including permanently shadowed regions where solar panels cannot operate, or in any other non-polar region where solar radiation is available for no more than two weeks per four-week cycle. Among the drawbacks of fission surface power is the need to either land and co-locate a heavy shield to minimize radiological consequences to personnel or equipment, land and operate construction equipment capable of restructuring the in-situ regolith to provide appropriate shielding, or to make use of existing topology features (e.g. craters or pits) to serve as pre-formed radiation barriers. A realistic assessment of the practicality of this third option should involve the selection of candidate features from existing surveys, and assess the effectiveness of the approach using modern radiation transport methodologies. Consideration must be made for the needs to reject waste heat in the thermal power conversion process, which typically requires the use of large area radiators. Energy must be exchanged from the reactor and power conversion system to such radiators, and the impacts on thermal efficiency and secondary scatter of nuclear radiation must be considered. Further consideration should be made for the implications of placement of a power source such that it does not sacrifice valuable scientific opportunity. Placement of a reactor is likely to thereafter prevent personnel access within that feature. Third is a discussion on the use of portable radioisotope power systems (RPS) within confined spaces, both with respect to the dose effects of emitted nuclear radiation and also performance associated with emitted thermal radiation. Radioisotope power systems provide a unique capability to power objects with no reliance upon solar radiance. However, their useable power production relies upon the flow of heat from ‘hot side’ (decaying radioisotope) to ‘cold side’ (radiators emitting heat to space). In the case of a confined volume in vacuum such as a lunar lava tube, that radiated energy will absorb into the wall, which is already above the ‘cold background’ temperature of dark space, and then gradually rises in temperature. That temperature rise, and its implications on availability of useable electrical power, will depend upon factors such as enclosure volume, thermal emissivity/absorptivity, and thermal conductivity through the depth of absorbing media. The advantages of nuclear technology may prove to enable unique scientific exploration opportunities, both above the lunar surface and below. In turn, the unique advantages of lunar lava tubes or pits may present unique opportunities to enhance the application of these technologies and to mitigate the effects of radiation from both natural and technological sources. A discussion on these pairings may prove to be valuable to all, in our endeavor to explore our neighboring worlds.

Radiation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mobile LiDAR as a Tool for Terrestrial and Planetary Cave Exploration and Mapping

KNaCK (Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack) is a backpack-mounted mobile mapping system. It can map its surroundings in 3 dimensions and localize itself in space using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. The KNaCK team is leveraging caves as a proving ground to refine technology for mapping and navigation on other worlds while simultaneously advancing the State of the Art for terrestrial cave exploration and study.

LiDAR↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mobile Lidar as A Tool for Terrestrial and Planetary Cave Exploration and Mapping

The Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack (KNaCK) team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is developing tools that enable ultra-high resolution terrain mapping and navigation using mobile LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithms in fully GPS-denied and unilluminated environments [1,2]. The backpack mounted LiDAR instrument under development by our team demonstrates the potential of mobile SLAM LiDAR for use in challenging lunar and planetary surface environments as well as for lunar, planetary, and terrestrial cave exploration, study, and utilization.

Lunar Skylight↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mobile LiDAR as A Tool for Terrestrial and Planetary Cave Exploration and Mapping

The Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack (KNaCK) team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is developing tools that enable ultra-high resolution terrain mapping and navigation using mobile LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithms in fully GPS-denied and unilluminated environments. The backpack mounted LiDAR instrument under development by our team demonstrates the potential of mobile SLAM LiDAR for use in challenging lunar and planetary surface environments as well as for lunar, planetary, and terrestrial cave exploration, study, and utilization.

LiDAR↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Caves as Planetary Analogs for GPS Denied, Low-Light Mapping and Navigation in Rugged Environments

KNaCK (Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack) is a backpack-mounted mobile mapping system. It can map its surroundings in 3 dimensions and localize itself in space using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. The KNaCK team is leveraging caves as a proving ground to refine technology for mapping and navigation on other worlds while simultaneously advancing the State of the Art for terrestrial cave exploration and study.

LiDAR↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Caves as Planetary Analogs for GPS Denied, Low-Light Mapping and Navigation in Rugged Environments

KNaCK (Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack) is a backpack-mounted mobile mapping system. It can map its surroundings in 3 dimensions and localize itself in space using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. The KNaCK team is leveraging caves as a proving ground to refine technology for mapping and navigation on other worlds while simultaneously advancing the State of the Art for terrestrial cave exploration and study.

Relevant environment testing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Caves as Planetary Analogs for GPS Denied, Low-Light Mapping and Navigation in Rugged Environments

KNaCK (Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack) is a backpack-mounted mobile mapping system. It can map its surroundings in 3 dimensions and localize itself in space using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. The KNaCK team is leveraging caves as a proving ground to refine technology for mapping and navigation on other worlds while simultaneously advancing the State of the Art for terrestrial cave exploration and study.

LiDAR↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Caves as Planetary Analogs for GPS Denied, Low-Light Mapping and Navigation in Rugged Environments. Lightning Talk. LSIC 2023 Fall Meeting.

KNaCK (Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack) is a backpack-mounted mobile mapping system. It can map its surroundings in 3 dimensions and localize itself in space using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. The KNaCK team is leveraging caves as a proving ground to refine technology for mapping and navigation on other worlds while simultaneously advancing the State of the Art for terrestrial cave exploration and study.

Relevant environment testing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Caves as Terrestrial Analogs for Mapping and Exploration in Planetary Surface and Subsurface Environments.

The Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack (KNaCK) team is developing tools that will enable ultra-high resolution terrain mapping and navigation at the lunar surface. KNaCK uses mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms to operate in fully GPS-denied and unilluminated environments. Testing in relevant analogs is key to perfecting this technology for planetary applications. After utilizing desert and volcanic environments for multiple tests, the team is now using caves as an additional proving ground. Tests in terrestrial caves have demonstrated the potential of mobile SLAM LiDAR for use in challenging surface environments such as steep walled craters and permanently shadowed regions as well as for lunar, planetary, and terrestrial cave exploration, study, and utilization.

LiDAR↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack (KNaCK): Demonstrating SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) LiDAR as a Tool for Exploration and Mapping of Lunar Pits and Caves.

Renewed interest in deep space exploration has made establishing a persistent human presence on the Moon and eventually Mars a priority. Sustained habitation of the Moon will require in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and protection from radiation at the lunar surface. Lunar caves are of interest to the space community because they could provide shelter from radiation, access to water deposits, and a space for habitation, as well as hold information about the geology, volcanology, and evolution of the Moon. Developing the tools to explore, map, and characterize these voids is key to understanding the Moon as a planetary body and to establishing a permanent human presence there. Our team is currently developing tools that enable ultra-high resolution terrain mapping and navigation using mobile light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms in fully GPS-denied and no-light environments. 3D mapping with LiDAR and SLAM is relatively under-used, particularly in the context of planetary exploration and planetary analog environments. The backpack mounted LiDAR instrument currently under development by the KNaCK (Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack) team has demonstrated the potential of mobile SLAM LiDAR for lunar, planetary, and terrestrial cave exploration, study, and utilization. A description of the instrument and associated SLAM algorithms used for mapping in GPS-denied environments are referenced here.

LiDAR↗
NASA NTRS2014

Exploration of Planetary Skylights and Tunnels

While planetary pits and caves have been fiction for a century, they have been seen from orbit only in the last few years. These discoveries exceed the fantasies in diversity, scale, and abundance. For pits and caves, this is the age of discovery, ranging from a few pits on the Moon and Mars in 2009 to hundreds within the time of this research, with many more to come. Pits with subsurface voids have been confirmed on the Moon and Mars and indicated on Venus, Phobos, Eros, Gaspra, Ida, Enceladus, and Europa. Compelling next steps are surface and subsurface exploration.Pits and caves are opportunistic study targets for unique origins, geology, and climate that will broadly impact planetary science. Holes on Mars are of particular interest because their interior caves are relatively protected from the harsh surface, making them good candidates to contain Martian life. Pits are prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers. Caves and caverns could be ready-_made shelters for future Moon and Mars explorers and colonists. Discoveries to date look down from on high with satellites but cannot reveal the wonders of caves. They cannot enter, touch, or view pits up close. Genuine exploration is only achievable through surface missions. Robotic missions can assess suitability for safe entry and habitation, plus inform techniques for developing subsurface infrastructure.Missions into planetary voids redefine the future of exploration, science, and habitation beyond Earth. We can reach this future only by targeting specific technological advancement now. Prior missions and current roadmap priorities target regions of benign terrain. While in-cave concepts have been postulated, the critical technologies have not been identified and demonstrated.While robotic exploration of skylights and caves can seek out life, investigate geology and origins, and open the subsurface of other worlds to humankind, it is a daunting venture. Planetary voids present perilous terrain requiring innovative technologies for access, exploration, and modeling. These same technologies are broadly applicable to explorations of rough and/or subsurface planetary environments, including caves, craters, cliffs, and rock fields. This research speculates on the possibilities and means of such exploration with fundamental contributions to exploring, modeling, and visualizing this new class of large-scale, highly three-dimensional concave planetary features.

Whittaker, Red↗
NASA NTRS2012

Technologies Enabling Exploration of Skylights, Lava Tubes and Caves

Robotic exploration of skylights and caves can seek out life, investigate geology and origins, and open the subsurface of other worlds to humankind. However, exploration of these features is a daunting venture. Planetary voids present perilous terrain that requires innovative technologies for access, exploration, and modeling. This research developed technologies for venturing underground and conceived mission architectures for robotic expeditions that explore skylights, lava tubes and caves. The investigation identified effective designs for mobile robot architecture to explore sub-planetary features. Results provide insight into mission architectures, skylight reconnaissance and modeling, robot configuration and operations, and subsurface sensing and modeling. These are developed as key enablers for robotic missions to explore planetary caves. These results are compiled to generate "Spelunker", a prototype mission concept to explore a lunar skylight and cave. The Spelunker mission specifies safe landing on the rim of a skylight, tethered descent of a power and communications hub, and autonomous cave exploration by hybrid driving/hopping robots. A technology roadmap was generated identifying the maturation path for enabling technologies for this and similar missions.

Robot↗
NASA NTRS2016

Robots for Astrobiology!

The search for life and its study is known as astrobiology. Conducting that search on other planets in our Solar System is a major goal of NASA and other space agencies, and a driving passion of the community of scientists and engineers around the world. We practice for that search in many ways, from exploring and studying extreme environments on Earth, to developing robots to go to other planets and help us look for any possible life that may be there or may have been there in the past. The unique challenges of space exploration make collaborations between robots and humans essential. The products of those collaborations will be novel and driven by the features of wholly new environments. For space and planetary environments that are intolerable for humans or where humans present an unacceptable risk to possible biologically sensitive sites, autonomous robots or telepresence offer excellent choices. The search for life signs on Mars fits within this category, especially in advance of human landed missions there, but also as assistants and tools once humans reach the Red Planet. For planetary destinations where we do not envision humans ever going in person, like bitterly cold icy moons, or ocean worlds with thick ice roofs that essentially make them planetary-sized ice caves, we will rely on robots alone to visit those environments for us and enable us to explore and understand any life that we may find there. Current generation robots are not quite ready for some of the tasks that we need them to do, so there are many opportunities for roboticists of the future to advance novel types of mobility, autonomy, and bio-inspired robotic designs to help us accomplish our astrobiological goals. We see an exciting partnership between robotics and astrobiology continually strengthening as we jointly pursue the quest to find extraterrestrial life.

Robotics↗