Soumyo Dutta — Page 7 | Engineering Papers

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Shape Approximation in Camera Fields of View for Parachute Visibility Applications

The ability to simulate camera line of sight and field of view is a powerful capability for flight mechanics simulations. This paper improves upon an existing camera visibility implementation that leverages geometry to estimate parachute visibility from a singular point by introducing a shape discretization method. The new method approximates a shape as a set of analytical points relative to a target marker within any number of camera fields of view. The method is developed in such a way to be generalized to a myriad of spacecraft applications. This effort focuses on an implementation to simulate parachute canopy visibility within the combined field of view of three cameras but additional applications are discussed. Monte Carlo analysis is used to assess the parachute canopy visibility example and demonstrate its improved performance over the previous method.

Evan Roelke↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment-2 (ASPIRE2) Parachute Modeling and Flight Mechanics Performance

The Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment-2 (ASPIRE2) program is designed to test and qualify the supersonic parachute for the Mars entry, descent, and landing stage of the Mars Sample Return campaign. The ASPIRE2 test was planned for early 2026 and would have involved testing the parachute at deployments of Mach 2.1 and higher load conditions than previous Mars missions. The ASPIRE2 simulation builds upon a previous test framework from the ASPIRE tests in 2017-2018 used to qualify the Mars 2020 parachute, but due to new requirements, the modeling and simulation for ASPIRE2 has needed development and characterization of different sensitivities. This paper looks at the mission design as of mid-2024 and presents the trade space for qualifying the parachute in a dynamic environment.

Evan Roelke↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Onboard Autonomous Trajectory Planning for Mars Power Descent

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in space-qualified processors such as multi-core central processing units and graphics processing units that can withstand the adverse effects of space radiation. These processors can allow parallel programming to perform tasks that typically demand high computational power. One can study guidance schemes that can take advantage of these currently developing processors and provide more robust guidance. Software for Multi-model Autonomous Real-time Trajectories (SMART) guidance can identify robust trajectories by running an onboard Monte Carlo analysis. SMART guidance can take advantage of knowledge updates obtained from the onboard sensors, allowing it to consider the off-nominal cases that it would not typically encounter during the offline trajectory analysis. This work uses the SMART guidance for the powered divert at Mars simulation in Program to Optimize and Simulated Trajectories- II.

Pardha Sai Chadalavada↗

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Application of A Dual-Quaternion Six Degree-of-Freedom Guidance to Human-Scale Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing

Landing humans on Mars comes with many challenges, including the execution of a safe and precise entry, descent, and landing (EDL) sequence. Various NASA studies have shown that there are a variety of EDL guidance methods that potentially offer solutions to the human-scale EDL precision landing problem and work is ongoing to assess new and novel methods. As part of these ongoing studies, a dual-quaternion-based six degree-of-freedom guidance algorithm was implemented in the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2), a NASA-and industry-standard spacecraft trajectory and vehicle design tool. This algorithm considers both translational and rotational dynamics and casts the trajectory optimization problem as a quadratically constrained quadratic program (QCQP) with various constraints at discrete nodes throughout the trajectory. The QCQP problem is solved via an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) approach, and the output is a discretized optimal trajectory. The guidance is applied to a NASA reference human-scale Mars EDL system, and results are compared and discussed.

Optimization↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Entry, Descent, and Landing Simulation for DAVINCI

The Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging(DAVINCI) mission is currently scheduled to launch in June 2029 to explore Venus via two flybys and a probe descent scheduled for June 2031. The goals of this mission is to study the origin, evolution, and current state of Venus, especially the deep Venusian atmosphere using an atmospheric probe named Zephyr. The Zephyr will take key measurements in the deep atmosphere of Venus and be the first probe to take high-resolution aerial photographs of a mountainous tesserae surface as it descends over the Alpha Regio highlands region, which has the oldest surfaces of Venus. The Zephyr’s descent trajectory, which determines the flight over the Alpha Regio, is crucial to meet the science objectives of the DAVINCI mission. To ensure the success of the DAVINCI mission, the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) modeling has undergone several developments to track its trajectory, its uncertainties, and calculate metrics on the science data that can be transmitted. This paper will cover these developments and the current status of the EDL modeling.

davinci↗

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Desensitized Aerocapture Guidance

Mission design flexibility can be increased using an aerocapture maneuver to capture into an orbit around a planet from a hyperbolic trajectory. In past work, bang-bang control has been shown as an optimal guidance solution that minimizes the $\Delta{V}$ required to get into a desired orbit using bank modulation. This work revisits aerocapture using a bank modulation problem to search for an optimal solution using a direct collocation method. Previous studies have shown that aerocapture performance is sensitive to atmospheric density. In the literature, several studies have used a desensitized control approach to make the optimal guidance more robust to uncertainties in the model. To this end, this work aims to develop a desensitized aerocapture guidance robust to uncertainty in atmospheric density. Furthermore, this work compares the robustness of the open-loop desensitized aerocapture guidance with optimal aerocapture guidance with an aerocapture application at Earth.

Pardha Sai Chadalavada↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Aerocapture Solutions for Uranus Flagship-class Orbiter and Probe

Recent planetary mission assessments, such as the 2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey released by the National Academies of Science, have focused on the need for a flagship-class mission to the Ice Giant planets, particularly Uranus. The Uranus Orbit and Probe mission proposal was used by the National Academies of Science as the baseline while making its recommendation as the top flagship-class mission for NASA in the 2020-2030\'s. This mission which was based on a launch date of 2031 or 2032, used a fully-propulsive orbit insertion maneuver at Uranus (requiring 60-70% of total mass for propellant), and reached the planet after 13 years of interplanetary cruise before the 2049 equinox, a goal of the science community. A pre-2033 launch date is required to conduct a necessary Jupiter fly-by as the giant planet will be not be in the proper alignment for a later launch date. However, as the budget constraints of the NASA budget have pushed back the start date of a Uranus mission, a launch date of a flagship mission before 2033 seems unreasonable. Aerocapture, an orbit insertion maneuver that uses the atmosphere to decelerate, can reduce the propellant load needed for a captured orbit. Additionally, the aerocapture maneuver can decelerate safely while approaching the planet at higher arrival velocities, thus allowing a mission to use a highly energetic trajectory and reduce the cruise time by several years. An aerocapture-enabled solution has launch opportunities in the mid 2030's, including as late as 2038 to reach Uranus by 2049. This paper will discuss the feasibility of an aerocapture option for a Flagship-class mission to Uranus.

Soumyo Dutta↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Aerodynamics of a Uranus Aerocapture System Using a Mars-Heritage Entry Vehicle

Aerodynamic characteristics of an aerocapture system intended to deliver a flagship-class orbiter and probe planetary science mission to Uranus are presented. The aeroshell of the Mars Science Laboratory and Mars 2020 entry vehicles is proposed as a baseline for this system to reduce the amount of necessary technology development. Direct Simulation Monte Carlo and Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics solutions are used to characterize the aerodynamic performance of the Mars-heritage vehicle for aerocapture flight at Uranus. These results are incorporated into an aerodatabase for use in six degree-of-freedom trajectory studies and mission design. Updates are made to the Mars-heritage aerodynamic uncertainty model based on observations in the Uranus-specific computational data to ensure the model is conservatively bounding for the proposed flight space. Necessary modifications to the aeroshell for system packaging are found to have minimal effect on aerodynamic performance. The resulting aerodatabase and uncertainty model are used to show the existing Mars-heritage entry vehicles have sufficient aerodynamic performance to achieve required control margin for Uranus aerocapture.

Eli R Shellabarger↗

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Shadow Chaser: a SmallSat Mission Concept to Measure the Upper Atmosphere of Uranus from Earth Orbit, and Enabling Aerocapture Orbit Insertion Benefits for Uranus Orbiter and Probe

We present the latest design of the Shadow Chaser mission concept that will measure the upper atmosphere of Uranus from Earth orbit using the stellar occultation technique. Upcoming stellar occultations by Uranus represent valuable opportunities to prepare for a potential aerocapture orbit insertion to be incorporated in the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) Flagship mission, the highest-priority new mission recommended by the 2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. An aerocapture maneuver enables faster interplanetary trajectories that do not depend on Jupiter gravity assist, and offer annual launch windows for UOP. However, an aerocapture maneuver’s precision depends on a-priori knowledge of the upper atmosphere, which today primarily comes from the highly uncertain Voyager 2 stellar occultations recently shown to be inconsistent with ground-based occultation measurements during the same era. To improve upper atmospheric characterization, the Shadow Chaser will observe the occultations by Uranus on February 15, 2031, October 9, 2031 and February 6, 2032 from Earth orbit. Together with the occultation on April 8, 2025 (which we are planning to observe from the ground), these events represent the best opportunities to characterize the Uranian upper atmosphere before UOP arrival. We present the Shadow Chaser’s latest spacecraft and measurement design. We will also present results of analyses funded by NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate to establish the viability of aerocapture for UOP, quantify the benefits of reducing Uranian upper atmospheric uncertainties to improve the aerocapture design, and demonstrate that anticipated new stellar occultation data can be incorporated into the engineering design of aerocapture.

Uranus↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator Earth-based Applications

Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators technology has been developed by NASA to enable challenging entry, descent, and landing missions at various planetary destinations. In the last two decades, HIAD technology has been developed through a series of ground tests and flight tests, culminating in the 2022 Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator flight demonstration of a 6 m diameter vehicle from orbital velocities. Past studies have considered application of HIAD for human-scale missions, especially return from the Moon or human-class missions to Mars. However, recent commercial interest in the HIAD technology following LOFTID’s success shows HIAD applications are possible for cislunar return, Earth aerocapture, return from low Earth orbit, and even launch vehicle component recovery. This paper describes the flight performance range for these new, Earth-based applications.

Soumyo Dutta↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Aerocapture Solutions for Uranus Flagship-class Orbiter and Probe

Recent planetary mission assessments, such as the 2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey released by the National Academies of Science, have focused on the need for a flagship-class mission to the Ice Giant planets, particularly Uranus. The Uranus Orbit and Probe mission proposal was used by the National Academies of Science as the baseline while making its recommendation as the top flagship-class mission for NASA in the 2020-2030\'s. This mission which was based on a launch date of 2031 or 2032, used a fully-propulsive orbit insertion maneuver at Uranus (requiring 60-70% of total mass for propellant), and reached the planet after 13 years of interplanetary cruise before the 2049 equinox, a goal of the science community. A pre-2033 launch date is required to conduct a necessary Jupiter fly-by as the giant planet will be not be in the proper alignment for a later launch date. However, as the budget constraints of the NASA budget have pushed back the start date of a Uranus mission, a launch date of a flagship mission before 2033 seems unreasonable. Aerocapture, an orbit insertion maneuver that uses the atmosphere to decelerate, can reduce the propellant load needed for a captured orbit. Additionally, the aerocapture maneuver can decelerate safely while approaching the planet at higher arrival velocities, thus allowing a mission to use a highly energetic trajectory and reduce the cruise time by several years. An aerocapture-enabled solution has launch opportunities in the mid 2030's, including as late as 2038 to reach Uranus by 2049. This paper will discuss the feasibility of an aerocapture option for a Flagship-class mission to Uranus.

Soumyo Dutta↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

6-DoF Uranus Aerocapture Trajectory Analysis

The Uranus Orbiter and Probe mission has been identified as the highest priority flagship mission for this decade. Delays in launch opportunities may make existing fully-propulsive orbit insertion mission types unfeasible. Aerocapture can potentially alleviate these challenges while providing a solution flexible to different launch opportunities. While the space technology that aerocapture leverages have been flight-proven, aerocapture as-a-whole has not been formally demonstrated. This paper presents a novel 6-DoF aerocapture trajectory analysis applied to Uranus. The paper presents the 6-DoF simulation framework, inspired from Mars Science Laboratory. Trajectory comparisons, including Monte Carlo simulations, to existing 3-DoF solutions are presented to understand the information learned from increasing the modeling level-of-fidelity.

Aerocapture↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design Considerations for Aerocapture Delivery of Uranus Orbiter and Probe

This paper presents an aerocapture system design for delivering the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) subsystems to their science orbit using the Mars Science Laboratory architecture. A packaging and integration scheme are presented for UOP subsystems, with careful consideration of large components required for outer planet science missions (RTG power generation, RF communications). The implication of packaging multiple RTG’s inside an aeroshell during a multiple year cruise phase will be explained, with possible thermal design solutions to mitigate RTG waste heat analyzed. Mass properties and margins for the system are discussed and an overall mass risk assessment is presented for the entry system and total flight system at launch. Alternative vehicle configurations are explored to include multiple probes and enable science objectives during transit to Uranus. Aerocapture mass savings when compared to the baseline UOP design are presented.

Aerocapture↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Onboard Navigation Error Analysis for Aerocapture at Uranus

Capturing into an orbit around Uranus using aerocapture allows one to design a mission with faster interplanetary trajectories and less propellant requirements. Such an aerocapture mission would rely on the onboard Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) subsystems to successfully capture into an orbit around Uranus. Uncertainty in the state information and the noise in the sensor measurements induce navigation errors in the guidance and control subsystems, which can affect the overall performance of the aerocapture mission at Uranus. Understanding the effect of these navigation errors on mission performance is essential. To this end, this work considers different sensors with varying quality to understand their impact on the overall mission performance. In addition, this paper studies the impact of the uncertainty in the initial states used to initialize the onboard navigation filter and understands their effect on mission performance. This paper also shows the onboard navigation errors obtained from the Linear Covariance (LinCov) analysis and uses them for verification and validation (V\&V) of the results from Program to Optimize and Simulate Trajectories-II (POST2).

Aerocapture↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

OSIRIS-REx Entry, Descent, and Landing Performance

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) was the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program. OSIRIS-REx launched out of Cape Canaveral, Florida on September 8, 2016, with a science goal to return a minimum of 60 g of a primitive asteroid’s surface, specifically the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample return capsule (SRC) successfully touched down at UTTR on the morning of September 24, 2023. The entry, descent, and landing (EDL) sequence had an off-nominal deployment of the parachute, but the spacecraft safely landed within the pre-flight prediction of the landing ellipse and the payload was safely recovered. This paper discusses the pre-flight EDL modeling and simulation and focus on predictions for EDL operations. Flight observations such as timeline are compared to the predicted timeline produced by the EDL simulation.

EDL↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Guidance Performance of Bank-Angle and Alpha-Beta Steering for A Large Robotic Mars Entry Vehicle

Entry performance using Apollo-based entry guidance is assessed with a future entry system for a large robotic payload. Both a traditional bank-angle steering system and an innovative alpha-beta steering concept are considered to compare flight performance. Results indicate alpha-beta steering provides an order of magnitude improvement in crossrange error and mean altitudes up to 1 km higher than bank-angle steering. Results also show alpha-beta steering provides downrange errors with a spread half of that of bank-angle steering. Lastly, alpha-beta steering is found to provide a narrower spread of terminal altitude, Mach number, and dynamic pressure, indicating safer parachute deploy conditions.

Daniel L Engel↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment-2 (ASPIRE2) Parachute Modeling and Flight Mechanics Performance

The Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment-2 (ASPIRE2) program is designed to test and qualify the supersonic parachute for the Mars entry, descent, and landing stage of the Mars Sample Return campaign. The ASPIRE2 test was planned for early 2026 and would have involved testing the parachute at deployments of Mach 2.1 and higher load conditions than previous Mars missions. The ASPIRE2 simulation builds upon a previous test framework from the ASPIRE tests in 2017-2018 used to qualify the Mars 2020 parachute, but due to new requirements, the modeling and simulation for ASPIRE2 has needed development and characterization of different sensitivities. This paper looks at the mission design as of mid-2024 and presents the trade space for qualifying the parachute in a dynamic environment.

Evan Roelke↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Shape Approximation in Camera Fields of View for Parachute Visibility Applications

The ability to simulate camera line of sight and field of view is a powerful capability for flight mechanics simulations. This paper improves upon an existing camera visibility implementation that leverages geometry to estimate parachute visibility from a singular point by introducing a shape discretization method. The new method approximates a shape as a set of analytical points relative to a target marker within any number of camera fields of view. The method is developed in such a way to be generalized to a myriad of spacecraft applications. This effort focuses on an implementation to simulate parachute canopy visibility within the combined field of view of three cameras but additional applications are discussed. Monte Carlo analysis is used to assess the parachute canopy visibility example and demonstrate its improved performance over the previous method.

Evan Roelke↗