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Varsi, Giulio

Publications and source records attributed to Varsi, Giulio.

10 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Solar System Exploration Technology Requirements and Planning Process

The NASA Office of Space Science, in alliance with the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology, has developed an Integrated Technology Strategy to guide its investment in technology for space science missions. This strategy establishes goals and strategic objectives that ensure that NASA and the nation derive the greatest possible scientific and economic benefits from investments in space science missions and technologies. Within the Office of Space Science, the Solar System Exploration Division in collaboration with the Office of Space Access and Technology, is developing a Technology Plan to implement these goals and to identify specific goals and to identify specific technology needs for solar system missions. This paper describes the philosophy, processes, and preliminary results of the systematic process being established for the identification and prioritization of solar system exploration technology needs.

space↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mission operations technology

Developments in the area of spacecraft operations are examined that can be utilized in mission and spacecraft designs to enhance the efficiency of planetary and other mission operations. The technology enhancements described address four major systems: the spacecraft, the tracking and data system, the spaceflight operations center, and the flight projects. Specific technological advances are detailed in the areas of telemetry monitoring and fault analysis, scheduling systems, and scientific data analysis. The Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype and the Engineering Analysis Subsystem Environment can provide real-time monitoring and analysis with limited workforce resources. The Multimission Automation for Real-time Verification of Spacecraft Engineering Link, the Operation Mission Planner, and the Sky Image Classification and Archiving Tool are other examples of systems developed by NASA that enhance operations technology by reducing the need for human input.

Varsi, Giulio↗
NASA NTRS1991

Micro-technology for planetary exploration and education

The use of combined miniaturization technology and distributed information systems in planetary exploration is discussed. Missions in which teams of microrovers collect samples from planetary surfaces are addressed, emphasizing the ability of rovers to provide coverage of large areas, reliability through redundancy, and participation of a large group of investigators. The latter could involve people from a variety of institutions, increasing the opportunity for wide education and the increased interest of society in general in space exploration. A three-phase program to develop the present approach is suggested.

Miller, David P.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Next-generation in-situ science concepts and technology

This paper discusses the concepts of a next-generation in situ science program, named Sample Acquisition, Analysis, and Preservation (SAAP), established by NASA to develop critical technologies for remote identification, acquisition, processing, analysis, and preservation of materials for the in situ science, engineering characterization, and earth return. Special attention is given to the SAAP architecture, system design, remote sensing system, sample acquisition system, and methods for sample analysis. A diagram of the SAAP preliminary system conceptual design is included.

Muirhead, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1989

Planetary Rover local navigation and hazard avoidance

A Planetary Rover will have to be able to navigate through its local environment autonomously, due to communication delays. This implies that the vehicle must be able to sense its environment, plan a course through that environment, and react appropriately to unexpected situations as they appear. All this must be done while guiding the vehicle toward the goals that have been given to it from its operators on the earth. This paper describes research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory which concentrates on the sensing, perception, planning and execution monitoring that must be carried out by the rover to ensure that a safe and efficient path is found by the rover, and that that path is performed correctly.

Miller, David P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Advances in space robotics

The problem of the remote control of space operations is addressed by identifying the key technical challenge: the management of contact forces and the principal performance parameters. Three principal classes of devices for remote operation are identified: anthropomorphic exoskeletons, computer aided teleoperators, and supervised telerobots. Their fields of application are described, and areas in which progress has reached the level of system or subsystem laboratory demonstrations are indicated. Key test results, indicating performance at a level useful for design tradeoffs, are reported.

Varsi, Giulio↗
NASA NTRS1988

Telerobotics for the efficient utilization of space

Telerobotics is a new technology that is being developed to perform remote manipulation in space. It seeks to accommodate the needs arising from a rapidly increasing investment in space assets and from the large costs deriving from human operations in space, especially EVA. Telerobotics applies advanced automation and artificial intelligence technology and combines the immediacy of execution of teleoperation (the replication at a distance of the physical motions of the operator) with the efficiency and precision of supervised robotic autonomy (the accomplishment of assignments through machine task decomposition and interpretation of sensor information). One of the key goals of this approach is the achievement of a seamless transition between teleoperation and supervised autonomy. The basis of this technology and of the NASA telerobotics research and development activities are described. They consist of five elements: core research, laboratory integration testbed, mission analysis, application demonstrations and flight experiments. Current advances, both in research and system integration are reported including the first integration of the laboratory testbed and quantitative comparisons obtained in a buoyant facility. Planned future goals are outlined.

Varsi, Giulio↗
NASA NTRS1988

Space station as a vital focus for advancing the technologies of automation and robotics

A major guideline for the design of the U.S. Space Station is that the Space Station address a wide variety of functions. These functions include the servicing of unmanned assets in space, the support of commercial labs in space and the efficient management of the Space Station itself; the largest space asset. The technologies of Automation and Robotics have the promise to help in reducing Space Station operating costs and to achieve a highly efficient use of the human in space. The use of advanced automation and artificial intelligence techniques, such as expert systems, in Space Station subsystems for activity planning and failure mode management will enable us to reduce dependency on a mission control center and could ultimately result in breaking the umbilical link from Earth to the Space Station. The application of robotic technologies with advanced perception capability and hierarchical intelligent control to servicing system will enable the servicing of assets either in space or in situ with a high degree of human efficiency. The results of studies leading toward the formulation of an automation and robotics plan for Space Station development are presented.

Varsi, Giulio↗
NASA NTRS1987

NASA's Telerobotics R & D Program - Status and future directions

NASA's telerobotics technology program is described as well as the process for the transfer of this technology to the Space Station, and some of the implications of the technology for station design and operations, including those for international cooperation. A diagram is presented of the NASREM control heirarchy with the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology telerobot testbed architecture superimposed. In telerobotics, the following areas were identified as possible subjects for developing data to support international standards: (1) task boards, (2) system performance measures on task boards, (3) human performance measures on task boards with teleoperation, and (4) autonomous-telerobotic-teleoperated performance comparisons.

Pivirotto, Donna Shirley↗