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At least 289 records · Page 16
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NASA NTRS2018

A Discussion of Integrated Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization Architectures for Mars Surface Missions

Life support on the International Space Station is made possible by a combination of technologies to ensure the availability of clean water and air for the crew. Resources, including water and oxygen, are partially recovered and recycled; the balance is lost as waste either to space or incinerated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Frequent resupply cargo is provided to ISS to replace these lost resources. For missions beyond Low Earth Orbit, resupply becomes increasingly challenging both economically and logistically. To limit the need for these resupply missions, three options are available: increase the recovery and recycling of necessary materials, leverage in situ resources available for a given mission, or a combination of both. Here we discuss several basic life support and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) architectures, identify common technologies, propose possible integrated architectures, identify benefits of and challenges to varying levels of life support and ISRU integration, and discuss several considerations for technology commonality, dis-similar redundancy, and developmental overlap.

Abney, Morgan B.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Data Collection and Analysis Software Development for Rotor Dynamics Testing in Spin Laboratory

Gas turbine engine components undergo high rotational loading another complex environmental conditions. Such operating environment leads these components to experience damages and cracks that can cause catastrophic failure during flights. There are traditional crack detections and health monitoring methodologies currently being used which rely on periodic routine maintenances, nondestructive inspections that often times involve engine and components dis-assemblies. These methods do not also offer adequate information about the faults, especially, if these faults at subsurface or not clearly evident. At NASA Glenn research center, the rotor dynamics laboratory is presently involved in developing newer techniques that are highly dependent on sensor technology to enable health monitoring and prediction of damage and cracks in rotor disks. These approaches are noninvasive and relatively economical. Spin tests are performed using a subscale test article mimicking turbine rotor disk undergoing rotational load. Non-contact instruments such as capacitive and microwave sensors are used to measure the blade tip gap displacement and blade vibrations characteristics in an attempt develop a physics based model to assess/predict the faults in the rotor disk. Data collection is a major component in this experimental-analytical procedure and as a result, an upgrade to an older version of the data acquisition software which is based on LabVIEW program has been implemented to support efficiently running tests and analyze the results. Outcomes obtained from the tests data and related experimental and analytical rotor dynamics modeling including key features of the updated software are presented and discussed.

Rotor Dynamics↗
NASA NTRS2018

Pre-Flight Training of Autonomic Responses for Mitigating the Effects of Spatial Disorientation During Spaceflight

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has identified a potential risk of spatial disorientation, motion sickness, and degraded performance to astronauts during re-entry and landing of the proposed Orion crew vehicle. The purpose of this study was to determine if a physiological training procedure, Autogenic-Feedback Training Exercise (AFTE), can mitigate these adverse effects. Fourteen men and six women were assigned to two groups (AFTE, no-treatment Control) matched for motion sickness susceptibility and gender. All subjects received a standard rotating chair test to determine motion sickness susceptibility; three training sessions on a manual performance task; and four exposures in the rotating chair (Orion tests) simulating angular accelerations of the crew vehicle during re-entry. AFTE subjects received 2 hours of training before Orion tests 2, 3, and 4. Motion sickness symptoms, task performance, and physiological measures were recorded on all subjects. Results showed that the AFTE group had significantly lower symptom scores when compared to Controls on test 2 (p=.05), test 3 (p=.03), and test 4 (p=.02). Although there were no significant group differences on task performance, trends showed that AFTE subjects were less impaired than Controls. Heart rate change scores (20 revolutions per minute minus baseline) of AFTE subjects indicated significantly less reactivity on Test 4 compared to Test 1 (10.09 versus 16.59, p=.02), while Controls did not change significantly across tests. Results of this study indicate that AFTE may be an effective countermeasure for mitigating spatial dis-orientation and motion sickness in astronauts.

Orion↗
NASA NTRS2014

MSL Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation: Return on Investment

On Aug 5, 2012 the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) suite on MSL entry vehicle heatshield suc-cessfully returned surface pressure and in-depth temperature data.1,2 The MEDLI data has given scientists and engineers an unprecedented ability to reconstruct entry environment, atmospheric density, and flight trajectory, and flight validation of predic-tions vehicle aerodynamics and thermal protection system (TPS) performance. This presentation will dis-cuss key findings from MEDLI, some of which are being applied to improve definition of aerothermal environment and TPS sizing margins for existing NASA entry missions. The postflight analysis has shown that a significant thermal protection mass saving upon redesign is possible for an MSL-class vehicle. The success of MEDLI has also demonstrated and qualified robust flight instrumentation technologies at very low risk to the mission. The potential benefits of MEDLI to planetary exploration and sample return missions, as well as to exploration class missions to Mars will be presented.

MEDLI↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Exo-Brake as an Inexpensive Means of Achieving Sample Return from Low Earth Orbit – Recent Flight

The Exo-Brake is a simple, non-propulsive means of deorbiting small pay-loads from orbital platforms such as the Inter-national Space Station (ISS). Recent flight experiments involving the TechEdSat (TES) 6, 7, 8 are discussed in terms of both ‘targeted’ and ‘disposal’ de-orbit techniques. These build on the previous flight experiments with fixed surface areas – and now involve improved uplink/downlink communication and GPS for improved targeting and control. The recent targeting experiments are dis-cussed involving the TechEdSat-6,7,8 nanosatellites. The extension of the concept to a 1-stage, 3-stage, and lifting entry sample re-turn system are discussed.

Murbach, Marcus S.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Pulsed Plasma Acceleration Modeling in Detonation and Deflagration Modes

Gas-fed electromagnetic pulsed plasma accelerators discharge electrical energy into a gas to ionize and electromagnetically accelerate propellant in the domain. Efforts to model pulsed accelerators have either assumed that the discharge is short and completely transient, accelerating the gas by entraining it in a moving current sheet, or that the discharge is relatively long, establishing a stable quasi-steady current distribution pattern that accelerates a plasma flowing through it. There have been pulsed plasma accelerator tests that appear to fit somewhere between these two bounds, exhibiting some properties that are associated with the purely transient devices while also showing others that are associated with quasi-steady-state plasma acceleration. A model is presented based upon the premise that all pulsed plasma accelerators first form an accelerating current sheet (detonation mode accelerator). Depending upon the pulse length and the gas conditions in the dis- charge channel, the plasma sheet may reach the end of the accelerator before the discharge has completed a full half-cycle, wherein the proposed model transitions to a quasi-steady description of the acceleration process (deflagration mode accelerator). A review of the entire model is presented, highlighting improvements and upgrades implemented to aid in the stability of the numerical scheme used to model the gas flow in the channel and an improved treatment of current sheet mass shedding, which adds gas to the wake of the sheet. The assumptions employed to model the transition from detonation to deflagration mode are presented and used to generate solutions to the governing equations. The modeling of the deflagration-mode under the present assumptions results in very low deflagration impulse bits relative to those obtained at the end of the detonation mode, implying that the present assumptions and modeling of the deflagration mode may not represent a fruitful approach.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Pulsed Plasma Acceleration Modeling in Detonation and Deflagration Modes

Gas-fed electromagnetic pulsed plasma accelerators discharge electrical energy into a gas to ionize and electromagnetically accelerate propellant in the domain. Efforts to model pulsed accelerators have either assumed that the discharge is short and completely tran- sient, accelerating the gas by entraining it in a moving current sheet, or that the discharge is relatively long, establishing a stable quasi-steady current distribution pattern that accel- erates a plasma flowing through it. There have been pulsed plasma accelerator tests that appear to fit somewhere between these two bounds, exhibiting some properties that are associated with the purely transient devices while also showing others that are associated with quasi-steady-state plasma acceleration. A model is presented based upon the premise that all pulsed plasma accelerators first form an accelerating current sheet (detonation mode accelerator). Depending upon the pulse length and the gas conditions in the dis- charge channel, the plasma sheet may reach the end of the accelerator before the discharge has completed a full half-cycle, wherein the proposed model transitions to a quasi-steady description of the acceleration process (deflagration mode accelerator). A review of the entire model is presented, highlighting improvements and upgrades implemented to aid in the stability of the numerical scheme used to model the gas flow in the channel and an im- proved treatment of current sheet mass shedding, which adds gas to the wake of the sheet. The assumptions employed to model the transition from detonation to deflagration mode are presented and used to generate solutions to the governing equations. The modeling of the deflagration-mode under the present assumptions results in very low deflagration im- pulse bits relative to those obtained at the end of the detonation mode, implying that the present assumptions and modeling of the deflagration mode may not represent a fruitful approach.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

TPSAS-NF1676L-17783-DND

The ASDC, in its role as an EOS-DIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) DAAC (Distributed Active Archive Center) has made substantial improvements to the way in which data is delivered. The architecture has been developed, in response to emerging customer needs to support multiple paths for access.

Tiffany Mathews↗
NASA NTRS2020

Satellite-based remote sensing data set of global surface water storage change from 1992 to 2018

The recent availability of freely and openly available satellite remote sensing products has enabled the implementation of global surface water monitoring at a level not previously possible. Here we present a global set of satellite-derived time series of surface water storage variations for lakes and reservoirs for a period that covers the satellite altimetry era. Our goals are to promote the use of satellite-derived products for the study of large inland water bodies and to set the stage for the expected availability of products from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, which will vastly expand the spatial coverage of such products,expected from 2021 on. Our general strategy is to estimate global surface water storage changes (1V) in large lakes and reservoirs using a combination of paired water surface elevation (WSE) and water surface area (WSA)extent products. Specifically, we use data produced by multiple satellite altimetry missions (TOPEX/Poseidon,Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3, and Envisat) from 1992 on, with surface extent estimated from Terra/Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) from 2000 on. We leverage relationships between elevation and surface area (i.e., hypsometry) to produce estimates of 1 Veven during periods when either of the variables was not available. This approach is successful provided that there are strong relationships between the two variables during an overlapping period. Our target is to produce time series of1Vas well as of WSE and WSA fora set of 347 lakes and reservoirs globally for the 1992–2018 period. The data sets presented and their respective algorithm theoretical basis documents are publicly available and distributed via the Physical Oceanography Dis-tributed Active Archive Center (PO DAAC; https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/, last access: 13 May 2020) of NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory. Specifically, the WSE data set is available at https://doi.org/10.5067/UCLRS-GREV2(Birkett et al., 2019), the WSA data set is available at https://doi.org/10.5067/UCLRS-AREV2 (Khandelwal and Kumar, 2019), and the 1V data set is available at https://doi.org/10.5067/UCLRS-STOV2 (Tortini et al., 2019).The records we describe represent the most complete global surface water time series available from the launch of TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992 (beginning of the satellite altimetry era) to the near present. The production of long-term, consistent, and calibrated records of surface water cycle variables such as in the data set presented here is of fundamental importance to baseline future SWOT products

Riccardo Tortini↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Launch System Departure Trajectory Analysis for Cislunar and Deep-Space Exploration

The Space Launch System will insert Orion into different orbits for Artemis I and Artemis II. The Artemis program has considerations beyond the immediate mission of inserting Orion into its desired trajectory. Primarily, following separation from Orion, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage must be safely dis-posed, and another is that secondary payloads will be deployed only after Orion separation to ensure safety of the primary mission. The first consideration (ICPS disposal) constrains the latter (secondary payload trajectories). In this paper, we give an overview of the constraints and opportunities provided by Artemis missions for secondary payloads within the Earth-Moon system and beyond.

Andrew F Heaton↗
NASA NTRS2021

PatchworkWave: A Multipatch Infrastructure for Multiphysics/Multiscale/Multiframe/Multimethod Simulations at Arbitrary Order

We present an extension of the PatchworkMHD code [1], itself an MHD-capable extension of thePatch-workcode [2], for which several algorithms presented here were co-developed. Its purpose is to create a“multipatch” scheme compatible with numerical simulations of arbitrary equations of motion at any dis-cretization order in space and time. In thePatchworkframework, the global simulation is comprised of anarbitrary number of moving, local meshes, or “patches”, which are free to employ their own resolution, co-ordinate system/topology, physics equations, reference frame, and in our new approach, numerical method.Each local patch exchanges boundary data with a single global patch on which all other patches residethrough a client-router-server parallelization model. In generalizingPatchworkto be compatible witharbitrary order time integration,PatchworkMHDandPatchworkWavehave significantly improved theinterpatch interpolation accuracy by removing an interpolation of interpolated data feedback present in theoriginalPatchworkcode. Furthermore, we extendPatchworkto bemultimethodby allowing multiplestate vectors to be updated simultaneously, with each state vector providing its own interpatch interpolationand transformation procedures. As such, our scheme is compatible with nearly any set of hyperbolic partialdifferential equations. We demonstrate our changes through the implementation of a scalar wave toy-modelthat is evolved on arbitrary, time dependent patch configurations at 4th order accuracy.

Dennis B Bowen↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Xenoliths and Strange Cognate Lithologies – Or What the Heck is That?

Meteorites provide us with an unrepresentative sampling of the early solar system, but this problem can be partially remedied by exploiting the presence of small unusual pieces of cognate and foreign clasts found within meteorite regolith breccias (the latter being xenoliths). The xenoliths provide the opportunity to characterize a wide range of otherwise unsampled primitive small bodies. The cognate clasts (including the Dark Inclusions (DIs) found in CV and CR chondrites) reveal details of asteroidal evolution not recorded by the bulk of these meteorites.

M. Zolensky↗
NASA NTRS2017

CARACaS multi-agent maritime autonomy for unmanned surface vehicles in the Swarm II harbor patrol demonstration

This paper describes new autonomy technology that enabled a team of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to execute cooperative behaviors in the USV Swarm II harbor patrol demonstration and provides a description of autonomy performance in the event. The new developments extend the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing) autonomy architecture, which pro- vides foundational software infrastructure, core executive functions, and several default robotic technology mod- ules. In Swarm II, CARACaS demonstrated higher levels of autonomy and more complex cooperation than previous on-water exercises, using full-sized vehicles and real-world sensing and communication. The core au- tonomous behaviors to support the harbor patrol scenario included Patrol, Track, Inspect, and Trail, providing the capability of finding all vessels entering the patrol area, keeping track of them, inspecting them to infer intent, and trailing suspect vessels. Significantly, CARACaS assumed responsibility for not only executing tasks safely and efficiently but also recognizing what tasks needed to be accomplished, given the current state of the world. Since the heterogeneous USV teams shared world model that evolved, such as due to (dis)appearance of vessels in the area or a change in health or availability of a USV, CARACaS replanned to generate and reallocate the new task list. Thus, human intervention was never required in the loop to task USVs during mission execution, though a supervisory role was supported in the autonomy system for mission monitoring and exception handling. Finally, CARACaS also ensured the USVs avoided hazards and obeyed the applicable rules of the road, using its local motion planning modules.

Sandoval, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2020

Evaluation of AUV Search Strategies for the Localization of Hydrothermal Venting

Ocean Worlds represent one of the best chances for the dis- covery of extra-terrestrial life within our own solar system, particularly near sources of hydrothermal venting. To study the oceans on Ocean Worlds will require a new type of mis- sion to penetrate the icy shell, deploy an autonomous under- water vehicle (AUV), and travel potentially hundreds of kilo- both inspired by (Burian et al. 1996). We have improved a meters with minimal contact to Earth based operations teams. previously-developed nested search strategy (Branch et al. To maximize the science return, the AUV would need to be capable of fully autonomously locating and studying scien- tific features of interest. We have developed two strategies to locate sources of hydrothermal venting: a gradient ascent strategy and a greedy transect search strategy. We have im- proved a previously-implemented nested search strategy by adding a vertical search component. Each strategy is tested in a hydrothermal plume dispersion simulation. We compare the effectiveness of each method in this environment.

Seewald, Jeffrey S.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Spin State and Moment of Inertia of Venus

Fundamental properties of the planet Venus, such as its internal mass dis-tribution and variations in length of day, have remained unknown. We usedEarth-based observations of radar speckles tied to the rotation of Venus ob-tained in 2006–2020 to measure its spin axis orientation, spin precession rate,moment of inertia, and length-of-day variations. Venus is tilted by 2.6392±0.0008 degrees (1σ) with respect to its orbital plane. The spin axis precessesat a rate of 44.58±3.3 arcseconds per year (1σ), which gives a normalized mo-ment of inertia of 0.337±0.024 and yields a rough estimate of the size of thecore. The average sidereal day on Venus in the 2006–2020 interval is 243.0226±0.0013 Earth days (1σ). The spin period of the solid planet exhibits variationsof 61 ppm (∼20 minutes) with a possible diurnal or semidiurnal forcing. Thelength-of-day variations imply that changes in atmospheric angular momentumof at least∼4% are transferred to the solid planet.

Jean-Luc Margot↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Aeroelastic Trim Drag Optimization of Mach 0.8 TransonicTruss-Braced Wing Aircraft with Variable Camber ContinuousTrailing Edge Flap

This paper presents an aeroelastic trim drag optimization study of the Mach 0.8 Tran-sonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) aircraft with the Variable Camber Continuous TrailingEdge Flap (VCCTEF). An aero-structural analysis solver VSPAERO with transonic small dis-turbance, integral boundary-layer, and wing-strut interference corrections coupled to modeshapes computed by NASTRAN using the Galerkin method is developed to provide a rapidaircraft aeroelastic performance evaluation. Aeroelastic trim drag optimization studies areconducted for a VCCTEF configuration with 6-spanwise sections. Three different flight condi-tions corresponding to Mach 0.8 are selected for the aeroelastic trim drag optimization at thedesign and off-design cruise lift coefficients. The preliminary optimization results show thatthe TTBW aircraft with the optimized VCCTEF deflection achieves a drag reduction of about 9.2 counts, 9.6 counts, and 12.3 counts corresponding to the lift coefficients 0.661, 0.695, and0.729, respectively. When accounting for the actuator weight penalty, the corresponding dragreductions are 1.77%, 1.82%, 2.41%. A high-fidelity CFD solver FUN3D is used to validatethe aeroelastic trim drag optimization.

Aeroelastic trim drag↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Error Sources and Mitigation Strategies for Thermocouples Integrated in Flexible Thermal Protection System Materials

Brief Presenter Biography:Ruth Miller is an aer-ospace systems engineer in the Entry Systems and Ve-hicle Development Branch at NASA Ames Research Center.Introduction:The flexible thermal protection sys-tem (FTPS) on NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) vehicle will be in-strumented with thermocouples (TCs) to measure the in-depth thermal response during entry into Earth’s atmos-phere[1, 2]. Accurate flight temperature measurements are critical for verifying vehicle performance during the flight test and reducing uncertainties in the thermal models.However,the deployable nature of inflatable decelerator technology presents challengesfor integrat-ing TCs, specifically the TCsneed to be compactableand cannot damage the FTPSnor the inflatable structure(IS).Unlike traditional rigid aeroshells, routing TCsthrough the thickness of the FTPS could cause signifi-cant damage during packing of the deployable aeroshellbecause the different layers may shift small amounts in relation to each other imparting strain on the TCsand FTPS materials. The LOFTID TCleads are routed from the measurement location back to the data acquisition system in the vehicle centerbody within the same FTPS layer that they are monitoring the temperature. This ap-proach eliminates the need to put holes in the FTPS lay-ers,butas a consequence,the insulated TCleads travel for an appreciable distance through a region that will expose them to high temperaturesand large thermal gra-dients.LOFTID’s TCswere baselined to be commercially available Type K TCswith a binder impregnated glass braid insulation. These TCswere chosen because they had been used successfully on IRVE-3 and in ground-based arc jet testing. Additionally, these TCsdid notdamage the FTPS nor IS during packing and deploy-ment testing. However, the glass braid insulation is only rated to a maximum continuous use temperature of 482ºC. For reference, the duration of the heat pulse on the LOFTID vehicle is on the order of minutes and themaximum predicted temperaturebeneaththe outermost FTPS layersis 1350ºC.Ground-based testing in a tube furnace at NASA Ames Research Centerwas conducted to determine if the baseline TCsrouted through FTPS samples would survive and provide accurate temperature measure-mentsat LOFTID flight-relevant temperatures[3].The test results showed large measurement errors occurred beginning at approximately 400°C due to conductive deposits on the TCinsulation electrically shorting the TCleads.The conductive deposits and thus electrical shorting weredetermined to be caused by twoerror sources:1.The organic binder on the TCinsulation carbon-izingin a high temperature, low oxygen envi-ronment2.Decomposition products from the FTPSperme-atingthe braided TC insulationFurther testing in the tube furnace demonstrated that heat cleaning the TCinsulation effectivelyremovedthe organic binder andeliminatedthe first error source.The second error sourcewas shown to be mitigated by the addition of amica wraparound each individual TCleadtoact as an impermeable barrier.To understand the applicability of theground-based tube furnace test results to flight,anarc jet testseriesat Boeing’s Large Core Arc Tunnel (LCAT) facilitywas conducted[4].The error sourcesand mitigation strate-giesidentified in the tube furnace testing were substan-tiatedin the arc jet testing.However, the arc jet testing also revealed three new error sources:1.Glass TCinsulation meltingwhich resultsin electrical shorting of the TCeither through di-rect contact between the two leads or through the electrically conductive FTPS materials2.TCwire meltingwhich results in a noisy and/or open-loop TCresponse3.Type K TCwire green-rotwhich results in large calibration errors Scope of the Presentation:This presentation will include a brief discussion onthe effect of electrical shorting on the output of a TC(i.e. how to identify elec-trical shorting in TCdataand what the associated erroris).The tube furnace and arc jet test resultswill be dis-cussedand the solutions LOFTID is implementing to mitigate the error sourcesidentified in the tube furnace and arc jet testingwill be presented.Additionally, futureresearch and development work to eliminateTCerror sourcesfor future missionswill be recommended.

R A Miller↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Moon Trek Portal: New Capabilities Supporting Mission Planning and Engagement

Introduction: NASA’s Moon Trek (https://trek.nasa.gov/moon/) is one of a growing number of interactive, browser-based, online portals for planetary data visualization and analysis produced by NASA’s Solar System Treks Project (SSTP). Moon Trek continues to be enhanced with new data and new capabilities enabling it to facilitate the planning and conducting of upcoming lunar missions by NASA, its commercial partners, and its international partners, as well as advancing its role as a valuable outreach tool. A Comprehensive Online Web Portal: Developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and managed as a project of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) at NASA Ames Research Center, Moon Trek is a browser-based web portal. The portal provides easy-to-use tools for browsing, data layering, data product blending, and feature search among thousands of data products covering topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, geology, and much more. Visualizations are provided in var-ious map projections, interactive 3D viewing, and in virtual reality. Using an in-house stereo workflow, SSTP is able to produce new NAC-based high-resolution mosaics and DEMs. Diverse Applications for Lunar Exploration: Baseline analytic tools available to all users include dis-tance measurement, elevation profiling, sun angle calculation, and 3D print file generation. More advanced account-level tools allow users to perform more computationally intensive analyses. These include ray-traced lighting analysis for user-specified areas over user-specified time/date ranges and time intervals, electro-static surface potential analysis, subsetting of large data products, slope analysis, and Lunar Laser Ranging geometry calculation. Artificial intelligence (AI) and ma-chine learning (ML) based tools have been implemented for crater detection and hazard analysis, boulder detection and hazard analysis, and rockfall detection. New Tools Facilitating Exploration: Additional, new tools have recently been added and others are in development, offering even greater functionality in con-ducting analyses of potential landing sites and areas of surface operations. The new Line-of-Sight tool facilitates communications planning between locations on the lunar surface, between any given site on the lunar surface and a specified ground station on the Earth, and between a site on the lunar surface and a relay asset in lunar orbit, all taking into account local lunar topography. The new Data Plotter tool provides both tabular and graphical representations of pixel values along a user specified path for a growing number of data products. The new NAC Finder tool will identify and pro-vide access to NAC images that intersect a user-defined path or bounded area. The SSTP development team is looking to leverage the capabilities of its existing AI and ML crater, boulder, and rockfall detection and analysis tools, and extend that technology to a generalized feature detector that can be trained on instances of specific types of landforms and then search the lunar surface for more examples of such features. New traverse planning tools are being developed with use cases in generalized concept studies and specific mission planning in mind. These will facilitate finding optimal traverse paths based on constraints such as slope, lighting, hazard avoidance, and communications. These will be complemented by new traverse visualization capabilities. Users will be able to interactively ride along with a rover, examining 3D views of the terrain while adjusting camera height and viewing angle along with selecting different data layer overlays to drape across the terrain. Engaging the Public: The capabilities being developed for mission planning are being leveraged to further enhance Moon Trek’s proven utility as a valuable public outreach resource. This includes providing multiple lev-els of engagement with different points of entry. At its simplest level, promoting understanding through visualization, media and the public will be able to easily visualize and conduct their own exploration of lunar sites targeted by NASA and its partners. For a more in-depth experience, we are working with our stakeholders to promote understanding through interaction by extend-ing our current landing site and traverse analysis capabilities, making simplified access to these tools available to those who want to explore more deeply key factors in planning a mission through interactive and possibly even gamified experiences. The highest degree of public outreach, focusing on engagement through scientific participation, could be achieved through our work with missions and the NASA Office of the Chief Scientist on Moon Trek’s extension as a tool with specialized capabilities for facilitating citizen science. In such scenarios, participants become members of extended mis-sion science teams, using dedicated and integrated interfaces to analyze mission data to help answer questions key to lunar science and exploration. We are work-ing with NASA’s Office of Communications, museums, planetariums, and the media to help them easily integrate accurate, detailed visualizations of NASA’s lunar destinations and exploration into their content/productions and to engage diverse audiences in diverse venues.

Moon Trek↗