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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Japanese experiment module (JEM)

Japanese hardware elements studied during the definition phase of phase B are described. The hardware is called JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) and will be attached to the Space Station core. JEM consists of a pressurized module, an exposed facility, a scientific/equipment airlock, a local remote manipulator, and experimental logistic module. With all those hardware elements JEM will accommodate general scientific and technology development research (some of the elements are to utilize the advantage of the microgravity environment), and also accommodate control panels for the Space Station Mobile Remote Manipulator System and attached payloads.

Kato, T.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Intelligence for Human-Assistant Planetary Surface Robots

The central premise in developing effective human-assistant planetary surface robots is that robotic intelligence is needed. The exact type, method, forms and/or quantity of intelligence is an open issue being explored on the ERA project, as well as others. In addition to field testing, theoretical research into this area can help provide answers on how to design future planetary robots. Many fundamental intelligence issues are discussed by Murphy [2], including (a) learning, (b) planning, (c) reasoning, (d) problem solving, (e) knowledge representation, and (f) computer vision (stereo tracking, gestures). The new "social interaction/emotional" form of intelligence that some consider critical to Human Robot Interaction (HRI) can also be addressed by human assistant planetary surface robots, as human operators feel more comfortable working with a robot when the robot is verbally (or even physically) interacting with them. Arkin [3] and Murphy are both proponents of the hybrid deliberative-reasoning/reactive-execution architecture as the best general architecture for fully realizing robot potential, and the robots discussed herein implement a design continuously progressing toward this hybrid philosophy. The remainder of this chapter will describe the challenges associated with robotic assistance to astronauts, our general research approach, the intelligence incorporated into our robots, and the results and lessons learned from over six years of testing human-assistant mobile robots in field settings relevant to planetary exploration. The chapter concludes with some key considerations for future work in this area.

Hirsh, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2004

Smart Rotorcraft Field Assistants for Terrestrial and Planetary Science

Field science in extreme terrestrial environments is often difficult and sometimes dangerous. Field seasons are also often short in duration. Robotic field assistants, particularly small highly mobile rotary-wing platforms, have the potential to significantly augment a field season's scientific return on investment for geology and astrobiology researchers by providing an entirely new suite of sophisticated field tools. Robotic rotorcraft and other vertical lift planetary aerial vehicle also hold promise for supporting planetary science missions.

Young, Larry A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Neutron Spectrometer Prospecting in the Mojave Volatiles Project Analog Field Test

We know that volatiles are sequestered at the poles of the Moon. While we have evidence of water ice and a number of other compounds based on remote sensing, the detailed distribution, and physical and chemical form are largely unknown. Additional orbital studies of lunar polar volatiles may yield further insights, but the most important next step is to use landed assets to fully characterize the volatile composition and distribution at scales of tens to hundreds of meters. To achieve this range of scales, mobility is needed. Because of the proximity of the Moon, near real-time operation of the surface assets is possible, with an associated reduction in risk and cost. This concept of operations is very different from that of rovers on Mars, and new operational approaches are required to carry out such real-time robotic exploration. The Mojave Volatiles Project (MVP) was a Moon-Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) program project aimed at (1) determining effective approaches to operating a real-time but short-duration lunar surface robotic mission, and (2) performing prospecting science in a natural setting, as a test of these approaches. Here we describe some results from the first such test, carried out in the Mojave Desert between 16 and 24 October, 2014. The test site was an alluvial fan just E of the Soda Mountains, SW of Baker, California. This site contains desert pavements, ranging from the late Pleistocene to early-Holocene in age. These pavements are undergoing dissection by the ongoing development of washes. A principal objective was to determine the hydration state of different types of desert pavement and bare ground features. The mobility element of the test was provided by the KREX-2 rover, designed and operated by the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center. The rover-borne neutron spectrometer measured the neutron albedo at both thermal and epithermal energies. Assuming uniform geochemistry and material bulk density, hydrogen as either hydroxyl/water in mineral assemblages or as moisture will significantly enhance the return of thermalized neutrons. However, in the Mojave test setting there is little uniformity, especially in bulk material density. We find that lighter toned materials (immature pavements, bar and swale, and wash materials) have lower thermal neutron flux, while mature, darker pavements with the greatest desert varnish development have higher neutron fluxes. Preliminary analysis of samples from the various terrain types in the test area indicates a prevailing moisture content of 2-3 wt% H2O. However, soil mineralogy suggests that the welldeveloped Av1 soil horizon beneath the topmost dark pavement clast layer contains the highest clay content. Structural water (including hydroxyl) in these clays may explain the enhanced neutron albedo over dark pavements. On the other hand, surface and subsurface bulk density can also play a role in neutron albedo - lower density of materials found in washes, for example, can result in a reduction in neutron flux. Analysis is ongoing.

rover-borne neutron spectrometer↗
NASA NTRS2015

Neutron Spectrometer Prospecting During the Mojave Volatiles Project Analog Field Test

We know there are volatiles sequestered at the poles of the Moon. While we have evidence of water ice and a number of other compounds based on remote sensing, the detailed distribution, and physical and chemical form are largely unknown. Additional orbital studies of lunar polar volatiles may yield further insights, but the most important next step is to use landed assets to fully characterize the volatile composition and distribution at scales of tens to hundreds of meters. To achieve this range of scales, mobility is needed. Because of the proximity of the Moon, near real-time operation of the surface assets is possible, with an associated reduction in risk and cost. This concept of operations is very different from that of rovers on Mars, and new operational approaches are required to carry out such real-time robotic exploration. The Mojave Volatiles Project (MVP) is a Moon- Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) program effort aimed at (1) determining effective approaches to operating a real-time but short-duration lunar surface robotic mission, and (2) performing prospecting science in a natural setting, as a test of these approaches. We know there are volatiles sequestered at the poles of the Moon. While we have evidence of water ice and a number of other compounds based on remote sensing, the detailed distribution, and physical and chemical form are largely unknown. Additional orbital studies of lunar polar volatiles may yield further insights, but the most important next step is to use landed assets to fully characterize the volatile composition and distribution at scales of tens to hundreds of meters. To achieve this range of scales, mobility is needed. Because of the proximity of the Moon, near real-time operation of the surface assets is possible, with an associated reduction in risk and cost. This concept of operations is very different from that of rovers on Mars, and new operational approaches are required to carry out such robotic exploration. The Mojave Volatiles Project (MVP) is a Moon- Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) program effort aimed at (1) determining effective approaches to operating a real-time but short-duration lunar surface robotic mission, and (2) performing prospecting science in a natural setting, as a test of these approaches. Here we describe some results from the first such test, carried out in the Mojave Desert between 16 and 24 October, 2014. The test site was an alluvial fan just E of the Soda Mountains, SW of Baker, California. This site contains desert pavements, ranging from the late Pleistocene to early-Holocene in age. These pavements are undergoing dissection by the ongoing development of washes. A principal objective was to determine the hydration state of different types of desert pavement and bare ground features. The mobility element of the test was provided by the KREX-2 rover, designed and operated by the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center.

Moon- Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA)↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Research Activities at NASA: “The Hera Astronaut Analog Mission, Astrobee, and the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System”

During this seminar, I will talk about three of the projects I’ve been involved with at NASA in the last few years: - The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) is a ground-based astronaut analog mission run at NASA’s JSC in Houston to study and evaluate impacts on the crew due to isolation, remoteness, and confined habitation. NASA scientists use the collected data to develop and verify countermeasures to reduce or mitigate psychological and physiological effects for future Deep Space missions. This simulation was a 45-day trip to Mars’s moon Phobos and back with the goal of performing geological operations with complete communications delays in effect. - Astrobee is a new class of free-flying robots that operates in the interior of the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to being a research platform for microgravity free-flying robotics, Astrobee improves the efficiency of ISS operations by providing flight and payload controllers with a mobile camera and a sensor platform. - NASA is developing new deployable structures and material technologies for solar sail propulsion systems destined for future low-cost deep space missions. NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) uses composite materials in its novel, lightweight booms that deploy from a Cubesat. Data obtained from ACS3 will guide the design of future larger-scale composite solar sail systems that could be used for several deep space exploration missions

International Space Station↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Psychoacoustic Measures for UAM noise in the Context of Ambient Sound

The noise component of future aircraft and operations from Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles is widely recognized as a challenge to community acceptance. NASA’s RVLT (Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology) program is currently supporting research in the area of human response and psychoacoustics in an effort to augment current metrics for traditional aircraft. This talk will review current work at NASA Ames’ Human Systems Integration Division to evaluate detection, annoyance, and acceptability of UAM sound, in the context of expected ambient sound conditions.

aircraft noise disturbance↗
NASA NTRS2020

Motion Sickness and Concerns for Urban Air Mobility Vehicles: A Literature Review

Motion sickness is a general term for a constellation of signs and symptoms, generally due to exposure to abrupt, periodic, or unnatural accelerations, especially when traveling in a vehicle. Motion sickness results from a mismatch of the visual and nonvisual (vestibular and kinesthetic) information, the observed scene and the motion felt or lack of it. Motion sickness onset is associated with a pattern of physiological changes in heart rate, peripheral blood flow, respiration, and skin conductance and the pattern is repeatable for a particular subject but variable between subjects. Demographic factors such as gender and age that affect motion sickness are well known with children, women, and older adults more likely to be susceptible. Often motion sickness is assessed and quantified using variations of the motion sickness susceptibility questionnaires including the Pensacola Diagnostic Rating Scale and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire. Even though symptoms are easily identified by such questionnaires, they commonly are subjective. Tools such as these questionnaires for screening individuals susceptible to motion sickness are useful, however, they are only mildly predictive. Moreover, models for predicting motion sickness, which have largely been developed for sea sickness, do not consider task characteristics. Predictions of motion sickness rates and prevalence for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles are not possible at present because data from actual flight or full-fidelity simulation are simply not yet available. Extrapolation from other modes of transportation (i.e., automobiles, buses, trains, boats, other types of aircraft) is difficult because of differences in the motion stimulus experienced, trip duration, and other factors. How UAM vehicles will change the social dynamics of passenger interaction and vehicle interior design changes (e.g., seat orientations) is unknown. Should motion sickness prove to be an issue, vehicle design modifications such as having passengers face forward, providing additional seat recline, giving each person their own climate control for airflow, perhaps ensuring the horizon is visible to all passengers (reducing visual occlusion by the headrest) and visually stabilizing displays on carry-on devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.) may benefit passengers. Several commercial companies provide wearable devices for physiological monitoring that have been validated and are suitable for use with passengers in UAM vehicles or high-fidelity simulators. Potential countermeasures for motion sickness include user-worn devices, anti-motion sickness medications, and non-pharmacological approaches such as biofeedback and Autogenic Feedback Training Exercise. Both simulator and in-vehicle UAM research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of any potential countermeasure.

motion sickness↗
NASA NTRS2018

VTOL Urban Air Mobility Concept Vehicles for Technology Development

The current push for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is predicated on the feasibility of novel aircraft types, which will be enabled by the near-term availability of mature technology for high performance subsystems. A number of candidate concept aircraft are presently being designed to meet a set of UAM requirements, in order to quantify the tradeoffs and performance targets necessary for practical implementation of the UAM vision. In examining these vehicles, performance targets and recurring technology themes emerge, which may guide investments in research and development within NASA, other government agencies, academia, and industry.

Urban Air Mobility↗
NASA NTRS2015

NASA Automated Fiber Placement Capabilities: Similar Systems, Complementary Purposes

New automated fiber placement systems at the NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center provide state-of-art composites capabilities to these organizations. These systems support basic and applied research at Langley, complementing large-scale manufacturing and technology development at Marshall. These systems each consist of a multi-degree of freedom mobility platform including a commercial robot, a commercial tool changer mechanism, a bespoke automated fiber placement end effector, a linear track, and a rotational tool support structure. In addition, new end effectors with advanced capabilities may be either bought or developed with partners in industry and academia to extend the functionality of these systems. These systems will be used to build large and small composite parts in support of the ongoing NASA Composites for Exploration Upper Stage Project later this year.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Astrobee On-Orbit Commissioning

The Astrobee free flying robots operate in the interior of the International Space Station (ISS) under supervisory control of a ground operator or ISS crew. They replace the Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) as research platforms for zero-g free-flying robotics. Astrobee also provides a tool for improving the efficiency of ISS operations as a mobile camera/sensor platform available to flight and payload controllers. The Astrobee system consists of three robots with perching arms, a docking station, and a ground data system. Development began in late-2014, and flight hardware has been deployed to ISS on several launches starting in November 2018 and concluding in October 2019. Shortly after the first two robots arrived on ISS in April, we began a series of "commissioning" activities to validate both space and ground segments. We plan to complete commissioning and become an operational facility available to guest scientists by the end of 2019. This paper provides an overview of the Astrobee system, a description of the on-orbit activities, and commissioning results.

ISS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Astrobee On-Orbit Commissioning

The Astrobee free flying robots operate in the interior of the International Space Station (ISS) under supervisory control of a ground operator or ISS crew. They replace the Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) as research platforms for zero-g free-flying robotics. Astrobee also provides a tool for improving the efficiency of ISS operations as a mobile camera/sensor platform available to flight and payload controllers. The Astrobee system consists of three robots with perching arms, a docking station, and a ground data system. Development began in late-2014, and flight hardware has been deployed to ISS on several launches starting in November 2018 and concluding in October 2019. Shortly after the first two robots arrived on ISS in April, we began a series of “commissioning” activities to validate both space and ground segments. This paper provides an overview of the Astrobee system, a description of the on-orbit activities, and commissioning results.

Astrobee↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MPATH (Measuring Performance for Autonomy Teaming with Humans) Ground Control Station: Design Approach and Initial Usability Results

Envisioned future Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations will require a transition of aircraft command and control from onboard pilots to remote operators. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed a research ground control station (GCS) software called MPATH (Measuring Performance for Autonomy Teaming with Humans) to study the human factors of remote operators in a representative AAM environment, where small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS; simulated or real) act as surrogates for larger AAM aircraft. A primary focus of the research being conducted with the MPATH GCS is scalability (i.e., one human managing multiple vehicles). MPATH has demonstrated to be a useful capability for human factors research and remote operations. Two initial usability studies and a multi-vehicle control assessment were recently conducted, and usability data and operator feedback were collected. Generally, participants rated MPATH high on usability and interface quality, whereas information quality was rated slightly lower. These results were supported by specific feedback. Several generalized GCS design recommendations are proposed based on the results and feedback from these flight activities. Future updates to MPATH will incorporate the proposed recommendations. In practice, these recommendations could be used by any GCS software designer or developer to promote usability and safety.

Advanced Air Mobility↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancements in Remote Ground Control Station Operator Pilot in Command Training Program for Beyond Visual Line of Sight Flight Operations

The training program for a Remote Ground Control Station Operator Pilot in Command (R-GCSO PIC) at NASA Langley Research Center marks a pivotal evolution in preparing operators for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. This program, developed within the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project High Density Vertiplex (HDV) subproject, was crafted to bridge the gap between traditional Ground Control Station Operators (GCSO) and R-GCSO PICs, focusing on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). It encompassed extensive theoretical and practical training, including hands-on experience with advanced simulators and live flight operations, while ensuring a deep understanding of BVLOS complexities. The training leveraged NASA technologies like the MPATH (Measuring Performance for Autonomy Teaming with Humans) ground control station software and incorporated human factors principles to enhance operational readiness. This paper details the program's development, execution, and the critical insights gained, emphasizing the necessity of continuous adaptation in training methodologies to meet the evolving demands of UAS operations in the National Airspace System.

Ground control station operator↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Science, Exploration and the Human Experience.

Dr. Darlene S. Lim is a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and the Deputy Project Scientist and Science Operations Lead for NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) Lunar Mission. The VIPER lunar rover mission is a mobile robot that will go to the South Pole of the Moon to get a close-up view of the location and concentration of water ice that could eventually be harvested to sustain human exploration on the Moon, Mars — and beyond. VIPER represents the first resource mapping mission on another celestial body and presents a unique operational paradigm within the history of robotic spaceflight. Throughout her career, Darlene has led several NASA-funded programs that have been focused on blending field science research with the development of capabilities and concepts for future human-robotic spaceflight to the Moon and Mars. These research activities have taken her around the world, from pole to pole, land to sea, and to many lakes in between, where she has studied life in extreme environments, the way people conduct science, and how they need to be supported in their work of discovery and exploration. At the center of each of these endeavors is the human - the person who must interact with others, with technology, and with the environment of interest, to apply the scientific method towards the accrual and expansion of knowledge about the planet that we live on and beyond. Darlene has been working with teams of scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines to hone her understanding of the process by which their interactions and research needs can be supported and enabled under intense operational conditions such as those associated with Moon and Mars exploration. Darlene’s presentation will take the audience through the arc of her research over the past two decades culminating in her on-going work with the NASA VIPER lunar rover mission.

Darlene Sze Shien Lim↗
NASA NTRS1994

Current and future issues in USAF full pressure suit research and development

Although the full pressure suits currently in the USAF operational inventory provide acceptable performance and crew protection for these missions, there is considerable room for improvement, especially in the areas of comfort, mobility, glove and helmet performance, and maintenance/supportability. As future aircraft push the envelope towards operations at higher and higher altitudes and transatmospheric flight, advances in full pressure suit technology will be needed. Also, enhanced pressure suit technology will be required to meet NASA's need for protection during future EVA operations for both on-orbit and planetary surface missions. This presentation will review the results of efforts at the Armstrong Laboratory to develop and demonstrate advanced full pressure suit technology for use in future high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and transatmospheric vehicle operations. For those readers who may not be familiar with this area of life support equipment, a brief review of the important physiological and operational requirements for full pressure suits used in these applications will be addressed first, followed by a summary of the current state-of-the-art in USAF pressure suit technology. Ongoing and recently completed work on enhanced mobility pressure suit joints and improved pressure suit gloves will then be reviewed. The presentation will conclude with discussion of the technical challenges for successful development of an advanced full pressure suit for aerospace operations in the 21st century.

Scoggins, Terrell E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Silicon Valley as an Early Adopter for On-Demand Civil VTOL Operations

With high incomes, long commutes, severe ground geographic constraints, severe highway congestion during peak commute times, high housing costs, and near perfect year-round weather, the Silicon Valley is positioned to be an excellent early adopter market for emerging aviation On-Demand Mobility transportation solutions. Prior efforts have attempted to use existing aviation platforms (helicopters or General Aviation aircraft) with existing infrastructure solutions, or only investigated new vehicle platforms without understanding how to incorporate new vehicle types into existing built-up communities. Research has been performed with the objective of minimizing door-to-door time for "Hyper Commuters" (frequent, long-distance commuters) in the Silicon Valley through the development of new helipad infrastructure for ultra-low noise Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. Current travel times for chosen city-pairs across urban and suburban commutes are compared to future mobility concepts that provide significantly higher utilization and productivity to yield competitive operating costs compared to existing transportation choices. Helipads are introduced near current modes of transportation and infrastructure for ease-of-access, and maximizing proximity. Strategies for both private and public infrastructure development are presented that require no new land purchase while minimizing community noise exposure. New VTOL concepts are introduced with cruise speeds of 200 mph, which yield a greater than three times improvement in overall door-to-door time when compared to current automobiles, and in some cases, improvements of up to 6 times lower trip times.

Antcliff, Kevin R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advanced Air Mobility Vertiport Considerations: A List and Overview

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is an emerging field in aeronautics that involves utilizing small aircraft for everyday transportation and other services, and many AAM aircraft are envisioned to take off and land at new infrastructure termed vertiports. This paper describes a variety of considerations related to AAM vertiports that need to be considered in the planning for and deployment of vertiports in practice. The factors include siting, design, regulations, safety, environmental impact, social acceptance, equity, and operational integration factors. Over 450 considerations were compiled from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) participating in NASA’s AAM Ecosystem Working Groups (AEWGs) in October 2021. This paper consolidates these considerations and broadly disseminates the valuable knowledge of these SMEs. These considerations can be used by researchers to conduct demand and network analysis, local transportation planners to develop AAM networks for their community, and the AAM ecosystem members to identify policy, standards, and research gaps.

vertiport considerations↗