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In search of meta-knowledge

Development of an Intelligent Information System (IIS) involves application of numerous artificial intelligence (AI) paradigms and advanced technologies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is interested in an IIS that can automatically collect, classify, store and retrieve data, as well as develop, manipulate and restructure knowledge regarding the data and its application (Campbell et al., 1987, p.3). This interest stems in part from a NASA initiative in support of the interagency Global Change Research program. NASA's space data problems are so large and varied that scientific researchers will find it almost impossible to access the most suitable information from a software system if meta-information (metadata and meta-knowledge) is not embedded in that system. Even if more, faster, larger hardware is used, new innovative software systems will be required to organize, link, maintain, and properly archive the Earth Observing System (EOS) data that is to be stored and distributed by the EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) (Dozier, 1990). Although efforts are being made to specify the metadata that will be used in EOSDIS, meta-knowledge specification issues are not clear. With the expectation that EOSDIS might evolve into an IIS, this paper presents certain ideas on the concept of meta-knowledge and demonstrates how meta-knowledge might be represented in a pixel classification problem.

Lopez, Antonio M., Jr.↗

Deep Learning Method for Detecting Precursors to Adverse Events

With the recent advancements in Deep Learning methods, the ability to model large complex heterogeneous data sets are fundamentally changing industry and research. Coupled with hardware improvements, and ease of implementation, a wide variety of deep neural network architectures can quickly be developed to solve a sweeping range of problems such as: object detection in images, automatic healthcare diagnosis using heterogenous data sources, real time language translating and sentence prediction, upscaling low resolution images, and forecasting of multivariate timeseries. Generally, many of these architectures outperform classical machine learning approaches in their respective tasks, however, this typically comes at a cost of interpretability. These black box algorithms generally suffer from lack of transparency in both model complexity as well as the rationale behind the prediction. This lack of comprehension, is driving an emerging area of interest in “Explainable AI”. An algorithm called: “Deep Temporal Multiple Instance Learning”1 was a recently developed to identify precursors to adverse events and has been applied in the aviation domain. The deep learning architecture is designed to capture the evolution of the probability of the outcome over the time preceding the adverse event using a multiple instance learning approach as illustrated in Figure 1. Precursors are defined when the probability of the event has exceeded a threshold at some point in the timeseries, at which point, a sensitivity analysis is performed to determine contributing factors. The contributing factors are used to explain and define the precursor during the periods where the probability score is high. The identified contributing factors are then presented to subject matter experts to provide objective insights into the leading factors associated with the particular adverse event. The algorithm has been tested on flight data from a commercial airline and has the ability to discover precursors to known adverse events that take the form of safety critical operations, such as unstable approach events on final approach. Apart from detecting precursors to adverse events, the converse can also be leveraged to discover corrective actions. These positive actions manifest themselves as periods in the timeseries when the precursor score has been lowered from an elevated state; meaning that if the system had been left uncorrected, it would have eventually reached the adverse event state. Characterizing these state changes can help identify successful interventions that may not have been known before. Policy makers and procedure designers can use this additional knowledge to craft more safety and efficient resilient procedures for future operations and therefore improve the overall performance of the National Airspace.

Matthews, Bryan L.↗

Artificial intelligent decision support for low-cost launch vehicle integrated mission operations

The feasibility, benefits, and risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Expert Systems applied to low cost space expendable launch vehicle systems are reviewed. This study is in support of the joint USAF/NASA effort to define the next generation of a heavy-lift Advanced Launch System (ALS) which will provide economical and routine access to space. The significant technical goals of the ALS program include: a 10 fold reduction in cost per pound to orbit, launch processing in under 3 weeks, and higher reliability and safety standards than current expendables. Knowledge-based system techniques are being explored for the purpose of automating decision support processes in onboard and ground systems for pre-launch checkout and in-flight operations. Issues such as: satisfying real-time requirements, providing safety validation, hardware and Data Base Management System (DBMS) interfacing, system synergistic effects, human interfaces, and ease of maintainability, have an effect on the viability of expert systems as a useful tool.

Szatkowski, Gerard P.↗

Conceptual design for a food production, water and waste processing, and gas regeneration module

During the first six month period, the RECON (Regenerative Concepts Group) team collected reference material, made visits to consult with other researchers, and invited distinguished visitors to speak on the status of closed life support activities. A decision was made to develop the data base and modeling such that artificial intelligence (AI) methods could be used to manipulate data and examine concept alternatives. Six discrete tasks and a project schedule were outlined for the first year. The first two tasks have been essentially completed and have resulted in a sample set of assumptions for general use in defining candidate systems and for the specification of closed system characteristics. To model a closed environment, decisions were necessary to establish the amounts of food, air, water and waste products. Although recognized that data would eventually be normalized on the basis of a single human, the amount of data in existence for four person crews led to the decision to use this as a baseline. Information on existing concepts was collected from NASA sources, from industry, and libraries. Concept modeling was begun, hardware and software obtained, technical tasks identified and experimental work initiated.

Nicks, O. W.↗

Celestial Mapping System and Digital Lunar Library Initiative

We are preparing to create an interactive, global 3D lunar environment with integrated dataset and AI/ML tools to provide unique value to mission planners, scientists and the entire lunar community. This lunar environment will be based on NASA Ames Celestial Mapping System (CMS) [1] and Digital Lunar Library (DLL) Initiative. CMS provides a 3D virtual Lunar Globe with extensive user friendly tool sets, that include high resolution terrain visualization, elevation profiles, measurement kits, slope analysis, path optimization, line of sight analysis, equipment planning and placement tools and many other functionalities [1]. It has a thick client with less overhead to access hardware resources. This allows features such as terrain profiling and distance calculations to be performed on the client and on the fly. The application is developed to provide situational and domain awareness on the Lunar surface, planning capabilities for equipment placements and traverse path optimization. As data becomes available, CMS has the capabilities to integrate data sets that change dynamically in real-time, which will be useful for monitoring satellites and remotely-sensed data on the Lunar surface. CMS supports importing synthetic features in a variety of 3D, 2D, vector and raster formats. In the future, these capabilities will be enhanced by incorporating AI/ML tools and a plug-in architecture to enable customization by the user groups. With the help of DLL we will be able to : 1) Amplify the value of lunar information with AI-powered data enhancements 2) Acquire and integrate lunar data with AI-assisted georectification and homogenization 3) Analyze lunar data with advanced 3D visualization, intelligent search-by-example 4) Apply lunar data insights to specific use cases with an open plug-in architecture. The CMS-DLL initiative will have several potential use cases for NASA and the lunar community in general, including subsurface lava tube visualization and analysis, soil analysis, in-situ lunar resource visualization and representation on 3D globe, and data analytics for utilization. REFERENCES: [1] https://celestial.arc.nasa.gov/

3D Globe↗

Development of an Expert System for Representing Procedural Knowledge

A high level of automation is of paramount importance in most space operations. It is critical for unmanned missions and greatly increases the effectiveness of manned missions. However, although many functions can be automated by using advanced engineering techniques, others require complex reasoning, sensing, and manipulatory capabilities that go beyond this technology. Automation of fault diagnosis and malfunction handling is a case in point. The military have long been interested in this problem, and have developed automatic test equipment to aid in the maintenance of complex military hardware. These systems are all based on conventional software and engineering techniques. However, the effectiveness of such test equipment is severely limited. The equipment is inflexible and unresponsive to the skill level of the technicians using it. The diagnostic procedures cannot be matched to the exigencies of the current situation nor can they cope with reconfiguration or modification of the items under test. The diagnosis cannot be guided by useful advice from technicians and, when a fault cannot be isolated, no explanation is given as to the cause of failure. Because these systems perform a prescribed sequence of tests, they cannot utilize knowledge of a particular situation to focus attention on more likely trouble spots. Consequently, real-time performance is highly unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the cost of developing test software is substantial and time to maturation is excessive. Significant advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have recently led to the development of powerful and flexible reasoning systems, known as expert or knowledge-based systems. We have devised a powerful and theoretically sound scheme for representing and reasoning about procedural knowledge.

Georgeff, Michael P.↗

Space Shuttle main engine OPAD: The search for a hardware enhanced plume

The process of applying spectroscopy to the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) for plume diagnostics, as it exists today, originated at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and its implementation was assured largely through the efforts of Sverdrup AEDC, in Tullahoma, Tennessee. This team continues to lead and guide efforts in the plume diagnostics arena. The process, Optical Plume Anomaly Detection (OPAD), formed the basis for various activities in the development of ground-based systems as well as the development of in-flight plume spectroscopy. OPAD currently provides and will continue to provide valuable information relative to future systems definitions, instrumentation development, code validation, and data diagnostic processing. OPAD is based on the detection of anomalous atomic and molecular species in the SSME plume using two complete, stand-alone optical spectrometers. To-date OPAD has acquired data on 44 test firings of the SSME at the Technology Test Bed (TTB) at MSFC. The purpose of this paper will be to provide an introduction to the OPAD system by discussing the process of obtaining data as well as the methods of examining and interpreting the data. It will encompass such issues as selection of instrumentation correlation of data to nominal engine operation, investigation of SSME component erosion via OPAD spectral data, necessity and benefits of plume seeding, application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to data analysis, and the present status of efforts to quantify specie erosion utilizing standard plume and chemistry codes as well as radiative models currently under development.

Powers, W. T.↗

In-Space Inspection Needs: Opportunities for advanced NDE tools such as x-ray CT for additively manufactured parts, in-situ resource utilization, geological applications, and more

It is now 50 years since the first human presence on the surface of the Moon and as we strive to return with women and men in the next few years, we embrace new technical challenges, goals, and innovative solutions to address 21st century objectives. These new ambitions carry fresh challenges and risks, with the field of NDE playing an increasingly more relevant role towards meeting these essential goals. In recent years, more advanced NDE tools have triggered a rapid expansion of applications for the space industry. In particular, x-ray Computed Tomography (CT) has proven to be a trusted and powerful asset for spaceflight hardware inspection, as well as applied geotechnical analysis for natural materials (e.g., rocks, soils) for NASA and across industry. However, such methods have yet to be extended to “deep space” applications such as those that are now part of the US National Space Policy Directive (SPD-1) and the accelerated push to return humans to the Moon (i.e., Artemis). For this reason, advancing these powerful Earth-based laboratory methods via new technologies, integrated computational solutions, and creative engineering approaches is directly aligned with national space policies, as well as with multiple NASA Strategic Plan priorities. The use of x-ray CT at scales as fine as a few microns or smaller can identify spacecraft part failure modes relevant to quality assurance for flight hardware and AM parts such as those recently developed for ISS. This technology could also identify valuable metallic phases within geological materials (i.e., rocks or drill cores), enabling resource-relevant triage of samples for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and high science value sample return to Earth laboratories. There is also significant application for 3D imaging tools for medical use such as inspecting protective gear as well as bone density degradation studies which are critical in establishing a sustained presence in space. Timing for development of these tools for space use is advantageous as we prepare for new opportunities in the next few years and recognize recent commercial technology advancements which make it feasible. Moreover, as NASA strives to take full advantage of developments in AM technologies, including In-Space Manufacturing (ISM), it is widely recognized that NDE tools such as CT will play an essential role in acceptance of these parts for widespread use. New in-space 3D inspection tools with complimentary technology such as AI-based automated feature recognition (accelerated by machine learning), rapid compositional analysis, and advanced sample manipulation, would be a game-changing step toward a new class of crew-based laboratory sensors once human outposts on the Moon are established.

In-Space Non-Destructive Evaluation↗

Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor Post-Flight Bearing Inspection

Aerospace mechanism engineering success stories often, if not always, consist of overcoming developmental, test and flight anomalies. Many times it is these anomalies that stimulate technology growth and more reliable future systems. However, one must learn from these to achieve an ultimately successful mission. It is not often that a spacecraft engineer is able to inspect hardware that has flown in orbit for several years. However, in February 1997, the Fine Guidance Sensor-I (FGS-1) was removed from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and returned to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) during the second Servicing Mission (SM2). At the time of removal, FGS-1 had nearly 7 years of service and the bearings in the Star Selector Servos (SSS) had accumulated approximately 25 million Coarse Track (CT) cycles. The main reason for its replacement was due to a bearing torque anomaly leading to stalling of the B Star Selector Servo (SSS-B) when reversing direction during a vehicle offset maneuver, referred to herein as a Reversal Bump (RB). The returned HST FGS SSS bearings were disassembled for post-service condition assessment to better understand the actual cause of the torque spikes, identify potential process/design improvements, and provide information for remedial on-orbit operation modifications. The methods and technology utilized for this inspection are not unique to this system and can be adapted to most investigation ai varying stages of the mechanism life from development, through testing, io post night evaluation. The systematic methods used for the HST Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) SSS and specific findings are the subjects presented in this paper. The lessons learned include the importance of cleanliness and handling for precision instrument bearings and the potential effects from contamination. The paper describes in detail, the analytical techniques used for the SSS and their importance in this investigation. Inspection analytical data and photographs are included throughout the paper.

Pellicciotti, Joseph↗

Autonomous Formation Flying from Ground to Flight

The cost of on-orbit operations remains a significant and increasingly visible concern in the support of satellite missions. Headway has been made in automating some ground operations; however, increased mission complexity and more precise orbital constraints have compelled continuing human involvement in mission design and maneuver planning operations. AI Solutions, Inc. in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has tackled these more complex problems through the development of AutoCon as a tool for an automated solution. NASA is using AutoCon to automate the maneuver planning for the Earth Orbiter-1 (EO-1) mission. AutoCon was developed originally as a ground system tool. The EO-1 mission will be using a scaled version of AutoCon on-board the EO-1 satellite to command orbit adjustment maneuvers. The flight version of AutoCon plans maneuvers based on formation flying algorithms developed by GSFC, JPL, and other industry partners. In its fully autonomous mode, an AutoCon planned maneuver will be executed on-board the satellite without intervention from the ground. This paper describes how AutoCon automates maneuver planning for the formation flying constraints of the EO-1 mission. AutoCon was modified in a number of ways to automate the maneuver planning on-board the satellite. This paper describes how the interface and functionality of AutoCon were modified to support the on-board system. A significant component of this modification was the implementation of a data smoother, based on a Kalman filter, that ensures that the spacecraft states estimated by an on-board GPS receiver are as accurate as possible for maneuver planning. This paper also presents the methodology use to scale the AutoCon functionality to fit and execute on the flight hardware. This paper also presents the modes built that allow the incremental phasing in of autonomy. New technologies for autonomous operations are usually received with significant, and probably appropriate trepidation. A number of safeguards have been designed in both AutoCon and the interfacing systems to alleviate the potential of mission-impacting anomalies from the on-board autonomous system. This paper describes the error checking, input data integrity validation and limits set on maneuvers in AutoCon and the on-board system.

Chapman, Keith B.↗

Autonomous Formation Flying from the Ground to Flight

The cost of on-orbit operations remains a significant and increasingly visible concern in the support of satellite missions. Headway has been made in automating some ground operations; however, increased mission complexity and more precise orbital constraints have compelled continuing human involvement in mission design and maneuver planning operations. AI Solutions, Inc. in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has tackled these more complex problems through the development of AutoCon(TM) as a tool for an automated solution. NASA is using AutoCon(TM) to automate the maneuver planning for the Earth Orbiter-1 (EO-1) mission. AutoCon(TM) was developed originally as a ground system tool. The EO-1 mission will be using a scaled version of AutoCon(TM) on-board the EO-1 satellite to command orbit adjustment maneuvers. The flight version of AutoCon(TM) plans maneuvers based on formation flying algorithms developed by GSFC, JPL, and other industry partners. In its fully autonomous mode, an AutoCon(TM) planned maneuver will be executed on-board the satellite without intervention from the ground. This paper describes how AutoCon(TM) automates maneuver planning for the formation flying constraints of the EO-1 mission. AutoCon(TM) was modified in a number of ways to automate the maneuver planning on-board the satellite. This paper describes how the interface and functionality of AutoCon(TM) were modified to support the on-board system. A significant component of this modification was the implementation of a data smoother, based on a Kalman filter, that ensures that the spacecraft states estimated by an on-board GPS receiver are as accurate as possible for maneuver planning. This paper also presents the methodology used to scale the AutoCon(TM) functionality to fit and execute on the flight hardware. This paper also presents the modes built into the system that allow the incremental phasing in of autonomy. New technologies for autonomous operations are usually received with significant, and probably appropriate, trepidation. A number of safeguards have been designed in both AutoCon(TM) and the interfacing systems to alleviate the potential of mission-impacting anomalies from the on-board autonomous system. This paper describes the error checking, input data integrity validation, and limits set on maneuvers in AutoCon(TM) and the on-board system.

Chapman, Keith B.↗

Onboard Hyperspectral Image Classification via Transfer Learning for Communication-Limited Spacecraft

Employing deep-learning and artificial-intelligence (AI) techniques onboard spacecraft can dramatically improve priority data selection to ensure more effective use of the available downlink. However, deployment of effective deep-learning models requires significant training on the ground, which may not be feasible, due to limited data available in an unexplored environment. Therefore, this research explores building robust classification models for onboard data processing where training data is highly limited using transfer-learning techniques. In this paper, we focus on the use case of hyperspectral imaging for remote sensing, a domain where the high dimensionality of the data from the sensor can rapidly saturate the downlink bandwidth. With this bottleneck, there is an impending need to autonomously and robustly classify data onboard to optimize downlink of high-impact measurements, thus maximizing the scientific utility per bit transmitted to the ground. This paper examines the use of deep neural networks onboard for hyperspectral image classification in a communication-limited scenario to analyze how the models perform with limited training data. The use of transfer learning can ameliorate the issue of poor generalization by transferring features learned from training on a large source dataset for one classification task to the target classification task with limited training data. For two deep-learning models from literature, we compare the accuracy of the models trained using transfer learning to models trained from scratch using a random weight initialization with varying amounts of training data. We demonstrate the feasibility and performance of running inference of the deep-learning models on representative flight-like hardware.

Advanced Avionics, Machine Learning, Data Processi↗

The Assembly, Test, and Integration of LOFTID (Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelera-tor)

R.J. Bodkin Biography Mr. Bodkin worked in industry for a rapid prototype company focusing on UAVs and manned experimental aircraft. Later he served as the Inflation System Lead on IRVE-II and 3 and the Re-Entry Vehicle Lead for LOFTID at NASA Langley Research Center. Introduction: The Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), developed in partnership with United Launch Alliance (ULA) and flown in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite, demonstrated Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology has progressed and is ready for mission infusion. LOFTID’s success demonstrates that aeroshells are not limited to the internal diame-ter of the launch vehicle payload fairing, allowing larger payloads to be deployed to the surfaces of planetary bodies with atmospheres. The challenges of assembling, integrating, and testing this revolutionary spacecraft will be dis-cussed as well as issues associated with doing this with a fixed launch date the project did not control. Assembly: Because LOFTID flew as a rideshare partner with JPSS-2, it was constrained with addi-tional schedule, milestone, and technical require-ments that were beyond the project’s control. As-sembly of the LOFTID hardware was challenged with the normal mechanical fit issues while also having to navigate the SARS-COVID-II pandemic. Challenges ranged from availability of team per-sonnel required on-site for vehicle assembly to dif-ficulties associated with team collaboration while working remotely and increased costs and lead times of components due to supply chain con-straints. Numerous additional challenges cascaded from the additional time required. Integration: LOFTID flew as a secondary pay-load to JPSS-2 in a mission-unique configuration, directly under JPSS-2 primary payload, inside the Payload Adapter that integrated JPSS-2 to the Atlas V launch vehicle. A mission unique Payload Adapt-er Separation System (PASS) was required to sepa-rate the Payload Adapter from the Launch Vehicle prior to the start of the LOFTID flight demonstra-tion. Development of this system was challenging due to a shortened development schedule resulting from the iterative nature of Payload Adapter devel-opment with the partners at ULA. Preparations to integrate the main segments of the LOFTID vehicle posed unique challenges of having to accommodate issues with a fixed launch date that led to some cre-ative solutions to the integration. The partnership agreement with ULA and JPSS-2 resulted in a mass simulator designed to be installed late in the inte-gration in the event the LOFTID vehicle was not ready in time.. Test: LOFTID testing was carried out in several phases. Some components were tested at the com-ponent level, others at the sub-system levels and then finally the integrated vehicle level. This culmi-nated with the Complete Systems Test (CST) per-formed in a vacuum chamber as one of the final checkouts prior to disassembly for re-packing of the aeroshell. CST challenges will be discussed as well as obstacles encountered post-CST. After CST, the vehicle was disassembled so the HIAD could be repacked, and the vehicle was reassembled for ac-ceptance vibration testing. Testing concluded with the fully assembled vehicle being shipped to the launch site for final testing and integrations with the Payload Adapter to JPSS-2 for launch and opera-tions. Conclusion: The challenges posed by the AI&T for LOFTID could inform the planetary community of some of the opportunities and challenges of de-veloping technologies on a rideshare with a rela-tively small budget.

R.J. Bodkin↗

Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy - Development of Swarm Autonomy Capability and Scalability for Spacecraft

The Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy project is developing a suite of software tools that enable an operator to command and receive data from a swarm as a single entity, enable a swarm to autonomously coordinate its actions via distributed decision making and reactive closed-loop control, and model swarm behavior in the presence of anomalies or failures. Our use case is the mapping of the electron density of the ionosphere using radio tomography by coordinating the selection of appropriate GPS channels, and by recording Total Electron Count (TEC) measurements. DSA will be demonstrated onboard the NASA Ames Starling mission – a swarm of four small, LEO spacecraft, scheduled to launch in 2021. We will also perform a ground demonstration with simulated and hardware-in-the-loop elements, to validate the tools for controlling swarms of up to 100 assets. The capability to communicate autonomously between the swarm satellites is demonstrated via a sophisticated simulation architecture. Historical Plasmasphere TEC data obtained via dual-band Novatel GPS Receivers are utilized as a representative input dataset for the swarm. The representative TEC data and GPS satellite observability information is fed to the autonomous software package in place of a true real-time ground data collection process. The swarm satellites actively share status updates amongst one another and utilize multi-agent decision making to optimally identify regions of interest in the TEC distribution. The software, aware of the bandwidth limitations of the swarm satellites, prioritizes explorative measurements, which define the range of observability for the satellites, as well as exploitative measurements, which focus on maximizing the observance potential of regions with prolonged, elevated TEC density. The science of this study can ultimately be used to determine the dynamics and coupling of Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere and their response to solar and terrestrial inputs. The findings can be applied to the imaging of critical, transient phenomena in the magnetosphere in later missions. Meanwhile, the swarm autonomy capabilities have far reaching potential in future satellite missions. As an experimental demonstration of the autonomous capabilities of the network, a message is first printed within a core Flight Executive (cFE) application. Two cFE applications that communicate with one another within the same core Flight System (cFS) are shown. Communication between mission applications on the internal cFE bus is extended to utilize Data Distribution Service (DDS) for vehicle-to-vehicle networking. The DDS middleware provides reliable delivery, routing, and topic subscription features over User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Leveraging Linux containerization, a networked set of satellite instances are generated by script to simulate swarm behavior. Swarm commanding and synchronization through the network is demonstrated under various topologies and data-loss conditions. Finally, autonomous swarm scalability from 2 satellites to 100 satellites is shown.

Distributed Autonomy↗