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DOE OSTI2018

The Hanford Waste End Effector Phase II Test Report

This report describes the Phase II testing program of the Hanford Waste End Effector (HWEE) at the Washington River Protection Solutions Cold Test Facility (CTF). Phase II testing builds on the completed Phase I development testing (PNNL-26856) to address some key actual waste challenges as outlined in the Phase II test plan (PNNL-27422). This testing demonstrated retrieval of a mixed layered simulant and retrieval of uneven simulant profiles like that found near tank walls. A separate demonstration using only the HWEE conveyance jet pump assessed the lifting capabilities of this device for transporting waste out of an underground tank. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)-designed robotic gantry system and associated systems (e.g., tanks, high-pressure water delivery and valves, instruments, etc.) used at CTF during Phase I were modified and upgraded to implement the Phase II test program and measure various process parameters. The tests demonstrated retrieval of water and Kaolin (sludge) simulant to determine pumping rate, dilution factors, and screen fouling rate. This report will first describe the test equipment, instrumentation, simulant preparation procedures, and testing methodology. Testing results presented include HWEE water usage versus operating pressure of modified components from Phase I, simulant characterization data, dilution ratios, and retrieval rates. Reaction forces and other factors that would affect the remote operation of the HWEE will also be presented. Results of the separate jet pump vertical lift demonstration to a fixed height of at least 35 feet are also presented.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS2002

RASC-AL (Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage): 2002 Advanced Concept Design Presentation

The Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) is a program of the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in collaboration with the Universities Space Research Association's (USRA) ICASE institute through the NASA Langley Research Center. The RASC-AL key objectives are to develop relationships between universities and NASA that lead to opportunities for future NASA research and programs, and to develop aerospace systems concepts and technology requirements to enable future NASA missions. The program seeks to look decades into the future to explore new mission capabilities and discover what's possible. NASA seeks concepts and technologies that can make it possible to go anywhere, at anytime, safely, reliably, and affordably to accomplish strategic goals for science, exploration, and commercialization. University teams were invited to submit research topics from the following themes: Human and Robotic Space Exploration, Orbital Aggregation & Space Infrastructure Systems (OASIS), Zero-Emissions Aircraft, and Remote Sensing. RASC-AL is an outgrowth of the HEDS-UP (University Partners) Program sponsored by the LPI. HEDS-UP was a program of the Lunar and Planetary Institute designed to link universities with NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) enterprise. The first RASC-AL Forum was held November 5-8, 2002, at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Hotel in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Representatives from 10 university teams presented student research design projects at this year's Forum. Each team contributed a written report and these reports are presented.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2011

Mars as a Destination in a Capability-Driven Framework

This paper describes NASA s current plans for the exploration of Mars by human crews within NASA s Capability-Driven Framework (CDF). The CDF describes an approach for progressively extending human explorers farther into the Solar System for longer periods of time as allowed by developments in technology and spacecraft systems. Within this framework, Mars defines the most challenging objective currently envisioned for human spaceflight. The paper first describes the CDF and potential destinations being considered within this framework. For destinations relevant to the exploration of Mars, this includes both the Martian surface and the two moons of Mars. This is followed by a brief review of our evolving understanding of Mars to provide the context for the specific objectives set for human exploration crews. This includes results from robotic missions and goals set for future Martian exploration by NASA's community-based forum, the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) and the MEPAG-sponsored Human Exploration of Mars - Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG). The paper then reviews options available for human crews to reach Mars and return to Earth. This includes a discussion of the rationale used to select from among these options for envisioned Mars exploration missions. The paper then concludes with a description of technological and operational challenges that still face NASA in order to be able to achieve the exploration goals for Mars within the CDF.

Hoffman, S. J.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Natural and Induced Environment around the International Space Station (ISS) as Observed during On-Orbit Operations of the Robotic External Leak Locator (RELL)

Final Document is attached. The Robotic External Leak Locator (RELL) was deployed to the International Space Station (ISS) with the goal of detecting and locating on-orbit leaks around the ISS. Three activities to investigate and corroborate the background natural and induced environment of ISS were performed with RELL as part of the on-orbit validation and demonstration conducted in November â€“ December 2016. The first demonstration activity pointed RELL directly in the ram and wake directions for one orbit each. The ram facing measurements showed high partial pressure for mass-to-charge ratio 16, corresponding to atomic oxygen (AO), as well as the presence of mass-to-charge ratio 17. RELL™s view in the wake-facing direction included more ISS structure and several Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) on-orbit vents were detected, including the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA), Russian segment ECLSS, and Sabatier vents. The second demonstration activity pointed RELL at three faces of the P1 Truss segment. Effluents from ECLSS and European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus module on-orbit vents were detected by RELL. The partial pressures of mass-to-charge ratios 17 and 18 remained consistent with the first on-orbit activity of characterizing the natural environment. The third demonstration activity involved RELL scanning an Active Thermal Control System (ATCS) radiator. Three locations along the radiator were scanned and the angular position of RELL with respect to the radiator was varied. Mass-to-charge ratios 16 and 17 both had upward shifts in partial pressure when pointing toward the Radiator Beam Valve Modules (RBVMs), likely corresponding to a known, small ammonia leak.

International Space Station↗

NASA NTRS2020

Machine Learning For Planetary Mining Applications

Robotic mining could prove to be an efficient method of mining resources for extended missions on the Moon or Mars. One component of robotic mining is scouting an area for resources to be mined by other robotic systems. Writing controllers for scouting can be difficult due to the need for fault tolerance, inter-agent cooperation, and agent problem solving. Reinforcement learning could solve these problems by enabling the scouts to learn to improve their performance over time. This work is divided into two sections, with each section addressing the use of machine learning in this domain. The first contribution of this work focuses on the application of reinforcement learning to mining mission analysis. Various mission parameters were modified and control policies were learned. Then agent performance was used to assess the effect of the mission parameters on the performance of the mission. The second contribution of this work explores the potential use of reinforcement learning to learn a controller for the scouts. Through learning, these scouts would improve their ability to map their surroundings over time.

Cook, Joshua↗

NASA NTRS1999

Low-Power Temperature-Swing Adsorption for Mars Atmosphere Acquisition

The promise of ISRU-based mission architectures for Mars surface exploration will begin to be realized during the next decade as robotic spacecraft sent to Mars carry components and whole chemical plants for producing propellants from the planet's atmosphere. These chemical plants will need to perform three primary operations: acquisition of atmospheric carbon dioxide, reactions to transform the gas into oxygen and possibly fuel, and storage of the products. This presentation focuses on development of technologies at NASA Ames Research Center for the first of these operations, carbon dioxide acquisition. The carbon dioxide acquisition component for a propellant production plant has several general, top level requirements. It has a stringent requirement for minimal power consumption; a critical need for long-term reliability over the period of time the chemical plant must operate (say, 500 days); a production rate requirement for carbon dioxide; and a state point requirement (particularly pressure) for the CO2 produced. The first two requirements help determine the best technological approach, while the latter two generally define the characteristics (e.g., size and power consumption) of the device. Mass and volume must be minimized, as usual.

Finn, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Low-Power Temperature-Swing Adsorption for Mars Atmosphere Acquisition

The promise of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)-based mission architectures for Mars surface exploration will begin to be realized during the next decade as robotic spacecraft sent to Mars carry components and whole chemical plants for producing propellants from the planet's atmosphere. These chemical plants will need to perform three primary operations: acquisition of atmospheric carbon dioxide, reactions to transform the gas into oxygen and possibly fuel, and storage of the products. This presentation focuses on development of technologies at NASA Ames Research Center for the first of these operations, carbon dioxide acquisition.

Finn, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1999

NASA Space Exploration: A View to the Future

This paper presents, in viewgraph form, NASA Space Exploration with an insight into the future. The topics include: 1) The First Era: Getting There 1958-1995; 2) Mars Exploration- A Case Study; 3) The Second Era: Finding Out What's There 1975-1995; 4) The Third Era: Getting There Often and Getting Back: 1995-2005+; 5) History of Exploration and Development of Western U.S.; 6) Mission Approaches; 7) Life in the Region; 8) Interstellar Exploration; and 9) The Fourth Era: 2005-2020? Permanent Robotic Presence and Outward Bound.

Sander, Michael↗

NASA NTRS2000

Managing Complexity - Developing the Node Control Software For The International Space Station

On December 4th, 1998 at 3:36 AM STS-88 (the space shuttle Endeavor) was launched with the "Node 1 Unity Module" in its payload bay. After working on the Space Station program for a very long time, that launch was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen! As the Shuttle proceeded to rendezvous with the Russian American module know as Zarya, I returned to Houston quickly to start monitoring the activation of the software I had spent the last 3 years working on. The FGB module (also known as "Zarya"), was grappled by the shuttle robotic arm, and connected to the Unity module. Crewmembers then hooked up the power and data connections between Zarya and Unity. On December 7th, 1998 at 9:49 PM CST the Node Control Software was activated. On December 15th, 1998, the Node-l/Zarya "cornerstone" of the International Space Station was left on-orbit. The Node Control Software (NCS) is the first software flown by NASA for the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS Program is considered the most complex international engineering effort ever undertaken. At last count some 18 countries are active partners in this global venture. NCS has performed all of its intended functions on orbit, over 200 miles above us. I'll be describing how we built the NCS software.

Wood, Donald B.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Searching for Soft Relativistic Jets in Core-Collapse Supernovae with the IceCube Optical Follow-up Program

Context. Transient neutrino sources such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and Supernovae (SNe) are hypothesized to emit bursts of high-energy neutrinos on a time-scale of < or approx.100 s. While GRB neutrinos would be produced in high relativistic jets, core-collapse SNe might host soft-relativistic jets, which become stalled in the outer layers of the progenitor star leading to an efficient production of high-energy neutrinos. Aims. To increase the sensitivity to these neutrinos and identify their sources, a low-threshold optical follow-up program for neutrino multiplets detected with the IceCube observatory has been implemented. Methods. If a neutrino multiplet, i.e. two or more neutrinos from the same direction within 100 s, is found by IceCube a trigger is sent to the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment, ROTSE. The 4 ROTSE telescopes immediately start an observation program of the corresponding region of the sky in order to detect an optical counterpart to the neutrino events. Results. No statistically significant excess in the rate of neutrino multiplets has been observed and furthermore no coincidence with an optical counterpart was found. Conclusions. The search allows, for the first time, to set stringent limits on current models predicting a high-energy neutrino flux from soft relativistic hadronic jets in core-collapse SNe. We conclude that a sub-population of SNe with typical Lorentz boost factor and jet energy of 10 and 3 x 10(exp 51) erg, respectively, does not exceed 4:2% at 90% confidence.

Abbasi, R.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Advancing Supersonic Retropropulsion Using Mars-Relevant Flight Data: An Overview

Advanced robotic and human missions to Mars require landed masses well in excess of current capabilities. One approach to safely land these large payloads on the Martian surface is to extend the propulsive capability currently required during subsonic descent to supersonic initiation velocities. However, until recently, no rocket engine had ever been fired into an opposing supersonic freestream. In September 2013, SpaceX performed the first supersonic retropropulsion (SRP) maneuver to decelerate the entry of the first stage of their Falcon 9 rocket. Since that flight, SpaceX has continued to perform SRP for the reentry of their vehicle first stage, having completed multiple SRP events in Mars-relevant conditions in July 2017. In FY 2014, NASA and SpaceX formed a three-year public-private partnership centered upon SRP data analysis. These activities focused on flight reconstruction, CFD analysis, a visual and infrared imagery campaign, and Mars EDL design analysis. This paper provides an overview of these activities undertaken to advance the technology readiness of Mars SRP.

Braun, Robert D.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Advancing Supersonic Retropropulsion Using Mars-Relevant Flight Data: An Overview

Braun, Robert D.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Robotic Refueling Mission 3: Cryogenic Demonstration Subsystem Operations

The Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) payload was installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in December 2018. Its Cryogenic Demonstation Subsystem (CDS) was loaded with 19 kilograms of liquid methane, for demonstration of on-orbit storage and transfer. We provide a short description of the design and ground testing of the CDS, and then discuss the on-orbit operations through the first half of 2019.

Cryogenic Fluid Storage↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Gateway Program as Part of NASA’s Plans for Human Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit

This paper provides an overview and status of Gateway, humanity’s first space station in lunar orbit as a vital component of the NASA-led Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon as preparation for the first human missions to Mars. Gateway is an aggregation point in deep space for a variety of spacecraft, including the crewed Orion vehicle, the Human Landing System that will ferry astronauts to and from the lunar surface, logistics supply craft, and vehicles transiting further into deep space beyond the Earth-Moon system, such as to Mars. NASA is building on decades of partnership with space agencies on three continents and multiple commercial partners to design, build, and launch Gateway’s core elements to near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon, where it will operate for a minimum of 15 years. Gateway is humanity’s next in-space science utilization platform, and its first in deep space, with three science payloads already selected to study solar and cosmic radiation. This paper will provide an overview of the Gateway space station’s major components in various stages of development, including the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), the International Habitation (I-Hab) module, ESPRIT Refueling Module (ERM), the planned airlock, advanced external robotics systems, Deep Space Logistics supply craft, and next-generation autonomous Vehicle System Manager software. It will also provide an overview of how Gateway will be utilized for science, and highlight the space station’s multilateral governance structure and international agreements.

Emma Lehnhardt↗

DOE OSTI2022

Multi-modal Energy-optimal Trip Scheduling in Real-time (METS-R) for Transportation Hubs (Final Report)

This report summarizes the work performed under the award number EE0008524. The project develops the Multi-modal Energy-optimal Trip Scheduling in Real-time (METS-R) platform as the next-generation transportation solution based on autonomous electric vehicles (AEV) serving passenger trips from and to urban transportation hubs, to substantially reduce transportation energy consumption. Extensive data collection and analyses were first conducted to understand the demand patterns and energy consumption of hub-based on-road trips. Then, a data-driven framework that consists of an analytical module and a simulation module was proposed. For the analytical module, five planning + operation tools were developed to support the planning and energy-efficient operations of urban AEV services: the charging station planning that robotically allocates charging supplies based on the stationary charging demand distribution; the transit planning and demand adaptive scheduling model that efficiently generates\ candidate transit routes from hubs to other places and dynamically adjusts the transit time table to fit the current demand; the online energy-efficient routing that learns the energy-optimal paths from observations of link-level energy consumption in real-time; the hub-based ridesharing that matches trip requests together with account for the uncertainty of future trip demand and vehicle supply; and finally, the integrated demand prediction and anomaly detection pipeline that leverages the flight/train time table and support other planning/operation tools. To demonstrate the performance of these tools, a scalable high-performance agent-based simulator was built. We divided the urban space into multiple service zones where each zone was considered as an agent for passenger generation and vehicle charging. Two types of AEV agents were coded to model two types of mobility services: AEV taxi and AEV transit. For the AEV taxi, the team implemented the functions of pickup/drop-off passengers, energy-efficient routing, ridesharing, fleet rebalancing, and recharging. For the AEV bus, the team implemented the functions of demand-adaptive route scheduling, passenger boarding, and recharging. A high-performance computing framework was introduced to receive various profiling information (such as link energy updates, vehicle speed) from the simulator instances and communicate the operational commands back to the instances. The numerical experiments show that each of the proposed operational algorithms can reduce energy consumption and improve system efficiency. Furthermore, there exists the need to collectively consider multiple planning + operational strategies as multiple strategies can influence each other in terms of performance impacts. Recommendations for future work related to AEV planning and simulation are discussed.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

NASA NTRS1988

NASA research and development for space telerobotics

The goal of this research is to explore and prove out robust concepts for telerobotic support of space servicing, assembly, maintenance, and telescience tasks. This goal is being addressed through a program of coordinated work in artificial intelligence, robotics, and human factors. The general research objective is the fusion of robot sensing and manipulation, teleoperation, and human and machine cognitive skills into an effective architecture for supervised task automation. NASA is evaluating results of this research program in a ground laboratory telerobot testbed under development at JPL. The testbed development activity includes integrated technology demonstrations. The demonstrations will show telerobot capabilities to perform tasks of increasing complexity, and duration in increasingly unstructured environments. The first such demonstration is the ground-based grappling, dockling, and servicing of a satellite taskboard.

Schenker, Paul S.↗

NASA NTRS2006

THE MATERIALS ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXPERIMENT (MISSE): FIRST RESULTS FROM MSFC INVESTIGATIONS

Marshall Space Flight Center worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, TRW, the Aerospace Corporation, Triton Systems, AZ Technology, Alion (formerly IITRI), ENTECH, and L'Garde to bring together the first external materials exposure experiment on International Space Station (ISS). MISSE re-uses hardware from the MEEP flown on the Russian space station Mir. MISSE has returned a treasure trove of materials data that will be useful not only for ISS but also for programs as diverse as the new Crew Exploration Vehicle, the James Webb Telescope, the Lunar Surface Access Module, the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, High Altitude Airships, and solar sails. MISSE-1 and -2 (Figure 1) were attached to the Quest airlock on ISS for 4 years and were retrieved during STS-114. MISSE-3 and -4 were bumped fr-om STS-114 and are currently slated for deployment during STS-121. MISSE-5 (Figure 2) was deployed during STS-114.

Finckenor, Miria↗

NASA NTRS2016

Performance Characterization of a Landmark Measurement System for ARRM Terrain Relative Navigation

This paper describes the landmark measurement system being developed for terrain relative navigation on NASAs Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM),and the results of a performance characterization study given realistic navigational and model errors. The system is called Retina, and is derived from the stereophotoclinometry methods widely used on other small-body missions. The system is simulated using synthetic imagery of the asteroid surface and discussion is given on various algorithmic design choices. Unlike other missions, ARRMs Retina is the first planned autonomous use of these methods during the close-proximity and descent phase of the mission.

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