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NASA NTRS2023

Benefits of Ka-band GaN MMIC High Power Amplifiers With Wide Bandwidth and High Spectral/Power Added Efficiencies for Cognitive Radio Platforms

A cognitive radio on a future NASA near-Earth spacecraft will be capable of sensing its environment and dynamically adapting its operating parameters to provide the desired SATCOM service to the mission. A key component that can enable this type of operation is a high-power amplifier (HPA) that resides on the radio platform. In this report, we present the RF performance characteristics of a Ka-band gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) based HPA for cognitive radio platforms. These characteristics include the output power, gain, power added efficiency (PAE), RMS error vector magnitude (EVM), spectral efficiency, 3rdorder intermodulation distortion (IMD) products, spectrum, spectral regrowth, noise figure (NF), phase noise, and group delay. The data presented indicates that the HPA meets NTIA, military, and commercial spectral mask requirements. In addition, we discuss the benefits offered by the above performance characteristics toward the design and implementation of a cognitive radio platform. Furthermore, as examples, we discuss three potential use cases that apply artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques and exploit the performance characteristics discussed above to provide a knowledge-based cognitive radio platform design for SATCOM. Thus, cognitive radios with performance flexibility can enable roaming and provide seamless interoperability autonomously in the future between NASA, commercial, and other space networks owned by U.S. government agencies.

Gallium nitride↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cislunar Trajectory Design and Maneuver Autonomy for NASA's Moon to Mars Architecture

NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture is an ambitious roadmap of manned cislunar and deep space exploration. The extensive amount of orbital assets required will place a significant burden on ground-based resources, such as communication networks and operations facilities. Spacecraft autonomy is essential for maintaining a vast number of complex missions beyond Earth orbit. To achieve full autonomy, spacecraft must be able to employ methods of robust maneuver design without an explicit dependence on commands sent from the ground. This level of autonomy is needed not only for stationkeeping, but also for outbound transfers. To address the need of spacecraft maneuver design autonomy, this work investigates the use of neural networks (NNs) in a supervised learning environment. A supervised learning approach for NNs allows for a curated training data set, consisting exclusively of perturbations applied to a desired mission concept of operations (ConOps). The proposed approach allows humans on the ground to design a specific mission ConOps before flight, then employ NNs to fly the mission robustly and autonomously. This investigation numerically tests maneuver autonomy in four highly sensitive regions of flight: orbit raising, translunar injection burns, powered lunar flybys, and invariant manifold insertion burns. These straining cases are contextualized by testing them in a demonstration mission, targeting an Earth-Moon L3 orbit. The study first establishes feasibility by automating impulsive burn maneuvers. However, some guidance algorithms will need more intensive commands, such as inertial pointing and angular rates. To validate this method, NN maneuver autonomy is applied to a finite burn model of the demonstration mission. The use of sequential, mission specific maneuvers provide an appropriate testbed to demonstrate the robustness of a NN trained on feasible perturbed states. Moreover, these scenarios provide preliminary proof-of-concept for fully autonomous missions that execute maneuvers without dependence upon explicit command uplinks. As a result, the technological advancement proposed in this work may significantly ease the strain on ground-based mission operations. This would enable complex and autonomous mission execution in cislunar and deep space regimes, filling a technology gap required to support future manned missions.

NASA↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Performance Evaluation of a Cartesian Move Algorithm for the LSMS Family of Cable-Driven Cranes

The Lightweight Surface Manipulation System, or LSMS, is a family of cable-actuated cranes, designed for surface operations on the Moon and Mars. Its structural design focuses on three fundamental traits for space environments: a high payload-to-mass ratio to reduce launch costs, compactness for space travel in reduced cargo bays, and self-erecting capabilities for operations before astronauts arrive. The resulting design confers nonlinear and switched dynamics to the LSMS, making these cranes an interesting challenge for autonomous and teleoperated applications. One of the protocols required for these applications is a Cartesian move algorithm. This algorithm is responsible for placing the end effector of the crane at a desired location, specified in Cartesian coordinates. This paper evaluates the performance of a Cartesian move algorithm developed for the LSMS at the NASA Langley Research Center. To this end, several payload manipulation tasks were performed with LSMS-L35, the smallest version within the LSMS family. The evaluated algorithm can place the end effector with accuracy, as shown in the hardware and simulation tests.

cable-actuated↗

DOE OSTI2024

FORCE Regression Testing

Via programs including the Light Water Reactor Sustainability and Integrated Energy Systems, the U.S. Department of Energy has invested in the Framework for Optimization of ResourCes and Economics (FORCE) software framework (Idaho National Laboratory 2024a) for the technical and economic analysis of nuclear-integrated energy systems (IES). Nuclear IES expand the use of nuclear from traditional baseload electricity generation to a flexible and adaptive source of combined heat and power. Nuclear heat can be used in the production of a variety of energy currencies such as hydrogen and ammonia as well as other heat applications including water desalination and district heating. FORCE is designed with the intent to provide interconnected analysis tools that enable the accurate technical and economic assessment of specific nuclear IES configurations for individual energy markets. FORCE consists of three main analysis pathways: HYBRID (Idaho National Laboratory 2024b), which contains high-resolution physical models for IES; Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) (Idaho National Laboratory 2024c), which analyzes IES long-term economic viability; and Optimization of Real-time Capacity Allocation (ORCA) (Idaho National Laboratory 2024d), designed for real-time control of IES via digital twins and optimal decision making, including autonomous and remote operation research. Development of the FORCE ecosystem is guided by three pillars: capability, which assures that the computational requirements of IES analysis are met by the software tools; reliability, which provides for consistent code performance and expected behaviors; and accessibility, which lowers the barrier to entry for using the software and accelerates analysis by users beyond the FORCE primary developers. Reliability of the FORCE ecosystem is established according to the American Nuclear Society?s Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) program [American Society of Mechanical Engineers 1982], with specific levels of software quality assurance (SQA) within NQA-1 applied to each software tool in FORCE. As the tools within FORCE have matured, some integration algorithms to accurately connect the software tools for holistic analysis have been developed and deployed within the FORCE software repository. In accordance with NQA-1 standards, regression tests are required to guarantee the software performs consistently even when new capabilities are added to the software. In this report, we document the deployment of both unit tests, which test the consistent behavior of small pieces of the FORCE code base, as well as integration tests, which test the consistent performance of full use cases for the FORCE integration algorithms. We further document the encapsulation of these tests within a test harness, which collectively checks for each successful test completion on demand. Finally, we document the automation of the test harness using GitHub Actions [GitHub 2024], which require all tests succeed before any new capability or other changes can be added to the FORCE integration software

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1991

Control of nausea and autonomic dysfunction with terfenadine, a peripherally acting antihistamine

Terfenadine (Seldane) was admisistered to 14 male subjects in a randomized, double-blinded, and cross-over design to assess the efficacy of this peripherally active antihistamine as an antimotion sickness drug. Terfenadine possesses practically no central side effects. A staircase profile test was administered 4 h following placebo or a single oral dose of terfenadine (300 mg). The study revealed a statistically significant therapeutic effect from terfenadine (p less than 0.05). This led to a conclusion that, because the drug does not or only poorly crosses the blood-brain barrier, a selective peripheral antihistamine action may be sufficient in the control of motion sickness induced through cross-coupled accelerative semicircular canal stimulation using a rotating chair. This finding implies that other peripherally acting agents might be found that possess even greater antimotion sickness efficacy. The present research raises additional questions regarding current theories on the etiology of motion sickness, its associated autonomic system dysfunction, and the validity of assumptions that effective pharmacological agents must act centrally.

Kohl, Randall L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

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.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Post2 End-to-End Descent and Landing Simulation for ALHAT Design Analysis Cycle 2

The ALHAT project is an agency-level program involving NASA centers, academia, and industry, with a primary goal to develop a safe, autonomous, precision-landing system for robotic and crew-piloted lunar and planetary descent vehicles. POST2 is used as the 6DOF descent and landing trajectory simulation for determining integrated system performance of ALHAT landing-system models and lunar environment models. This paper presents updates in the development of the ALHAT POST2 simulation, as well as preliminary system performance analysis for ALDAC-2 used for the testing and assessment of ALHAT system models. The ALDAC-2 POST2 Monte Carlo simulation results have been generated and focus on HRN model performance with the fully integrated system, as well performance improvements of AGNC and TSAR model since the previous design analysis cycle

Davis, Jody L.↗

NASA NTRS2002

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) Attitude Control System

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe mission is designed to produce a map of the cosmic microwave background radiation over the entire celestial sphere by executing a fast spin and a slow precession of its spin axis about the Sun line to obtain a highly interconnected set of measurements. The spacecraft attitude is sensed and controlled using an Inertial Reference Unit, two Autonomous Star Trackers, a Digital Sun Sensor, twelve Coarse Sun Sensors, three Reaction Wheel Assemblies, and a propulsion system. This paper describes the design of the attitude control system that carries out this mission and presents some early flight experience.

Markley, F. Landis↗

NASA NTRS2002

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) Mission

Markley, F. Landis↗

NASA NTRS2012

A Model-Based Approach to Engineering Behavior of Complex Aerospace Systems

One of the most challenging yet poorly defined aspects of engineering a complex aerospace system is behavior engineering, including definition, specification, design, implementation, and verification and validation of the system's behaviors. This is especially true for behaviors of highly autonomous and intelligent systems. Behavior engineering is more of an art than a science. As a process it is generally ad-hoc, poorly specified, and inconsistently applied from one project to the next. It uses largely informal representations, and results in system behavior being documented in a wide variety of disparate documents. To address this problem, JPL has undertaken a pilot project to apply its institutional capabilities in Model-Based Systems Engineering to the challenge of specifying complex spacecraft system behavior. This paper describes the results of the work in progress on this project. In particular, we discuss our approach to modeling spacecraft behavior including 1) requirements and design flowdown from system-level to subsystem-level, 2) patterns for behavior decomposition, 3) allocation of behaviors to physical elements in the system, and 4) patterns for capturing V&V activities associated with behavioral requirements. We provide examples of interesting behavior specification patterns, and discuss findings from the pilot project.

SysML↗

DOE OSTI2025

The AMACStar ASIC for the HL-LHC ATLAS ITk Strip detector: design, verification, testing, and quality assurance

For the high-luminosity upgrade to the LHC (HL-LHC), the ATLAS detector at CERN requires an all-new inner detector, the Inner Tracker (ITk). The ITk Strip subdetector is made up of silicon modules, which include three types of radiation-hard ASICs. One of these is the Autonomous Monitor and Control (AMAC). The AMAC is manufactured by Global Foundries using 130 nm CMOS8RF DM technology and is approximately 3 by 5 mm in size. This ASIC autonomously monitors the temperatures, voltages, and currents in the module components while controlling critical values in order to prevent these quantities from reaching dangerous levels. The final design, AMACStar, was verified, tested, and ensured to perform all necessary functions. A quality control procedure using an in-house probe station set-up was developed in order to ensure that every individual chip on each wafer of AMACStars required by the ITk Strip project met performance requirements. The average per wafer yield of usable AMACStars is 92.33%, exceeding the design-specific 90% yield estimated for project costing. This estimate was based on actual yields for similar designs in this process.

Analogue electronic circuits↗

NASA NTRS2004

Secure, Mobile, Wireless Network Technology Designed, Developed, and Demonstrated

The inability to seamlessly disseminate data securely over a high-integrity, wireless broadband network has been identified as a primary technical barrier to providing an order-of-magnitude increase in aviation capacity and safety. Secure, autonomous communications to and from aircraft will enable advanced, automated, data-intensive air traffic management concepts, increase National Air Space (NAS) capacity, and potentially reduce the overall cost of air travel operations. For the first time ever, secure, mobile, network technology was designed, developed, and demonstrated with state-ofthe- art protocols and applications by a diverse, cooperative Government-industry team led by the NASA Glenn Research Center. This revolutionary technology solution will make fundamentally new airplane system capabilities possible by enabling secure, seamless network connections from platforms in motion (e.g., cars, ships, aircraft, and satellites) to existing terrestrial systems without the need for manual reconfiguration. Called Mobile Router, the new technology autonomously connects and configures networks as they traverse from one operating theater to another. The Mobile Router demonstration aboard the Neah Bay, a U.S. Coast Guard vessel stationed in Cleveland, Ohio, accomplished secure, seamless interoperability of mobile network systems across multiple domains without manual system reconfiguration. The Neah Bay was chosen because of its low cost and communications mission similarity to low-Earth-orbiting satellite platforms. This technology was successfully advanced from technology readiness level (TRL) 2 (concept and/or application formation) to TRL 6 (system model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment). The secure, seamless interoperability offered by the Mobile Router and encryption device will enable several new, vehicle-specific and systemwide technologies to perform such things as remote, autonomous aircraft performance monitoring and early detection and mitigation of potential equipment malfunctions. As an additional benefit, team advancements were incorporated into open standards, ensuring technology transfer. Low-cost, commercial products incorporating the new technology are already available. Furthermore, these products are fully interoperable with legacy network technology equipment currently being used throughout the world.

Ivancic, William D.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Implementing Artificial Thinking Autonomy with Model-Based System Engineering

Complex autonomous systems capable of successfully operating independently under ‘known unknowns’ and harsh conditions require paradigm innovation in modern development strategies. In the field of autonomy, developing a system-of-systems which can ostensibly think for itself in the face of ‘unknown unknowns’ is still a field of ongoing research. Maturing the systems architecting and modeling methodologies for developing henceforth named Thinking Autonomous Systems, which are verified with digital mission simulation, can potentially usher in the next generation of artificial intelligence for space exploration. The concept presented in this paper incorporates multiple Model-Based Systems Engineering and simulation methodologies combined as a new paradigm to design a novel, biomimetic thinking autonomy strategy. Anachronistic concepts from classical Kantian philosophy will be leveraged to inspire architectural designs that could be used for complex distributed systems in deep space. To accomplish this, digital transformation of a document-based implementation plan for Thinking Autonomous Systems, generated by experienced NASA software engineers, is implemented for NASA’s Platform for Autonomous Systems by creating descriptive and executable software models in SysML to prototype real-time operating capabilities. This conceptual implementation has been developed by incorporating model-based digital simulations to theorize how a cyberphysical thinking system would achieve specific strategies without crew reliance, while simultaneously being resilient to all operating conditions and remaining functional when devoid of ground communication. Additionally, ensuring that an autonomous system framework is an ethical Artificial Intelligence requires careful consideration of system behavior and accountability, human factors for teaming with a thinking autonomous system, and comparison to other modern approaches used for implementing true autonomy. This paper presents the first steps in formalizing the metacognition required for instantiating a truly Thinking Autonomous System; the approach described symphonizes autonomy characteristics from classical philosophical into a unified software architecture describing human thought. In the future, the foundational models described in this paper can be further leveraged to help advance research into thinking autonomy requirements for future deep space missions as well as for current near-term applications, i.e., living aboard crewed spacecraft like a NASA Gateway cislunar habitat.

Artificial Thought↗

NASA NTRS1990

Technology for an intelligent, free-flying robot for crew and equipment retrieval in space

Crew rescue and equipment retrieval is a Space Station Freedom requirement. During Freedom's lifetime, there is a high probability that a number of objects will accidently become separated. Members of the crew, replacement units, and key tools are examples. Retrieval of these objects within a short time is essential. Systems engineering studies were conducted to identify system requirements and candidate approaches. One such approach, based on a voice-supervised, intelligent, free-flying robot was selected for further analysis. A ground-based technology demonstration, now in its second phase, was designed to provide an integrated robotic hardware and software testbed supporting design of a space-borne system. The ground system, known as the EVA Retriever, is examining the problem of autonomously planning and executing a target rendezvous, grapple, and return to base while avoiding stationary and moving obstacles. The current prototype is an anthropomorphic manipulator unit with dexterous arms and hands attached to a robot body and latched in a manned maneuvering unit. A precision air-bearing floor is used to simulate space. Sensor data include two vision systems and force/proximity/tactile sensors on the hands and arms. Planning for a shuttle file experiment is underway. A set of scenarios and strawman requirements were defined to support conceptual development. Initial design activities are expected to begin in late 1989 with the flight occurring in 1994. The flight hardware and software will be based on lessons learned from both the ground prototype and computer simulations.

Erickson, J. D.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Crew Autonomy Through Self-Scheduling: Operational Characterization

NASA’s future long-duration exploration missions (LDEMs) will encounter increasing communication transmission delays as they move farther from Earth-based ground stations. This necessitates a new approach, as crews can no longer rely on real-time support from ground planners and must self-schedule their own operational timelines effectively and efficiently. To enable this transition, our team has developed Playbook, a mission planning and scheduling tool. Our research focuses on quantifying scheduling performance using Playbook to inform the design and development of future features to streamline timeline creation. We also aim to propose standards and guidelines for autonomous crews in LDEMs. In the past year, we have focused on further validating and quantifying the effects of countermeasure aids on self-scheduling performance. There are two software aids in Playbook (self-scheduling platform): Suggested Fixes, which propose an edit to resolve violations within a timeline, and No-Go Zones, which highlight where activities should not be scheduled on a timeline. We have made significant progress in HERA Campaign 7 (C7) data collection, increasing the number of days crew must self-schedule from 4 to 8. As a result, almost 20% of the mission is self-scheduled by the analog astronauts. We have also started data collection on a controlled lab experiment designed to quantify performance effects due to the countermeasures. We expect to present the preliminary results from both efforts. Finally, we have conducted an exploratory analysis of NASA’s HERA Campaign 6 (C6), investigating the mission-level impacts of self-scheduling. We derived basic patterns and descriptive statistics to better characterize crew autonomy through self-scheduling. We also assessed if there are any individual indicators of preference for self-scheduling, such as experience or predilection for autonomy. Preliminary analysis indicates that the HERA C6 crew self-scheduled one out of four flexible activities, indicating unprompted adoption of self-scheduling as a concept of operation for crew autonomy.

analog↗

NASA NTRS1992

Planetary surface exploration: MESUR/autonomous lunar rover

Planetary surface exploration micro-rovers for collecting data about the Moon and Mars was designed by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Idaho. The goal of both projects was to design a rover concept that best satisfied the project objectives for NASA-Ames. A second goal was to facilitate student learning about the process of design. The first micro-rover is a deployment mechanism for the Mars Environmental SURvey (MESUR) Alpha Particle/Proton/X-ray instruments (APX). The system is to be launched with the sixteen MESUR landers around the turn of the century. A Tubular Deployment System and a spiked-legged walker was developed to deploy the APX from the lander to the Martian surface. While on Mars the walker is designed to take the APX to rocks to obtain elemental composition data of the surface. The second micro-rover is an autonomous, roving vehicle to transport a sensor package over the surface of the moon. The vehicle must negotiate the lunar-terrain for a minimum of one year by surviving impacts and withstanding the environmental extremes. The rover is a reliable track-driven unit that operates regardless of orientation which NASA can use for future lunar exploratory missions. A detailed description of the designs, methods, and procedures which the University of Idaho design teams followed to arrive at the final designs are included.

Stauffer, Larry↗

NASA NTRS1999

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.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Constellation: The autonomous control and data acquisition system for dynamic experimental setups

The operation of instruments and detectors in laboratory or beamline environments presents a complex challenge, requiring stable operation of multiple concurrent devices, often controlled by separate hardware and software solutions. These environments frequently undergo modifications, such as the inclusion of different auxiliary devices depending on the experiment or facility, adding further complexity. The successful management of such dynamic configurations demands a flexible and robust system capable of controlling data acquisition, monitoring experimental setups, enabling seamless reconfiguration, and integrating new devices with limited effort. This paper presents Constellation, a flexible and network-distributed control and data acquisition software framework tailored to laboratory and beamline environments, that addresses the limitations of existing solutions. The framework is designed with a focus on extensibility, providing a streamlined interface for instrument integration. It supports efficient system setup via network discovery mechanisms, promotes stability through autonomous operational features, and provides comprehensive documentation and supporting tools for operators and application developers such as controllers and logging interfaces. At the core of the architectural design is the autonomy of the individual components, called satellites, which can make independent decisions about their operation and communicate these decisions to other components. This paper introduces the design principles and framework architecture of Constellation, presents the available graphical user interfaces, shares insights from initial successful deployments, and provides an outlook on future developments and applications.

Autonomy↗