Results for “Human Systems Simulation Laboratory” — Page 7

NASA NTRS2016

UAS-NAS Project Demo - Mini HITL Week 2 Stats

The UAS-NAS Project demo will showcase recent research efforts to ensure the interoperability between proposed UAS detect and avoid (DAA) human machine interface requirements (developed within RTCA SC-228) and existing collision avoidance displays. Attendees will be able to view the current state of the art of the DAA pilot traffic, alerting and guidance displays integrated with Traffic advisory and Collision Avoidance (TCAS) II in the UAS-NAS Project's research UAS ground control station (developed in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory). In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the research UAS ground control station and "fly" encounters, using the DAA and TCAS II displays to avoid simulated aircraft. The display of the advisories will be hosted on a laptop with an external 30" monitor, running the Vigilant Spirit system. DAA advisories will be generated by the JADEM software tool, connected to the system via the LVC Gateway. A repeater of the primary flight display will be shown on a 55" monitor mounted on a stand at the back of the booth to show the pilot interaction to the passersby.

UAS↗

NASA NTRS2016

AIAA Aviation UAS DAA Demonstration-Mini HITL Week 2 Stats

The UAS-NAS Project demo will showcase recent research efforts to ensure the interoperability between proposed UAS detect and avoid (DAA) human machine interface requirements (developed within RTCA SC-228) and existing collision avoidance displays. Attendees will be able to view the current state of the art of the DAA pilot traffic, alerting and guidance displays integrated with Traffic advisory and Collision Avoidance (TCAS) II in the UAS-NAS Project's research UAS ground control station (developed in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory). In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the research UAS ground control station and "fly" encounters, using the DAA and TCAS II displays to avoid simulated aircraft. The display of the advisories will be hosted on a laptop with an external 30" monitor, running the Vigilant Spririt system. DAA advisories will be generated by the JADEM software tool, connected to the system via the LVC Gateway. A repeater of the primary flight display will be shown on a 55" tv/monitor mounted on a stand at the back of the booth to show the pilot interaction to the passersby.

UAS↗

NASA NTRS2007

Space Environment (Natural and Induced)

Considerable effort and improvement have been made in the study of ionizing radiation exposure occurring in various regions of space. Satellites and spacecrafts equipped with innovative instruments are continually refining particle data and providing more accurate information on the ionizing radiation environment. The major problem in accurate spectral definition of ionizing radiation appears to be the detailed energy spectra, especially at high energies, which is important parameter for accurate radiation risk assessment. Magnitude of risks posed by exposure to radiation in future space missions is subject to the accuracies of predictive forecast of event size of SPE, GCR environment, geomagnetic fields, and atmospheric radiation environment. Although heavy ion fragmentations and interactions are adequately resolved through laboratory study and model development, improvements in fragmentation cross sections for the light nuclei produced from HZE nuclei and their laboratory validation are still required to achieve the principal goal of planetary GCR simulation at a critical exposure site. More accurate prediction procedure for ionizing radiation environment can be made with a better understanding of the solar and space physics, fulfillment of required measurements for nuclear/atomic processes, and their validation and verification with spaceflights and heavy ion accelerators experiments. It is certainly true that the continued advancements in solar and space physics combining with physical measurements will strengthen the confidence of future manned exploration of solar system. Advancements in radiobiology will surely give the meaningful radiation hazard assessments for short and long term effects, by which appropriate and effective mitigation measures can be placed to ensure that humans safely live and work in the space, anywhere, anytime.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Advanced Control Algorithms for Compensating the Phase Distortion Due to Transport Delay in Human-Machine Systems

The desire to create more complex visual scenes in modern flight simulators outpaces recent increases in processor speed. As a result, simulation transport delay remains a problem. New approaches for compensating the transport delay in a flight simulator have been developed and are presented in this report. The lead/lag filter, the McFarland compensator and the Sobiski/Cardullo state space filter are three prominent compensators. The lead/lag filter provides some phase lead, while introducing significant gain distortion in the same frequency interval. The McFarland predictor can compensate for much longer delay and cause smaller gain error in low frequencies than the lead/lag filter, but the gain distortion beyond the design frequency interval is still significant, and it also causes large spikes in prediction. Though, theoretically, the Sobiski/Cardullo predictor, a state space filter, can compensate the longest delay with the least gain distortion among the three, it has remained in laboratory use due to several limitations. The first novel compensator is an adaptive predictor that makes use of the Kalman filter algorithm in a unique manner. In this manner the predictor can accurately provide the desired amount of prediction, while significantly reducing the large spikes caused by the McFarland predictor. Among several simplified online adaptive predictors, this report illustrates mathematically why the stochastic approximation algorithm achieves the best compensation results. A second novel approach employed a reference aircraft dynamics model to implement a state space predictor on a flight simulator. The practical implementation formed the filter state vector from the operator s control input and the aircraft states. The relationship between the reference model and the compensator performance was investigated in great detail, and the best performing reference model was selected for implementation in the final tests. Theoretical analyses of data from offline simulations with time delay compensation show that both novel predictors effectively suppress the large spikes caused by the McFarland compensator. The phase errors of the three predictors are not significant. The adaptive predictor yields greater gain errors than the McFarland predictor for short delays (96 and 138 ms), but shows smaller errors for long delays (186 and 282 ms). The advantage of the adaptive predictor becomes more obvious for a longer time delay. Conversely, the state space predictor results in substantially smaller gain error than the other two predictors for all four delay cases.

Guo, Liwen↗

NASA NTRS1995

State Estimation of Main Rotor Flap and Lead-Lag Using Accelerometers and Laser Transducers on the RASCAL UH-60 Helicopter

Modern rotorcraft flight control system designs which promise to yield high vehicle response bandwidth and good gust rejection can benefit from the use of rotor-state feedbacks. The measurement of main rotor blade motions is also desirable to validate and improve rotorcraft simulation models, to identify high-order linear flight dynamics models, to provide rotor system health monitoring; during flight test, and to provide for correlation with acoustic measurements from wind tunnel and flight tests. However, few attempts have been made to instrument a flight vehicle in this manner, and no previous system has had the robustness and accuracy required for these diverse applications. A rotor blade motion measurement and estimation system has been developed by NASA and the U.S. Army for use on the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) helicopter. RASCAL is a UH-60 Blackhawk which is being modified at Ames Research Center in a phased development program for use in flight dynamics and controls, navigation, airspace management, and rotorcraft human factors research. The aircraft will feature a full-authority, digital, fly-by-wire research flight control system; a coupled ring laser gyro, differential GPS based navigation system; a stereoscopic color wide field of view helmet, mounted display; programmable panel mounted displays; and advanced navigation sensors. The rotor blade motion system is currently installed for data acquisition only, but will be integrated with the research flight control system when it is installed later this year.

Fletcher, Jay W.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Oxidative Stress and the Neuroconsequences of Spaceflight Environment - Immune Dysregulation and Antioxidant Dietary Countermeasure Efficacy

In this project, we will test the hypothesis that Ionizing Radiation (IR), microgravity and social isolation combine synergistically to trigger an oxidative stress response that alters immune homeostasis, brain structure and function, and neurobehavioral and cognitive performance. Specific Aims for this project are: (1) Determine dose-response curves for acute ‘Five-Ion GCR Simulation’ exposure for immune, brain and performance responses in crew age-matched adult male and female mice; (2) Determine effects of acute ‘Five-Ion GCR Simulation’ exposure singly and in combination with simulated microgravity and social isolation, on immune, brain and performance responses in crew age-matched male and female mice mimicking deep space missions; and (3) Determine efficacy of the dietary antioxidant, Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN), a key intermediate in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) biosynthesis. The project relies on established and highly translatable ground-based mouse models and assays with IR exposures to be performed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL). The experimental approach will provide definitive data on the timing and mechanisms involved in the oxidative stress response, immune and brain changes, and ensuing functional (behavioral/cognitive) impairments expected during human transit to Mars. This project will identify potential biomarkers for, and mechanisms underlying, structural and functional changes in the immune and nervous systems leading to behavioral/cognitive performance deficits, and its potential application to develop effective countermeasures to mitigate negative health effects of long duration space habitation. The project will address NASA’s efforts to rapidly advance the characterization of risks and identify appropriate countermeasures in anticipation of future deep space missions. Ensuring crew health and performance during extended transits necessitates that sensorimotor and cognitive abilities remain strong to avoid potentially catastrophic health and safety outcomes. Further, despite historically low numbers of female astronauts, the two most recent NASA Astronaut Corps class selections, comprised of ~50% women as compared to men, signal the need to understand how sex differences affect physiological adaptation and health in the space environment. Here, we will determine how key features of the deep space environment may interact to increase risk to crewmembers by negatively impacting health and performance, and identify and develop strategies to characterize and mitigate the potential risks via countermeasures. Supported by the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) Human Factors Behavioral Performance Element Grant 18-18FLAG_2-0028.

radiation↗

NASA NTRS2019

Requirements for Portable Instrument Suites during Human Scientific Exploration of Mars

Human explorers on the surface of Mars will have access to a far wider array of scientific tools than previous crewed planetary exploration missions, but not every tool will be compatible with the restrictions of this exploration. Spectrometers on flyby, orbital, and landed missions are currently used to determine the composition and mineralogy of geological materials of various types and sizes, from small fragments to celestial bodies in the solar system. Handheld spectrometers that are capable of in situ analyses are already used for geological exploration on Earth; however, their usefulness for human exploration missions and how data from multiple handheld instruments could be combined to enhance scientific return must be further evaluated. As part of the Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) research project, we incorporated two handheld instruments, a visible-near infrared spectrometer and an X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer, into simulated Mars exploration missions conducted on basaltic terrains in Idaho and Hawai'i. To understand the data quality provided by these handheld spectrometers, we evaluated their performance under varying conditions of measurement time, distance, angle, atmosphere, and sample matrix, and we compared data quality between handheld instruments and laboratory techniques. Here, we summarize these findings, provide guidelines and requirements on how to effectively incorporate these instruments into human exploration missions to Mars, and posit that future iterations of these instruments will be beneficial for enhancing science returned from human exploration missions.

Alexander Sehlke↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microbial Communities in Microgravity: Simulation in Lab and on the Computer

Microorganisms grow differently in spaceflight than they do on Earth. While much remains unexplained about how microgravity affects microbial growth, one dominant hypothesis is that the lack of density-driven convection in the liquid growth environment makes mixing diffusion-limited, and therefore slower. This is supported by evidence that individual microbial strains experience starvation and acid stress in microgravity. However, if it is true, then microgravity would also have measurable effects on microbes in mixed communities, because many interspecies interactions involve the exchange of soluble metabolites through the medium (cross-feeding). Specifically, cooperative cross-feeding communities would grow more slowly in microgravity, and cooperation would be less stable on evolutionary timescales. Here we describe our efforts to test this hypothesis by simulating microgravity in silico and in the lab, using a model system of Eschericia coli and Salmonella enterica that grow only when they can exchange methionine and acetate. We created CAMDLES (CFD-DEM Artificial Microgravity Developments for Living Ecosystem Simulation) as an extension of CFDEM®coupling software, to carry out computational modeling of biological flows, growth, and mass transfer in microgravity and also in laboratory artificial microgravity devices (rotating wall vessels, RWV). Using CAMDLES, we found distinct differences in growth rates between RWV and true microgravity, and we were able to identify several features, such as spatial distribution, biofilm formation, and product yield parameters, that influence the degree to which RWV growth recapitulates microgravity growth. In addition, we report on the development of a laboratory system for monitoring growth rates and species ratios of the community in RWVs, using fluorescent strains. Pairing CAMDLES with the laboratory model system allows us to generate quantitative predictions about the effects of spaceflight on organisms that will be essential to sustaining human space exploration in the long term.

microbiology↗

NASA NTRS2011

Evaluation of High Density Air Traffic Operations with Automation for Separation Assurance, Weather Avoidance and Schedule Conformance

In this paper we discuss the development and evaluation of our prototype technologies and procedures for far-term air traffic control operations with automation for separation assurance, weather avoidance and schedule conformance. Controller-in-the-loop simulations in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at the NASA Ames Research Center in 2010 have shown very promising results. We found the operations to provide high airspace throughput, excellent efficiency and schedule conformance. The simulation also highlighted areas for improvements: Short-term conflict situations sometimes resulted in separation violations, particularly for transitioning aircraft in complex traffic flows. The combination of heavy metering and growing weather resulted in an increased number of aircraft penetrating convective weather cells. To address these shortcomings technologies and procedures have been improved and the operations are being re-evaluated with the same scenarios. In this paper we will first describe the concept and technologies for automating separation assurance, weather avoidance, and schedule conformance. Second, the results from the 2010 simulation will be reviewed. We report human-systems integration aspects, safety and efficiency results as well as airspace throughput, workload, and operational acceptability. Next, improvements will be discussed that were made to address identified shortcomings. We conclude that, with further refinements, air traffic control operations with ground-based automated separation assurance can routinely provide currently unachievable levels of traffic throughput in the en route airspace.

Prevot, Thomas↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparison of Physical Workload Across Eva-Simulation Analog Environments: Hybrid Space Suit Simulator and Pressurized Suit Testing

NASA conducts research, testing, and training across a variety of analog environments to support characterization of human performance during Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). Time utilizing pressurized suits in an offloaded environment is both limited and expensive, making it challenging to carry out extensive research with these suits. The Human Physiology, Performance, Protection, and Operations (H-3PO) Laboratory at NASA Johnson Space Center designed a Hybrid Space Suit Simulator (HS3) as a low-cost, workload approximator and easy access research tool to provide relevant physical and cognitive workloads during simulated EVAs. A pilot study was conducted in a 1g analog environment where six healthy subjects (3 male, 3 female) underwent simulated 5-hour EVAs in the HS3. This study used a COSMED K5 portable metabolic analyzer and a Polar H10 heart rate monitor to evaluate physical workload during the EVAs. For direct comparison, EVA tasks and timelines were modeled after a similar study conducted in pressurized suits (Mark-III spacesuit, n=3 male; small xPGS spacesuit, n=3 female) at NASA’s Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) offloaded to Lunar gravity (1/6 g). The 1g HS3 data demonstrated increased metabolic rate when compared to pressurized, Lunar-offloaded suited simulated EVAs for certain tasks including the kneeling scoop (HS3: 1194±199 BTU/hr, ARGOS: 860±170 BTU/hr, p < 0.05) and 20 lb object relocation (HS3: 1651±136 BTU/hr, ARGOS: 1048±252.8 BTU/hr, p < 0.05), but it did not demonstrate any significant differences in heart rate (p > 0.05). Other simulated EVA tasks, such as a 500 m traverse (HS3: 1431±177 BTU/hr, ARGOS: 1212±294 BTU/hr, p > 0.05), showed similar workload profiles with no significant workload differences between HS3 and ARGOS. The HS3 is a useful research tool for increasing workloads in EVA research without pressurized suits, though it may overestimate workload during certain EVA tasks when used in 1g environments.

Zachary Wusk↗

NASA NTRS2012

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2012

The topics include: Visual System for Browsing, Analysis, and Retrieval of Data (ViSBARD); Time-Domain Terahertz Computed Axial Tomography NDE System; Adaptive Sampling of Time Series During Remote Exploration; A Tracking Sun Photometer Without Moving Parts; Surface Temperature Data Analysis; Modular, Autonomous Command and Data Handling Software with Built-In Simulation and Test; In-Situ Wire Damage Detection System; Amplifier Module for 260-GHz Band Using Quartz Waveguide Transitions; Wideband Agile Digital Microwave Radiometer; Buckyball Nucleation of HiPco Tubes; FACT, Mega-ROSA, SOLAROSA; An Integrated, Layered-Spinel Composite Cathode for Energy Storage Applications; Engineered Multifunctional Surfaces for Fluid Handling; Polyolefin-Based Aerogels; Adjusting Permittivity by Blending Varying Ratios of SWNTs; Gravity-Assist Mechanical Simulator for Outreach; Concept for Hydrogen-Impregnated Nanofiber/Photovoltaic Cargo Stowage System; DROP: Durable Reconnaissance and Observation Platform; Developing Physiologic Models for Emergency Medical Procedures Under Microgravity; Spectroscopic Chemical Analysis Methods and Apparatus; Low Average Sidelobe Slot Array Antennas for Radiometer Applications; Motion-Corrected 3D Sonic Anemometer for Tethersondes and Other Moving Platforms; Water Treatment Systems for Long Spaceflights; Microchip Non-Aqueous Capillary Electrophoresis (MicronNACE) Method to Analyze Long-Chain Primary Amines; Low-Cost Phased Array Antenna for Sounding Rockets, Missiles, and Expendable Launch Vehicles; Mars Science Laboratory Engineering Cameras; Seismic Imager Space Telescope; Estimating Sea Surface Salinity and Wind Using Combined Passive and Active L-Band Microwave Observations; A Posteriori Study of a DNS Database Describing Super critical Binary-Species Mixing; Scalable SCPPM Decoder; QuakeSim 2.0; HURON (HUman and Robotic Optimization Network) Multi-Agent Temporal Activity Planner/Scheduler; MPST Software: MoonKommand

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

GeneLab: Current and Future Omics Data Integration Between Space Biology and HRP

For the past five years, the Biological and Physical Sciences Division has pioneered Open Science in Space Biology by funding the NASA GeneLab project. Along with the Ames Life Sciences Data Archive, GeneLab has quickly become the world leader in archiving and scientifically curating spaceflight and spaceflight relevant multi-omics data. Specifically, the GeneLab Data System has become a full enterprise solution providing advanced mining capabilities, several application programming interfaces for data federation and machine learning approaches, and delivering to the world an analytical and visualization platform which has enabled collaboration within the scientific community. Over the past three years, large meta-analysis and modeling studies have been published by the GeneLab Analysis Working Groups (AWGs), which are comprised of ~200 volunteer scientists. One natural extension of GeneLab data reuse has recently turned towards linking animal data with human data, which is the next necessary step to further validate animal models for inferring biological risks to humans conducting LEO, lunar or Martian missions. As such, data from the Human Research Program are an essential component of GeneLab and ALSDA. At the moment, simulated space radiation experiments conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory make the most of HRP GeneLab data, and the scientific community has been eager to also link their animal spaceflight results to actual Astronaut data and human analog data. We will discuss further the current status of knowledge and future approaches to accelerate our basics understanding of the impact of space stressors on humans using latest omics technology.

omics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microbial Mutualism in (Modeled) Microgravity: Measuring the Effects of A Spaceflight-Like Fluid Environment on Cross-Feeding Communities

Microorganisms grow differently in spaceflight than they do on Earth. While numerous factors likely contribute, one ubiquitous feature of the space environment is altered gravity - but because microbes are generally considered too small to detect gravity directly, they likely experience the effects of gravity via changes in their fluid environment, primarily a reduction in convective mixing. This theory is supported by evidence that individual microbial strains experience starvation and acid stress in microgravity. If it is true, then microgravity would also have measurable effects on microbes in mixed communities, because many interspecies interactions involve the exchange of soluble metabolites through their medium (cross-feeding). Specifically, cooperative cross-feeding communities would grow more slowly in microgravity, and this effect should be reproducible in ground-based rotational culture systems (rotating wall vessels, RWVs) designed to simulate the quiescent environment of microgravity. Here we present preliminary results of our efforts to test this hypothesis using using a model system of Eschericia coli and Salmonella enterica that grow only when they can exchange methionine and acetate through the medium. We report on the development of a novel laboratory system that allows us measure growth rates and species ratios in real-time using fluorescence spectrometry as the organisms grow in RWVs. We are able to track growth rates of individual species and the co-culture continuously with high temporal resolution for several hours, a substantial improvement over prior RWV systems that require destructive sampling. We vary the fidelity of the microgravity simulation by varying the rotation rate, and find that rotation rate affects growth rates of the community more than that of individual strains, consistent with the claim that RWVs can simulate a microgravity-like quiescent environment. While more work needs to be done to probe the mechanisms of this effect, we hope that our system will ultimately allow us to generate quantitative predictions about the effects of spaceflight on organisms that are tiny but essential to sustaining long-term human space exploration.

microgravity↗

NASA NTRS2011

Predicting the Consequences of Workload Management Strategies with Human Performance Modeling

Human performance modelers at the US Army Research Laboratory have developed an approach for establishing Soldier high workload that can be used for analyses of proposed system designs. Their technique includes three key components. To implement the approach in an experiment, the researcher would create two experimental conditions: a baseline and a design alternative. Next they would identify a scenario in which the test participants perform all their representative concurrent interactions with the system. This scenario should include any events that would trigger a different set of goals for the human operators. They would collect workload values during both the control and alternative design condition to see if the alternative increased workload and decreased performance. They have successfully implemented this approach for military vehicle. designs using the human performance modeling tool, IMPRINT. Although ARL researches use IMPRINT to implement their approach, it can be applied to any workload analysis. Researchers using other modeling and simulations tools or conducting experiments or field tests can use the same approach.

Mitchell, Diane Kuhl↗

NASA NTRS2024

3D Scanning System to Assess Gravity-Dependent Body Shape Changes

The human body shows unique physiological and morphological changes when exposed to different gravity conditions, including muscle atrophy, fluid shift, spinal elongation, and body posture adjustments. Such changes need to be incorporated for human-system integration in the vehicle habitat, garment, and spacesuit designs, as inaccurate body measurements can result in suboptimal crew protection that can potentially decrease injury tolerance. However, the traditional linear measurements, such as stature, segment lengths or circumferences measured using a caliper or tape measure, often show limited consistency and are unable to capture the nonlinear characteristics of the human body. While 3D body scanning can provide significant advantages over linear measurements, the technologies have not been fully developed or customized for in-flight scanning. For ground laboratory use, several different scanner types are commercially available. However, in-flight scanning requires additional technical considerations, such as minimal scan time, simplified calibration, and sufficient capture volume. This work aims to develop a prototype 3-D body scanning system that is customized for in-flight use to scan crewmembers, with the configuration and performance optimized for detecting known gravity-dependent body shape and posture changes. A hardware system will be custom built using a network of commercial off-the-shelf 3D sensors. The sensor parameters and settings will be optimized to detect the targeted body shape changes, specifically using body manikins of which the shape and size are iteratively permuted to simulate the known changes by fluid shift and spinal elongation. The capture volume will be also matched for a range of body sizes from a 1st percentile female to 99th percentile male. Unintentional body motions or floating in microgravity will be also simulated and incorporated. A data acquisition software will be developed for efficient in-flight operations with minimal overhead and easy-to-use user interface. A simplified calibration procedure will be designed for robust scanning against frequent vibration or unexpected sensor position shifts. The system will be tested in the ground laboratory for accuracy and reliability against a reference scanning system. New anthropometry measurements will be also identified to sensitively capture the gravity dependent body shape changes, in addition to the traditional anthropometry measurements. A novel landmark-based technique will be tested for consistent anthropometry measurements across posture variations. If successfully developed and deployed, the new system is expected to provide previously unavailable body shape and size data from different gravitational environments, including 0-g, 1/6-g, and 1-g. Such data can improve suit fit, habitat design, exercise efficacy quantification and sizing of orthostatic intolerance garments.

K H Kim↗

NASA NTRS2024

3D Scanning System to Assess Gravity-Dependent Body Shape Changes

The human body shows unique physiological and morphological changes when exposed to different gravity conditions, including muscle atrophy, fluid shift, spinal elongation, and body posture adjustments. Such changes need to be incorporated for human-system integration in the vehicle habitat, garment, and spacesuit designs, as inaccurate body measurements can result in suboptimal crew protection that can potentially decrease injury tolerance. However, the traditional linear measurements, such as stature, segment lengths or circumferences measured using a caliper or tape measure, often show limited consistency and are unable to capture the nonlinear characteristics of the human body. While 3D body scanning can provide significant advantages over linear measurements, the technologies have not been fully developed or customized for in-flight scanning. For ground laboratory use, several different scanner types are commercially available. However, in-flight scanning requires additional technical considerations, such as minimal scan time, simplified calibration, and sufficient capture volume. This work aims to develop a prototype 3-D body scanning system that is customized for in-flight use to scan crewmembers, with the configuration and performance optimized for detecting known gravity-dependent body shape and posture changes. A hardware system will be custom built using a network of commercial off-the-shelf 3D sensors. The sensor parameters and settings will be optimized to detect the targeted body shape changes, specifically using body manikins of which the shape and size are iteratively permuted to simulate the known changes by fluid shift and spinal elongation. The capture volume will be also matched for a range of body sizes from a 1st percentile female to 99th percentile male. Unintentional body motions or floating in microgravity will be also simulated and incorporated. A data acquisition software will be developed for efficient in-flight operations with minimal overhead and easy-to-use user interface. A simplified calibration procedure will be designed for robust scanning against frequent vibration or unexpected sensor position shifts. The system will be tested in the ground laboratory for accuracy and reliability against a reference scanning system. New anthropometry measurements will be also identified to sensitively capture the gravity dependent body shape changes, in addition to the traditional anthropometry measurements. A novel landmark-based technique will be tested for consistent anthropometry measurements across posture variations. If successfully developed and deployed, the new system is expected to provide previously unavailable body shape and size data from different gravitational environments, including 0-g, 1/6-g, and 1-g. Such data can improve suit fit, habitat design, exercise efficacy quantification and sizing of orthostatic intolerance garments.

K H Kim↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Highlights of NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office In Situ and Laboratory Measurements

NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) maintains various returned spacecraft materials, capabilities, and facilities used for in situ and laboratory measurements that directly support orbital debris environmental models. In situ measurements include the analysis of exposed and returned hardware surfaces. These surfaces serve as passive sensors for the small-sized micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) flux below the sensitivity of ground-based radar and optical sensors. Various instruments and techniques are used to determine the size and depth of selected impact features, and – if feasible – the composition of the projectile material. Analysis of the impactor residues enables the differentiation of MM and OD for debris below 1 mm to support modeling the OD environment. In addition, projectiles identified as OD can be further differentiated in low-, medium-, and high- density impactors based on chemical analyses. In addition to in situ measurements, the ODPO has also worked in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (formerly the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center), the Aerospace Corporation, and the University of Florida on a laboratory-based hypervelocity impact test, DebriSat, conducted at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in 2014. The resulting data from this impact test series are being analyzed to assess the fragments’ sizes/masses, materials/densities, shapes, and other parameters of interest. The DebriSat project provides the data needed to update NASA’s breakup models and size estimation models using the simulated orbital breakup of a modern, low Earth orbit spacecraft. Ultimately, over 200,000 fragments from this impact test will be stored at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and further analyzed by the ODPO. This project will also use machine learning techniques to infer physical parameters of fragments embedded in the soft-catch foam used in the impact experiment. Applied to X-ray imagery of the foam panels, these techniques promise to minimize human-in-the-loop processes for fragment extraction and physical characterization. A brief overview of this project and data collected will be presented. Lastly, the ODPO provides various capabilities hosted at NASA JSC for optical inspections and measurements using a variety of techniques and scientific instrumentation to support both in situ and laboratory measurements. The ODPO’s Optical Measurement Center (OMC) is an advanced facility for photometric and spectroscopic laboratory measurements of targets, including fragments from the DebriSat project. The OMC simulates telescopic observations by using space-like illumination conditions and source-target-sensor orientation techniques. Additionally, the OMC is uniquely equipped to acquire pseudo-bidirectional reflectance distribution data for broadband photometric measurements, thus removing aspect angle dependencies that can affect target size estimates using the optical size estimation model. Narrow-band surface material characterization using spectroscopic instrumentation gives insight into how the albedo parameter – also important in the optical size estimation model – may vary depending on the state of the material. The OMC also performs simulations of photometric measurements using optical ray-tracing software to model the OMC optical throughput. In addition to the OMC, the ODPO houses a start-of-the-art Fragment Analysis Facility that uses multiple microscopic inspection instruments to support in situ measurements and material characterization. An overview of both facilities will be highlighted in this paper.

Orbital Debris↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Highlights of NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office In Situ and Laboratory Measurements

NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) maintains various returned spacecraft materials, capabilities, and facilities used for in situ and laboratory measurements that directly support orbital debris environmental models. In situ measurements include the analysis of exposed and returned hardware surfaces. These surfaces serve as passive sensors for the small-sized micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) flux below the sensitivity of ground-based radar and optical sensors. Various instruments and techniques are used to determine the size and depth of selected impact features, and – if feasible – the composition of the projectile material. Analysis of the impactor residues enables the differentiation of MM and OD for debris below 1 mm to support modeling the OD environment. In addition, projectiles identified as OD can be further differentiated in low-, medium-, and high- density impactors based on chemical analyses. In addition to in situ measurements, the ODPO has also worked in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (formerly the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center), the Aerospace Corporation, and the University of Florida on a laboratory-based hypervelocity impact test, DebriSat, conducted at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in 2014. The resulting data from this impact test series are being analyzed to assess the fragments’ sizes/masses, materials/densities, shapes, and other parameters of interest. The DebriSat project provides the data needed to update NASA’s breakup models and size estimation models using the simulated orbital breakup of a modern, low Earth orbit spacecraft. Ultimately, over 200,000 fragments from this impact test will be stored at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and further analyzed by the ODPO. This project will also use machine learning techniques to infer physical parameters of fragments embedded in the soft-catch foam used in the impact experiment. Applied to X-ray imagery of the foam panels, these techniques promise to minimize human-in-the-loop processes for fragment extraction and physical characterization. A brief overview of this project and data collected will be presented. Lastly, the ODPO provides various capabilities hosted at NASA JSC for optical inspections and measurements using a variety of techniques and scientific instrumentation to support both in situ and laboratory measurements. The ODPO’s Optical Measurement Center (OMC) is an advanced facility for photometric and spectroscopic laboratory measurements of targets, including fragments from the DebriSat project. The OMC simulates telescopic observations by using space-like illumination conditions and source-target-sensor orientation techniques. Additionally, the OMC is uniquely equipped to acquire pseudo-bidirectional reflectance distribution data for broadband photometric measurements, thus removing aspect angle dependencies that can affect target size estimates using the optical size estimation model. Narrow-band surface material characterization using spectroscopic instrumentation gives insight into how the albedo parameter – also important in the optical size estimation model – may vary depending on the state of the material. The OMC also performs simulations of photometric measurements using optical ray-tracing software to model the OMC optical throughput. In addition to the OMC, the ODPO houses a start-of-the-art Fragment Analysis Facility that uses multiple microscopic inspection instruments to support in situ measurements and material characterization. An overview of both facilities will be highlighted in this paper.

Orbital Debris↗