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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2021

On-demand Command and Control of ASTERIA with Cloud-based Ground Station Services

ASTERIA (Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics) was a 6-unit CubeSat technology demonstration mission that deployed from the International Space Station on November 20th, 2017. After successfully completing its 90-day primary mission that demonstrated arcsecond-level line-of-sight pointing and focal plane thermal stability for exoplanet detection, it entered an extended mission performing onboard software demonstrations to mature technology both in space and on the ground. One of the technologies was a completely cloud-based ground system leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) Ground Station service.Announced in December 2018 and launched in May 2019, AWS Ground Station is a fully managed ground station service that aims to reduce the overhead associated with developing and maintaining ground system infrastructure throughout the mission lifecycle. AWS Ground Station makes available the suite of features required for any ground system in support of low-Earth orbit (LEO) and medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite operations on-demand and without setting up or maintaining long-term contracts. Charges are incurred on a per-minute basis for antenna usage during scheduled tracks. Support is available for S-band uplink and downlink, along with X-band narrowband and wideband downlink. Missions that use the service may reserve tracks with any licensed AWS Ground Station antennas located across each service region and have direct access to any AWS services in support of mission operations.The cloud-based architecture built around the AWS Ground Station service greatly enhanced ASTERIA mission operations by enabling end-to-end pass automation, on-demand contact scheduling and contingency planning, along with more efficient data downlink through station availability and station-to-station handovers. It incorporated open-source software, particularly NASA's AMMOS Instrument Toolkit (AIT) and Open Mission Control Technologies (OpenMCT), along with the AWS application programming interfaces (API) to the Ground Station, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3) services. After showcasing operability in August 2019, the team continued using and improving this novel ground system architecture until the end of mission in December 2019. This paper describes the cloud-based ground system, how it was designed, tested, and evaluated with an in-orbit spacecraft, the operational capabilities that it enabled, along with lessons learned and recommendations for future missions.

Fesq, Lorraine↗
NASA NTRS2021

Sample Return Container Opening Process Concept for Potential Mars Sample Return

Proposed Mars Sample Return (MSR) missions would require a pristine and secure opening method to ensure sample Contamination Control and backward Planetary Protection. In order to reach the samples, a series of five containers would need to be opened inside of a Mars Returned Sample Handling (MRSH) facility. The process would include opening the Containment Assurance Module (CAM) aboard the Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV), the Secondary Containment Vessel (SCV), Primary Containment Vessel (PCV), and the Orbiting Sample (OS) container, and finally removing and opening the Returned Sample Tube Assemblies (RSTA). Some of these containers can be opened by reversing the mechanical assembly process while others would require destructive means. Several containers are still in a conceptual design phase while others are en route to Mars aboard the M2020 rover. In order to inform the design of the containers that are still in the conceptual stages, a study was performed at each level of the containment assembly. The studies were used to determine the least destructive and most robust methods to disassemble and open the containers while minimizing risk to the samples or the personnel. In addition to the envisioned disassembly and breaching method, contingency plans were made for completing the disassembly if damage to the vehicle and containment system occurred.

Liu, Yang↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars Sample Return (MSR) Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) Assessment Study (MSAS)

NASA, in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), is seeking to return Martian geological and atmospheric samples to Earth for scientific study in the early 2030s. Due to the possibility that the samples could contain extraterrestrial life, Mars Sample Return (MSR) is classified as a Category V: Restricted Earth Return mission by the NASA Planetary Protection Office. As a result of this classification, a MSR Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) must not only provide a pristine environment to ensure samples are protected from terrestrial contamination for scientific investigations, it must also provide high-containment (biosafety level 4 [BSL-4]-equivalence) to isolate the samples from Earth’s biosphere until the samples are deemed safe for release and/or sterilized. The nominal utilization period for a SRF is anticipated to be 2-5 years and is intended to enable curation activities, biohazard assessment, select early science activities, and the rapid release of samples to the scientific community. However, to account for possible delays in schedule or the identification of extant life, this anticipated period of time must be flexible to accommodate schedule extensions and contingency plans. Due to requirements for high-level biological containment and cleanliness, a traditional receiving/curation facility cannot be utilized for MSR. Therefore, beginning in 2022, NASA Johnson Space Center is performing a MSR SRF Assessment Study (MSAS) to investigate the most optimal facility modality for a MSR SRF, as well as start to define programmatic early estimate of costs and schedules before the initial design phase begins. NASA is partnering with industry contractors (architectural and engineering firms with BSL-4 and cleanroom technology experience, as well as other contracted infrastructure and construction specialists) along with selected experts from NASA, ESA, existing U.S. BSL-4 facilities, and other U.S. government agencies, to carry out the assessment study. The MSAS should also aid in the future refinement of the science requirements (e.g., contamination control, equipment accommodations) before site-specific design would commence. As part of the MSAS, NASA is planning to assess an array of possibilities for a MSR SRF. One of the main considerations is the facility modality and whether an existing BSL-4 facility can be utilized (for some or all functions); or, if new constructure would be required, would a traditional fixed facility or a modular facility the best choice. MSAS will also investigate the ability of the modalities to accommodate two different facility capability endmembers: 1) a minimal facility focusing on biohazard assessment and curation tasks with a small footprint, and 2) an enhanced facility with additional capabilities to enable expedited processing and the completion of time-sensitive and (some) sterilization-sensitive science. The assessment is intended to generate information that will inform the selection of facility modalities for high-level conceptual design development. While the assessment study will focus on SRF requirements for accommodating curation, science, and sample safety assessment infrastructure, it will also consider an array of other factors, such as ease of access for international users, decommissioning, repurposing, future sale or lease following MSR’s use of the facility, and uncontained preparatory laboratory spaces. Upon completion of the study, the preferred modality and refined requirements would be utilized for site-specific design but will not be finalized until NASA’s completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

A.D. Harrington↗
NASA NTRS2021

On-demand Command and Control of ASTERIA with Cloud-based Ground Station Services

ASTERIA (Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics) was a 6-unit CubeSat technology demonstration mission that deployed from the International Space Station on November 20th, 2017. After successfully completing its 90-day primary mission that demonstrated arcsecond-level line-of-sight pointing and focal plane thermal stability for exoplanet detection, it entered an extended mission performing onboard software demonstrations to mature technology both in space and on the ground. One of the technologies was a completely cloud-based ground system leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) Ground Station service. Announced in December 2018 and launched in May 2019, AWS Ground Station is a fully managed ground station service that aims to reduce the overhead associated with developing and maintaining ground system infrastructure throughout the mission lifecycle. AWS Ground Station makes available the suite of features required for any ground system in support of low-Earth orbit (LEO) and medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite operations on-demand and without setting up or maintaining long-term contracts. Charges are incurred on a per-minute basis for antenna usage during scheduled tracks. Support is available for S-band uplink and downlink, along with X-band narrowband and wideband downlink. Missions that use the service may reserve tracks with any licensed AWS Ground Station antennas located across each service region and have direct access to any AWS services in support of mission operations. The cloud-based architecture built around the AWS Ground Station service greatly enhanced ASTERIA mission operations by enabling end-to-end pass automation, on-demand contact scheduling and contingency planning, along with more efficient data downlink through station availability and station-tostation handovers. It incorporated open-source software, particularly NASA's AMMOS Instrument Toolkit (AIT) and Open Mission Control Technologies (OpenMCT), along with the AWS application programming interfaces (API) to the Ground Station, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3) services. After showcasing operability in August 2019, the team continued using and improving this novel ground system architecture until the end of mission in December 2019. This paper describes the cloud-based ground system, how it was designed, tested, and evaluated with an inorbit spacecraft, the operational capabilities that it enabled, along with lessons learned and recommendations for future missions.

Fesq, Lorraine↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Communication Network Awareness Machine System Phase I Development: The Intelligent Party-Line Schema

As NextGen continues toward the full implementation of a Net-Centric Architecture (N-CA)it will inherently provide a continuous increase to the Three-Vs components (Volume, Velocity, and Variety) of big data . This will create an insurmountable environment for direct-action aviation personnel (DAAP)as the DAAP’s natural abilities to manage and process data into actionable information will be overmatched by the Three-Vs. Therefore, conducting operations within a N-CA requires that new tools and applications be researched and developed to aid the DAAP’s ability to understand and manage data, mitigate non-normals, create contingency plans and actions. This paper will describe a research area at NASA Langley Research Center known as the Intelligent Party-Line (IPL).

Intelligent Party-Line↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Planning and Execution of the Three Mid-Course Correction Maneuvers for the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was successfully launched on December 25, 2021 12:20 UTC on an Ariane 5 rocket out of Kourou, French Guiana on a direct, lower energy manifold transfer out to the Sun Earth-Moon (SEM) L2 point. Three mid-course correction (MCC) maneuvers, designated MCC-1, MCC-1b, and MCC-2, were required to provide the energy necessary to reach L2 due to a purposeful biasing down of the launch vehicle. This paper will document the prelaunch preparation, nominal planning, contingency preparation, and successful execution of the three mid-course correction maneuvers.

Jeremy Peterson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Human Mars Mission Transit Abort Options for Ballistic High Thrust and Hybrid Transportation Systems

Throughout the entire history of human spaceflight, astronauts have never been more than a few day's journey from Earth. For missions to the International Space Station, or even to the Moon, aborting the mission and returning home is a relatively straightforward operation in the event of a life-threatening contingency. But on the journey to Mars, a mission abort is complicated by a single factor: the sheer distance to Mars that will take time to cover regardless of how powerful the propulsion system is. In a significant departure from the entire human spaceflight experience to date, a Mars mission abort will not mean an immediate return to Earth due to the heliocentric nature of the transit. After escaping Earth’s gravity and entering heliocentric space, aborting a mission to Mars will be measured in months not days even if the abort is initiated relatively early in the mission. This represents a fundamental shift in the way mission aborts are utilized to reduce mission risks and this change must be part of the narrative when discussing reliability, crew risk, contingency planning, and mission operations. Abort capability will vary between transportation propulsion systems depending on final design, operational implementation, and actual mission parameters such as departure date, but the difference is relatively insignificant given that ``mission abort'' in the heliocentric frame of reference is a wildly different paradigm than that historically used for Earth-centric missions which rely on abort as a risk mitigation strategy. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a clearer definition of human Mars mission aborts from a celestial physics and orbital mechanics perspective in the context of different propulsion systems.

Mars Architecture Team↗
NASA NTRS2021

Analysis of Mars 2020 Perseverance Entry, Descent, and Landing Attitude Initialization Performance

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover successfully landed at Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021. To perform this feat, the entry, descent, and landing navigation filter must be initialized with an estimate of the spacecraft state, which includes attitude from the cruise attitude control subsystem. Accuracy of this initial attitude estimate has an impact on important metrics such as touchdown velocity. This paper presents a post-landing reconstruction of the attitude initialization error budget, showing that the requirement of 0.15 deg ($3\sigma$, per axis) was met. Each error source is described and analyzed, including flight telemetry where possible. Analysis of the error budget shows that it is driven by systematic sun sensor errors, star-scanner-to-sun-sensor alignment stability, and inertial-measurement-unit-to-sun-sensor alignment stability. Finally, a contingency plan to initialize the navigation filter in the event of a star scanner failure is presented. While this plan was not needed in flight, results indicate that the attitude initialization requirement could have still been met in this off-nominal scenario.

Lo, Kevin D.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Information and Best Practices Related to NASA Nuclear Flight Safety for Space Flights Involving Space Nuclear Systems

The purpose of this handbook is to facilitate a repeatable and robust process that promotes clear and effective interfaces between activities and stakeholders focused on meeting nuclear flight safety requirements for missions utilizing space nuclear systems (SNS), within the context of NASA’s broader nuclear-related activities and interfaces. NPR 8715.26, Nuclear Flight Safety, requires that the NASA project manager “incorporate nuclear flight safety considerations starting with program or project formulation through the point at which the SNS or other radioactive material no longer has the potential to affect Earth’s biosphere.” NASA’s use of SNS inherently involves partnering with other stakeholders to conduct a range of related activities that interface with nuclear flight safety. From a categorical perspective these include: (i) meeting the authorities and licensing requirements for possession and use of nuclear material, as governed by other Federal authorities; (ii) conducting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities for nuclear-enabled missions; (iii) meeting Federal nuclear launch authorization requirements; (iv) conducting radiological contingency planning activities, including those associated with international commitments; (v) performing risk communication and public outreach activities; and (vi) ensuring decommissioning and disposal strategies reflect National policies and interests. It is the intent of this handbook to promote an effective interface between nuclear flight safety and these interrelated categorical activities. In addition to activities undertaken with partnering agencies, there are individual nuclear-related activities and programs that have a nexus to nuclear flight safety, and these include: (i) applicable NASA Standing Review Boards; (ii) the US Department of Energy nuclear safety activities conducted in partnership with NASA under Memoranda of Understanding; (iii) the Department of Defense’s Range Safety activities; (iv) NASA’s general involvement in interagency and international dialogues regarding nuclear safety; (v) the NASA-administered Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Board; (vi) NASA’s program and project governance activities and nuclear-specific Technical Discipline Team activities under the Office of the Chief Engineer; and others. It is the intent of this handbook to promote effective leveraging of these additional interrelated organizational activities, as appropriate.

Donald Helton↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Development of Multi-Vehicle (m:N) Operations with NASA Langley’s Remote Vehicle Operations Center

To achieve the vision of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), a transition from localized operations of aircraft to remote operations is being pursued across many use cases. This transition will allow fewer human operators to manage more increasingly autonomous aircraft (i.e., m operators managing N vehicles, or m:N). To study this operational concept, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) has developed a prototype remote vehicle operations center and ground control station (GCS) software to conduct research with simulated and real flight operations. To date, flight operations at LaRC have been limited to one vehicle per operator. However, the current paper describes initial development and considerations for enabling m:N flight operations at LaRC. Further, the research described in this paper provides the foundation for a concept of operations (ConOps) that will be developed to support remote operators managing multiple increasingly autonomous vehicles, with the goal of exploring human-autonomy teaming (HAT) concepts that enable more advanced m:N operations. Two key enablers have been identified to facilitate successful m:N operations: GCS software updates for multi-vehicle management and procedural updates for vehicle handoffs during off-nominal events. Additionally, specific modifications were identified across five key areas: technology and software, team structure, inter-team communication, contingency plans, and operator decision flows. Next steps in forming the LaRC m:N ConOps will include working with subject-matter experts to identify off-nominal scenarios, implementing the recommended GCS functionality for m:N operations, and performing integration testing of facility capabilities and new operational procedures. Although the future m:N ConOps will be tailored to the NASA LaRC remote operations facility and flight range, it is intended to be a transparent, accessible, and reality-based exemplar for external organizations seeking to create or evaluate their own m:N operational concepts.

m:N↗
NASA NTRS2005

Work Package 5: Contingency Management. Mission Planning Requirements Document: Preliminary Version. Revision A

The purpose of this document is to identify the general flight/mission planning requirements for same-day file-and-fly access to the NAS for both civil and military High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Currently the scope of this document is limited to Step 1, operations above flight level 43,000 feet (FL430). This document describes the current applicable mission planning requirements and procedures for both manned and unmanned aircraft and addresses HALE UAS flight planning considerations in the future National Airspace System (NAS). It also discusses the unique performance and operational capabilities of HALE UAS associated with the Access 5 Project, presents some of the projected performance characteristics and conceptual missions for future systems, and provides detailed analysis of the recommended mission planning elements for operating HALE UAS in the NAS.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2019

Maneuver design overview of the 2018 InSight Mars lander mission

Launched on May 5, 2018, the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft landed safely on Mars on November 26, 2018. To deliver the lander accurately to the landing site, six trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs) were planned along the reference trajectory from Earth launch to Mars entry. For the last two TCMs, there were two corresponding contingency TCMs planned that could be executed in the event that the corresponding nominal one failed. There were also twenty pre-designed menu TCMs available for execution at the time of the last contingency TCM, about 8 hours before the Mars entry, descent, and landing. This navigation paper overviews the maneuver design of each TCM, as well as how each one actually performed during operations.

Wallace, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1973

Apollo experience report: Evolution of the rendezvous-maneuver plan for the lunar-landing missions

The evolution of the nominal rendezvous-maneuver plan for the lunar landing missions is presented along with a summary of the significant development for the lunar module abort and rescue plan. A general discussion of the rendezvous dispersion analysis that was conducted in support of both the nominal and contingency rendezvous planning is included. Emphasis is placed on the technical developments from the early 1960's through the Apollo 15 mission (July to August 1971), but pertinent organizational factors also are discussed briefly. Recommendations for rendezvous planning for future programs relative to Apollo experience also are included.

Alexander, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Overview of Umbilical Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Interfaces in Life Support Systems on Spacecraft Vehicles and Applications for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV)

Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) for manned spacecraft vehicles have been performed for contingencies and nominal operations numerous times throughout history. This paper will investigate how previous U.S. manned spacecraft vehicles provided life support to crewmembers performing the EVA. Specifically defined are umbilical interfaces with respect to crewmember cooling, drinking water, air (or oxygen), humidity control, and carbon dioxide removal. As historical data is available, the need for planned versus contingency EVAs in previous vehicles as well as details for a nominal EVA day versus a contingency EVA day will be discussed. The hardware used to provide the cooling, drinking water, air (or oxygen), humidity control, and carbon dioxide removal, and the general functions of that hardware, will also be detailed, as information is available. The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV or Orion) EVA interfaces will be generically discussed to provide a glimpse of how similar they are to the EVA interfaces in previous vehicles. Conclusions on strategies that should be used for CEV based on previous spacecraft EVA interfaces will be made in the form of questions and recommendations.

Peterson, Laurie J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

An expert system for simulating electric loads aboard Space Station Freedom

Space Station Freedom will provide an infrastructure for space experimentation. This environment will feature regulated access to any resources required by an experiment. Automated systems are being developed to manage the electric power so that researchers can have the flexibility to modify their experiment plan for contingencies or for new opportunities. To define these flexible power management characteristics for Space Station Freedom, a simulation is required that captures the dynamic nature of space experimentation; namely, an investigator is allowed to restructure his experiment and to modify its execution. This changes the energy demands for the investigator's range of options. An expert system competent in the domain of cryogenic fluid management experimentation was developed. It will be used to help design and test automated power scheduling software for Freedom's electric power system. The expert system allows experiment planning and experiment simulation. The former evaluates experimental alternatives and offers advice on the details of the experiment's design. The latter provides a real-time simulation of the experiment replete with appropriate resource consumption.

Kukich, George↗
NASA NTRS1990

An expert system for simulating electric loads aboard Space Station Freedom

Space Station Freedom will provide an infrastructure for space experimentation. This environment will feature regulated access to any resources required by an experiment. Automated systems are being developed to manage the electric power so that researchers can have the flexibility to modify their experiment plan for contingencies or for new opportunities. To define these flexible power management characteristics for Space Station Freedom, a simulation is required that captures the dynamic nature of space experimentation; namely, an investigator is allowed to restructure his experiment and to modify its execution. This changes the energy demands for the investigator's range of options. An expert system competent in the domain of cryogenic fluid management experimentation, was developed. It will be used to help design and test automated power scheduling software for Freedom's electric power system. The expert system allows experiment planning and experiment simulation. The former evaluates experimental alternatives and offers advice on the details of the experiment's design. The latter provides a real-time simulation of the experiment replete with appropriate resource consumption.

Kukich, George↗
NASA NTRS1972

Apollo experience report: The application of a computerized visualization capability to lunar missions

The development of a computerized capability to depict views from the Apollo spacecraft during a lunar mission was undertaken before the Apollo 8 mission. Such views were considered valuable because of the difficulties in visualizing the complex geometry of the Earth, Moon, Sun, and spacecraft. Such visualization capability originally was desired for spacecraft attitude verification and contingency situations. Improvements were added for later Apollo flights, and results were adopted for several real time and preflight applications. Some specific applications have included crewmember and ground control personnel familiarization, nominal and contingency mission planning, definition of secondary attitude checks for all major thrust maneuvers, and preflight star selection for navigation and for platform alinement. The use of this computerized visualization capability should prove valuable for any future space program as an aid to understanding the geometrical relationships between the spacecraft and the celestial surroundings.

Hyle, C. T.↗
NASA NTRS1965

Gemini Program Mission Planning Report

This report defines the Gemini Program objectives and presents guidelines for the individual Gemini missions. It provides general space vehicle configuration data, and descriptions of planned missions. Contingency mission requirements and extravehicular operations to be performed during specific missions are described in the last two sections of the basic document. Data on spacecraft weights and Gemini Launch Vehicle performance capabilities are provided in Appendix A, while Appendix B provides descriptions of onboard experiments to be conducted during Gemini missions.

Source record↗