Development and demonstration of an autonomous collision avoidance algorithm aboard the ISS

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Since 2006 the SPHERES facility aboard the International Space Station has enabled research of high-risk autonomy algorithms which would not otherwise be conducted in a regular space mission. A thread of research with several demonstrations aboard the ISS is Collision Avoidance. Through two SPHERES test sessions over the course of a year, researchers have developed an efficient autonomous collision avoidance controller, deployed it on a representative microprocessor, and demonstrated its effectiveness as a reliable low-level safetey routine.

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Rapid culture-independent microbial analysis aboard the international space station (ISS) stage two: quantifying three microbial biomarkers

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Abstract A portable, rapid, microbial detection unit, the Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS), was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as a technology demonstration unit in December 2006. Results from the first series of experiments designed to detect Gram-negative bacteria on ISS surfaces by quantifying a single microbial biomarker lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were reported in a previous article. Herein, we report additional technology demonstration experiments expanding the on-orbit capabilities of the LOCAD-PTS to detecting three different microbial biomarkers on ISS surfaces. Six different astronauts on more than 20 occasions participated in these experiments, which were designed to test the new beta-glucan (fungal cell wall molecule) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA; Gram-positive bacterial cell wall component) cartridges individually and in tandem with the existing Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL; Gram-negative bacterial LPS detection) cartridges. Additionally, we conducted the sampling side by side with the standard culture-based detection method currently used on the ISS. Therefore, we present data on the distribution of three microbial biomarkers collected from various surfaces in every module present on the ISS at the time of sampling. In accordance with our previous experiments, we determined that spacecraft surfaces known to be frequently in contact with crew members demonstrated higher values of all three microbial molecules. Key Words: Planetary protection-Spaceflight-Microbiology-Biosensor. Astrobiology 12, 830-840.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22984871

Materials Interactions with Space Environment: International Space Station – May 2000 to May 2002

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

The set of materials interactions with the space flight environment that have produced the largest impacts on the verification and acceptance of flight hardware and on flight operations of the International Space Station (ISS) Program during the May 2000 to May 2002 time frame are described in this paper. In-flight data, flight crew observations, and the results of ground-based test and analysis directly supporting programmatic and operational decision-making are reported.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2595-5_3

CIB: An Improved Communication Architecture for Real-Time Monitoring of Aerospace Materials, Instruments, and Sensors on the ISS

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The Communications Interface Board (CIB) is an improved communications architecture that was demonstrated on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS communication interfaces allowing for real-time telemetry and health monitoring require a significant amount of development. The CIB simplifies the communications interface to the ISS for real-time health monitoring, telemetry, and control of resident sensors or experiments. With a simpler interface available to the telemetry bus, more sensors or experiments may be flown. The CIB accomplishes this by acting as a bridge between the ISS MIL-STD-1553 low-rate telemetry (LRT) bus and the sensors allowing for two-way command and telemetry data transfer. The CIB was designed to be highly reliable and radiation hard for an extended flight in low Earth orbit (LEO) and has been proven with over 40 months of flight operation on the outside of ISS supporting two sets of flight experiments. Since the CIB is currently operating in flight on the ISS, recent results of operations will be provided. Additionally, as a vehicle health monitoring enabling technology, an overview and results from two experiments enabled by the CIB will be provided. Future applications for vehicle health monitoring utilizing the CIB architecture will also be discussed.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/185769

A Universal Interface for Modular Spacecraft

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ABSTRACT: For any modular spacecraft design that allows for reconfiguration once in orbit, there is a need for an interface that acts as a common connection between the modules. The interface must provide autonomous docking, undocking and communication, in addition to transferring mechanical, electrical and thermal loads through each of the modules. This study focuses on the requirements and design of an interface developed as part of the SWARM spacecraft test bed at MIT. The key features include its simple, compact and universal design. It also houses the metrology subsystem and allows for autonomous docking and reconfiguration of the modular components.

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Development status of the REX-J mission, astronaut support robot experiment on the ISS/JEM

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Extension of the operational life of the International Space Station is now decided. However most of the ISS’s partners are asked from their governments to lower the operation cost while maintaining the value of the missions on the ISS. There are many tasks to be done on the space station. However, in order to improve the value of the space station per the operation cost, Space robots which will support or work instead of astronauts will be required. In the near future, construction of the solar power satellite whose size will be as large as a few km by a few km will begin. This must be tasks of robots. Currently there are several types of robots on the International Space Station. Those are suitable to handle the massive payload such as the space station’s module. However those robot arms are not suitable to handle equipments and tools which are designed to be operated by astronaut. Therefore JAXA is developing the astronaut support robot named astrobot (Astronaut + Robot) and its precursor named REX-J which is an acronym of the Robot Experiments on the ISS/JEM. Mission of the REX-J is to demonstrate some key technologies which are essential to develop the astronaut support robots. The key technologies are: (1) Manipulation capability such as handling equipments and tools to repair the malfunctioned equipments, and the robotics capability to prepare woks to be conducted on the ISS. (2) Locomotion capability. To work with or instead of an astronaut, the robot needs to be able to moves around / inside the space facility, e.g. a space station and need to conduct tasks like an astronaut. The Astrobot and REX-J’s locomotion capability is realized by an extendable robot arm and tethers. Tethers will be anchored to a handrail or other suitable anchoring points using an extendable robot arm. This unique mechanism of the proposed robot makes it possible to realize the robot in a small volume while the robot can move around the wide area. In order to demonstrate usefulness of this unique robot, an onboard experiment on the exposed facility of the International Space Station Japanese Experiment Module, “KIBO” will be conducted in the year 2012. Development of the experiment system is progressing now. At the conference, development status and experiment plan of the REX-J will be presented.

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Development of an astronaut support robot and its precursor REX-J, to be tested on the International Space Station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

A unique space robot is being developed by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Name of the robot is REX-J (Robot Experiment on ISS/JEM) and its mission is to evaluate technologies needed to realize the Astronaut Support Robot (Astrobot) and the next generation space robots (NGSR). Uniqueness of the robot is its locomotion method which is based on tethers. The robot is floated by tethers whose ends are attached to the robot and the other ends are attached to hand rails on the space station. The robot can change its location by changing lengths of each tether. The robot can also change its area to move by changing location of the tether’s end positions. Location of tether’s end position can be changed using the extendable robot arm. This unique robot arm is based on the Storable Tubular Extendable Member (STEM) which is widely used for years as deployable satellite antenna and whose mechanism makes the arm compact. At the time of the i-SAIRAS 2012 symposium, REX-J will be already launched and the initial check out will be conducted. However at the time when this paper is being prepared, REX-J is not yet launched. Therefore, this paper introduces development results and the on-orbit experiment plan.

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Stereo cameras on the International Space Station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Three-dimensional media is a unique and efficient means to virtually visit/observe objects that cannot be easily reached otherwise, like the International Space Station. The advent of auto-stereoscopic displays and stereo projection system is making the stereo media available to larger audiences than the traditional scientists and design engineers communities. It is foreseen that a major demand for 3D content shall come from the entertainment area. Taking advantage of the 6 months long permanence on the International Space Station of a colleague European Astronaut, Thomas Reiter, the Erasmus Centre uploaded to the ISS a newly developed, fully digital stereo camera, the Erasmus Recording Binocular. Testing the camera and its human interfaces in weightlessness, as well as accurately mapping the interior of the ISS are the main objectives of the experiment that has just been completed at the time of writing. The intent of this paper is to share with the readers the design challenges tackled in the development and operation of the ERB camera and highlight some of the future plans the Erasmus Centre team has in the pipeline.

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Satellite formation flight and realignment maneuver demonstration aboard the International Space Station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

The Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES), developed by the MIT Space Systems Laboratory, enable the maturation of control, estimation, and autonomy algorithms for distributed satellite systems, including the relative control of spacecraft required for satellite formation flight. Three free-flyer microsatellites are currently on board the International Space Station (ISS). By operating under crew supervision and by using replenishable consumables, SPHERES creates a risk-tolerant environment where new high-risk yet high-payoff algorithms can be demonstrated in a microgravity environment. Through multiple test sessions aboard the ISS, the SPHERES team has incrementally demonstrated the ability to perform formation flight maneuvers with two and three satellite formations. The test sessions aboard the Space Station include evaluation of coordinated maneuvers which will be applicable to interferometric spacecraft formation missions. The satellites are deployed as a formation and required to rotate around a common center about a given axis, mimicking an interferometer. Various trajectories are then implemented to point the synthetic aperture in a different orientation by changing the common axis of revolution. Observation-time optimizing synchronization strategies and fuel balancing/fuel optimizing trajectories are discussed, compared and evaluated according to resulting mission duration and potential scientific output.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.737459