Exploration & Observational Systems


















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In-Situ Planetary Exploration Systems



In-situ planetary exploration systems enable planetary and
small-body surface, subsurface, and atmosphere exploration leading to
sample acquisition, retrieval, and return to Earth.









A new epoch in robotic exploration of the solar system has opened
and its promise of new and unexpected findings beckons us forward. The
Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover missions enticed us with
their exotic findings and observations. Yet these missions, novel and
exciting as they are, mark only the beginning of this new era of
detailed, in-situ exploration of Earth’s planetary neighbors.

Mars has been the object of intense scientific scrutiny for more than
four decades. This same interest will extend to other bodies in the
solar system in the future, spurred by the scientific observations
obtained from orbiting spacecraft, such as Galileo and Cassini. Such
interest, already triggered by observations of Enceladus, Europa, and
Titan, will only grow. And that scientific interest, sparked by remote
observations, can only be satisfied by in-situ examination of the bodies
themselves.

The next generation of scientific missions to Mars and other bodies
in the solar system requires technology advances in five key areas:

• Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) - To extend current
  capabilities to larger scales, higher speeds, greater precision, and
  higher unit loads for Mars entry, and to develop capabilities for
  higher-density atmospheres like Venus and Titan while providing greatly
  improved landing precision.
  

• Mobility - To extend existing capabilities to yield
  rovers with greater range and speed and to develop the capabilities to
  explore through the atmosphere and beneath oceans.
  

• Sample acquisition and handling - To improve and extend
  existing capabilities to obtain and dexterously manipulate subsurface
  and surface samples.
  

• Autonomous orbiting sample retrieval and capture - To
  create the capabilities necessary to return a sample from Mars to Earth.
  

• Planetary protection - To enable uncompromised and safe
  exploration of planetary bodies in our solar system that may harbor
  life.
  

Selected Research Projects Overview
Research and development in the Mobility and Robotics Systems section
spans from hardware to software, manipulation to mobility, small to
large, and many other dimensions. Below is selected subset of ongoing
research which represents the spectrum of activities.



ATHLETE: All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer

ATHLETE
is a new concept for mobile habitat transport for lunar operations.
Each ATHLETE system would consist of six limbs with wheels, which coulc
drive over smooth terrain or walk over rough terrain on the Moon.
Additionally, each limb has attachment points for a suite of tools which
would allow it to acts a manipulator for set of tasks such as cargo
handling.

The first version of the ATHLETE vehicle is under development and has
the following characteristics:

• Size greater than 4 m in diameter with more than 6 m reach
  
• Large payload capacity of 450 kg per vehicle
  
• Docking capability for multi-vehicle coordination and cargo
  transportation.
  
• 6-DOF legs for generalized robotic manipulation
  
• Ability to attach special-purpose devices for interacting with the
  terrain or other vehicles
  

Two ATHLETE rovers traverse the terrain.

Reusable Robotic Software – CLARAty

CLARAty, the Coupled-Layer
Architecture for Robotic Autonomy, is an integrated framework for
reusable robotic software. It defines interfaces for common robotic
functionality and integrates multiple implementations of any given
functionality. Examples of such capabilities include pose estimation,
navigation, locomotion and planning. In addition to supporting multiple
algorithms, CLARAty provides adaptations to multiple robotic platforms.
CLARAty, has been primarily funded by the Mars Technology Program, and
serves as the integration environment for the programs rover
technology developments.

CLARAty is a domain-specific robotic architecture designed with four main objectives: To promote the reuse of robotic software infrastructure across multiple NASA-related research efforts To promote the integration of new technologies developed by the robotics community onto rover platforms To mature robotic capabilities through reuse and enable independent formal validation To share the development with the robotic community to promote rapid advancement and leveraging of capabilities CLARAty is a collaborative effort among four institutions: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Minnesota. CLARAty builds upon decades of robotic expertise at these centers and a large code base of robotic software. The majority of the software is developed using state-of-the-art software engineering techniques such as model-based design, design patterns, generic programming, object-oriented design, and component models. The software is predominantly written in C++.

CLARAty software operates on board the Rocky 8 rover.

High-Fidelity Physics-Based Simulation DARTS

The JPL Mobility and Robotic Systems Section has a broad spectrum of
modeling and simulation capabilities in support of surface and
near-surface robotic-exploration technologies and missions. A family of
models supports mission domains that include surface exploration- with
planetary rovers, sample acquisition, entry/descent/landing, safe
landing, legged mobility platforms, aerobots, and subsurface
exploration. The simulations are used in a number of ways:

Early system design and technology development Algorithm development Mission analysis and design Onboard-software integration and testing System verification and validation Surface mission operations This work relies primarily on a software infrastructure name DARTS (Dynamics Algorithms for Real-Time Simulation), a high-fidelity, flexible multi-body dynamics simulator used for real-time hardware-in-the-loop design, integration and testing. DARTS is based on the Spatial Operator Algebra framework, also developed within JPL robotics. Several domain specific implementations of DARTS have been developed, including DSENDS for entry-descent-landing, and ROAMS for surface mobility simulation.

DSENDS simulation of Entry, Descent, and Landing on Mars.

Autonomous Aerobots for Exploration of Titan and Venus

An Aerobot is a robotic aerial vehicle that uses buoyancy to provide
the lift needed to fly. Such vehicles are essentially balloons with
scientific payloads suspended underneath and, optionally, propulsion
systems (e.g., propellers) mounted on either the balloon or payload
compartment.

JPL is developing aerobot technology for potential use in future
missions to Mars, Titan and Venus. The different environments at these
three worlds dictate the use of different aerobot designs and
components, which in turn would lead to different kinds of possible
missions:

• Titan has a very dense but very cold atmosphere comprised
  mostly of nitrogen gas. JPL is developing both wind-blown and
  self-propelled aerobot vehicles using cryogenic balloon materials.
  Payloads of up to a few hundred kilograms would be possible for mission
  durations of 6-12 months.
  

• Venus has a very dense carbon dioxide atmosphere that is
  relatively cool at high altitudes but extremely hot near the surface.
  JPL is developing both wind-blown and self-propelled aerobot vehicles
  for a variety of mission concepts that could either stay high, stay low
  or traverse the entire atmosphere. Payloads could range from tens to
  hundreds of kilograms in missions lasting days or weeks.
  

• Mars has only a tenuous carbon dioxide atmosphere, which means
  that very large, lightweight balloons would be required to float even
  small payloads of a few kilograms. JPL is focused on developing simple,
  wind-blown balloons that could fly for weeks or months.
  

Left image: The Venus Balloon prototype undergoing inflation tests at JPL. Right image: Aerobot testbed for aerial autonomy technology development for Titan exploration.

Computer Vision for Terrain Perception

An example of JPL stereo vision image processing, as used by the MER Mars rovers. On the left is one image from a stereo pair, while the right shows an elevation map computed from the pair. Elevation maps of the terrain are used for navigation and manipulation decisions.

The Mobility and Robotics Section is very active in research for
non-NASA sponsors on a variety of topics, including perception for
autonomous navigation of unmanned ground, air, and sea surface vehicles
(UGVs, UAVs, and USSVs), as well as object recognition from ground and
overhead vantage points to serve a variety of applications.

Perception research for autonomous UGVs addresses real-time 3-D
perception, multi-sensor terrain classification, and learning from
experience to improve navigation performance.

JPL pioneered the development of real-time stereo vision for 3-D
perception for off-road navigation, continues to improve algorithms for
this function, and pursues custom hardware implementations of stereo
vision for compact, low-power, high-speed vision systems.


Cleaning To Achieve Sterility

We are evaluating three
state-of-the-art cleaning systems for their efficacy in the removal
of microbes, biological materials, and bacterial spores from spacecraft
surfaces - an essential element of planetary protection. These advanced
cleaning systems are used on progressively more complex materials and
structures, such as materials coupons, components, and subsystems, to
determine their ability to clean to achieve sterility: the removal of
all particles greater than 2 microns in size.

Evaluation images of three candidate cleaning systems: Precision (JPL), Ultra Pure Water (JSC’s White Sands Testing Facility), Liquid Boundary Layer Disruption System (HyperFlo Corporation).

Rapid Single Spore Enumeration Assay

RapidSSEA
couples the demonstrated methods of bacterial spore detection based on
dipicolinic acid (DPA)-triggered terbium (Tb) luminescence and
lifetime-gated imaging. Lifetime-gated imaging eliminates background
fluorescence, which has obviated the use of fluorescence assays to
enumerate single spores with particulate-laden environmental samples.