www.nasa.gov

Improving Technology Transfer Outcomes

Daniel Lockney Technology Transfer Program Executive NASA Headquarters December 2017

“Orion Video Requirement Advances High-Speed, Compact Cameras” https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2017/ps_1.html

Image courtesy of SHoP Architects / Forest City Ratner Companies

“Rocket Technology Stops Shaking in Its Tracks” https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2017/ps_2.html

software.nasa.gov

technology.nasa.gov/patents

technology.nasa.gov/startup

www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Intelligent Autonomous Systems for Both Critical Ground Facilities and

Future Deep Space Missions

Lauren W. Underwood, PhD SSC Advanced Technology and

Technology Transfer

The Challenge • Autonomous operations are vital capabilities, and

encompass critical technologies required for the success, safety and crew survival of NASA deep space missions beyond LEO, and are essential for the future of affordable ground mission operations

• Traditionally, control and monitoring has been done manually with some automated systems, and is labor intensive and not suitable to operate complex systems or systems in deep/outer space with long communication lag times

• To have complete system awareness encompassing state, performance, faults, diagnostics, and prognostics; as enablers to achieve autonomy

The future of “true” autonomous systems requires independent thinking and reasoning so that the need for persistent updates is eliminated, unforeseen human oversight is prevented, passive monitoring of the progress of a task when desirable is enabled, and awareness for rapid comprehension and action by operators is made possible

The Technology • SSC is leading the development of a software

platform, NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems (NPAS) that enables implementation of “thinking systems”, encompassing formalized ontology and Domain-Description-Languages (DDL’s) to build “thinking” autonomous systems

• NPAS provides foundational technology and processes to evolve from traditional “Brute-Force Autonomy” (BFA) towards innovative “Thinking Autonomy” (TA)

• NPAS seamlessly integrates all autonomy functions (system models, health management, autonomy strategies, plan creation and execution)

• NPAS uniquely extends the paradigm of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) beyond static models, into live models for real-time thinking autonomous operations that can be rapidly and affordably implemented and evolved

Commercial Applications • NPAS is developed using the G2 platform-a COTS product (MIT

derivative); NASA has established proficiency with G2, including an application for ISS payload simulation training, which has been in use for over twenty years

• An infusion funded by Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office is underway at NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC), to implement autonomous operations of the nitrogen distribution system at SSC’s High Pressure Gas Facility - a critical piece of test infrastructure used to support SLS, DoD, and commercial propulsion testing

• Working with COTS path-to-flight hardware, NPAS software developers are targeting implementation processes to meet NASA’s current avionics architecture requirements for Deep Space Gateway, Deep Space Transport and space habitat modules from commercial partners

NPAS is built upon the G2 platform that is widely used in the commercial sector for intelligent application (i.e. in coal fire boiler plants, Dow petrochemical plants, and most recently by DoD on the next generation of arresting gear systems on board US Navy aircraft carriers)

Contact Us https://sites.google.com/a/nasa.gov/tdt/contact

• NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems, Technology Development & Transfer at SSC:

‐ https://sites.google.com/a/nasa.gov/tdt/technology-development/NASA_Platform_for_Autonomous_Systems

• Partnerships: Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) 2017: Dual Use Technology Development at NASA John C. Stennis Space Center ‐ Solicitation: NNS17ZDA001C ‐ https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId=

%7B30E79B11-AF0E-1C52-313C-3E9C3400D529%7D&path=open

• References: ‐ Theory and Process for Autonomous Systems and Autonomous Operations, SSC-

00525, 2017 (F Figueroa, M. Walker) ‐ NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems (NPAS), SSC-00515, 2017 (F. Figueroa,

M. Walker, K. Wilkins) ‐ Intelligent Autonomous Systems, TECHSUYO 2017, Stanford University, August 2-

4, 2017 (F. Figueroa) ‐ New Developments in ISHM for NASA Ground, Launch, and Flight Systems, AIAA

SciTech Forum and Exposition 2017 (F. Figueroa) ‐ PHM Enabled Autonomous Propellant Loading, IEEE 2017 (M. Walker, F.

Figueroa) ‐ Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Presentation to students at the Universidad

Andina, Cusco, Peru, 2017 (F. Figueroa)

Modulated X-ray Source (MXS) Improving Computerized Tomography Systems

• The Technology – A miniaturized high-speed modulated X-ray source (MXS)

device and a method for rapidly and arbitrarily varying with time the output X-ray photon intensities and energies

– Developed for NICER Project (Calibration source) – U.S. Patent No. 9,117,622

• Collaboration Objective • Development of proof-of-concept hardware to enable and

demonstrate a static (no moving parts) X-ray computed-tomography (CT) medical imaging capability

• Partners • Massachusetts General Hospital • DARPA • Johns Hopkins University

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FIG. 1: Conventional X-ray sources use a heated filament with on/off transitions of several seconds. FIG. 2: The MXS uses photoelectrons to vary X-ray output on nanosecond timescales.

Modulated X-ray Source (MXS) Future Applications

• Other Applications – Secure, power-efficient X-ray-based communications – In-flight calibration of X-ray detectors – Compact, time-resolved X-ray diffraction and fluorescence – Precise- and low-dose medical X-ray imaging – Chemical/material analysis, resource identification (e.g.,

mining), and nondestructive testing (e.g., metal fatigue) – Material detection – Airport Security – Ordnance Disposal – Counterfeit Art Detection

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Thank You! Enidia Santiago-Arce Sr. Tech Transfer Manager Enidia.Santiago-Arce@nasa.gov 301-286-8497 Office http://spo.gsfc.nasa.gov

THE NASA ROTARY CELL CULTURE SYSTEM: A 3D CELL CULTURE TECHNOLOGY FOR RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTICS

The Rotary Cell Culture System (RCCS) was developed by NASA to create a microgravity simulator for ground-based studies in space biology.

EARLY VERSIONS OF THE RCCS

STANDARD RCCS BIOREACTORS

How it Works

Cells are suspended by horizontal rotation promoting the formation of 3D tissue-like aggregates

SOME SELECTED APPLICATIONS OF THE RCCS

Tissue Engineered Cerebral Cortex Expansion of Umbilical Cord Stem Cells for Bone Marrow Transplantation Reprogramming of Adult Stem Cells to Cardiomyocytes ‘ for Treatment of Heart Failure

Human Performance & Exercise Countermeasures

Measure • Quantify • Optimize • Protect

Andrea Hanson, Ph.D. ISS Exercise Countermeasures Specialist

NASA Human Physiology, Performance, Protection & Operations (H3PO) Lab

5 December 2017

NASA Technologies Available for Terrestrial Markets

Protect Human Physiology

Muscle Strength & Balance

Bone Strength & Quality

Cardiovascular Capacity

Challenges of In-flight Observation • Remote environment • Volume and power constraints • Asked to assess effectiveness of exercise

Rx and system with little in-flight data • Little opportunity for in-flight observation

Vacuum Cylinder

Flywheel

Arm Base (Load Adjustment Unit)

Main Arm Belt Pully Assy

Advanced Resistive Exercise Device

Left VIS

ARED Instrumentation Box

ARED Display Assy (Pacebook)

Platform with Cable Exit Pulleys

Lift Bar

Right VIS

ARED & Terrestrial Markets

Remote Fitness

Performance Measurements

Data Utilization

Product Maturation / Commercial Market Remote Fitness Data Utilization Performance Measure

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Work with us to create something exceptional for terrestrial application

• NASA-owned, Federally-Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)

• University operated under Prime Contract with NASA

• 5,000 employees • Annual Budget ~ $1.5B

• Focus on robotic missions for solar

system exploration • Technology development • Mission formulation • Mission implementation • Mission operations • Science

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Commercial applications for JPL derived technology

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Toys

Mobile Robotics

Security

Mobile Devices IT / Computing Healthcare Manufacturing

Energy

Education Global Positioning

Autonomy Engine: CARACaS Open Architecture Autonomy Engine CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing) designed using JPL flight-derived technology.

• Interfaces are all defined with Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and use industry standard communication protocols.

• Using finite state machine models for behaviors enables predictable performance of single and multiple vehicles.

• Safe navigation of vehicles guaranteed by onboard hazard detection/avoidance.

Mars Exploration Rover

CARACaS

Maritime Autonomy Applications

ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vehicle (ACTUV)

USV Swarms

CARGO PLEASURE BUOY

Contact Detection and Analysis System (CDAS)

Augmented Reality

JPL’s Onsight application uses the Microsoft Hololens to allow scientists to intuitively identify regions of interest on Mars to guide operations planning

JPL’s Protospace application uses the Microsoft Hololens to project 3D models to multiple users for collaboration design

Contact us

Indrani Graczyk Commercial Program Office

Indrani.Graczyk@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 354-2241

Dean Wiberg Commercial Technology Partnerships Office

Dean.V.Wiberg@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 354-5724

Dan Broderick Office of Technology Transfer At JPL

Daniel.F.Broderick@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 354-1314