Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Planning for the Mapping and Exploration of Human and Robotic
Missions to Small Bodies
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Mission Scenarios•Rendezvous (target acquisition, approach, mapping) - includes orbiting, hovering, slow hyperbolic flybys - 14-30 days in close formation - deal with debris around the body - objectives: “real-time” shape/terrain/gravity/density models to support
docking/landing
•Docking/Anchoring and Landing - match the dynamics of the NEA - requires good compaction/density/mechanical stability of the terrain - crew tethered to spacecraft or surface - moving surface materials can impact the safety of the crew
- surface operations using impactors- remote or drills -in-situ) - objectives: very high resolution mapping and prepare for sample
return •Sample return - sites are identified based on scientific interest and safety criteria - sample collection may perturb the environment
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Requirements
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Mission Data
Phobos Deimos Eros (NEAR Shoemaker 98, 00)
Vesta (Dawn 2011)
Tempel 1(Deep Impact 2005, Stardust 2011)
Ceres (Hubble)Itokawa (Hayabusa 2005)
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Geographos (Goldstone radar, CA, 1994)
Mathilde (NEAR Shoemaker 97)
Annefrank (Stardust 02)Comet Wild2 (Stardust 04)
Ida (Galileo 93)
Gaspra (Galileo 91)
Mission Data
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Simulation/Processing Tools
Small Body Visualization developed tool at Applied Physics Laboratory
- ISIS developed by USGS- Ames Stereo Pipeline: ARC - Vision Workbench: ARC- Shape Models: Stereo Photoclinometry, etc.
Viz, Verve developed at ARC
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Data Product Recommendations
Small Planetary Body Mapping Standard Development True 3D Projection Support
Eros surface reference system
Small Body Dynamic Model - spin period - axis of rotation - perturbations due to solar radiations, debris or satellites
Eros shape model
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Shape Models - flyby image data - radar measurements - critical to mass/gravity/density/porosity models
Lidar topography map on Eros
Data Product Recommendations
Digital Terrain Models - Global DTM maps (stereo) - Local Maps (photoclinometry) - DTM accuracy precision maps - Lidar maps
Image and Albedo Mosaics - simulate imagery under arbitrary illumination conditions - understand the surface properties
Eros shape model - radarControl network - visual feature extraction, matching, image-lidar alignment
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Data Product Recommendations
Radio Science Products - Mass estimates (spacecraft trajectory) - Gravity field - Density (from mass and volumetric meas.) - Porosity (from volumetric and density meas.)
Subsurface Radar Maps- Synthetic aperture radar (sub meter range)- Ground penetrating radar
Eros gravity field map (Bouguer’s map) Gravitational slopes of 1999 KW4-Alpha
Critical for refining close operations
and surface activity
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
Data Product Recommendations
Thermal Inertia Map
Elemental composition on Eros from Gamma Ray spectrometer
Mineralogical (Multispectral - UV and infra red) Maps - infrared maps determine location of surface materials (metals, silicates, olivines, etc) - UV spectra detects debris field in the close vicinity of the body - used with topography, albedo, thermal maps
NEAR infrared spectrometer measurements
- presence of rocks under the surface
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
•Fully automatic geodetical control of the entire data available •Generation of standard coordinate systems and coordinate frames•Improved accuracy solutions for stereo photoclinometry•Multi-view (instead of stereo) 3D terrain reconstruction •Lidar and image co-registration for accurate camera position estimation •Real-time fully automatic crew and rover localization•High resolution albedo maps•High accuracy DTM to properly project multispectral and mineralogical data•Tools to determine in simultaneous solutions the spacecraft position and pointing and body size, shape, mass and gravity field
Data Processing Gaps for Small Bodies
Intelligent Robotics GroupNASA Ames Research Center
•Projection and coordinate system standards for mapping highly irregular bodies•Real-time integrated multi-view visualization support for ground control, astronauts in the spacecraft and surface•Real-time visualization and registration of new mapping products from various instruments•Support for dynamic illumination condition simulations•Comprehensive debris field simulation in low gravity conditions•Line-of-sight communication planning and prediction tools for highly dynamic small body mission scenarios
Visualization and Simulation Gaps