Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Laboratory

Mitchell, J.; Cryan, Scott P.; Strack, David; Brewster, Linda L.; Williamson, Marlin J.; Howard, Richard T.; Johnston, Albert S.

doi:10.1109/aero.2007.352723

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…An extensive program of testing several types of relative navigation sensors was carried at NASA. The tests are described in [14]. In this work we used the sensor test data to build a more detailed characterization of the faults.…”

Section: Markov Chain Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These rates were assumed as shown in Table 1 can be justified as follows. The sensor failure rate is based on the experience with AVGS units described in [11], [14]. No sensor failures were registered in about 1000 hours of lab and flight tests.…”

Section: Markov Chain Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relatively low technology readiness of existing relative navigation sensors for AR&D has been carried as one of the NASA Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Project's top tasks, e.g., see [6], [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fault Tolerance of Relative Navigation Sensing in Docking Approach of Spacecraft

Gorinevsky

Hoffmann

Shmakova

et al. 2008

2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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This paper analyzes fault tolerance of spacecraft relative navigation in Automated Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D). The relatively low technology readiness of existing relative navigation sensors for AR&D has been carried as one of the NASA Crew Exploration Vehicle Project's top tasks. Fault tolerance could be enhanced with the help of FDIR (Fault Detection, Identification and Recovery) logic and use of redundant sensors. Because of mass and power constraints, it is important to choose a fault tolerant design that provides the required reliability without adding excessive hardware. An important design trade is determining whether a redundant sensor can be normally unpowered and activated only when necessary. This paper analyzes reliability trades for such fault tolerant system. A Markov Chain model of the system is composed of sub-models for sensor faults and for sensor avionics states. The sensor fault sub-model parameters are based on sensor testing data. The avionics sub-model includes FDIR states; the parameters are determined by Monte Carlo simulations of the near field docking approach. The integrated Markov Chain model allows the probabilities of mission abort and a mishap to be computed. The results of the trade study include dependence of the probabilities on the backup sensor activation delay.

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Section: Markov Chain Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Markov Chain Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fault Tolerance of Relative Navigation Sensing in Docking Approach of Spacecraft

Gorinevsky

Hoffmann

Shmakova

et al. 2008

2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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“…The target was moved through a series of trajectories while the four sensors and two truth sensors collected data. The overall test process was similar to that performed on several sensors individually in 2006, and that testing is detailed in a previous conference paper (Mitchell, et al, 2007). The purposes of this set of testing were to ensure that multiple sensors would not interfere with each other and to demonstrate that simultaneous sensor testing could be conducted, with each sensor's data time stamped for post-processing with respect to the truth data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper describes the test development, test facility, test preparations, test execution, and test results of the multisensor series of trajectories. 2 …”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Lab

Brewster

Howard

Johnston

et al. 2008

2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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The Exploration Systems Architecture defines missions that require rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) of two spacecraft both in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). Uncrewed spacecraft must perform automated and/or autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations and docking operations (commonly known as AR&D). The crewed missions may also perform rendezvous and docking operations and may require different levels of automation and/or autonomy, and must provide the crew with relative navigation information for manual piloting. The capabilities of the RPOD sensors are critical to the success of the Exploration Program.NASA has the responsibility to determine whether the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) contractor-proposed relative navigation sensor suite will meet the requirements. The relatively low technology readiness level of AR&D relative navigation sensors has been carried as one of the CEV Project's top risks. The AR&D Sensor Technology Project seeks to reduce the risk by the testing and analysis of selected relative navigation sensor technologies through hardware-in-the-loop testing and simulation. These activities will provide the CEV Project information to assess the relative navigation sensors maturity as well as demonstrate test methods and capabilities.The first year of this project focused on a series of "pathfinder" testing tasks to develop the test plans, test facility requirements, trajectories, math model architecture, simulation platform, and processes that will be used to evaluate the Contractor-proposed sensors. Four candidate sensors were used in the first phase of the testing. The second phase of testing used four sensors simultaneously: two Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Video Guidance Sensors (AVGS), a laser-based video sensor that uses retroreflectors attached to the target vehicle, and two commercial laser range finders.The multi-sensor testing was conducted at MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL) using the FRL's 6-DOF gantry system, called the Dynamic Overhead Target System (DOTS). The target vehicle for "docking" in the laboratory was a mockup that was representative of the proposed CEV docking system, with added retroreflectors for the AVGS. 1The multi-sensor test configuration used 35 open-loop test trajectories covering three major objectives: (1) sensor characterization trajectories designed to test a wide range of performance parameters; (2) CEV-specific trajectories designed to test performance during CEV-like approach and departure profiles; and (3) sensor characterization tests designed for evaluating sensor performance under more extreme conditions as might be induced during a spacecraft failure or during contingency situations. This paper describes the test development, test facility, test preparations, test execution, and test results of the multisensor series of trajectories. 2

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Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking

Howard

Carrington²

2008

AIP Conference Proceedings

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Abstract. During the past two years, many sensors have been tested in an open-loop fashion in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL) to both determine their suitability for use in Automated Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) systems and to ensure the test facility is prepared for future multi-sensor testing. The primary focus of this work was in support of the CEV AR&D system, because the AR&D sensor technology area was identified as one of the top risks in the program. In 2006, four different sensors were tested individually or in a pair in the MSFC FRL. In 2007, four sensors, two each of two different types, were tested simultaneously. In each set of tests, the target was moved through a series of pre-planned trajectories while the sensor tracked it. In addition, a laser tracker "truth" sensor also measured the target motion. The tests demonstrated the functionality of testing four sensors simultaneously as well as the capabilities (both good and bad) of all of the different sensors tested. This paper outlines the test setup and conditions, briefly describes the facility, summarizes the earlier results of the individual sensor tests, and describes in some detail the results of the four-sensor testing. Post-test analysis includes data fusion by minimum variance estimation and sequential Kalman filtering. This Sensor Technology Project work was funded by NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program.

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Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Laboratory

Cited by 10 publications

References 1 publication

Fault Tolerance of Relative Navigation Sensing in Docking Approach of Spacecraft

Fault Tolerance of Relative Navigation Sensing in Docking Approach of Spacecraft

Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Lab

Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking

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