AutoNav Mark3: Engineering the Next Generation of Autonomous Onboard Navigation and Guidance

Riedel, Joseph E.; Bhaskaran, Shyam; Eldred, Dan B.; Gaskell, Robert A.; Grasso, Christopher A.; Kennedy, Brian; Kubitscheck, Daniel; Mastrodemos, Nickolaos; Synnott, S. P.; Vaughan, Andrew T M; Werner, Robert A.

doi:10.2514/6.2006-6708

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Comet and asteroid touch-and-go (TAG) sampling shown in Figure 4 has been a target of several years worth of research and technology development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. To this end, a system called Autonomous Navigation (AutoNav) [7] [8] has been created which guides a spacecraft through the critical series of attitude changes, maneuvers, and deployments necessary to descend, contact a surface for a few seconds, collect a sample, and safely ascend. RRDS features extensions of these capabilities.…”

Section: Figure 3: One-way Synchronization Coordinating State Transitmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…RRDS develops new capabilities, while refining existing technology in order to lower risk and cost of implementation. Built atop an enhanced version of Virtual Machine Language [1], the flight-proven, award-winning [5] [6] sequencing software which sequenced the landing of Phoenix on Mars, RRDS also uses sequencing techniques developed for comet and asteroid touch-and-go sampling [7] [8] to provide sophisticated operational responses to conditions unique to deep space rendezvous and docking. These predecessor concepts are discussed below, followed by details of the RRDS implementation which built upon them.…”

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confidence: 99%

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VML 3.0 Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer for Mars Sample Return

Grasso

2014

SpaceOps 2014 Conference

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Mars Sample Return poses some of the most challenging operational activities of any potential NASA deep space mission. Rendezvous of a vehicle with a sample canister in order to return the canister to Earth requires a variety of complex mathematical processing on a changing data set, coupled with the need to safely and effectively handle a large range of off-nominal conditions and spacecraft faults. Light speed delay isolates the spacecraft from real-time operator intervention, while inertial and situational uncertainties demand reactivity not required of typical spacecraft sequencing systems. These mission features call for a new class of sequencing capability: the Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer (RRDS). RRDS melds the rule-based reactivity needed for rendezvous and docking with sequence characteristics common to more traditional missions. Rules watch for conditions in order to react to the current situation, allowing a wide range of complex activities and safety-related responses to be concisely represented without complex procedural programming. RRDS state machines react to a variety potential conditions simultaneously. More traditional sequencing capabilities are present which provide multiple threads of executing logic, allow for timed activities, and deliver detailed insight into the operational system via traditional command and telemetry interfaces. The work for RRDS was successfully completed as a NASA phase II SBIR in 2013, under contract NNX11CB29C. VML 3.0 and the RRDS constructs which run atop it are currently available as commercial products from Blue Sun Enterprises. I. Mars Sample Return Missionars Sample Return [13] poses some of the most challenging operational activities of any potential NASA deep space mission. Rendezvous of a vehicle with a sample canister in order to return the canister to Earth requires a variety of complex mathematical processing on a changing data set, coupled with the need to safely and effectively handle a large range of offnominal conditions and spacecraft faults. Light speed delay isolates the spacecraft from real-time operator intervention during critical activities, while inertial and situational uncertainties demand reactivity not required of typical spacecraft sequencing systems. These mission features call for a new class of sequencing capability: the Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer (RRDS).

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Section: Figure 3: One-way Synchronization Coordinating State Transitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

VML 3.0 Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer for Mars Sample Return

Grasso

2014

SpaceOps 2014 Conference

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“…As VML 3.0 has developed over the last several years, an advanced experimental version of DI's AutoNav has also evolved, to take advantage of some of the features of VML 3.0, especially including state machines and a number of other important and enabling features. This new version of AutoNav is called AutoGNC [7][17] [20] because of attitude guidance and control features including attitude estimation, control and primitive attitude profiling capability. Though primitive, these capabilities were sufficient to perform TRL-6 class system computer-based demonstrations of several very difficult mission scenarios, including "Touch and Go" on an asteroid, and lunar landing of a large crewed vehicle.…”

Section: B Enabling Factors For a Modern Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

VML 3.0 Reactive Sequencing Objects and Matrix Math Operations for Attitude Profiling

Grasso

Riedel

2012

SpaceOps 2012 Conference

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VML (Virtual Machine Language) has been used as the sequencing flight software on over a dozen JPL deep-space missions, most recently flying on GRAIL and JUNO. In conjunction with the NASA SBIR entitled "Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer", VML version 3.0 has been enhanced to include object-oriented element organization, built-in queuing operations, and sophisticated matrix / vector operations. These improvements allow VML scripts to easily perform much of the work that formerly would have required a great deal of expensive flight software development to realize. Autonomous turning and tracking makes considerable use of new VML features. Profiles generated by flight software are managed using object-oriented VML data constructs executed in discrete time by the VML flight software. VML vector and matrix operations provide the ability to calculate and supply quaternions to the attitude controller flight software which produces torque requests. Using VML-based attitude planning components eliminates flight software development effort, and reduces corresponding costs. In addition, the direct management of the quaternions allows turning and tracking to be tied in with sophisticated high-level VML state machines. These state machines provide autonomous management of spacecraft operations during critical tasks like a hypothetic Mars sample return rendezvous and docking. State machines created for autonomous science observations can also use this sort of attitude planning system, allowing heightened autonomy levels to reduce operations costs. VML state machines cannot be considered merely sequences-they are reactive logic constructs capable of autonomous decision making within a well-defined domain. The state machine approach enabled by VML 3.0 is progressing toward flight capability with a wide array of applicable mission activities.

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“…As there is only one opportunity in a mission, the orbital capture period is the most critical stage in the whole flight phase of deep space exploration. Due to the remoteness and the large time-delay for communications, real-time accurate navigation information cannot be provided by ground stations, especially during the capture period for Venus exploration (Riedel et al, 2000; Smith et al, 2005). There have been numerous missions to Venus since 1961.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direction/Distance/Velocity Measurements Deeply Integrated Navigation for Venus Capture Period

Liu

Ning

et al. 2018

J. Navigation

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In the Venus capture period, it is difficult for celestial autonomous navigation to satisfy the requirement of high precision. To improve autonomous navigation performance, a Direction, Distance and Velocity (DDV) measurements deeply integrated navigation method is proposed. The “deeply” integrated navigation reflects the fact that the direction and velocity measurements suppress the Doppler effects in the pulsar signals. In the pulsar observation period, the direction and velocity measurements are utilised to compensate for Doppler effects in the pulsar signals. By these means, the residual effects can be ignored. When the direction, distance or velocity measurements are obtained, they are fused to improve the navigation performance. Simulation results demonstrate that the DDV measurements deeply integrated navigation filter converges very well, and provides highly accurate position estimation without a high quality requirement on navigation sensors.

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AutoNav Mark3: Engineering the Next Generation of Autonomous Onboard Navigation and Guidance

Cited by 18 publications

References 6 publications

VML 3.0 Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer for Mars Sample Return

VML 3.0 Reactive Rendezvous and Docking Sequencer for Mars Sample Return

VML 3.0 Reactive Sequencing Objects and Matrix Math Operations for Attitude Profiling

Direction/Distance/Velocity Measurements Deeply Integrated Navigation for Venus Capture Period

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