Space Science Opportunities Augmented by Exploration Telepresence

Since the end of the Apollo missions to the lunar surface in December 1972, humanity has exclusively conducted scientific studies on distant planetary surfaces using teleprogrammed robots. Operations and science return for all of these missions are constrained by two issues related to the great distances between terrestrial scientists and their exploration targets: high communication latencies and limited data bandwidth. Despite the proven successes of in-situ science being conducted using teleprogrammed robotic assets such as Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity rovers on the surface of Mars, future planetary field research may substantially overcome latency and bandwidth constraints by employing a variety of alternative strategies that could involve: 1) placing scientists/astronauts directly on planetary surfaces, as was done in the Apollo era; 2) developing fully autonomous robotic systems capable of conducting in-situ field science research; or 3) teleoperation of robotic assets by humans sufficiently proximal to the exploration targets to drastically reduce latencies and significantly increase bandwidth, thereby achieving effective human telepresence. This third strategy has been the focus of experts in telerobotics, telepresence, planetary science, and human spaceflight during two workshops held from October 3–7, 2016, and July 7–13, 2017, at the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS). Based on findings from these workshops, this document describes the conceptual and practical foundations of low-latency telepresence (LLT), opportunities for using derivative approaches for scientific exploration of planetary surfaces, and circumstances under which employing telepresence would be especially productive for planetary science. An important finding of these workshops is the conclusion that there has been limited study of the advantages of planetary science via LLT. A major recommendation from these workshops is that space agencies such as NASA should substantially increase science return with greater investments in this promising strategy for human conduct at distant exploration sites

Space Science Opportunities Augmented by Exploration Telepresence

Since the end of the Apollo missions to the lunar surface in December 1972, humanity has exclusively conducted scientific studies on distant planetary surfaces using teleprogrammed robots. Operations and science return for all of these missions are constrained by two issues related to the great distances between terrestrial scientists and their exploration targets: high communication latencies and limited data bandwidth. Despite the proven successes of in-situ science being conducted using teleprogrammed robotic assets such as Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity rovers on the surface of Mars, future planetary field research may substantially overcome latency and bandwidth constraints by employing a variety of alternative strategies that could involve: 1) placing scientists/astronauts directly on planetary surfaces, as was done in the Apollo era; 2) developing fully autonomous robotic systems capable of conducting in-situ field science research; or 3) teleoperation of robotic assets by humans sufficiently proximal to the exploration targets to drastically reduce latencies and significantly increase bandwidth, thereby achieving effective human telepresence. This third strategy has been the focus of experts in telerobotics, telepresence, planetary science, and human spaceflight during two workshops held from October 3–7, 2016, and July 7–13, 2017, at the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS). Based on findings from these workshops, this document describes the conceptual and practical foundations of low-latency telepresence (LLT), opportunities for using derivative approaches for scientific exploration of planetary surfaces, and circumstances under which employing telepresence would be especially productive for planetary science. An important finding of these workshops is the conclusion that there has been limited study of the advantages of planetary science via LLT. A major recommendation from these workshops is that space agencies such as NASA should substantially increase science return with greater investments in this promising strategy for human conduct at distant exploration sites

The Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, volume 1

These papers comprise a peer-review selection of presentations by authors from NASA, LPI industry, and academia at the Second Conference (April 1988) on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, sponsored by the NASA Office of Exploration and the Lunar Planetary Institute. These papers go into more technical depth than did those published from the first NASA-sponsored symposium on the topic, held in 1984. Session topics covered by this volume include (1) design and operation of transportation systems to, in orbit around, and on the Moon, (2) lunar base site selection, (3) design, architecture, construction, and operation of lunar bases and human habitats, and (4) lunar-based scientific research and experimentation in astronomy, exobiology, and lunar geology

Gamification and Advanced Technology to Enhance Motivation in Education

This book, entitled “Gamification and Advanced Technology to Enhance Motivation in Education”, contains an editorial and a collection of ten research articles that highlight the use of gamification and other advanced technologies as powerful tools for motivation during learning. Motivation is the driving force behind many human activities, especially learning. Motivated students are ready to make a significant mental effort and use deeper and more effective learning strategies. Numerous studies indicate that playing promotes learning, since when fun pervades the learning process, motivation increases and tension is reduced. Therefore, games can be very powerful tools in the improvement of learning processes from three different and complementary perspectives: as tools for teaching content or skills, as an object of the learning project itself and as a philosophy to be taken into account when designing the training process. Each contributions presented in this book falls into one of these categories; that is to say, they all deal with the use of games or related technologies, and they all study how playing enhances motivation in education

Placing outer space : an earthly ethnography of other worlds

Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-283).This dissertation concerns the role of place in scientific practice. Ideas of place, I argue, shape and are shaped by science. I specifically look at the community of planetary scientists who, though they cannot step foot on the objects they study, transform planets into places. This is an ethnographic work that draws on 18 months of fieldwork during which time I encountered several different communities of planetary scientists. At MIT, I worked alongside astronomers looking for planets around other stars. These "exoplanet" astronomers transformed numerical counts of photons into complex worlds with atmospheres and weather. Data visualizations characterized the work of a community learning to see unseen planets in specific, place-based ways. I also traveled with an astronomer to a Chilean observatory where she studied the night sky hoping to find a "habitable planet." Many other astronomers share this goal and have designed various ways to detect a planet like Earth. The importance of these projects signifies that exoplanet astronomers are more interested in finding planetary kin - planets that are familiar places - than exotic aliens. To determine how the planetary places created by exoplanet astronomers differ from those in our own Solar System, I spent time at the NASA Ames Research Center with a group of computer scientists who create high resolution and three-dimensional maps of Mars. These maps reflect the kind of place Mars is today: it is available to everyone to explore, it is displayed such that you can imagine standing on the surface, and it is presented as geologically dynamic in ways similar to Earth. Even though these maps help give Mars a sense of place, Martian science is still stymied by the inability to send humans to its surface. Instead, planetary scientists travel to terrestrial sites deemed to be "Mars-like" to approximate performing geologic fieldwork on Mars. I went to one of these locations to see how, during these outings, Mars and Earth become entwined as scientists forge connections between two planetary places. These diverse scientific activities, I conclude, are transforming our view of the cosmos. Outer space is becoming outer place.by Lisa Rebecca Messeri.Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HAST

The impact of American and Russian Cosmism on the representation of space exploration in 20th century American and Soviet space art

The aim of this dissertation is to explore and compare the impact of Russian and American Cosmism on the representation of space exploration in selected 20th century American and Soviet space art works in the context of both nations’ culture and literature of the period. The source material are 200 works of American (100) and Soviet (100) space art (1944-1991) which become subject to visual content analysis whose purpose is to examine the relation between the chief assumptions of Russian and American Cosmism and the image of space exploration constructed by American and Soviet artists. The research results obtained from the study have suggested that while the investigated representation of space exploration in the Soviet works can reflect approximately 70% of primary assumptions of Russian Cosmism, its depiction in the U.S. images seems to conceptualize approximately 80% of American Cosmism’s chief tenets.Celem monografii jest analiza wpływu idei rosyjskiego i amerykańskiego kosmizmu na obraz podboju kosmosu w wybranych dziełach XX-wiecznej amerykańskiej i radzieckiej sztuki kosmicznej w ich kontekście kulturowym i literackim. Materiałem źródłowym jest 200 dzieł amerykańskiej i radzieckiej sztuki kosmicznej (1944-1991), poddanych analizie treści wizualnej mającej na celu zbadanie relacji między głównymi założeniami rosyjskiego i amerykańskiego kosmizmu a wizerunkiem podboju kosmosu skonstruowanym przez amerykańskich i radzieckich artystów. Badanie wykazało, że w reprezentacji eksploracji kosmosu w amerykańskich dziełach można zaobserwować wpływ około 80% głównych założeń amerykańskiego kosmizmu, takich jak mit amerykańskiego pogranicza, ideologia Boskiego Przeznaczenia, Efekt Nadwidzenia, nostalgia za programem Apollo, paradygmat von Brauna lub projekt SETI. Tymczasem obraz podboju kosmosu w radzieckiej sztuce może odzwierciedlać około 70% podstawowych założeń rosyjskiego kosmizmu, w szczególności elementy koncepcji „zwykłego czynu” Fiodorowa, rosyjskiej duszy Bierdiajewa, kosmicznego entuzjazmu, społecznego techno-utopianizmu czy też „szturmu nieba”

Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Summer Conference. NASA/USRA: University Advanced Design Program

The Advanced Design Program (ADP) is a unique program that brings together students and faculty from U.S. engineering schools with engineers from the NASA centers through integration of current and future NASA space and aeronautics projects into university engineering design curriculum. The Advanced Space Design Program study topics cover a broad range of projects that could be undertaken during a 20-30 year period beginning with the deployment of the Space Station Freedom. The Advanced Aeronautics Design Program study topics typically focus on nearer-term projects of interest to NASA, covering from small, slow-speed vehicles through large, supersonic passenger transports and on through hypersonic research vehicles. Student work accomplished during the 1990-91 academic year and reported at the 7th Annual Summer Conference is presented

Space exploration in 20th century American and Soviet literature and art

Wydział AnglistykiCelem niniejszej rozprawy doktorskiej jest zbadanie i porównanie wpływu idei rosyjskiego i amerykańskiego kosmizmu na obraz podboju kosmosu w wybranych dziełach XX-wiecznej amerykańskiej i radzieckiej sztuki kosmicznej w ich kontekście kulturowym i literackim. Materiałem źródłowym jest 200 dzieł amerykańskiej i radzieckiej sztuki kosmicznej (1944-1991), które poddane są analizie treści wizualnej mającej na celu zbadanie relacji między głównymi założeniami rosyjskiego i amerykańskiego kosmizmu a wizerunkiem podboju kosmosu skonstruowanym przez amerykańskich i radzieckich artystów. Praca składa się z czterech rozdziałów. Rozdział pierwszy podejmuje próbę zdefiniowania i przedstawienia wiodących teorii rosyjskiego kosmizmu, w tym poglądów na temat jego wpływu na rozwój radzieckiego programu kosmicznego oraz wybrane aspekty kultury związanej z eksploracją kosmosu w Rosji i ZSRR. W rozdziale drugim zareprezentowane są główne założenia amerykańskiego kosmizmu, zaproponowanego przez Harrisona (2013) i będącego rozszerzeniem koncepcji etosu kosmicznego Harrisa (1992) oraz jego wpływ na wybrane aspekty XX-wiecznej kultury amerykańskiej związanej z podbojem kosmosu. Rozdział trzeci omawia historię i cechy gatunkowe amerykańskiej i radzieckiej sztuki kosmicznej w szerokim kontekście kulturowym i literackim epoki oraz w perspektywie najważniejszych osiągnięć programu kosmicznego obu krajów. Rozdział czwarty przedstawia główne założenia metodologii badawczej wykorzystanej w rozprawie oraz rezultaty analizy amerykańskiej i radzieckiej sztuki kosmicznej w kontekście postawionej tezy.The aim of this dissertation is to explore and compare the impact of Russian and American Cosmism on the representation of space exploration in selected 20th century American and Soviet space art works in the context of both nations’ culture and literature of the period. The source material are 200 works of American (100) and Soviet (100) space art (1944-1991) which become subject to visual content analysis whose purpose is to examine the relation between the chief assumptions of Russian and American Cosmism and the image of space exploration constructed by American and Soviet artists. The dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 attempts to define and present various views on Russian Cosmism, including its impact on the development of Soviet cosmonautics and space age ideology as well as selected aspects of 20th century culture related to or depicting the space programme’s ventures. Chapter 2 presents the core premises of the concept of Harrison's American Cosmism (2013), an extension of Harris's space ethos (1992), and discusses its impact on selected aspects of 20th century U.S. culture surrounding the national space efforts. Chapter 3 outlines the history and the principal generic characteristics of American and Soviet space art in the context of 20th century culture, literature as well as the major trends in space research and exploration pursued by both nations. Chapter 4 presents the primary assumptions of the research methodology utilized in the analysis and the chief research results of the study of American and Russian space art regarding the main thesis of this work

Mars delivery service - development of the electro-mechanical systems of the Sample Fetch Rover for the Mars Sample Return Campaign

This thesis describes the development of the Sample Fetch Rover (SFR), studied for Mars Sample Return (MSR), an international campaign carried out in cooperation between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The focus of this document is the design of the electro-mechanical systems of the rover. After placing this work into the general context of robotic planetary exploration and summarising the state of the art for what concerns Mars rovers, the architecture of the Mars Sample Return Campaign is presented. A complete overview of the current SFR architecture is provided, touching upon all the main subsystems of the spacecraft. For each area, it is discussed what are the design drivers, the chosen solutions and whether they use heritage technology (in particular from the ExoMars Rover) or new developments. This research focuses on two topics of particular interest, due to their relevance for the mission and the novelty of their design: locomotion and sample acquisition, which are discussed in depth. The early SFR locomotion concepts are summarised, covering the initial trade-offs and discarded designs for higher traverse performance. Once a consolidated architecture was reached, the locomotion subsystem was developed further, defining the details of the suspension, actuators, deployment mechanisms and wheels. This technology is presented here in detail, including some key analysis and test results that support the design and demonstrate how it responds to the mission requirements. Another major electro-mechanical system developed as part of this work is the one dedicated to sample tube acquisition. The concept of operations of this machinery was defined to be robust against the unknown conditions that characterise the mission. The design process led to a highly automated robotic system which is described here in its main components: vision system, robotic arm and tube storage

The 2004 NASA Faculty Fellowship Program Research Reports

This is the administrative report for the 2004 NASA Faculty Fellowship Program (NFFP) held at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the 40th consecutive year. The NFFP offers science and engineering faculty at U.S. colleges and universities hands-on exposure to NASA s research challenges through summer research residencies and extended research opportunities at participating NASA research Centers. During this program, fellows work closely with NASA colleagues on research challenges important to NASA's strategic enterprises that are of mutual interest to the fellow and the Center. The nominal starting and .nishing dates for the 10-week program were June 1 through August 6, 2004. The program was sponsored by NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, and operated under contract by The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Alabama A&M University. In addition, promotion and applications are managed by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and assessment is completed by Universities Space Research Association (USRA). The primary objectives of the NFFP are to: Increase the quality and quantity of research collaborations between NASA and the academic community that contribute to the Agency s space aeronautics and space science mission. Engage faculty from colleges, universities, and community colleges in current NASA research and development. Foster a greater public awareness of NASA science and technology, and therefore facilitate academic and workforce literacy in these areas. Strengthen faculty capabilities to enhance the STEM workforce, advance competition, and infuse mission-related research and technology content into classroom teaching. Increase participation of underrepresented and underserved faculty and institutions in NASA science and technology