Spacecraft Mission Agent for Autonomous Robust Task Execution

Autonomy in space systems can drastically reduce the workload of ground crews for satellite missions, especially for clusters of satellites. Additionally, autonomy can increase the efficiency of missions by maximizing the utilization of resources and rapidly handling any issues that arise without having to wait for instructions from the ground. This research presents an agent-based, task-execution approach to onboard spacecraft autonomy. Instead of the traditional approach requiring onboard planning and scheduling, this method uses a combination of constraint and priority parameters associated with every task to ensure robust task execution with behavior as intended. Using this method, tasks will only run under safe conditions (e.g. no conflict with any running tasks), which enables conflicting tasks to be scheduled closer together or even overlapping for lower-priority tasks. This approach manages the execution of tasks on the timescale of seconds, enabling conflicting tasks to run sequentially, thereby increasing productivity if earlier tasks finish ahead of schedule. This framework leverages the NASA-developed, open-source projects cFE and PLEXIL and was tested on development boards comparable to flight hardware

Adapting On Orbit: Conclusions of the STP-H6 Spacecraft Supercomputing for Image and Video Processing Experiment

Spacecraft Supercomputing for Image and Video Processing (SSIVP) was a payload aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program – Houston 6 pallet deployed on the International Space Station. SSIVP was designed and constructed by graduate students at the NSF Center for Space, High-Performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC) at the University of Pittsburgh. The primary objective of this experiment was to evaluate resilient- and parallel-computing capabilities in a small-satellite form factor. Five flight computers, each combining radiation-tolerant and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies, were networked by high-speed interconnects, enabling a reliable space-supercomputing paradigm. Image-processing and computer-vision experiments were conducted on Earth-observation imagery acquired from two five-megapixel cameras. The system operated for 30 months, serving as an adaptable and reconfigurable platform to host academic and industry research. Despite on-orbit challenges with thermal constraints and operations, all mission objectives were completed successfully. SSIVP resulted in a dataset of nearly 20,000 images, radiation-effects data, and an increase in the technology-readiness level for two SHREC flight computers. Its designers and operators hope that SSIVP serves as a model for future reconfigurable and adaptable space computing platforms

STP-H7-CASPR: A Transition from Mission Concept to Launch

The Configurable and Autonomous Sensor Processing Research (CASPR) project is a university-led experiment developed by student and faculty researchers at the NSF Center for Space, High-performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC) at the University of Pittsburgh for the Space Test Program – Houston 7 (STP-H7) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Autonomous sensor processing, the mission theme of the CASPR experiment, is enabled by combining novel sensor technologies with innovative computing techniques on resilient and high-performance flight hardware in a small satellite (SmallSat) form-factor. CASPR includes the iSIM-90, an innovative, high-resolution optical payload for Earth-observation missions developed by SATLANTIS MICROSATS SL. For the CASPR mission, the opto-mechanics of iSIM-90 will be mounted atop a gimbal-actuated platform for agile, low-GRD (ground-resolved distance), and multispectral Earth-observation imaging. This mission will also feature the Prophesee Sisley neuromorphic, event-driven sensor for space situational awareness applications. The CASPR avionics system consists of the following: three radiation-tolerant, reconfigurable space computers, including one flight-proven CSP and two next-gen SSPs; one μCSP Smart Module; one power card; and one backplane. CASPR also features a sub-experiment with an AMD GPU to evaluate new accelerator technologies for space. CASPR is a highly versatile experiment combining a variety of compute and sensor technologies to demonstrate on-orbit capabilities in onboard data analysis, mission operations, and spacecraft autonomy. As a research sandbox, CASPR enables new software and hardware to be remotely uploaded to further enhance mission capabilities. Finally, as a university-led mission, cost is a limiting constraint, leading to budget-driven design decisions and the use of affordable methods and procedures. Other factors, such as a power budget and limited equipment, facilities, and engineering resources, pose additional challenges to the CASPR mission. To address these challenges, we describe cost-effective procedures and methods used in the assembly, integration, and testing of the CASPR experiment

Entretien : Regards croisés sur la vraie et fausse porcelaine de Chine

La question du « vrai » et du « faux » agite de façon récurrente les milieux du marché de l’art et des musées. Elle est également présente en filigrane dans certaines publications universitaires abordant la matérialité des objets. Il s’agit d’une question complexe qui doit être saisie par les chercheurs dans sa dimension transdisciplinaire - recoupant l’histoire, l’histoire de l’art, l’archéologie ou l’histoire économique - tout comme elle doit être appréhendée dans sa dimension technique et matérielle mobilisant les sciences dures et le domaine de l’expertise. Elle ne peut également s’exonérer d’une approche purement esthétique et même morale. Cette multiplicité des approches, nécessaire à toute prise en compte globale du phénomène vrai/faux, est rendue d’autant plus problématique pour la porcelaine de Chine, dans la mesure où elle recoupe une terminologie qui peine à être posée. Le vocabulaire du « faux » en langue chinoise, anglaise ou française est ainsi très divers ; il traduit par ailleurs des réalités conceptuelles variées. Existe-t-il une « vraie » et/ou une « fausse » porcelaine de Chine ? Quels critères précis définissent aujourd’hui les frontières entre ce qui est vrai et ce qui ne l’est pas ? Ne peut-on considérer in fine l’unicité d’une pièce imitée comme l’expression d’un vrai ? La réponse à cette question sur un mode unique ne peut être évidemment satisfaisante. Doivent-être pris en compte des critères plus fins, propres aux amateurs, collectionneurs, artisans, marchands d’art ou chercheurs, qui véhiculent leurs propres définitions du « faux ». Cet entretien, mené par Sophie Duhem et Émilie Roffidal, a pour objectif de réunir des approches croisées de spécialistes du marché de l’art asiatique, de collectionneurs, d’universitaires et de conservateurs, autour de quatre axes : . les définitions et les perceptions de la fausse céramique chinoise . le repérage, les moyens et les stratégies mis en œuvre . la question déontologique (enjeux financiers, patrimoniaux, etc.) . des retours d’expériences de fais marquants ou d’anecdotes significatives sur ces questions du vrai et du faux.The question of the "true" and the "false" recurrently agitates the communities of art market and museums. It is also present in watermark in some academic publications about the materiality of objects. This is a complex issue that must be grasped by researchers in its transdisciplinary dimension - crossing history, art history, archeology or economic history - as it must be understood in its technical and material dimensions mobilizing the hard sciences and the field of expertise. It can not be exempted from a purely aesthetic and even moral approach. This multifaceted approache, necessary for any global consideration of the true / false phenomenon, is even more problematic for Chinese porcelain, since it includes a terminology difficult to set. Thus, the vocabulary of "false" in Chinese, English or French is very diverse; it also reflects various conceptual realities. Is there a "real" and/or a "false" Chinese porcelain? What precise criteria define today the boundaries between what is true and what is not? Can we not consider, in fine, the uniqueness of an imitated piece as the expression of a true? The answer to this question in a single mode can not be obviously satisfactory. Should be taken into account finer criteria, specific to amateurs, collectors, craftsmen, art dealers or researchers, who convey their own definitions of "false". This interview, led by Sophie Duhem and Émilie Roffidal, has for objective to gather crossed approaches of specialists of Asian art market, collectors, academics and curators auround four axes : . definitions and perceptions of false Chinese ceramic . location, implemented ways and strategies . ethical questions (financial, patrimonial stakes, etc.) . experiences feedback of landmarks or significant events on this topic of true and false.La cuestión de lo "verdadero" y de lo "falso" es un tema recurrente en el mercado del arte y en los círculos museísticos. También está sutilmente presente en algunas publicaciones académicas que tratan de la materialidad de los objetos. Se trata de una cuestión compleja que los investigadores deben abordar en su dimensión transdisciplinaria, es decir, la intersección entre historia, historia del arte, arqueología o historia económica, del mismo modo que deben tratarla en su dimensión técnica y material, en la que intervienen las ciencias duras y el sector de la pericia. Tampoco puede estar exenta de un enfoque puramente estético e incluso moral.Esta multiplicidad de enfoques, necesaria para cualquier consideración global del fenómeno verdadero/falso, se hace aún más problemática para la porcelana china, ya que se superpone a una terminología difícil de entender. El vocabulario de "falsificación" en chino, inglés o francés es, por tanto, muy diverso; también refleja diversas realidades conceptuales. ¿Existe una porcelana china "real" y/o "falsa"? ¿Qué criterios precisos definen hoy en día los límites entre lo que es cierto y lo que no lo es? ¿No podemos, en última instancia, considerar la singularidad de una pieza imitada como una expresión de una pieza real? La respuesta a esta pregunta de una sola vez no puede, por supuesto, ser satisfactoria. Cabe tener en cuenta criterios más refinados, específicos de los aficionados, coleccionistas, artesanos, comerciantes de arte o investigadores, que transmiten sus propias definiciones de "falsificación". Esta entrevista, realizada por Sophie Duhem y Émilie Roffidal, pretende reunir los enfoques cruzados de especialistas del mercado del arte asiático, coleccionistas, académicos y curadores en torno a cuatro temas principales:. definiciones y percepciones de la cerámica china falsa. la identificación, los medios y las estrategias aplicadas. la cuestión ética (cuestiones financieras, patrimoniales, etc.). experiencias o anécdotas sobre estas cuestiones de verdad y falsedad.

Introduction au numéro "Vrai ou faux ? Qualifier les porcelaines de Chine (XVe-XXIe siècle)"

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