Desktop Exploration of Remote Terrain (DERT)

Software tool that utilizes a virtual world to visualize and navigate NASA digital elevation models

Virtual Planetary Analysis Environment for Remote Science

All of the data for NASA's current planetary missions and most data for field experiments are collected via orbiting spacecraft, aircraft, and robotic explorers. Mission scientists are unable to employ traditional field methods when operating remotely. We have developed a virtual exploration tool for remote sites with data analysis capabilities that extend human perception quantitatively and qualitatively. Scientists and mission engineers can use it to explore a realistic representation of a remote site. It also provides software tools to "touch" and "measure" remote sites with an immediacy that boosts scientific productivity and is essential for mission operations

3D Visualization for Phoenix Mars Lander Science Operations

Planetary surface exploration missions present considerable operational challenges in the form of substantial communication delays, limited communication windows, and limited communication bandwidth. A 3D visualization software was developed and delivered to the 2008 Phoenix Mars Lander (PML) mission. The components of the system include an interactive 3D visualization environment called Mercator, terrain reconstruction software called the Ames Stereo Pipeline, and a server providing distributed access to terrain models. The software was successfully utilized during the mission for science analysis, site understanding, and science operations activity planning. A terrain server was implemented that provided distribution of terrain models from a central repository to clients running the Mercator software. The Ames Stereo Pipeline generates accurate, high-resolution, texture-mapped, 3D terrain models from stereo image pairs. These terrain models can then be visualized within the Mercator environment. The central cross-cutting goal for these tools is to provide an easy-to-use, high-quality, full-featured visualization environment that enhances the mission science team s ability to develop low-risk productive science activity plans. In addition, for the Mercator and Viz visualization environments, extensibility and adaptability to different missions and application areas are key design goals

CHAP-E: A Plan Execution Assistant for Pilots

Pilots have benefited from ever-increasing and evolving automation techniques for many decades. This automation has allowed pilots to handle increasingly complex aircraft with greater safety, precision, and reduced workload. Unfortunately, it can also lead to misunderstandings and loss of situational awareness. In the face of malfunctions or unexpected events, pilots sometimes have an unclear picture of the situation and what to do next or must find and follow written procedures that do not take into account all the details of the particular situation. Pilots may also incorrectly assume the mode or state of an automated system and fail to perform certain necessary actions that they assumed the automated system would handle. To help alleviate these issues, we introduce the Cockpit Hierarchical Activity Planning and Execution CHAP-E system. CHAP-E provides pilots with intuitive graphical guidance on what actions need to be performed and when they need to be performed based on the aircraft and automation state, and projection of this state into the future. This assists pilots in both nominal and off-nominal flight situations