Semi-immersive space mission design and visualization

Paper AAS, 2009

** Con trol and Dy nam i cal Sys tems, Cal i for nia In sti tute of Tech nol ogy, MC 107-81, Pas a dena, Cal i for nia 91125, USA.

Acta Astronautica, 2014

The Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP) offers a useful framework for preliminary trajectory design in multi-body regimes. While the CR3BP offers a simplified model with useful symmetries, trajectory design in this dynamical regime is often nontrivial. It is essential to gain insight into the available solution space to generate trajectories that meet a variety of constraints. The Poincaré map is a powerful tool that, in combination with a constraint on the energy level, allows a reduction in dimension such that, for the planar problem, the system is reduced to two-dimensions and the phase space is fully represented by the projection onto a plane. In the spatial problem, however, Poincaré maps must represent at least four states and are therefore challenging to visualize. In this investigation, a method to represent the information contained in higherdimensional Poincaré maps using a two-dimensional image for visualization is explored and is applied for trajectory design. Four-dimensional map representations are demonstrated to compute transfers, including heteroclinic and homoclinic connections, between periodic and quasi-periodic orbits in the spatial problem. Alternative maps, such as the periapse Poincaré map, require that at least five Cartesian states be represented. Map representations are generated to visualize the full state associated with crossings of the periapse map, and are employed to locate families of periodic orbits about the Moon, as well as transfers to these orbits via transit trajectories.

MATEC Web of Conferences

Designing an interplanetary mission is a complex task and requires the choice of the launch opportunity and of the exact launch and arrival dates. Depending on these choices, the trajectory must be defined and, in case of continuous thrust, also the thrust profile needs to be optimized.. Traditionally, these choices are made using some plots which allow to find a good compromise between the travel duration and the cost of the mission, which is often expressed in terms of initial mass in Earth orbit (IMLEO). IRMA (InterPlanetary Mission Analysis) code, based on the MATLAB®environment, is here described. It allows to deal with both impulsive propulsion (using the patched conics approach) and low continuous thrust (Solar or Nuclear electric or propellantless, like solar sails). A specific solver, based on indirect optimization techniques, has been developed specifically for this program, but IRMA can be used also as an interface for standard solvers, based on direct methods, like the F...

2008

Recent advances in computing power and speed allow designers to simulate thousands, if not millions, of design alternatives more cheaply and quickly than ever before. These advancements provide new opportunities to revolutionize trade space exploration for complex dynamic systems in the aerospace industry, among others. In this paper, we demonstrate our multi-dimensional data visualization software, the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) Trade Space Visualizer (ATSV), to search for optimal impulsive trajectories in a two-burn plane change spacecraft maneuver. This problem is formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem where it is desirable to explore various competing objectives.

Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2003

We present a novel approach to teaching astronomy and planetary sciences, centered on visual images and simulations of planetary objects. The basic idea of the “Thinking Journey” concept is to take the students to other celestial objects as tourists, and to teach science through the observatio of various natural phenomena in these new environments. The power of scientific visualization, through still and dynamic images, makes such a journey an exciting learning experience. The introduction of new technologies (3D animations, virtual reality) greatly enhances the visualization capabilities the teacher can use, allowing him to simulate actual flights over the terrain of other planets and to study them as if observing from a spaceship in orbit. The present program focuses on the study of the Moon and of the planet Mars, by means of observation, interpretation, and comparison to planet Earth. Students learn to recognize geological and atmospheric processes, discuss astronomic phenomena, and discover that the same basic physical laws govern all objects in the solar system.

… of the 13th annual conference on …, 1986

Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 2009

An initial study of techniques to be used in understanding how invariant manifolds are involved in low thrust trajectory design for the Jovian moon missions was performed using a baseline trajectory from the Europa Orbiter studies. Poincark sections were used in order to search for unstable resonant orbits. The unstable manifolds of these resonant orbits were computed, and they were found to provide an indication of how the EO trajectory was able to transition between resonances. A comparison with the stable and unstable manifolds of Lissajous orbits around the Jupiter-Europa L2 Lagrange point provided evidence that the Europa capture utilizes invariant manifolds of quasi-periodic orbits.

2021

The use of multi-agent robotics for space exploration creates the need for verification and validation using formal methods and simulation-based testing of such systems. This paper presents an asteroid exploration simulation and visualisation tool that can facilitate agent research in an approximated space setting. The software is able to simulate and visualise multiple spacecrafts navigating a customisable asteroid field environment under the control of either user or agent commands and abiding to space physics constraints. A built-in autopilot system implements Lambert's algorithm to allow autonomous orbital entry/transfer manoeuvres, and collision-free long-range path-finding if the objective is distant. A simulated scenario is described, involving two agents observing multiple asteroids during a debris strike.

SpaceOps 2016 Conference, 2016

Mission control is evolving quickly, driven by the requirements of new missions, and enabled by modern computing capabilities. Distributed operations, access to data anywhere, data visualization for spacecraft analysis that spans multiple data sources, flexible reconfiguration to support multiple missions, and operator use cases, are driving the need for new capabilities. NASA's Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS), Ames Research Center (ARC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are collaborating to build a new generation of mission operations software for visualization, to enable mission control anywhere, on the desktop, tablet and phone. The software is built on an open source platform that is open for contributions (http://nasa.github.io/openmct). I. Introduction uilt on the open source Open MCT (Mission Control Technologies) platform, available on GitHub at http://github.com/nasa/openmct, the Visualization for Telemetry Analysis (VISTA) client, deployed at JPL, and the Web Applications for Resource Prospector (WARP) client, deployed at ARC, bring mission control data visualization capability to the desktop, tablet and phones, using web browsers. The key features of the platform are data visualization, all of your data browseable and searchable in one integrated environment, user composition of displays, integration with multiple data sources, and modularity for customization to different mission requirements. At JPL, the initial capabilities are targeted at remote access to telemetry, and composable dashboards to allow users to quickly build their own displays for rapid analysis of downlink data. At ARC, WARP will be used for distributed mission situational awareness across NASA centers, using multiple data types, such as telemetry, mission timelines, images, and rover surface traverse visualizations.

Acta Astronautica, 2016

Recently, manifold dynamics has assumed an increasing relevance for analysis and design of low-energy missions, both in the Earth-Moon system and in alternative multibody environments. This work proposes and describes an intuitive polyhedral interpolative approach for each state component associated with manifold trajectories, both in two and in three dimensions. An adequate grid of data, coming from the numerical propagation of a finite number of manifold trajectories, is employed. Accuracy of this representation is evaluated with reference to the invariant manifolds associated with a two-dimensional Lyapunov orbit and a three-dimensional Halo orbit, and is proven to be satisfactory, with the exclusion of limited regions of the manifolds. As a first, preliminary application, the polyhedral interpolation technique allows identifying the orbits in the proximity of the interior collinear libration point as either asymptotic, transit, or bouncing trajectories. Then, two applications to orbital maneuvering are addressed. First, the globally optimal two-impulse transfer between a specified low Earth orbit and a Lyapunov orbit (through its stable manifold) is determined. Second, the minimum-time low-thrust transfer from the same terminal orbits is found using again the stable manifold. These applications prove the effectiveness of the polyhedral interpolative technique and represent the premise for its application also to different problems involving invariant manifold dynamics.