Space Vehicles Commons^™

Constrained Dynamics Of Rapid Orbit Motion Emulator (Rome) Using Udwadia-Kalaba Approach, Keanu Brayman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The Rapid Orbit Motion Emulator (ROME) is designed to be a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed for orbital control algorithms. It consists of a four-wheeled ground vehicle and a six-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator. This work investigates the use of optimal control to execute orbital trajectories on ROME using the Udwadia-Kalaba (UK) formulation to model the system dynamics. The UK formulation is a novel method to derive equations of motion for constrained systems. Unlike traditional approaches, the UK approach can be applied directly to any constrained dynamical system. This project utilizes the UK approach to derive dynamics with trajectory following constraints for the ROME …

Surp: Space Robotics Laboratory Lab Manuals And Experiment Development, Connell Crawford

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This SURP project is focused on the preparation of the lab, experiments, and operation procedures necessary for the proposed equipment in the Space Robotics Lab. As such, the primary goal is to create safety and test documentation that shall be used in the lab. Students selected for this project shall gain a hands-on learn-by-doing with equipment that is intended for teaching and research of a simulated planar space test environment for an air-bearing vehicle test bed to be able to test sensors, actuation and deployment of mechanisms, spacecraft collaboration through closed loop control, as well as experimental propulsion systems.

Flysurf: A Flying Robotic Surface With Shape Morphing And Motion Control, Kevin Aubert De Luchi Lomellini

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This thesis introduces FlySurf, a novel flying robotic surface capable of simultaneous shape morphing and motion control. FlySurf is modeled as a mesh-based dynamic structure actuated by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, enabling complex deformations during flight. The proposed control architecture comprises three main components. First, a state estimator to infer the robotic surface state from limited observations. Second, a shape trajectory planner that incorporates an affine deformation term to preserve surface integrity during shape transitions. Third, a surface controller to minimize the error between the desired and actual surface configurations.

The methodology is validated through realistic simulations and hardware experiments, …

Autonomous Landscape Exploration Rover Using Imaging Surface Navigation (Alexis), Noah Jones, Dominic Salupo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective is to develop a small-form-factor rover prototype that can be used to prove out a novel traversal method for use on extraterrestrial surfaces. The novel traversal method being proposed is LIDAR/CV-enhanced navigation, provided by a detachable flight vehicle that can communicate with the rover. On planets with thin atmospheres, cold gas thrusters or similar may be needed, but for the scope of this project more traditional flight/propulsion methods will be used.

Initial Solution Improvements To A Tethered Robotic Path Planner Using Random Geometric Graph Configurations And Biased Sampling, Austen J. Goddu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

With NASA's ongoing efforts to establish a presence on the lunar surface to eventually move on to exploring mars, the development of intelligent robotic systems is more important than ever. The ability of robotics to explore hazardous and extreme terrain, coupled with long communication times from earth places an ever increasing need on more robust and efficient autonomy. Tethered robotics offer unique advantages to explore scientific targets both on the lunar and martian surfaces, capable of using their tether as a physical or metaphorical lifeline to allow the exploration of slopes, extreme dark regions, or areas in which wireless communication …

Space Force Design Project, Emily Greene, Ashton Orosa, Julia Patek, Nathan Doty

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of our research project is to develop a lab testbed composed of a curved surface to represent a spacecraft hull, a mobile robot equipped with repair tools, and a robotic arm equipped with a laser 3D scanner. This project is part of a larger grant to the University of Akron from Space Force and Air Research Labs. The lab testbed developed in this project will be used to assist in creating and testing a software and algorithm to inspect and repair spacecraft while in orbit. The project will involve researching spacecraft hulls to create an accurate simulation bed, …

Satellite Maintenance: An Opportunity To Minimize The Kessler Effect, Bettina M. Mrusek Dr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Recently, there has been an emphasis on the growing problem of orbital debris. While the advantages of placing satellites into space are numerous, advances in satellite technology combined with the growth of the industry have resulted with a significant amount of debris in the orbits surrounding our planet. The harshness of the space environment has also contributed to the debris, as evidenced by the number of objects currently in orbit which are not operational. As the amount of debris grows, so too does the likelihood of collisions, ultimately culminating in the Kessler Effect. However, recent advances in propulsion, advanced navigation, …

Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study, John Brophy, Fred Culick, Louis Friedman, Pedro Llanos, Et Al.

Publications

This report describes the results of a study sponsored by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) to investigate the feasibility of identifying, robotically capturing, and returning an entire Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) to the vicinity of the Earth by the middle of the next decade. The KISS study was performed by people from Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, the California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard University, the Naval Postgraduate School, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Southern …