Miniature 3D Microscope and Reflectometer for Space Exploration

Pettersson, Gustav M.; Dille, Michael; Abrahamsson, Sara; Wong, Uland

doi:10.1109/iccphot.2019.8747331

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The microscope construction and projectile packaging are shown in Figure 5. Full details on its design may be found in a prior publication [18]. Rover-To test our prototype in a realistic scenario, we used KRex2-a four-wheeled rover at NASA Ames used as a development platform for new technologies.…”

Section: Terrestrial Prototype Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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PHALANX: Expendable projectile sensor networks for planetary exploration

Dille

Nuch

Gupta

et al. 2020

2020 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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Technologies enabling long-term, wide-ranging measurement in hard-to-reach areas are a critical need for planetary science inquiry. Phenomena of interest include flows or variations in volatiles, gas composition or concentration, particulate density, or even simply temperature. Improved measurement of these processes enables understanding of exotic geologies and distributions or correlating indicators of trapped water or biological activity. However, such data is often needed in unsafe areas such as caves, lava tubes, or steep ravines not easily reached by current spacecraft and planetary robots.To address this capability gap, we have developed miniaturized, expendable sensors which can be ballistically lobbed from a robotic rover or static lander -or even dropped during a flyover. These projectiles can perform sensing during flight and after anchoring to terrain features. By augmenting exploration systems with these sensors, we can extend situational awareness, perform long-duration monitoring, and reduce utilization of primary mobility resources, all of which are crucial in surface missions. We call the integrated payload that includes a cold gas launcher, smart projectiles, planning software, network discovery, and science sensing: PHALANX.In this paper, we introduce the mission architecture for PHALANX and describe an exploration concept that pairs projectile sensors with a rover "mothership." Science use cases explored include reconnaissance using ballistic cameras, volatiles detection, and building timelapse maps of temperature and illumination conditions. Strategies to autonomously coordinate constellations of deployed sensors to self-discover and localize with peer ranging (i.e. a "local GPS") are summarized, thus providing communications infrastructure beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) of the rover. Capabilities were demonstrated through both simulation and physical testing with a terrestrial prototype.The approach to developing a terrestrial prototype is discussed, including design of the launching mechanism, projectile optimization, micro-electronics fabrication, and sensor selection. Results from early testing and characterization of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components are reported. Nodes were subjected to successful burn-in tests over 48 hours at full logging duty cycle. Integrated field tests were conducted in the Roverscape, a half-acre planetary analog environment at NASA Ames, where we tested up to 10 sensor nodes simultaneously coordinating with an exploration rover. Ranging accuracy has been demonstrated to be within +/-10cm over 20m using commodity radios when compared to high-resolution laser scanner ground truthing. Evolution of the design, including progressive miniaturization of the electronics and iterated modifications of the enclosure housing for streamlining and optimized radio performance are described. Finally, lessons learned to date, gaps toward eventual flight mission implementation, and continuing future development plans are discussed.

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Section: Terrestrial Prototype Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For further details of characterization and performance, the reader is referred to the separate publication on this specific payload. [18].…”

Section: Field Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

PHALANX: Expendable projectile sensor networks for planetary exploration

Dille

Nuch

Gupta

et al. 2020

2020 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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“…[08] The advancements in nanotechnology could help to make a chain for the space elevator, fine solar sails and it could remarkably reduce the quantity of rocket fuel required which helps to lessen the cost of traveling in space. Besides, the performance of spaceships, spacesuits, and other types of appliances used to explore planets can be enhanced by the combinations of nanorobots and nanosensors with new materials [25] .A microscopic characterization is an invaluable tool across applications including the study of surface materials on planetary bodies, analysis of rocks on earth, hazardous material identification, and defect testing during manufacturing or construction [12] .Because of its highly notable impact on almost all industries and entire areas of society nanotechnology sometimes described as General Purpose Technology [25] .…”

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confidence: 99%

Nanotechnology in Space Exploration - A Review

Sankpal¹,

Patil²,

Chaganti³

2020

IJAR

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Experimental Comparison of Optical Inline 3D Measurement and Inspection Systems

et al. 2021

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Fast optical 3D inline inspection sensors are a powerful tool to advance factory automation. Many of these visual inspection tasks require high speeds, high resolutions, and repeatability. Stereo vision, photometric stereo, light sectioning, and structured light are the most common principles for inline imaging in the several micrometers to sub-millimeter resolution range. Selecting the correct sensor principle can be challenging as manufacturers' datasheets frequently use different values to describe their systems and do not stick to proposed characterizations defined by the ''Initiative Fair Data Sheet'' or the VDE/VDI standards. With the help of standardized parameters, this paper aims to compare four different measurement principles, namely AIT's own single sensor light field camera method, a structured light pattern projector, a laser triangulation sensor, and a stereo camera system, with an approximate field of view of 100 × 100mm. We demonstrate simple yet meaningful experiments to determine lateral resolution, temporal noise, and calibration accuracy to enable an objective system comparison. Additionally, the reproduction of small surface structures and an overall performance on a challenging test object is evaluated. Results show that the measurement principles partly serve different application areas. The provided methods will help end users to select the correct sensor for specific applications.INDEX TERMS Automatic optical inspection, optical imaging, measurement accuracy, measurement precision, visual inspection, inline imaging, 3D imaging.

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Miniature 3D Microscope and Reflectometer for Space Exploration

Cited by 3 publications

References 23 publications

PHALANX: Expendable projectile sensor networks for planetary exploration

PHALANX: Expendable projectile sensor networks for planetary exploration

Nanotechnology in Space Exploration - A Review

Experimental Comparison of Optical Inline 3D Measurement and Inspection Systems

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