IAC-04-IAA.3.8.1.08 LARA: NEAR TERM RECONFIGURABLE CONCEPTS AND COMPONENTS FOR LUNAR EXPLORATION AND EXPLOITATION P.E. Clark Location: Code 695, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA Affiliation: L3 Communications, GSI., 3750 Centerview Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151 USA [email protected] M.L. Rilee L3 Communications, GSI, 3750 Centerview Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151 USA [email protected] S.A. Curtis1, C.Y. Cheung1, G. Marr2, W. Truszkowski3, 1Code 695, 2Code 588, 3Code 595, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA [email protected] M. Rudisill MS 328, NASA/LARC, Hampton, VA 23681 USA [email protected] ABSTRACT NASA’s Exploration Initiative requires tools to support of near term human activities on the Moon or Mars. ANTS Architecture is well suited to such applications using current ElectroMechanical Systems (EMS) for Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART). We have analyzed the nature and behaviors required of ANTS components for such an application designated LARA (Lander Amorphous Rover Antenna). Basic structures are highly modular, addressable arrays of robust nodes, from which highly reconfigurable struts, tethers, and fabric are autonomously and reversibly deployed for all functions. An ANTS craft is an appendageless multi-tetrahedral structure, harnessing the effective skeletal/ muscular system of the frame itself to enable more ‘natural’ movement, effectively allowing ‘flow’ across a surface or into a particular morphological form. Individual craft would be deployed, with or without a human crew, land, using a miniaturized version of high impulse thruster technology, transform into rovers, bowl-shaped antennas, hut-like human shelters, or more specialized service providers, as needed, and ultimately return to the point of deployment. We have developed conceptual and physical models of ANTS systems to determine design requirements and are currently working on an EMS-based prototype. ANTS structures could be thus used for exploration, reconnaissance, communication, transportation, and construction, , protecting human crews and facilitating their work. 1 CONTEXT OF THE ANTS APPROACH Table 1: Lunar Mission Strategy for the Exploration Initiative relevant to LARA The ANTS approach to exploration [1,2,3,4,5] discussed here is directly relevant • Lunar Exploration activities as ‘testbed’ to the NASA’s Exploration Initiative goals of enabling sustained human and robotic sustainable and affordable robotic exploration exploration of Mars and more remote targets • Series of robotic missions begin in 2008 to of the solar system [6,7]. The mission prepare for later human exploration of lunar application, Lander Amorphous Rover surface Antenna (LARA), is particularly in line with • First extended human exploration missions the new Initiative goals for the Moon and begin in 2015-2020 time frame Mars, where the focus is on establishing • Lunar exploration missions make scientific human crews with robotic assistance in bases discoveries, develop new technologies and on the Moon and Mars and exploring to approaches, identify resources to support search for evidence of resources, biological sustained activity in space. precursors, or life itself [6,7]. Table 2: Mars Exploration Initiative relevant The LARA concept would result in to LARA further development of enabling technologies identified in the Initiative [6,7] as well: a) • Robotic exploration goals include searching sustainable autonomous systems and robotics, for evidence of life, understanding solar system b) advanced, reusable, transportation in space formation, and preparing for future human and on the ground, and c) reliable, durable, exploration; modular systems and structures. • Robotic exploration of other solar system In this paper, we will describe the bodies, such as asteroids, continues in parallel. conceptual framework, design, and models, • Develop key capabilities to support long duration combined human and robotic for LARA, based on ongoing work. We will exploration, including power generation, life identify requirements and essential features, support, transportation, communication. and assess capabilities the ANTS architecture • Human exploration of Mars begin after robotic to provide reconnaissance, transportation missions have completed full reconnaissance of (lander and rover), communication, and the planet and human presence on the Moon shelter, and other functions to support the becomes sustainable. establishment of a human presence on the flexibility for visits to multiple targets and Moon and Mars (Tables 1 and 2). cost effectiveness than the currently utilized What is the nature of the contribution approaches, where the major systems, to exploration of the Moon and Mars that the landing, surface transportation, and ANTS architecture can provide through the communication, require separate structures. use of the LARA concept [8a,8b] (Tables 3 Stowed LARA craft could be launched from and 4)? The LARA concept could be Crew Exploration Vehicles. Reconfigurable, implemented within the next decade using reshapable LARA craft could also be used to current technology, and be available to assist provide temporary shelters or to enclose the human return to the Moon in 2015-2020, natural formations, such as lava tubes, to prepare for human exploration of Mars. By providing permanent shelters, as tools to using the structures themselves as a skeletal search for and acquire natural resources, or, muscular frameworks, LARA craft use a collectively, as antenna arrays for dramatically new strategy of transforming communication on the ground or in space. themselves for the required activity enroute to On the Moon, starting in about a or on the surface, providing far higher decade, the use of the LARA concept would 2 Table 3: LARA Solution that can be reversibly and/or partially deployed or stowed to allow motion, forward • Robust, ‘form follows function’ craft transform on a surface, at a controllable scale or gait. 3D providing all key functions: transportation in networks are formed from interconnecting space and on the ground, communication, reconfigurable tetrahedra, making structures shelter, resource identification and capture. which are scalable, massively parallel • LARA systems deployable from Earth/Earth systems. As more tetrahedra are orbit, Space Station, or Moon/Lunar orbit and operate autonomously as robotic mission or interconnected, the degrees of freedom are through interface to support human exploration. increased and motions evolve from simple to • LARA rover capable of operating in terrains complex, and from stepped to continuous. with high and variable relief and roughness ANTS Addressable Reconfigurable inaccessible to appendaged vehicles through Technology (ART) can be constructed from capability to continuously change scale, motion, the available electromechanical systems and gait with many degrees of freedom. available. The prototype is being constructed thus enable the goal of performing a global from macroscopic electromechanical systems reconnaissance of resource potential, as (EMS)-ART, and LARA could be developed roving robotic explorers with or without at this level of technology. As Micro-EMS humans, and of providing a testbed for the (MEMS ART, Miniaturized ART or MART) human return to Mars. LARA systems would or nano-EMS (Super Miniaturized ART or allow the human/robotic interface to be fully SMART) become available, within the next optimized with less risk of failure. decade or two, such components could be On Mars, starting in about two incorporated to minimize mass and power decades, the LARA craft could be used for a requirements. The 3D network of actuators robotic mission capable of returning samples and structural elements is composed of nodes from the most desirable locations from the that are addressable as are pixels in an LCD standpoint of the search for life and water: screen. The full functionality of such a system cracks, crevices, and caves. Mars terrain, requires fully autonomous operation, and will particularly the volcanic terrain of interest, is ultimately be realized through a neural basis highly fractal and thus so extremely function (NBF) possessing the capability for hazardous as to be inaccessible to actuator-level autonomic response and permanently appendaged (wheeled or legged) heuristic-level decision-making, which will be vehicles. discussed elsewhere (9a,9b,9c,9d). The ANTS architecture for LARA will be discussed here. THE ANTS CONCEPT LARA: APPLICATION OF ANTS TO ANTS SMART (Super Miniaturized EXPLORATION OF TERRESTRIAL Addressable Reconfigurable Technology) PLANETARY SURFACES architecture was initiated at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to develop a What have we learned from our revolutionary approach to space vehicles and attempts to explore the surface of the Moon systems epitomizing the ‘form follows (Table 4)? The campaign for human function’ approach. Such craft are capable exploration of the solar system was changing form to optimize function or to inaugurated with the Apollo Program. The adapt to environmental demands (4,5). The challenge of launching a human crew along basic unit of the structure is a tetrahedron with a large payload to support them into consisting of nodes interconnected with struts deep space, delivering them into orbit around 3 Table 4: Moon and Mars Exploration Lessons Although only limited portions of the lunar surface were sampled, the Apollo We can deliver a human crew to another body, Program was cancelled early. Some mission keep them