National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Brief overview of

NASA’s Human Mars Campaign

and

some cool New Projects at KSC

Marc Seibert

October 21, 2014

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An Evolvable Pathway

To Mars

Mars Beckons

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SOME OTHER PROJECTS AT KSC(YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT)

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ANALOGS – REFINING TOOLS ANDMETHODS FOR MISSIONS BEYONDEARTH ORBIT

NEEMO 19

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MARS ANALOGHawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation

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Highly-engineered habitat

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ANALOGS

PAVILION LAKE RESEACH PROJECT

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ANALOGS

FINESSE (Field Investigations to Enable SolarSystem Science and Exploration)

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KaBOOM(Ka-Band Objects Observation and Monitoring)

KaBOOM’s Primary Goals

Build a high power, high resolution

radar system for:

• Precision tracking and

characterization of near Earth

objects to…

– Save the Earth from asteroid

impacts.

– Select asteroids for human

exploration.

• Tracking orbital debris…

– Down to 5cm at GEO.

– Protect astronauts on the ISS and

satellites up to GEO.

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0.5 AU

capability for

tracking and

characterizing

NEO’sCurrent

capability for

tracking and

characterizing

NEO’s

Cataloged objects in orbit around the

Earth in 1963 (left) and in 2013 (right)

Orbit determination 100,000 times more precise than by optical means.

11/1/2014

Ka-Band First Step: KaBOOM

Demonstrate coherent uplink arraying with real time atmospheric phase fluctuation compensation at Ka band, operationally

demonstrating a low life cycle cost, self calibrating, stand alone system.

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• Real time atmospheric twinkling compensation at Ka-band.

• A phased array of widely separated (60m) antennas

• Leading to a high power, high resolution radar system

At NASA Kennedy Space Center

KaBOOM builds on previous successfully demonstrated concepts, technologies and

methods to prove the final steps towards an operational coherent array radar capability.

11/1/2014

Maturation & Capability

Deployment Roadmap- Vision

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Fundamental Concepts Already Demonstrated

Single Antenna

1961

Phased Array Capability Demonstrations

2005-082006-08

2008-10 2012-15

KaBOOM KARNAC

2015-17SOAR

2017-TBD

• X-band• 3-34 m

antennas at Goldstone

• TRL 3-7

• Ku-band• 5-1.2 m

antennas• TRL 3-7

• X-band• 3-12 m antennas• Real-time

correction for atmospheric twinkling

• TRL 2-7

• X and Ka-band• 3-12 m antennas• Real-time

correction for atmospheric twinkling

• TRL 3-7

Goldstone Solar System Radar

• Ka-band radar• 3-12 m antennas• 25 kW Tx: total

power going up to 225kW

• TRL 4-7

Baseline Plan

Early

Enhancement

Option

U/L VLBI

2015-16

• X-band• Goldstone• Combine 1-34 m

Apollo and DSS13antennas as a phased array

• X and Ka-band radar• 15-12 m antennas - Rx• 15-12 m antennas - Tx• TRL 4-7

• X and Ka-band radar • 25-100-12 m antennas• TRL 6-9

• Ka-band radar• 3 – 12 m antennas• X/Ka (limited) comm

Operational RadarCapabilities

2017

Results to Date:Demonstrated Uplink Array Capability at with

Real Time Atmospheric Phase Fluctuation Correction 5 October 2014

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• Hybrid FPGA/MATLAB downlink phase estimator, ~5 sec/update

• Phase obtained from MRO CLA data via known power/phase equation

Troposphere-induced phase fluctuations: Compensation OFF

long record of troposphere-induced phase fluctuations

for statistical analysis and comparison with WVR data

5 sec CLA updates

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Compensation ONphase cancellation

3~

SHOT TO 125W GEO SLOT

LASER COMMUNICATIONS

STANDING UP TWO GROUND STATIONS IN HAWAII

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NASA broke spacecomm records in Oct 2013

Video

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Our next Lasercomm demo

Short-term stationHaleakala Summit, Isle of Maui

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Long term Stationnear Mauna Loa Summit, Isle of Hawaii

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Micro Unmanned Aerial Systems

KSC is blazing a trail for NASA

Objectives Completed

UAS flights at Craters of the Moon, Idaho, were the first in the

country approved by the NPS after June 2014 ban went into effect.

Successfully completed 41 UAS flights over lava flows at Kings

Bowl, Inferno Chasm, and near Craters of the Moon visitor center’

Demonstrated the types of data sUAS’s could provide as part of

SSERVI FINESSE proposed work. Data included detailed image

overlays, DEM models, remote terrain inspection, and 3D models.

This is year 1 of a 5 year SSERVI project, utilized as a checkout of

the capabilities and data processing tools.

NASA KSC sUAS Craters of the

Moon Summary

NASA Airworthiness / Pilot Certification

• Multi-rotor vehicles approved via NASA and KSC airworthiness

processes.

• KSC pilots and observers trained per NPR 7900.3C (NASA’s Aircraft

Operations Management

Manual) requirements.

• Flew UAS missions under

NASA/FAA COA advisory

system with NOTAM’s issued

out of Salt Lake City (SLC).

Sample Data Links

• UAS Video Highlights – (Click for Video)

• 3D Model, Kings Bowl – (Click for PDF - 6.2 Mb)

• 3D Model, Inferno Chasm – (Click for PDF - 4.7 Mb)

• Inferno Chasm high resolution (Click for JPG - 36Mb)

• Kings Bowl high resolution (Click for JPG – 59Mb)

Slide courtesy: Mike Downs

Video of LC-39B Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R1IE_c74gI&list=UULpe438_2aur6cue_b5rkwQ

C3R Live Remote Aerial Technology (LRAT)

Status Briefing

Video