Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking (ISAAC)

Human exploration infrastructure in deep space, such as the planned “Gateway", will be uncrewed for extended periods. During these periods NASA needs autonomous systems that can perform Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) as well as perform routine maintenance and logistics operations through high latency communication to ground controllers. The Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking (ISAAC) project directly addresses this key technical need for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) as described below:

“When uncrewed, the Gateway will perform payload ops via a series of robust autonomous capabilities that will reduce risk, maximize closure of knowledge gaps, and prepare for missions beyond the Earth-Moon system. These ops may include performing systems diagnostics & repair, logistics & consumables stowage, exploration capability testing, aggregation of robotically returned destination surface samples, science measurements and ops, communications relay, lunar vicinity mission support, etc." (HEOMD-004 “Exploration Requirements", baseline release, 2018)

To help satisfy NASA's need, the primary goals for the ISAAC project are:

1. Develop/enhance key technologies for the autonomous operation of complex, space-based infrastructure (e.g., Gateway) that provide the capability to support operations where human intervention is limited.
2. Provide new capabilities for spacecraft that incorporate both autonomy and robotics to enable a new paradigm for in-space operations and adaptive vehicle caretaking.
   

ISAAC will develop reusable technology (software reference implementation and validation testing) for integrated autonomous systems in the following areas:

1. Integrated data: Current state of the art in human spaceflight systems is that data from sensors associated with different spacecraft subsystems (Structures, GN&C, and ECLSS, etc.) remain siloed. ISAAC will unify spacecraft data and models with autonomous robotics, linking data streams from spacecraft subsystems, sensor networks, and robots, as well as linking 3D geometry and sensor data map layers, and detecting changes and anomalies. ISAAC will test autonomous state assessment with a mobile inspection robot, ideally on ISS.
2. Integrated control interface: Current state of the art manages spacecraft with largely independent interface tools for different subsystems. Interfaces have different heritage, design assumptions and operator interface styles. Subsystem interactions are hard to analyze due to poor connectivity between separate tools. ISAAC will develop an integrated control interface that combines interface tools for spacecraft subsystems and autonomous robots; improves system-level situation awareness, situation understanding, and operator productivity; enables linking and embedding between tools to improve subsystem interaction analysis; and supports the entire activity life cycle from planning through execution and analysis. ISAAC will test logistics management with mobile inspection and mobile manipulation capabilities, and test operator productivity in a logistics management scenario, both ideally on ISS.
3. Coordinated execution: Current state of the art for executing spacecraft activities that require coordination between subsystems is either manual commanding (operator tracks dependencies between subsystems) or simple sequencing that can be brittle to even minor contingencies during execution. ISAAC will develop coordinated execution technology that models dependencies, uses automated planning to translate a high-level task definition to a plan that can work given the current system state (e.g. include actions to open hatches so that a robot can move where needed), and leverages ISAAC's integrated data technology to watch for execution contingencies and trigger replanning as needed. This technology will reduce the time to effect changes on the system during critical faults and emergencies. ISAAC will test leak detection, isolation, and repair with mobile inspection and mobile manipulation capabilities, ideally on ISS.
   
   

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.