Lightsheet Anomaly Resolution And Debris Observation - Neuromorphic

The Lightsheet Anomaly Resolution And Debris Detection - Neuromorphic (LARSDO-N) proposal seeks to upgrade improve the LARADO system in two vital ways. The LARADO sensor is an on-orbit instrument designed to detect small debris (10mm to 0.1 mm) that too small to be seen from the ground but have enough kinetic energy to do serios or catastrophic damage to space assets. We call this category of debris "lethal non-trackable". Due to the growing debris population, increased capabilities to detect and track small objects in this gap region are needed to provide knowledge and characterization of small space objects and their operational environment to support safe, stable, and sustainable space science activities. In this effort we propose to upgrade the focal plane array from a traditional frame-based CCD to a neuromorphic, or event-based, detector. The upgrade will enhance detection capability, increase signal to noise and reduce science data bandwidth. The second enhancement is to move to a dial-lightsheet configuration. This configuration change will provide speed and direction characterization of the observed debris. The proposed effort increase the TRL of subsystems (detector, dual lightsheets, and software for detection/characterization) for an instrument to detect debris in this lethal non-trackable category and to characterize such debris to support the NASA goals. The technology is applicable for orbital debris detection/characterization in Low Earth Orbit, and cis-lunar space, including a lunar surface concept to lunar regolith ejected due to impacts from micrometeors. The proposed effort leverages previous LARADO laboratory work at NRL as well as testing in a relevant environment at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range. The LARADO-N team's previous experience with these testing facilities provides a timely and cost-effective way to perform a technology "pull" of neuromorphic sensing into the debris sensing instrument. The test setups currently exist and are available for immediate modification (dual laser sheets), testing and evaluation of the new subsystems and data collection for validating the software algorithms to be developed for speed and direction characterization.

Support NASA's Heliophysics strategic science objectives to understand the Sun and its interactions with Earth and the solar system, including space weather. This will be achieved by developing/demonstrating instrumentation technology necessary to address the following science goals: Explore the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun to the Earth and throughout the solar system; Advance our understanding of the connections that link the Sun, the Earth, planetary space environments, and the outer reaches of our solar system; Develop the knowledge and capability to detect and predict extreme conditions in space to protect life and society and to safeguard human and robotic explorers beyond Earth.

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