GN&C Modeling, Simulation, and Integration of ANTS

This proposal is one piece in the future development path of Autonomous Network of Teleoperated Systems (ANTS), leveraging assets and expertise from Mission and Fault Management, GN&C, and Human Factors. ANTS closes a critical gap in the interoperability of lunar mobile assets, serving as an “air traffic controller” for multiple heterogenous systems. ANTS-type infrastructure will be necessary if there are two or more lunar assets operating in the same area. The long-term goal is to stand up a high-fidelity simulation in Human Factors' lunar lighting and terrain simulation, LEVR (Lunar Environments in Virtual Reality), utilizing GN&C-generated physics-based rover models, to develop, test, and verify Mission and Fault Management’s ANTS capabilities with multiple rovers in a highly realistic lunar environment. Although this proposal focuses on the GN&C component of the technology maturation path, great care has been taken to ensure extensibility and sustainability for future funding efforts. ROS was selected as the common framework to define the interfaces between all three aspects. This proposal seeks to implement these interfaces and complete the GN&C elements, with support from Mission and Fault Management on critical ANTS updates. GN&C will be responsible for the development of physics-based and kinematically-consistent rover models in an industry-standard GN&C development tool, Simulink. Although a current implementation of ANTS exists within Simulink, rover models are simple and used exclusively for debugging purposes rather than physically-realistic simulations, including holonomic motion, electric motor torque and speed limits, and wheel-slippage. GN&C will implement generalized and extensible rover models in a “crawl, walk, run” fashion, starting with a simple unicycle model, followed by differential drive, followed by steering linkage models. These standardized models are representative and extensible to current and future lunar rover concepts and can be tailored to each mission. GN&C and Mission and Fault Management will implement a ROS wrapper around these models to allow the easy portability of models to other assets, including Human Factors’ LEVR. Mission and Fault Management will assess ANTS performance under several rover models.

The expected outcome of this study is a maturation of the ANTS technology with physics-based rover models, enabling high quality simulations for a variety of mobile lunar assets. Goals: 1. Integrate Robot Operating System (ROS) framework message passing interface, positioning this work to be readily accessible for future development. 2. Further the capability of Autonomous Network of Teleoperated Systems (ANTS) by increasing the number of rovers that can be commanded in simulation. 3. Increase fidelity of current ANTS rover models in Simulink to use physics-based and kinematically-consistent equations of motion.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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.