Ramon Abel Castano

The autonomous sciencecraft embedded systems architecture

An Autonomous Science Agent has been flying onboard the Earth Observing One spacecraft since 2003. This software enables the spacecraft to autonomously detect and responds to science events occurring on the Earth such as volcanoes, flooding, and snow melt. This agent includes artificial intelligence software systems that perform science data analysis, deliberative planning, and run-time robust execution. This software is in routine use to fly the EO-1 mission. In this paper we discuss the architecture used to integrate these systems and lessons learned from its multi-year flight on EO-1.

Towards an Autonomous Space In-situ Marine Sensorweb

We describe ongoing efforts to integrate and coordinate space and marine assets to enable autonomous response to dynamic ocean phenomena such as algal blooms, eddies, and currents. Thus far we have focused on the use of remote sensing assets (e.g. satellites) but future plans include expansions to use a range of in-situ sensors such as gliders, autonomous underwater vehicles, and buoys/moorings.

Experiments in Onboard Rover Traverse Science

The onboard autonomous science investigation system (OASIS) evaluates geologic data gathered by a planetary rover. This analysis is used to prioritize the data for transmission, so that the data with the highest science value is transmitted to Earth. In addition, the onboard analysis results are used to identify science opportunities. A planning and scheduling component of the system enables the rover to take advantage of identified science opportunities. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the entire OASIS system, and then describe new system capabilities with an emphasis on the identification of novel features during a traverse. This capability has been integrated into the full system and validated in field testing. In addition, the system has been integrated with the visual target tracking (VTT) capability recently uploaded to the Mars exploration rovers. VTT enables the system to robustly track a specified target. By integrating this with the autonomous science system, the rover can approach targets identified onboard and acquire targeted measurements both from additional viewing angles as well as from positions in close proximity to the target.