Autonomous Operations at Small Solar System Bodies

Our research is focused on advancing our ability to develop, design and implement autonomous navigation and guidance techniques for the exploration, scientific study and characterization of small solar system bodies. Our research considers the implementation of autonomous navigation, characterization and guidance techniques that are built around fundamental dynamic operational modes that have been identified in the small body environment. Our research will also focus on the autonomous creation and utilization of fundamental navigation models of the small body environment. The research has 4 main objectives: 1. Map Creation and Use Develop autonomous algorithms for the creation and subsequent utilization of a shape model and spin state of a small body upon rendezvous, utilizing a suite of sensors that go from coarse to high resolution. 2. Autonomous Navigation of Modes Define and implement autonomous navigation and guidance schemes and algorithms to cover the identified small body dynamics modes and transitions between them. 3. Autonomous Planning Demonstrate the autonomous development of goal motivated mission activities, utilizing navigation approaches from Objective 2. 4. Advanced Navigation Techniques Explore advanced applications of navigation techniques to address shortfalls identified in our research. These can include the use of landed probes on a small body surface for autonomous navigation in the system, novel applications for incorporating ground-based radiometric data into an autonomous system, or other techniques to be identified. Achievement of these objectives will provide an architecture for the autonomous exploration of small bodies, driven by a variety of mission operation goals. We will measure progress in these objectives through the development of algorithms that are tested using high-precision simulations and, where appropriate, use of measurement data from past missions.