Control Problems Institute of RAS

Profsoyuznaya 65, 117806, Moscow, Russia

e-mail: zeml@ipu.rssi.ru

6-th ESA Workshop on Advanced Space Technologies for Robotics and Automation (ASTRA-2000) took place from December 5-th to 7-th, 2000, at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The Workshop was organized by the Automation and Robotics Section of the European Space Agency (ESA) Directorate of Technical and Operational Support.

ASTRA-2000 was built on the tradition of the previous five ASTRA Workshops. It wants to be a forum for information exchange and discussion of the European Space Automation and Robotics (A&R) community. Representatives from industry and research in the ESA member state shall obtain an up-to-date picture of

- currently envisaged space missions and application scenarios where A&R could play a major role;

- the A&R technologies needs which can be derived from these application scenarios;

- the current status of European research and development (R&D) programs in the field of space A&R, and

- new technology trends for space A&R.

ASTRA provides an overview of technologies, which are available, or being developed in the ESA member states, or which should be included in future ESA-managed R&D activities.

The ASTRA-2000 Workshop visited about 130 participants from 18 countries. Encouraged by the success of ASTRA-1998, also ASTRA-2000 was a three-day event without parallel sessions. Even more time was given to the very popular live demonstrations and exhibits. Exhibits started at the end of the first day and were on display during the two following days.

The certain success of ASTRA-2000 Workshop was strengthened by the Final Discussions (Chairmen: H. Lutz (ESA/ESTEC), P. Putz (ESA/ESTEC)) and Technical Visits: European Robotic Arm (ERA). In corporation with Fokker Space and the ESA project team two demonstrations were organized:

- the ERA Mission Preparation and Training Equipment (MPTE) in action in the ERA Software Maintenance and Reference Facility at ESTED;

- the ERA Engineering and Qualification Model (EQM) while picking up and moving the representative payload on the flat floor in the clean room at Fokker Space in Leiden.

It is not easy to comment 40 papers of 25-minutes presentations and 12 papers of two-day demonstration on Exhibits Session the more so, as every paper was extremely interesting. May be some words about the papers that were mostly interesting for this information's author. By the way the Workshop ASTRA-2000 was visited by 4 Russian participants: V.P. Bogomolov and S.I. Kostin (Control Research Institute of Machine Building), V.M. Glumov and S.D. Zemlyakov (Institute of Control Sciences of RAS). All of them have the Proceedings and other materials of the Workshop ASTRA-2000.

The first Session of the Workshop was named "Applications-Overview and ISS". The first paper was made by the Member of Workshop's Program Committee, Head of Automation and Robotics Section of ESA D/TOS P. Putz (ESA/ESTEC,The Netherlands). The title of the paper is "An Overview of Mission Applications for Space A & R". In the part by name "Space Robotics: Overview of Application Scenarios" the conversation was about LEO (Low Earth Orbit) applications that the author sets equal to ISS (International Space Station) applications. In particular the author said about system servicing, robotically assembly of spacecraft, payload tending, free flying inspection and servicing. For GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) applications P. Putz said about ETS-VII flight demonstration, experimental/operational systems. Once more theme in the paper was the question about Robotics for surface exploration in Solar System, missions to Mercury, Moon, Mars, comet sampling (Rosetta).

The paper of A. Rusconi (Tecnospazio, Italy), R. Mugnuolo, F. Bracciaferri, A. Olivieri (Agenzia speziale Italiana, Italy) and F. Didot (ESA-Automation and Robotics Section, The Netherlands) was devoted to the system by name "EUROPA" (External Use of Robotics for Payloads Automation). EUROPA is a payload proposed by ASI (Italian Space Agency) in corporation with ESA, which aims at

- performing a realistic end-to-end robotic technology demonstration,

- providing a robotic system for installation, removal, handling, manipulation, servicing and inspection of externally exposed payloads.

The system is scheduled to be flown at September 2004.

N. Phillips (Astrium LTD, United Kingdom) in the paper "Robotic Arm for Beagle 2 Mars" was speaking about the Beagle 2 program that is a British lead effort to land on Mars as part of ESA's Mars Express mission, due to be launched in June 2003. The primary aim of Beagle 2 is to search for evidence of life and a key element in this task is the robot arm, which is equipped with a multifunctional tool (PAW) as an end effector. The robot will be used to examine rocks and to take samples for processing on-board the lander.

The paper of P. Clancy, P. Schiller and G. Visentinљ (ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands) "A & R Needs for a Multi-user facility for Exobiology Research" was devoted to a very interesting question. In the past few years the World has witnessed the discovery of so-called extremophiles. These are life forms thriving in extreme environment (such as rocks several kilometers underground, or underwater thermal vents where temperatures exceed +100 degrees Celsius) which were previously considered to be so hostile as not to be able to sustain any form of life. One of the possible implication of this unexpected proliferation and survivability of life, is that some sort of life could have possibly also evolved on Mars or Europe. It is now commonly believed that Mars had once an atmosphere and surface water, and it is possible that life did evolve on Mars during that wet period. As the extremophiles show life might even have survived deep in the ground till the present day.

ESA established in September 1996 the Exobiology Science Team whose task was to survey current research in exobiology and related fields. A major part of recommendation is to seek evidence of extinct life below the surface of Mars using a group of six instruments. Together with their supporting automation means they form an integrated package of analysis equipment called Multi-user Exobiology Research Facility.

The paper devoted to the description of this package.

In more wide sense Mars exploration is described at the paper of R. Gelmi, D. Otto, D. Vennemann (System Integration & Operation Division, Manned Spaceflight Program Department ESA/ESTEC) and P. Putz (Mechanical System Division, Mechanical Engineering

Department, ESA/ESTEC) "Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration". A Reference Mission for a potential international enterprise in the 2010 - 2015 timeframe has been generated by NASA, and ESA is investigating a possible European participation. A & R is one of key technology areas. The paper describes fields of ESA investigations such as

- automatic mechanisms on landers, on rovers or in the field;

- specialized automation systems for deep drilling and sample distribution;

- automated instrument packages for in-situ analysis and documentation;

- penetrators for underground investigations;

- micro rovers (less then 10 kg mass), possibly with very small arm/tools for scientific instrument deployment and inspection;

- unmanned mini rovers (about 100 kg mass), typically with a small robot arm, for inspection, regional exploration/prospecting, scientific and lighter logistics fields tasks;

- unmanned larger rovers (up to 1000 kg mass) with exchangeable tools for larger-scale mining / in-situ resource utilization and the routine civil engineering works in base building;

- larger robot arms (gantry or cylindrical crane types) for heavy hauling, construction, erection of structures;

- manned pressurized larger rovers with attached dexterous arms / tools for longer-distance crew transportation and scientific field trips in shirt sleeve environment;

- flying robots (aerobots) for regional to global mobility.

The interesting paper was represented by Mauro Novara (ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands) on the theme "Mercury Surface Exploration Scenarii". ESA Bepi Colombo Mercury Cornerstone mission to be launched in 2009 and the author was speaking about several versions of this mission. Bepi Colombo features two spacecraft in orbit around Mercury a Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and a Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), as well as a surface Element (MSE), necessary for the detailed geochemical and geophysical exploration of the surface. The MPO is launched first (August 2009), with the solar Electrical Propulsion Module (SEPM) and the Chemical Propulsion Module (CPM). The launch will be from Baikonur on a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle. Then within a month will be launched a composite of the MMO and MSE, with another SEPM and CPM on another Soyuz-Fregat.

The paper of G. Hirzinger, J. Butterfab, M. Grebenstein, M. Hanle, I. Shafer and N. Sporer (DLR, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics) "Robonauts Need Light-Weight Arms and Articulated Hands" describes recent design and development efforts in DLR's robotics lab towards a new generation of "mechatronic" ultra-light weight robots with articulated hands. The design of fully sensorized joints with complete state feedback and underlying mechanisms are outlined. The second generation a most highly integrated 4 finger-hand is near completion.

The design-philosophy of DLR's light-weight-robots is to achieve a type of manipulator similar to the cinematic redundancy of the human arm, i.e. with seven degrees of freedom, a load to weight ratio of better than 1:2, a total system-weight of less than 20 kg for arms with a reach space of up to 1,5 m, no bulky wiring on the robot and no electronics cabinet, and a high dynamic performance.

Once more interesting paper from DLR was represented by R. Lampariello and G. Hirzinger (DLR, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics) "Freeflying Robots - Inertial Parameters Identification and Control Strategies". The paper discusses two issues in free-flying space robotics. The first is relative to the identification of what are commonly called inertial parameters, namely mass, center of mass position and inertia tensor of a robot in space. The second problem is the finding the assumed unknown parameters of the base body of the robot is addressed, while those of the remaining bodies constituting the mechanical system are given.

Really the every paper of the 6-th ESA Workshop "ASTRA-2000" is more than interesting but it is not possible to throw light on all of them.

The paper of Russian participants V.Yu. Rutkovsky, S.D. Zemlyakov, V.M. Sukhanov and V.M. Glumov (Institute of Control Sciences of RAS, Russia) "Some Peculiarities of Control by Free-Flying Space Robotical Module with Manipulators" was devoted to designing of the free-flying space robotical module (SRM) with manipulators for manned space station's service. The SRM is intended for assembly, external maintenance, inspection and scientific experiments for manned space stations. The paper main ideas are: 1) optimality of an board power /energy consumption; 2) safety of SRM itself and security of space station and other space objects, to be connected with SRM's activities.