Professional Documents
Culture Documents
NASA: 80099main 04 07astrogram
NASA: 80099main 04 07astrogram
July 2004
Evolutionary antenna
Artist’s concept of the ‘Habot’ robotic habitat. Lunar bases that can travel on wheels, or even legs,
will increase landing zone safety, provide equipment redundancy and improve the odds of making continued from page 2
key discoveries by enabling crews to visit many lunar sites. tionary AI software to invent and create
new structures, computer chips and even
machines, according to Lohn. "We are
provide equipment redundancy and for the entire trek. A pressurized rover now using the software to design tiny
improve the odds of making key discov- could sustain astronauts for a much microscopic machines, including gyro-
eries by enabling crews to visit many longer trip, lasting days or weeks. scopes, for spaceflight navigation," he
lunar sites, according to Ames' Marc "If you are trying to conduct re- ventured.
Cohen. He recently presented his con- search with pressurized lunar vehicles, Four NASA Ames computer scien-
cept in a research paper at the 2004 you run into many safety issues," Cohen tists wrote the AI evolutionary program
American Institute of Physics Forum in said. To avoid life-threatening or other that operates on 120 personal comput-
Albuquerque, N.M. compromising situations that might oc- ers, which work as a team. The scientists
"If you set up a base at a fixed loca- cur with only one rover traveling to a wrote the AI software because it can
tion on the moon, you are very limited in remote place, a second rover might travel create designs faster than a human be-
the sites of scientific interest that you with the first. ing can do so.
can reach," Cohen said. "What it comes "But what if the second rover runs "The software also may invent de-
down to is if you're landing a habitat on into a problem, too - the same or a differ- signs that no human designer would
legs and wheels, it doesn't take a lot ent problem? Well, that means a third ever think of," Lohn asserted. In addi-
more investment to make it highly mo- rover," Cohen said. "So, why not make tion, the software can plan devices that
bile, provided you have enough energy the entire base mobile, so that all the are smaller, lighter, consume less power,
resources that would enable it to travel resources, reliability and redundancy of are stronger and more robust among
great distance across the moon with or the lunar mission move with the excur- many other things – characteristics that
without the crew onboard," Cohen ex- sion crew?" Cohen reasoned. spaceflight requires, according to Lohn.
plained. "In addition, there's risk if you land Detailed information is on the
Linked mobile moon habitats might lots of immobile modules in one spot - Internet at: http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/
travel like treaded trains without tracks, - there is a danger you'll have a very long projects/esg
or they could cross the moonscape in a commute to a place of scientific interest, Space Technology 5 satellite details
line like Conestoga wagons crossing the or can't get there. Then, you've wasted are on the Internet at: http://
American West. Walking or rolling habi- billions of dollars. Mobile habitats nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/st5
tats could dock to one another, or circle greatly reduce the risk of finding your- Images and an on-line video are
close together, when they reach a rest or self on the wrong place on the moon," available on the World Wide Web at:
research site, according to designs sug- Cohen added. http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/re-
gested by engineers over that last three Another advantage of mobile moon leases/2004/antenna/antenna.html
decades, Cohen noted. habitats is that they will be able to move
In contrast, a common scenario for out of the lunar landing zone, which
BY JOHN BLUCK
exploration of the moon is that one or could be hazardous. "The landing zone
Equal Opportunity in Higher further expansion into additional build- Stanford University, Santa Clara Uni-
Education (NAFEO) ings. versity, Utah State University, Califor-
• California Air and Space nia Polytechnic University, and Aero-
Educational Foundation (for Partnership with UC space Corporation to conduct micro –
the development of Space The University of California system satellite development and education for
World Hangar One) (UC), led by its Santa Cruz campus the space program.
• Industry Partners Represented (UCSC), has selected the NRP as the
by Small, High-Tech Business location for its ‘Silicon Valley Center.’ Enhanced Use Leasing Program
The new UC center will provide oppor- NASA Ames is using a new author-
Additional industry partnerships tunities for students and researchers to ity from Congress and NASA Head-
between NASA Ames and local technol- work side-by-side with NASA Ames quarters known as enhanced use leas-
ogy companies are on the horizon, as is scientists on multidisciplinary and col- ing (EUL) that benefits the NRP by al-
a development partnership to build and laborative projects. Currently, UCSC lowing the center to charge full-market
operate a new conference and education occupies one building within the NRP. rates and retain the funds, rather than
center. Meanwhile, the academic part- At its completion, however, the Silicon simply recovering costs. NASA Ames is
ners have made significant strides in the Valley Center will encompass approxi- one of only two test sites in NASA to
last year toward establishing a perma- mately 600,000 square feet of classroom have EUL authority. With EUL, the
nent presence in the NRP. and office space. Currently, UCSC is NRP can generate revenue for Ames to
discussing plans with NASA to build a use for its maintenance. To date, the
High-dependability computing consor- Bio-Info-Nano R&D Convergence Lab NRP has signed approximately 20 leases
tium with 25 high tech companies and classrooms by the end of 2008. with industry partners for space, prima-
CMU has leased Buildings 23 and rily within the NRP. The growing list of
24 located within the Shenandoah Plaza Partnership with CSU NRP leases includes institutions and
historic district of the NRP. Moreover, The California State University sys- companies that cover a broad spectrum,
CMU has rehabilitated these historic tem, led by San Jose State University, including biotechnology, environmen-
structures to house classrooms, research has also partnered with NASA Ames. tal technology, nanotechnology, com-
facilities and the high-dependability The Metropolitan Technology Center, munications and homeland security.
computing program. CMU’s West Coast already located in the NRP, represents
campus opened in the NRP in 2003. the first phase of this organization’s pres- More to Come
With academic programs in software ence in the NRP. Upon full build-out, Additional information about the
engineering, e-business and learning the California State University San Jose NRP and its partners will be featured in
sciences, as well as research programs facility will encompass approximately future editions of the Astrogram.
focused on high-dependability comput- 200,000 square feet of classroom and
ing, the West Coast campus establishes office space.
Carnegie Mellon’s presence in Silicon The Space Technology Center led
Valley. CMU is currently investigating by SJSU is an on-site partnership with
BY ED WALKER
Safety Data
August Environmental Health Civil
Servants
Contractors
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
Editor-in-Chief..............................David Morse
Managing Editor..........................Ann Sullivan
Editor, Layout and Design...........Astrid Terlep