Sensors and IMUs

Inertial and timing parts characterized against a named beam, with what the campaign covered and what it left open.

No inertial part flown on a planetary robot has a published qualification campaign behind it. What the literature does hold is a heavy-ion latchup screen on two commercial MEMS accelerometers, run for a JPL avionics build [1]. The latchup cross-section of one of them moves by about a factor of four between room temperature and 75 C, so a part screened warm and a part screened cold do not return the same answer.

MEMS parts screened for single-event latchup

Part	Manufacturer	Facility	Source
MS1002A MEMS accelerometer	Colibrys	Brookhaven National Laboratory	[1]
SF1600S MEMS accelerometer	Colibrys	Brookhaven National Laboratory	[1]
ASDMB 16 MHz MEMS oscillator	Abracon	Brookhaven National Laboratory	[1]
AD2S80A resolver-to-digital converter	Analog Devices	Texas A and M cyclotron	[2]

Campaign results

MS1002A MEMS accelerometer, Colibrys. Heavy ion at Brookhaven National Laboratory, the beam line not named in the source. Qualification: single-event latchup cross-section 1.5e-6 cm2 at room temperature and 6.1e-6 cm2 at 75 C, both at LET 37.5 MeV-cm2/mg to a fluence of 1e7 ions/cm2 [1]. The non-destructive latchup LET threshold is 11.44 to 19.71 MeV-cm2/mg above 70 C. Supply current in latchup is 232 mA against 23 mA nominal, and the part recovers on a power cycle [1], so the design question is whether the bus can carry a tenfold current excursion for as long as detection and power cycling take [1].
SF1600S MEMS accelerometer, Colibrys. Heavy ion at Brookhaven National Laboratory, biased at its maximum recommended voltage. Qualification: non-destructive latchup LET threshold 7.88 to 11.44 MeV-cm2/mg above 70 C, the lowest threshold of the two accelerometers [1]. Supply current in latchup is 340 mA against 20 mA nominal, again recovering on a power cycle.
ASDMB 16 MHz MEMS oscillator, Abracon [1]. Heavy ion at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Qualification: non-destructive latchup LET threshold 11.44 to 19.71 MeV-cm2/mg [1].
AD2S80A resolver-to-digital converter, Analog Devices. Heavy ion at the Texas A and M cyclotron. Qualification: no latchup to LET 85 MeV-cm2/mg [2].

What the screen does not cover

The Brookhaven and Texas A and M runs above are latchup screens and nothing else. No single-event upset, functional interrupt or total ionizing dose data was taken, and no event rate was computed, so a part recorded as free of latchup to LET 42.8 MeV-cm2/mg has not been qualified by that result [1]. Two or three parts of each type were tested. The highest LET available in the Texas A and M half of the campaign was 42.8 MeV-cm2/mg, below the 75 to 85 MeV-cm2/mg customary for heavy-ion qualification, so several of the clean results are bounded by the beam rather than by the part [1]. Ion range matters as much as LET for a die under a thick redistribution layer: silver at 2954 MeV reached 113 micrometers in silicon at LET 42.8 MeV-cm2/mg, bromine at 287 MeV reached 36 micrometers at LET 37.5, and one motor driver in the same campaign carried 12.76 micrometers of copper redistribution above its active silicon [1].

Inertial units and attitude sensors carried by flight and prototype programs

None of the units below has a radiation campaign published against it. What each carries is a performance figure taken on a bench or in a field test, and in three cases a heritage claim the project did not test itself [5].

Part	Manufacturer	Used by	Source
LN-200 fiber optic gyro IMU	Northrop Grumman	Lander Vision System prototype	[3][4]
STIM300 MEMS IMU	Sensonor	JPL dead reckoning study	[6]
STM300 IMU	Sensonor	moonranger	[5]
M-G370 IMU	Epson	Int-Ball2	[7]
nano-SSOC-D60 sun sensor	SolarMEMS	moonranger	[5]
ADXL-50 accelerometer	Analog Devices	Micro-rover concept study	[8]
CXTA02 two-axis inclinometer	Crossbow	Pioneer-AT test rover	[9]
Rate and acceleration IMU	Not named	fido	[10]

Ratings and qualification results

LN-200 fiber optic gyro IMU, Northrop Grumman, formerly Litton. Three orthogonal fiber optic gyros and three silicon accelerometers, about the size of a coffee mug, delivering 400 samples per second over RS-485 [3]. Ratings: angle random walk 0.15 degrees per root hour on the commercial unit used in the Lander Vision System prototype, with the flight unit expected to be at least as good [4]. Qualification: in descent hazard detection testing its attitude output was the difference between 0.063 m and 0.1 m of reconstruction error and cost one detected hazard [3]. No radiation or environmental result is published for it here.
STIM300 MEMS IMU, Sensonor. Tactical-grade MEMS inertial unit. Ratings: bench data with bias and misalignment corrections applied [6]. Qualification: propagated horizontal position error after ten minutes of dead reckoning was 1.28 km and 2.21 km on the two horizontal axes stationary, falling to 0.126 km and 0.03 km when the unit was rotated [6]. Vertical error stayed near 8 km in both cases, because rotation about the vertical axis does not average the vertical bias.
STM300 IMU, Sensonor. MEMS inertial unit selected for MoonRanger. Ratings: carried on a heritage claim of 5 krad of total dose, with no test performed by the project [5]. Qualification: none published.
M-G370 IMU, Epson. Commercial MEMS inertial unit adopted for the Int-Ball2 free flyer. Ratings: 10 g in a one-inch square package drawing 16 mA at 3.3 V, with an angle random walk quoted across the series at 0.03 to 0.06 degrees per root hour [7]. Qualification: none published. The vendor’s bias instability figure is printed in degrees per root hour, which is the wrong unit for that quantity, so the number is unusable as written [7].
nano-SSOC-D60 sun sensor, SolarMEMS. Two-axis digital sun sensor. Ratings: heritage of 30 krad of total dose and 300 krad of 6 MeV protons, claimed rather than tested by the project [5]. Qualification: none published.
ADXL-50 accelerometer, Analog Devices. Surface-micromachined capacitive force-rebalance accelerometer with on-chip conditioning and self test. Ratings: a 500 by 625 micrometer sensor with capacitor plates about 115 micrometers long and 4 micrometers wide [8]. Qualification: none published, and the study that names it records that the part is not inertial guidance grade.
CXTA02 two-axis inclinometer, Crossbow. Pitch and roll sensor on the Pioneer-AT test rover. Ratings: plus or minus 75 degrees at 0.05 degree resolution, a vendor figure not independently verified in the source [9]. Qualification: none published.
Rate and acceleration IMU, vendor not named, on the FIDO rover. Vibrating ceramic plate Coriolis rate sensors with surface-micromachined silicon accelerometers, sampled at 200 Hz [10]. Ratings: plus or minus 50 degrees per second at about 25 degrees per second per volt, and plus or minus 2 g at about 1 g per volt [10]. Qualification: a stationary Kalman filter converged on rate bias within 0.5 s, to about 0.01 degrees per second in one data set and about -0.02 in another, over nine ten-minute stationary sets taken on different days so that unit temperature varied.

Force, torque and ranging sensors with a measured result

Part	Manufacturer	Used by	Source
Mini-45 six-axis force-torque sensor	ATI	MER-class arm testbed	[11]
UTM-30LX-EW lidar	Hokuyo	LEMUR 3 perception mast	[12]
RVS3000-3D scanning lidar	Jena-Optronik	mev-2	[13]
Suspension torque transducer	Not named	viper	[14]

Ratings and qualification results

Mini-45 six-axis force-torque sensor, ATI. Wrist force-torque sensor on a Mars Exploration Rover class arm. Ratings: specified at plus or minus 1 percent of full range, 1.45 N and 0.05 N m [11]. Qualification: measured against a single-axis load cell with loads applied on three axes to a 40 N threshold at several workspace locations, giving an RMS error of 0.41 to 1.19 N across runs and least-squares slopes of 0.962 to 0.988 [11]. Sensors were zeroed immediately before each run, so the result bounds short-run accuracy rather than drift.
UTM-30LX-EW lidar, Hokuyo. Scanning lidar on the LEMUR 3 perception mast [12]. Ratings: 270 degree field of view, swept by the mast for a full 360 degree scan. Qualification: 0.1 to 30 m range with a 30 mm point cloud resolution in the climbing workspace, and operation stated both in total darkness inside a lava cave and in direct sunlight [12].
RVS3000-3D scanning lidar, Jena-Optronik. Rendezvous lidar on the Mission Extension Vehicle 2, its emitter modified from ISS-approach heritage with an added amplification stage and reduced beam divergence [13]. Ratings: no retroreflectors on the client vehicle, so position comes from the centroid of returns. Qualification: on-orbit tracking of an uncooperative client in three degrees of freedom beyond 2 km, and a six degree of freedom solution with a client model overlaid from 60 m down to 2 m [13].
Suspension torque transducer, vendor not named, in the VIPER wheel module. Ratings: plus or minus 297 N m at 0.07 N m of resolution, telemetered at 10 Hz [14]. Qualification: described by its own program as a measurement not previously available on a planetary rover, and the enabler for deriving wheel normal load in situ [14]. No environmental or life result is published.

Data converters, references and timing screened at a named beam

Part	Manufacturer	Facility	Source
DAC121S101 12-bit DAC	Texas Instruments	JPL cobalt-60	[15]
RHF1201 12-bit 50 Msps ADC	ST Micro	JPL cobalt-60	[15]
ISL71590SEH temperature transducer	Renesas	JPL cobalt-60	[16]
AD7760 24-bit ADC	Analog Devices	Texas A and M cyclotron	[2]
LTC1419AIG 14-bit ADC	Linear Technology	Texas A and M cyclotron	[17]
LTC2440IGN 24-bit ADC	Linear Technology	Heavy ion, facility unnamed	[1]
ECS-3961-040 4 MHz oscillator	ECS	Heavy ion, facility unnamed	[1]

Campaign results

DAC121S101 12-bit DAC, Texas Instruments [15]. Ratings: biased, at 100 mrad(Si)/s [15]. Qualification: parametric failure at 100 krad(Si), with severe integral and differential nonlinearity and zero-code failures between 150 and 200 krad, and no measurable recovery after a 168 hour biased anneal.
RHF1201 12-bit 50 Msps ADC, ST Micro [15]. Radiation-hardened converter. Ratings: degradation depends on how the part is operated. Qualification: integral and differential nonlinearity degrade parametrically from 100 krad(Si), and the degradation worsens with higher sample frequency, higher polarization resistance and higher supply voltage, so differential mode at minimum polarization resistance is the recommended configuration [15].
ISL71590SEH temperature transducer, Renesas. Ratings: unbiased is the worst case [16]. Qualification: temperature error out of specification at 100 krad(Si), worst error -5.7 microamps at 300 krad, with no functional failure.
AD7760 24-bit ADC, Analog Devices [2]. Ratings: tested at 25 C and 85 C at normal incidence [2]. Qualification: both temperatures latched up, threshold below 8.3 MeV-cm2/mg, with a saturated latchup cross section of 5e-4 cm2 at high transfer.
LTC1419AIG 14-bit ADC, Linear Technology [17]. Ratings: the MSL flight lot was tested separately from catalog parts. Qualification: no latchup above 86.2 MeV-cm2/mg at 20 C and above 78.0 at 40 C, but the flight lot latched at 50 to 55 MeV-cm2/mg at 60 C and the event was destructive once current limiting was removed [17]. Supply current in latchup reached 450 mA with the protection defeated and the clamp raised to 1.9 A, and the part did not recover on a power cycle. Temperature moves this part from clean to destructive across a forty degree span.
LTC2440IGN 24-bit ADC, Linear Technology [1]. Ratings: commercial delta-sigma converter [1]. Qualification: destructive latchup observed, with no threshold published.
ECS-3961-040 4 MHz oscillator, ECS [1]. Ratings: crystal oscillator on the same JPL avionics screen as the MEMS parts above [1]. Qualification: destructive latchup observed, with no threshold published.

Two of the parts in this last table were destroyed and three were bounded by the highest transfer the beam could reach, so the table separates parts that failed from parts that were not pushed hard enough to fail [1][17].

References

Daniel, A. C. and Allen, G. R. (2018). Heavy-Ion Test Results of Several Commercial Components for Use in a JPL Class D Interplanetary Mission Payload . JPL Open Repository. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{daniel2018heavy,
  title = {Heavy-Ion Test Results of Several Commercial Components for Use in a JPL Class D Interplanetary Mission Payload},
  author = {Daniel, Andrew C. and Allen, Gregory R.},
  publisher = {JPL Open Repository},
  year = {2018},
  url = {https://dataverse.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=hdl:2014/48478}
}

McClure, S. S., Allen, G. R., Irom, F., Scheick, L. Z., Adell, P. C. and Miyahira, T. F. (2010). Compendium of test results of recent single event effect tests conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory . IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{mcclure2010compendium,
  title = {Compendium of test results of recent single event effect tests conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory},
  author = {McClure, Steven S. and Allen, Gregory R. and Irom, Farokh and Scheick, Leif Z. and Adell, Philippe C. and Miyahira, Tetsuo F.},
  booktitle = {IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop},
  pages = {6-6},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  year = {2010},
  doi = {10.1109/redw.2010.5619495},
  abstract = {This paper reports heavy ion and proton-induced single event effect (SEE) results from recent tests for a variety of microelectronic devices. The compendium covers devices tested over the last two years by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.}
}

Johnson, A. E. and Skulsky, E. D. (2002). Descent-speed testing of a hazard detection system for safe landing on Mars . Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS). Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{johnson2002descent,
  title = {Descent-speed testing of a hazard detection system for safe landing on Mars},
  author = {Johnson, A. E. and Skulsky, E. D.},
  booktitle = {Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS)},
  publisher = {JPL Open Repository},
  address = {Breckenridge, Colorado},
  year = {2002},
  url = {https://dataverse.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=hdl:2014/37089}
}

Johnson, A. E., Cheng, Y., Montgomery, J., Trawny, N., Tweddle, B. and Zheng, J. (2015). Real-time terrain relative navigation test results from a relevant environment for Mars landing . AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{johnson2015real,
  title = {Real-time terrain relative navigation test results from a relevant environment for Mars landing},
  author = {Johnson, Andrew E. and Cheng, Yang and Montgomery, James and Trawny, Nikolas and Tweddle, Brent and Zheng, Jason},
  booktitle = {AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference},
  publisher = {American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics},
  year = {2015},
  doi = {10.2514/6.2015-0851},
  abstract = {Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) is an on-board GN&C function that generates a position estimate of a spacecraft relative to a map of a planetary surface. When coupled with a divert, the position estimate enables access to more challenging landing sites through pin-point landing or large hazard avoidance. The Lander Vision System (LVS) is a smart sensor system that performs terrain relative navigation by matching descent camera imagery to a map of the landing site and then fusing this with inertial measurements to obtain high rate map relative position, velocity and attitude estimates. A prototype of the LVS was recently tested in a helicopter field test over Mars analog terrain at altitudes representative of Mars Entry Descent and Landing conditions. TRN ran in real-time on the LVS during the flights without human intervention or tuning. The system was able to compute estimates accurate to 40m (3 sigma) in 10 seconds on a flight like processing system. This paper describes the Mars operational test space definition, how the field test was designed to cover that operational envelope, the resulting TRN performance across the envelope and an assessment of test space coverage.}
}

Ploen, S., Aldrich, J., Bayard, D., Dorsky, L., Katake, A., Konefat, E., Liebe, C. C. and Shields, J. (2023). Bias Compensated Inertial Navigation for Venus Balloon Missions . International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{ploen2023bias,
  title = {Bias Compensated Inertial Navigation for Venus Balloon Missions},
  author = {Ploen, Scott and Aldrich, Jack and Bayard, David and Dorsky, Leonard and Katake, Anup and Konefat, Edward and Liebe, Carl Christian and Shields, Joel},
  booktitle = {International Conference on Robotics and Automation},
  publisher = {JPL Open Repository},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.48577/jpl.qofffguu},
  abstract = {—In this paper we investigate various strategies forreducing navigation errors for a future Venus Balloon missionequipped with a low-mass MEMS IMU (e.g. STIM300), andfocus on two of these mitigation strategies in detail. First, weproposed to mechanically rotate the IMU while collecting datathereby averaging out the bias contributions and increasingaccuracy. To this end, we experimentally provide proof-ofconcept by rotating a STIM300 IMU about a single-axis andshow that navigation performance for this idealized scenario issubstantially improved. Second, we propose to use on-boardaccelerometer measurements to exploit the projection of thegravity field along the axes of the IMU frame to provide (2 axis)attitude information. To this end, we design a Kalman Filterfor a hovering balloon scenario where the accelerometer measurements are modeled as explicit functions of attitude and areincorporated as direct measurements in the filter and show thatthis strategy leads to improved navigation performance. Theresults given here are part of a longer-term effort to understandand improve navigation performance on a Venus Balloon andshould be considered as first steps toward this goal.}
}

Whittaker, C. (2021). MR-AVI-0068 Radiation Survival Summary, Revision A . Carnegie Mellon University, MoonRanger Project. Source

BibTeX

@techreport{whittaker2021radiation,
  title = {MR-AVI-0068 Radiation Survival Summary, Revision A},
  author = {Whittaker, Chuck},
  institution = {Carnegie Mellon University, MoonRanger Project},
  month = {May},
  year = {2021},
  url = {https://labs.ri.cmu.edu/moonranger/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2021/07/MR-AVI-0068_Radiation-Survival-Summary.pdf}
}

(2024). Epson IMU adopted by JAXA for Int-Ball2. azorobotics.com/News.aspx

BibTeX

@misc{epsonimuadoptedbyjaxaforintball2int,
  title = {Epson IMU adopted by JAXA for Int-Ball2},
  organization = {azorobotics.com},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=15123}
}

Mettler, E. and Hadaegh, F. (1992). Micro-Guidance and Control Synthesis: New Components, Architectures, and Capabilities . JPL Open Repository. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{mettler1992micro,
  title = {Micro-Guidance and Control Synthesis: New Components, Architectures, and Capabilities},
  author = {Mettler, E. and Hadaegh, F.},
  publisher = {JPL Open Repository},
  year = {1992},
  url = {https://dataverse.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=hdl:2014/35463}
}

Tunstel, E., Howard, A. and Seraji, H. (2001). Fuzzy rule-based reasoning for rover safety and survivability . IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{tunstel2001fuzzy,
  title = {Fuzzy rule-based reasoning for rover safety and survivability},
  author = {Tunstel, E. and Howard, A. and Seraji, Homayoun},
  booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation},
  volume = {2},
  pages = {1413-1420},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  year = {2001},
  doi = {10.1109/robot.2001.932808}
}

Baumgartner, E. T., Aghazarian, H. and Trebi-Ollennu, A. (2001). Rover Localization Results for the FIDO Rover . Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in Robotic Systems IV, Proc. SPIE 4571. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{baumgartner2001rover,
  title = {Rover Localization Results for the {FIDO} Rover},
  author = {Baumgartner, Eric T. and Aghazarian, Hrand and Trebi-Ollennu, Ashitey},
  booktitle = {Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in Robotic Systems IV, Proc. SPIE 4571},
  volume = {4571},
  pages = {34--44},
  year = {2001},
  doi = {10.1117/12.444167},
  abstract = {This paper describes the development of a two-tier state estimation approach for NASA/JPL's FIDO Rover that utilizes wheel odometry, inertial measurement sensors, and a sun sensor to generate accurate estimates of the rover's position and attitude throughout a rover traverse. The state estimation approach makes use of a linear Kalman filter to estimate the rate sensor bias terms associated with the inertial measurement sensors and then uses these estimated rate sensor bias terms to compute the attitude of the rover during a traverse. The estimated attitude terms are then combined with the wheel odometry to determine the rover's position and attitude through an extended Kalman filter approach. Finally, the absolute heading of the vehicle is determined via a sun sensor which is then utilized to initialize the rover's heading prior to the next planning cycle for the rover's operations. This paper describes the formulation, implementation, and results associated with the two-tier state estimation approach for the FIDO rover.}
}

Helmick, D., Okon, A. and DiCicco, M. (2006). A Comparison of Force Sensing Techniques for Planetary Manipulation . IEEE Aerospace Conference. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{helmick2006comparison,
  title = {A Comparison of Force Sensing Techniques for Planetary Manipulation},
  author = {Helmick, Daniel and Okon, Avi and DiCicco, Matt},
  booktitle = {IEEE Aerospace Conference},
  pages = {1-14},
  address = {Big Sky, Montana},
  year = {2006},
  doi = {10.1109/aero.2006.1655724},
  abstract = {Five techniques for sensing forces with a manipulator are compared analytically and experimentally. The techniques compared are: a six-axis wrist force/torque sensor, joint torque sensors, link strain gauges, motor current sensors, and flexibility modeling. The accuracy and repeatability of each technique is quantified and compared. The relative complexity and the impact on flight design of each technique are also compared. The results presented can be used in a trade study for missions requiring manipulator force sensing capabilities}
}

Uckert, K., Parness, A., Chanover, N., Eshelman, E. J., Abcouwer, N., Nash, J., Detry, R., Fuller, C., Voelz, D., Hull, R., Flannery, D., Bhartia, R., Manatt, K. S., Abbey, W. J. and Boston, P. (2020). Investigating habitability with an integrated rock climbing robot and astrobiology instrument suite . Astrobiology. Source

BibTeX

@article{uckert2020investigating,
  title = {Investigating habitability with an integrated rock climbing robot and astrobiology instrument suite},
  author = {Uckert, Kyle and Parness, Aaron and Chanover, Nancy and Eshelman, Evan J. and Abcouwer, Neil and Nash, Jeremy and Detry, Renaud and Fuller, Christine and Voelz, David and Hull, Robert and Flannery, David and Bhartia, Rohit and Manatt, Kenneth S. and Abbey, William J. and Boston, Penelope},
  journal = {Astrobiology},
  publisher = {JPL Open Repository},
  year = {2020},
  doi = {10.48577/jpl.ea0gj6},
  abstract = {A prototype rover carrying an astrobiology payload was developed and deployed at analog field sites to mature generalized system architectures capable of searching for biosignatures in extreme terrain across the solar system. Specifically, the four-legged LEMUR 3 climbing robot with microspine rock grippers carried three instruments: a micro-X-Ray fluorescence instrument based on the Mars 2020 mission’s PIXL provided elemental chemistry, a deep-UV fluorescence instrument based on Mars 2020’s SHERLOC mapped organics in bacterial communities on opaque substrates, and a near-infrared acousto-optic tunable filter-based point spectrometer identified minerals and organics in the 1.6 to 3.6 μm range. The rover also carried a lidar and a color camera for both science and navigation. Combined, this payload. Combined, this payload detects astrobiologically-important classes of rock components (elements, minerals, and organics) in extreme terrain, which this work demonstrates can reveal a correlation between textural biosignatures and the organics or elements expected to preserve them in a habitable environment. Across more than ten field tests, milestones were achieved in instrument operations, autonomous mobility in extreme terrain, and system integration that can inform future planetary science mission architectures. Contributions include 1) system-level demonstration of mock-missions to the vertical exposures of Mars lava tube caves and Mars canyon walls, 2) demonstration of multi-instrument integration into a confocal arrangement with surface scanning capabilities, and 3) demonstration of automated focus stacking algorithms for improved signal to noise ratios and reduced operation time.}
}

Pyrak, M. and Anderson, J. (2021). Performance of Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) RPO Imagers at GEO . Autonomous Systems: Sensors, Processing and Security for Ground, Air, Sea and Space Vehicles and Infrastructure. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{pyrak2021performance,
  title = {Performance of Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) RPO Imagers at GEO},
  author = {Pyrak, Michael and Anderson, Joe},
  booktitle = {Autonomous Systems: Sensors, Processing and Security for Ground, Air, Sea and Space Vehicles and Infrastructure},
  pages = {28},
  year = {2021},
  doi = {10.1117/12.2631524},
  abstract = {This paper will describe and illustrate the real-life performance of the Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) sensors used by Space Logistics LLC’s Mission Extension Vehicles (MEV) built by Northrop Grumman. MEV-1 launched in 2019 and performed rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) with the Intelsat 901 satellite in the GEO graveyard orbit approximately 300km above GEO in February of 2020. MEV-2 launched in 2020 and performed a similar RPOD sequence with the Intelsat 10-02 satellite directly in geostationary orbit in February and March of 2021. These vehicles use three dissimilar sensing phenomenologies to provide all required relative navigational data to enable the above RPOD capabilities. These include visible spectrum imagers (narrow and wide field of view), long wave infrared (LWIR) imagers (narrow and wide field of view), and active scanning LIDAR. This paper will explore the performance of each of these sensors during these real-life missions at GEO and potential implications for future Space Situational Awareness capabilities.}
}

Rezich, E., Bickel, V. T., Francis, P. L., Rogg, A., Tardy, A., Creager, C., Oravec, H. A., Schepelmann, A., Ennico-Smith, K., Deutsch, A. and Hirabayashi, M. (2025). Investigating the Geotechnical Properties of the Lunar South Pole with NASA VIPER's Mobility System . The Planetary Science Journal, 7. Source

BibTeX

@article{rezich2025investigating,
  title = {Investigating the Geotechnical Properties of the Lunar South Pole with NASA VIPER's Mobility System},
  author = {Rezich, Erin and Bickel, Valentin T. and Francis, Parker L. and Rogg, Arno and Tardy, Antoine and Creager, Colin and Oravec, Heather A. and Schepelmann, Alexander and Ennico-Smith, Kimberly and Deutsch, Ariel and Hirabayashi, Masatoshi},
  journal = {The Planetary Science Journal},
  volume = {6},
  number = {7},
  pages = {169},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3847/psj/add13f},
  abstract = {Abstract The NASA Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) is capable of assessing the geotechnical properties of the lunar south pole’s terrain, specifically as they pertain to terramechanics or the wheel–terrain interaction, combining the rover’s mobility system and science payloads. This paper focuses on one key aspect of VIPER’s mission: the quantitative evaluation of geotechnical parameters via tractive performance by analyzing wheel and wheel–regolith interaction dynamics. As VIPER navigates the largely uncharted terrain of the Moon’s south pole, sophisticated onboard instrumentation will monitor and record detailed interactions between the rover’s wheels, chassis, and the lunar surface. These measurements will capture critical data such as wheel slip and sinkage, offering insights into the mechanical behavior of the soil under actual lunar conditions. The findings from VIPER are expected to provide a foundational understanding of the lunar south pole’s regolith mechanics, directly informing the design and navigation strategies of future lunar missions, including the deployment of more advanced rovers and crewed vehicles. By integrating lunar surface observations with the rover’s kinematic model and understood terrestrial mobility performance, the study aims to enhance predictive accuracy regarding rover tractive performance over sloped, level, and potentially volatile-rich terrain. Ground truth geotechnical assessments and proceeding mobility characterization work will serve as a cornerstone for verifying and improving both terrestrial test approaches and simulation models that underpin mission planning and risk management for subsequent explorations.}
}

Bozovich, A. N., Nguyen, D., Rax, B. G., Davila, J. and Zajac, S. A. (2020). Investigation of Application-Specific Bias Conditions and Dose Rate Dependency in Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Response . IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{bozovich2020investigation,
  title = {Investigation of Application-Specific Bias Conditions and Dose Rate Dependency in Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Response},
  author = {Bozovich, Amanda N. and Nguyen, Duc and Rax, Bernard G. and Davila, Joe and Zajac, Stephanie A.},
  booktitle = {IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop},
  pages = {1-6},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  year = {2020},
  doi = {10.1109/redw51883.2020.9325830},
  abstract = {This paper investigates flight circuit application bias and irradiation dose rate dependencies ("test as you fly" conditions) in the total ionizing dose (TID) response of various electronic components considered for use in a space radiation environment.}
}

Bozovich, A. N., Rax, B. G., Davila, J., Nguyen, D., Kenna, A. J., Zajac, S. A., McClure, S. S., Thomas, J. L., Scheick, L. Z., Stanford, K. W. and Gevargiz, P. (2018). Compendium of Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Test Results for the Europa Clipper Mission . IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC). Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{bozovich2018compendium,
  title = {Compendium of Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Test Results for the Europa Clipper Mission},
  author = {Bozovich, Amanda N. and Rax, Bernard G. and Davila, Joe and Nguyen, Duc and Kenna, Aaron J. and Zajac, Stephanie A. and McClure, Steven S. and Thomas, Jason L. and Scheick, Leif Z. and Stanford, Kelly W. and Gevargiz, Patrick},
  booktitle = {IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC)},
  pages = {1-11},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  year = {2018},
  doi = {10.1109/nsrec.2018.8584267},
  abstract = {This paper reports recent total ionizing dose (TID) test results post 300 kRad(Si) for a variety of common part types evaluated for use on NASA/JPL's Europa Clipper mission.}
}

Allen, G. R., Guertin, S. M., Scheick, L. Z., Irom, F. and Zajac, S. (2012). Compendium of recent test results of single event effects conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory . IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop. Source

BibTeX

@inproceedings{allen2012compendium,
  title = {Compendium of recent test results of single event effects conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory},
  author = {Allen, Gregory R. and Guertin, Steven M. and Scheick, Leif Z. and Irom, Farokh and Zajac, Stephanie},
  booktitle = {IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop},
  pages = {1-10},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.1109/redw.2012.6353747},
  abstract = {This paper reports heavy ion, proton, and laser induced single event effects results for a variety of microelectronic devices targeted for possible use in NASA spacecrafts. The compendium covers devices tested within the years of 2010 through 2012.}
}