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Information Systems

A year of machine learning demonstrations and validations for aerospace applications

By Kerianne Hobbs|December 2023

The Intelligent Systems Technical Committee works to advance the application of computational problem-solving technologies and methods to aerospace systems.

This year, there were several significant advances to enable machine learning on air and space systems. Early in the year, engineers with the Aerospace Corp. demonstrated the pose estimation system aboard ExoRomper, a reprogrammable machine vision testbed hosted on Aerospace’s Slingshot-1 satellite in low-Earth orbit. ExoRomper has a visible camera pointed at a maneuverable miniature spacecraft. The payload captured upwards of 1,000 images of the spacecraft in a variety of poses and processed a subset of images onboard to estimate the spacecraft’s pose, using a combination of machine learning and Perspective-n-Point algorithms. The remaining images were used to train new machine learning models to be uplinked to improve the pose estimation accuracy and raise the technology readiness levels to support satellite proximity operations.

In February, DARPA announced two machine learning aviation firsts that were demonstrated by its $72 million Assured Autonomy program, which is developing design-time and run-time technologies to ensure safe operation of neural networks in flight software. Program activities included the first-ever demonstration of autonomous airfield taxi operations to follow a “follow me” automobile and another airplane at a commercial airport, and the first use of neural networks to reroute a general aviation-sized aircraft in the National Airspace System. Both demonstrations used flight software on a Boeing-Cessna Grand Caravan autonomous demonstrator assured with DARPA program technologies.

In April, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, Ubotica of Ireland and Hewlett Packard Enterprise of Texas completed their two-year validation of 60 applications on the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Hardware Development Kit and Intel Myriad edge processors and Spaceborne Computer-2 rack computers onboard the International Space Station. These algorithms included instrument data processing, including synthetic aperture radar image formation; image and data analysis including machine learning classifiers; and resource scheduling and dynamic targeting. This validation included both general purpose computing and graphical processing unit, digital signal processing and neuromorphic (convolutional neural network) hardware to establish benchmarks against traditional flight processors like the Rad750 and LEON4.

In May, a Stanford University research group developing robotic locomotion for extreme environments conducted a field test in a lava tube in the Mojave Desert in California. The robot, ReachBot, is an ongoing research project in the Autonomous Systems Lab, Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Lab, and Earth and Planetary and Surface Processes group at Stanford. ReachBot is designed to explore Martian lava tubes by using extendable booms instead of traditional robot arms or legs to climb vertical, overhanging and obstacle-laden terrain. At the end of each boom is a microspine gripper, a claw-like appendage containing several arrays of needles to catch on asperities of rough surfaces, and a stereo camera for autonomous grasp identification. For this project’s debut field test, a partial ReachBot prototype consisting of an extendable boom, stereo camera and microspine gripper identified and grasped targets in the lava tube.

In September, the Vehicle Systems Manager and Autonomous System Management Architecture for NASA’s Lunar Gateway, a planned moon-orbiting space station, completed a critical design review at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. The VSM is the vehicle-level integrated control system that will support tactical functions such as fault management, resource optimization and management, mission management, and timeline execution for Gateway. The VSM is expected to enable a significant reduction in ground operations contact hours with Gateway, particularly during extended uncrewed periods, by bringing unprecedented autonomous systems capabilities onboard the human spacecraft.

Contributors: Steve A. Chien, Alonzo E. Lopez, Stephanie N. Newdick, Jim Paunicka and Julia Badger

2023 Year in Review

Aerospace Design and Structures

A large choir and orchestra perform on stage, with the conductor standing at the center. Choir members are dressed in black, and orchestra musicians are in formal attire.

Systems engineers draw lessons from artistry

Four gray spherical images show different views of a planet with numerous red dots scattered across its surface, possibly indicating specific sites or anomalies.

U.S. Defense Department researchers improve survivability in the air and in space

Illustration showing a multipart sequence of a spacecraft detaching from an orbiter, descending through the atmosphere with thrusters, and landing on a brown, barren surface.

Researchers pursue design optimization in vehicle development technologies

Aerospace Outreach

A black and dark green World War II-era bomber aircraft with Canadian flags on it is parked on a tarmac, surrounded by trees and patches of grass under a clear sky.

Recognizing NASA’s 60th anniversary, World War I centennial

Conceptual render of a United Airlines supersonic jet by Boom Supersonic, named Overture, flying above the clouds against a deep blue sky.

Recreational space travel and Martian exploration highlight year

An astronaut in a blue shirt floats in a cluttered space station module, with various equipment and wires around. Another astronaut is visible in the background.

A year of breaking ground: moon landings, asteroid samples and diverse spaceflight crews

Aerospace Sciences

A single-engine jet aircraft with red, white, and black markings is in flight against a cloudy sky. The aircraft is labeled with

737 MAX flying again, progress in aircraft flight testing and much activity on Mars

View of an airplane wing with a visible flap and winglet, flying above the clouds and landscape below.

Computations, experiments, flight tests and additive manufacturing improve aerospace platforms

Worker in orange vest and hard hat operates equipment with green lights inside a metallic tunnel.

Plasma and laser innovations for flight control

Aircraft Technology, Integration and Operations

A large hot air balloon is tethered to the ground at dusk, with a scenic landscape of trees and hills in the background. The sun is setting, casting a warm glow through the balloon's fabric.

Balloon missions soar to new heights

A small twin-propeller aircraft is stationed on the concrete floor of a hangar, with both hangar doors open allowing sunlight to enter.

Flight milestones and lessons learned from X-plane programs

A NASA drone flies against a clear blue sky, displaying the number 870 on its tail and a NASA logo on the wing. The landscape below is visible but blurry.

Building a structure for urban air mobility

Engineering and Technology Management

British F-35Bs

Vertical flight continues to grow

Atmospheric picture of space

A century ago, aviation became an industry

Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo

Accelerating change on systems engineering tenets

Information Systems

A large missile is being launched into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke, with a military aircraft flying nearby. The sky is clear with some clouds below.

Artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons drive sensing, fusion research

Person in a pilot suit wearing a helmet with a visor and oxygen mask, standing in front of a large grid-windowed building.

Improving physiological monitoring sensor systems for pilots

View from under an airplane wing showing a spinning propeller and a scenic aerial view of patchwork fields and lakes.

Push for shared standards on military platforms

Integration

A white and black drone with multiple propellers is flying over a dry, grassy field with trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

Transformational flight prepares path to operations

Top view of a spacecraft capsule creating a wake through a gray fluid, depicting fluid dynamics and flow patterns around the vessel.

Progress toward the 2030 vision of CFD

A lunar lander is positioned on the moon's surface under a dark sky. The ISRO logo is visible in the upper right corner.

U.S. and Indian lunar missions headline the year’s events

Program Committees

NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed in Sandusky, Ohio

Electric efforts gaining power

130-foot-long fuel tank test article for NASA’s Space Launch System

Mars, Jupiter and the human factor

rotating detonating engine

New and existing systems show progress

Propulsion and Energy

Technicians, in protective clothing, are assembling or inspecting a large metallic cylindrical device in a cleanroom setting.

Lightweight fission reactor passes test; work on innovative engine combustor

A large explosion with billowing smoke is occurring at a test site located in a rocky, desert-like area. Various equipment and metal structures are visible near the explosion.

Major strides in hypersonic booster development and weapons appropriations highlight 2022

Colorful flames in various shapes and sizes rise against a black background, emitting vibrant hues of red, orange, blue, and purple.

Propellant from Mars, metallic combustion and an exploding foil initiator

Space and Missiles

A military bomber aircraft with four engines is taking off from a runway in a desert landscape, with a control tower and mountainous terrain in the background.

Industry, U.S. military work on hypersonics and advanced integrated design processes

An astronaut in a blue spacesuit floats inside a spacecraft, adjusting controls.

Embarking on a new decade of space exploration research

A spacecraft orbits above Earth, with the planet's blue surface and white clouds visible below. An open hatch is noted on the spacecraft's exterior.

Another record-setting year for spaceflight

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A year of machine learning demonstrations and validations for aerospace applications