REMOTE SCIENCE INTERFACE DURING THE LIFE IN THE ATACAMA 2003 EXPEDITION Peter Coppin Remote Experience and Learning Lab STUDIO for Creative Inquiry Carnegie Mellon University

WHO WE ARE AND OUR ROLE REALLAB [Remote Experience and Learning Lab, Carnegie Mellon University] –Research new ways for the public to learn about and experience real remote locations that are explored by remote robots and orbiters. –Delivered remote experiences for Nomad in Antarctica [RoverTV] –Nomad in Atacama [The BigSignal Project] EVENTSCOPE –Delivering remote experiences from Mars Global Surveyor. –NASA’s public remote experience interface during MER WEB –We are creating your web site

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE DOING FOR ATACAMA SCIENCE TEAM PUBLIC K-12 EDUCATION REMOTE SITE DELIVER EXPERIENCE ORGANIZE REQUESTS The bridge between the rover and the science team. We are also the bridge to the public.

DELIVERING EXPERIENCES SCIENCE TEAM PUBLIC K-12 EDUCATION REMOTE SITE DELIVER EXPERIENCE By using the web and our authoring tool we: –Generate pans –Place science data in the pans –Place sites on orbital the DEM –Assist with data archiving

ORGANIZING REQUESTS SCIENCE TEAM REMOTE SITE ORGANIZE REQUESTS TO FIELD Understand the science process to the degree that we can co-generate a “template” for operations that allows us to systematically facilitate the science process Organize requests into discrete directives to be sent to field

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: PRACTICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, POLITICAL REASONS PRACTICAL –Science team needs to see what is going on –The public needs to see what is going on PHILOSOPHICAL REASONS –If the purpose of robotic exploration is to expand our societies’ knowledge of the universe, that technology is only complete when it enables society to participate in that experience. POLITICAL REASONS –NASA mission…”to inspire the next generation of exploreres as only NASA can” [next slide].

NASA MISSION To improve life here, To extend life to there, To find life beyond. To understand and protect our home planet To explore the universe and search for life To inspire the next generation of explorers... as only NASA can.

OUR PROCESS TEST [HACK]  BECOMES CLEAN –Test the system for “real” as soon as possible. This was Atacama 03 –Use that test to generate requirements for the next version Atacama 04 TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS ARE GENERATED THROUGH REAL EXPERIENCE AND TESTING IT TAKES THREE TIMES TO GET SOMETHING RIGHT

PROCESS [CONT.] WE RETROFITTED OUR AUTHORING TOOL AND THE EVENTSCOPE VIEWER [3 WEEK RETROFIT] FOR ATACAMA MISSION Pans Data panel Remote working processes Automated ways to send commands to field

DEMO * SHOW ESCOPE DURING NORMAL USAGE

DEMO OF ATACAMA VERSION SHOW SOME PANS AND HOTSPOTS Make sure to demo data panel

OVERVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED DAY BY DAY

15-18 Apr [pre-mission and practice] 15th was the first day of practice. We began looking at orbital images both on a computer print out and as a 3D model in the authoring tool.

15-18 Apr

19Apr On the 19th the science received data that was then visualized by the EventScope team [next slide].

19Apr

Visualizing Data: high res. images

Pans Red marks are “hotspots” that linked to higher resolution images.

Representing Commands to the Field At the start of the mission there was no clear way to send commands to the field. For practice we sent the following “straw man” presentation to the field. Over the course of the mission we refined multiple versions of this straw man until we had a template that clearly indicated science goals to the field by sending text commands [next slide].

Representing Commands to the Field 19Apr(sol0)_requested_sam ples(practice).ppt

20Apr This presentation reflects how we sent commands to the field on April 20: 20Apr(sol1)_requested_samples.ppt 19Apr(sol0)_requested_samples(practice).ppt

21Apr Sending commands on 20Apr was very confusing process. In order to understand the process so that we could improve it, we created the following series of notes to understand the remote science process in order to come up with a better method. See the full presentation by looking at: 21Apr_collaborative steps2.ppt

21Apr

22Apr Morning: Quickly added some additional notes to the collaborative steps presentation. Documented at: 22Apr_collaborative steps2(modified_after_next_sol).ppt Late morning: Further lessons learned were then used to create the figure that visualizes our approach to local and remote traverses. 22Apr_template_based_on_21Apr(sol2)_req uested_samples.ppt

22Apr

22 Apr [evening] Evening: That was then distilled down to a template that was used that evening: 23Apr_afternoon(sol4)_requested_samples.doc

22 Apr [evening]

23Apr Screenshots of samples returned visualized in the interface: 23Apri_review_of_Apr 21_samples_returned.ppt

23Apr

24Apr Final technology changes: 24Apr_final_technology_changes.ppt Final science goals: 24Apr(sol5)_requested_samples.txt

25Apr Created notes and this document.

SUMMARY

NEXT STEPS: INTERFACE TO ADD 3D PANS AND PARTIAL PANS TO THE AUTHORING TOOL

RELEVANT FACTS 3D PANS ARE ASSEMBLED FROM 3D MODELS THESE 3D MODELS ARE CREATED FROM STEREO IMAGE PAIRS. THESE MODELS ARE CALLED “STEREO WEDGES.” THESE 3D WEDGES ARE PLACED NEXT TO EACH OTHER IN ORDER TO CREATE A 3D PAN “ANGLE FILES” ALLOW US TO KNOW WHERE EACH STEREO WEDGE SITS IN THE PAN. HIGH RES IMAGES ARE ALSO TAKEN AS STEREO IMAGE PAIRS THAT ARE TURNED INTO 3D WEDGES. SOMETIMES HIGH RES IMAGES ARE TURNED INTO PANS OR PARTIAL PANS.

USING A PAN AND HOTSPOT TO SEND A COMMAND TO THE FIELD [these slides are adapted from an internal presentation, so may be rough]

SPECIFY A SAMPLE LOCATION IN A PAN BY PLACING A “ROVER TARGET” HOTPOT WITHIN THE 3D PAN WEDGE Rover Target

HOTSPOT IS CONVERTED INTO COMMAND TO THE FIELD, EITHER BY SPITTING OUT A TEXT FILE OR SOME OTHER MEANS [LAST TIME WE USED IMAGE NAMES AND PIXEL NUMBERS]

WHEN DATA ARRIVES ON OUR SERVER, THE HOTSPOT TURNS GREEN

CLICKING THE GREEN HOT SPOT LOADS THE HIGHER RES MESH ONTO THE LOWER RES 3D PAN WEDGE AS A COMPLEX MODEL. [THIS ASSUMES THAT WE KNOW WHERE THE HIGH RES PAN GOES BASED ON ANGLE FILE INFORMATION] PAN SOL 1 HI-RES SOL 2 PAN SOL 1 HI-RES SOL 2 PAN HI-RES

IF MAKING THE HI-RES MODEL APPEAR AUTOMATICALLY IS NOT POSSIBLE, DO THE FOLLOWING

TO WHAT EXTENT REALITY BROWSER: Involve the public in new and innovative ways. By “public” we also mean scientists who are not on the mission team and countries that do not have extensive space programs [Chile?].

DISCUSSION