Related papers: Precision Mars Entry Navigation with Atmospheric D…
Highly accurate real-time localization is of fundamental importance for the safety and efficiency of planetary rovers exploring the surface of Mars. Mars rover operations rely on vision-based systems to avoid hazards as well as plan safe…
Intensifying climate change will lead to more extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall and drought. Accurate stream flow prediction models which are adaptable and robust to new circumstances in a changing climate will be an…
Recent research on deep learning, a set of machine learning techniques able to learn deep architectures, has shown how robotic perception and action greatly benefits from these techniques. In terms of spacecraft navigation and control…
This paper introduces two new algorithms to accurately estimate the process noise covariance of a discrete-time Kalman filter online for robust orbit determination in the presence of dynamics model uncertainties. Common orbit determination…
This paper presents an estimation and control framework that enables the targeted reentry of a drag-modulated spacecraft in the presence of atmospheric density uncertainty. In particular, an extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to estimate…
The goal of the Mars Sample Return campaign is to collect soil samples from the surface of Mars and return them to Earth for further study. The samples will be acquired and stored in metal tubes by the Perseverance rover and deposited on…
We present an algorithm to efficiently sample the full space of planetary interior density profiles. Our approach uses as few assumptions as possible to pursue an agnostic algorithm. The algorithm avoids the common Markov Chain Monte Carlo…
This paper presents the Mars Dust Storm Detector (MDSD), a system that leverages the THz Opportunistic Integrated Sensing and Communications (OISAC) signals between Mars surface assets (rovers and landers) to extract environmental…
The rapid growth of cislunar activities, including lunar landings, the Lunar Gateway, and in-space refueling stations, requires advances in cost-efficient trajectory design and reliable integration of navigation and remote sensing.…
A novel approach is presented for the solution of instantaneous chemical equilibrium problems. The chemical equilibrium can be considered, due to its intrinsically local character, as a mapping of the three-dimensional parameter space…
The thermal subsystem of the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft keeps the on-board equipment within its pre-defined operating temperatures range. To plan and optimize the scientific operations of MEX, its operators need to estimate in advance,…
The Mars Perseverance rover applies computer vision for navigation and hazard avoidance. The challenge to do onboard object recognition highlights the need for low-power, customized training, often including low-contrast backgrounds. We…
Uncertainty quantification methods are required in autonomous systems that include deep learning (DL) components to assess the confidence of their estimations. However, to successfully deploy DL components in safety-critical autonomous…
Most mobile robots for indoor use rely on 2D laser scanners for localization, mapping and navigation. These sensors, however, cannot detect transparent surfaces or measure the full occupancy of complex objects such as tables. Deep Neural…
Secure navigation is pivotal for several applications including autonomous vehicles, robotics, and aviation. The inertial navigation system estimates position, velocity, and attitude through dead reckoning especially when external…
While dust is a key parameter of Mars climate, its behaviour from one year to the next can appear erratic. This variability is notably related to Global Dust Storms (GDS) which occur only certain years with different onset, duration and…
The challenge of traversability estimation is a crucial aspect of autonomous navigation in unstructured outdoor environments such as forests. It involves determining whether certain areas are passable or risky for robots, taking into…
Inertial measurement units are commonly used to estimate the attitude of moving objects. Numerous nonlinear filter approaches have been proposed for solving the inherent sensor fusion problem. However, when a large range of different…
Martian terrain recognition is pivotal for advancing our understanding of topography, geomorphology, paleoclimate, and habitability. While deep clustering methods have shown promise in learning semantically homogeneous feature embeddings…
This thesis presents a solution that enables aerial robots to reason about surrounding wind flow fields in real time using on board sensors and embedded flight hardware. The core novelty of this research is the fusion of range measurements…