McDonnell Douglas Aerospace
In July 1992, C.A. Ordahl, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Senior Vice President-Space Systems, and K.V.
Frolov, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Mechanical Engineering
Research Institute, signed an agreement for cooperation and data exchange. This agreement established a
protocol for conducting joint research programs and hardware developments including cooperation on new
business development. McDonnell Douglas and the Russian Academy of Sciences have open Joint
Research Centers in Moscow and Huntington Beach, California. These facilities are being used by MDA
and Russian scientists and engineers in their joint technology development and hardware programs.
Brief Description of On-going Activities
Mars '96 Cooperation
A McDonnell Douglas/Russian team including NASA, The Planetary Society, the Babakin Center, IKI, and
VNIITransMash will cooperate on Mars '96 with the development of a Marsokhod rover robotic arm, rover
teleoperation, and data networking to the science community.
A robotic manipulator arm for the Marsokhod rover will maximize scientific return. The manipulator will
provide accurate/flexible placement of science experiments, enable remote sample retrieval for field
analysis, and will accommodate a supplemental camera platform providing local site visual analysis and
panoramic viewing.
Simple integration of Marsokhod control software with the telepresence and teleoperations software
developed at NASA Ames creates a "virtual" graphical interface for the human operator. Existing
commercial communications systems, such as Internet, enable desktop networking to provide the
international community with data and visual images from the rover.
Remote Rover Operations Tests
Remote teleoperations tests were conducted by the international team of MDA, NASA, The Planetary
Society, IKI, and VNIITransMash in August 1993. The rover was controlled during field tests in
Kamchatka, Russia, from the rover control center in Huntington Beach, California. The remote operators
independently maneuvered the rover through the rocky terrain of the Tolbachik volcano and received
telemetry and high-resolution stereo images taken by the Marsokhod cameras.
A data link established between the rover and control center through a commercial INMARSAT portable
satellite terminal enabled operators to command the rover using PC-based control software.
Terrain images received at the control center were immediately transmitted via Internet to the science
community for analysis and feedback, thus demonstrating real-time data networking. The images were also
transformed real-time at NASA Ames to 3-D solid renderings for integration into the virtual environment
software.
Double Eagle
The Double Eagle mission is to probe discrete geological features of the moon from lunar orbit by casting a
narrow beam of high energy particles to the surface to induce x-ray emissions that reveal the material
composition below.
The Double Eagle program proposes the first joint development of a complex spacecraft by the American
and Russian defense establishments. Managed through industry-to-industry contracting, Double Eagle will
demonstrate the possibilities for shared design, manufacturing, test, and launch on a Russian booster.
(Proton)
The Double Eagle spacecraft will first orbit the moon at an altitude of 200 km to obtain a global visual and
elemental map of the lunar surface. Subsequently, the altitude will be lowered to 40 km, where the particle
beam will be used to investigate 50 or more sites of scientific interest.
Mir Flight Experiments
A McDonnell Douglas team, including NPO Energia, the Russian Academy of Sciences, NASA and US
universities, has developed plans for technology verification flight experiments on the Russian MIR Space
Station. Experiments and their goals include:
-
- Long-duration microgravity plant growth experiments will develop techniques for advanced
controlled life support systems.
- Vibration isolation control system experiments will improve the quality and control of micro-g
research.
- Two-phase flow technology development will enable designers to optimize the weight of fluid
distribution system hardware lowering costs of future space stations.
- Advanced EVA and telerobotic system development will lower the cost of external assembly,
maintenance, and utilization on future space missions.
- Experiments to measure and verify the dynamic response of large space structures will improve active
and passive control models.
Who to Contact for More Information
More information on these projects can be obtained from:
Public Relations Office
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace
5301 Bolsa Avenue
Huntington Beach, California 92647-2099
USA
Telephone: (714) 896-1301
Comments and questions: Jennifer Green
This page sponsored by: Friends and Partners