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NASA's Personal Satellite Assistants 152
colonist writes "Wired News reports on the Personal Satellite Assistant (PSA), a spherical robot about the size of a softball that uses air jets to move in the microgravity environment of space vehicles and habitats. Described as a cross between Star Trek's tricorder and Star Wars' lightsaber training droid, the PSA has 'sensors for measuring gases, temperature, and air pressure' and performs 'video conferencing and can communicate with electronic support devices such as computer servers, avionics systems, and wireless LAN bridges'." We mentioned these a few years ago - looks like they've come a long way since then.
Other links of interest (Score:5, Informative)
Kind of weird that they don't play up the fact it runs linux more.
Re:Other links of interest (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Other links of interest (Score:5, Funny)
Not weird. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Other links of interest (Score:2, Funny)
Never let there be any doubt: a coke-fiend may run be the president, but nerds run the country.
Re:Other links of interest (Score:2)
Its like a lot of stuff NASA does, kind of cool, really expensive, pointless, because, at least as far as the manned space program goes, they aren't doing the most basic and essential things right first, like launch vehicles or a mission with a useful purpose.
the BIT (Score:5, Funny)
Re:the BIT (Score:3, Funny)
Re:the BIT (Score:3, Insightful)
I wonder how it would look now.
Re:the BIT (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:the BIT (Score:1)
Re:the BIT (Score:1)
Funny... (Score:2)
Is there something here involved with G.W. that I'm not aware of?
The poor guy on the front page (Score:2, Funny)
Direct your attention... (Score:2)
Human graphics are freaky looking.
More on Defense Tech (Score:5, Informative)
Cross between what now? (Score:5, Funny)
That's awesome. Put me down for two.
Earning my nerd stripes (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, but Is it really wrong? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Earning my nerd stripes (Score:1)
One can only imagine the other goodies that that thing whips out once the door slams behind Vader:
"...and now, Your Highness, we will discuss the location of your Hidden Rebel Base!"
*shudder*
strap a helium baloon to it! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:strap a helium baloon to it! (Score:3, Interesting)
I imagine you would need quite a large volume of helium to lift something like that.
Did you ever try to hang something to that helium baloon you got for free at the fair? It can lift a piece of paper and not much more.
Check this flying saucer [thinkgeek.com]. This big bag of helium can lift only a small battery, receiver and an electric motor. Strap a PDA to it, and you would probably need twice the volume.
I guess you could do better if you used hydrogen, but then I don't think anyone would
Re:strap a helium baloon to it! (Score:2)
Cost of Space Missions (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Cost of Space Missions (Score:4, Insightful)
Lotta robot research coming out these days (Score:2)
I just wish NASA had thought of it a while back. I know the Columbia accident was a wake up call, but that's like buying flood insurance after a hurricane.
Anybody else hearing that description ... (Score:4, Funny)
Oh, was that a bad movie. And I paid to see it too.
Re:Anybody else hearing that description ... (Score:2)
Granted, I was 5 at the time...
Yeah, but at 5 ... (Score:3, Funny)
Ernest Borgnine in space. Are there scarier thoughts?
scarier than ernest borgnine in space (Score:2)
also (Score:5, Informative)
also being covered at [space.com] some [marketresearch.com] sites [mos.org].
Re: (Score:2)
Re:PSA (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe they will use it to interrogate any aliens they come across.
NASA astronaut: "Tell me the coordinates to your home planet!"
Alien: "Nooo! I'll never tell!"
NASA astronaut: "Have it your way. Bring me the personal satellite assistant! It will relieve me of the humdrum task of "convincing" you otherwise."
Re:PSA (Score:2)
It'll just be the dupe.
Idea: (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Idea: (Score:5, Informative)
Now assuming you get past that, something bumbling around in space needs armor to withstand micrometeorites, radiation shielding for the electronics, and some sort of thermal insulation to prevent the mechanics from tearing themselves apart when the sun side of the droid is at 400 degress and the shade site at -200.
CO2 propellent can't be proportionally controlled as well as air from a fan, so you loose fine positioning control. And you have the problem of running out or propellent.
I think that about covers it.
Re:Idea: (Score:5, Interesting)
As for the airlock thing, I imagine the algorithm would go like this: 1)Wait for airlock door to open. 2) Enter airlock, 3) Move into position to exit airlock, 4)On depressurization, use CO2 jets to move out of airlock once egress door is open. Or you could have a human pilot it remotely, since it's already got a camera.
Monitoring tank PSI and location (which I imagine it already does), you could make it so that you need to sudo anything that will put it somewhere it can't get back from. And timed bursts + a little math (for decreasing pressure in the tanks) = good enough control for emergencies.
Re:Idea: (Score:1)
Um... okay.. So the fans would be pushing against what now to provide the necessary force to move itself?
Airless = No Air = Nothing for fan blades to push against.
Re:Idea: (Score:5, Interesting)
This kind of gyroscopic attitude control has been used for years in zero-gravity environments.
Re:Idea: (Score:2)
Folks, we have a new acronym: RFTP - Read the fscking parent!
Re:Idea: (Score:2)
Re:Idea: (Score:3, Informative)
Reminds me... (Score:3, Interesting)
I saw these things at NASA's AMES research center a few years ago. The article says they could be in serivice within three years too. Very cool.
Oh great... (Score:5, Funny)
Lifespan: 2 hours
Cause of failure: smashed against bulkhead by astronaut
Re:Oh great... (Score:1, Funny)
Hi!
It looks like you are trying to realign the ISS' gyroscopes!
Would you like me to:
Combined with Just in time training and sensors... (Score:5, Funny)
astro-tauko-cosmo-naut: gasp!
sphere: You appear to be suffocating. Would you like some training on the use of the backup oxygen supply?
astro-tauko-cosmo-naut: cough... gasp!
sphere: I did not understand your answer.
sphere moves in front of 'naut to hear the response, obstructing the backup mask.
astro-tauko-cosmo-naut passes out.
sphere: You appear to have suffocated. I'm sorry, but I don't have instructions for you to follow on what to do next.
Yes, the most consitant comment from it would be.. (Score:3, Funny)
Not that cool (Score:5, Funny)
It runs linux? (Score:5, Funny)
*enter Clippy*
"It looks like you are trying to breathe..."
Re:It runs linux? (Score:3, Funny)
Sounds like a good idea but... (Score:2, Interesting)
Question... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Question... (Score:3, Interesting)
An article in Space.com [space.com] back in 2000 describes the ISS Crew as having email, but no Internet access. Email is pretty easy to spool up and delivered when the ISS is in communication range. Web access is another matter entirely. (Remember, it's traveling around the world every 90 minutes. It's constantly hopping between ground relay stations.)
Even if they do have internet access today, they probably have to spool up the sites they want to see
Re:Question... (Score:2)
NASA: "Come in ISS, are your there.."
ISS: "We're here nasa, but somthing fried almost all the on-board computers..."
NASA: "yes we're showing you recieved a massive ddos attack, Intell suspects this was co-ordinate on some websit called slashdot."
ISS: "Is that an Al Queda website, or some other grou
Microgravity (Score:2)
Velcro (Score:2, Insightful)
N... A... S... A... (Score:2)
Tut... Some people...
Landing party blues... (Score:4, Funny)
Spock: "Atmosphere: breathable oxygen/nitrogen mixture..."
Scotty: "..I should bloody well hope so.....and anyway..Federation Standard Landing Party Procedure states that tricorder readings of atmospheric content should take place BEFORE we set foot on the planet"
Spock: "That's Federation bureaucrats for you....Someone should point out to them that it's only possible to take a tricorder reading once you're actually there..."
Scotty: "but...but...but what happens if the atmosphere wasn't breathable?"
Spock: "It always is...."
Jim: "Anything else on the tricorder Spock?"
Spock: "Yes I'm picking up some primitive radio frequency signals... ...here listen..."
[...it's a brand new dance now...come on baby..do the locomotion...]
Jim: "..primitive indeed..."
Spock: "I bet she's got nice legs though.."
Jim: "Spock!..what's wrong with you...that was Scotty's line..."
WHAT happened next?)
Next Week: Episode 4.
Shamelessly reproduced from: Vax Trek V, the movie, The Crunchy Bits 2 [totse.com].
Training droid? (Score:1)
Still just a pipe dream... (Score:5, Interesting)
One of the tools indicated on this device is an inventory scanner. Whomever is working on this project has yet to contact anyone in the inventory department about interfacing with the inventory software IMS (Inventory Management System) which uses its own barcode readers.
This still has a long way to go before anyone sees them floating around any of the orbiting vehicles.
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Still just a pipe dream... (Score:2)
Dealing with an inventory system, in which all 4 planes (walls, ceilings, floors) are usable stowage locations presents many unique challenges... The Russian resistance to RF communications within their modules is another interesting one...
One Thing To Say (Score:4, Funny)
Can they cooperate? (Score:3, Insightful)
Or for projects were more than one view would be helpful (aligning parts by remote, for instance) because of the lack of image depth, you could send two or three to capture an image from different viewpoints to help with the alignment.
Cool!
No way!?! (Score:1)
More like Forward's "Christmas Trees" (Score:3, Informative)
Lots of good science in the Rocheworld books, but as prose and characters go...well, the science is really neat...
Soft ball (Score:1)
Communications? (Score:2)
What'd be great is if they were using something like WiFi or maybe even Bluetooth (you're never more than a few meters from anything in current space vehicles anyway). Then you can offload the more coputationally expensive tasks to a stationary computer or even have a small flock of droids working together.
Note: after re-RTFA, the don't state any
RS-232 Purposes (Score:3, Insightful)
tri droid (Score:3, Funny)
So.. it can shoot at you, then detect that you soiled yourself. I want one of these for my cat!
Is this thing vaporware? (Score:1, Troll)
The "testbed" is a sliding hockey-puck robot. (Score:2)
There's a paper from 2000 [nasa.gov] showing the "1 G testbed", which is another air-hockey-puck robot. It doesn't fly; it skates around on a flat surface. That's the "testbed." [nasa.gov]
According to the 2000 paper, the next step was supposed to be a 1.75x scale model of the 6 degree of freedom flyer, which was to be tested by flying it in the KC-135 aircraft used to train people to operate in zero G. We don't see that mentioned again.
As far as I can tell, the Wired article's reference to "a vers
6 years of development and no space test yet? (Score:1)
Truthbot (Score:2)
Heavy Metal (Score:2)
"He's never done anything immoral....unless you count all those times he sold dope disguised as a nun."
Hanover Fist, Paging Hanover Fist! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Hanover Fist, Paging Hanover Fist! (Score:2)
Shuttle defence! (Score:2, Interesting)
Just to clarify... (Score:2)
But Can they fight? (Score:2, Funny)
I swear I saw this already (Score:1)
It's really cool, but really old news. (Score:2)
But, I do have to point out that this is really old news, as a matter of fact it goes back at least to 18 October 2001 [archive.org]. courtesy of the Waybackmachine [archive.org]
The sad part is, that I haven't seen any news on the project since.
Murphy(c)
Doin' the Locomotion (Score:2, Interesting)
Been there, done that (Score:2)
I spent a semester and a half of hardly part-time work getting a similar project rolling with 5 other people. Granted, this PSA looks cooler and probably has better control, but we were undergrads and these are NASA post-docs with 8 hours per day to work on this.
Check [nasa.gov], check [nasa.gov], check [nasa.gov], check [nasa.gov]it out.
And yes, I realize we had a wire sticking out. It was our position/attitude sensor. EM requirements for the plane-borne lab wouldn't allow yet another wireless transce
Soon we will be the sphere! (Score:2)
An outer neutron star shell would make us nearly invincible too.
Flubber (Score:2)
O boy... (Score:1, Troll)
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these.. (Score:1)
Re:O boy... (Score:1)
Yup (Score:4, Informative)
Re:But... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:why? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:why? (Score:2)
Radio Frequency interference is a bad thing in airplanes; while not ruling out trying any of those RF options, I'd be a little cautious in risking wireless in a space station if I'm going to be breathing on it.
Re:why? (Score:2)
Re:why? (Score:2, Informative)
RS232 is there probably so its compatible with the computers running on the space shuttle or ISS.
Re:why? (Score:2)
Re:Friggin Lasers (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (Score:4, Funny)
Given Vader was Leia's father, right after he asked about the base, he probably continued with:
"Now lets talk about your cell phone bill. How the HELL do you spend 50,000 credits text messaging han_solo@falcon.net?! You think I'm made of money? I have a freaking goverment job, and I'm still paying on the loans I had to take out to pay for your mother's dresses! Back when I was your age I got my damn arm chopped off in the war, trying to keep those droid nazi's from taking over...."
Re:A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (Score:2)