Safer docking

Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center's Smart Systems Group in California have developed a 3D interactive space shuttle/space station docking simulation using WorldToolKit software from Engineering Animation of Ames, IA, and MATLAB software from The MathWorks of Natick, MA. The simulation is a preliminary step of the design phase for a "smart controller," a computerized joystick control with various types of feedback that can potentially aid in safer and more efficient docking of the shuttle to the International Space Station.

NASA is developing the project to improve the safety, accuracy, and efficiency of spacecraft docking. The Ames Smart Systems Group is addressing these problems by applying neurocontrol technologies that can learn, in near real-time, changes in spacecraft properties and performance characteristics.

"With the technology we've developed, we can avoid many of the challenges experienced in the 1997 Mir Space Station docking accident," said Dr. Robert Mah, senior scientist at NASA's Smart Systems Group. MATLAB is used for algorithm development, and WorldToolKit is used for 3D animation.

The simulated docking is guided by computerized joystick control, which can "learn" the behavior of the shuttle under different conditions, and use the information to dock it safely.

For more information, visit the NASA Ames Smart Systems Group web site at http://ssg.arc.nasa.gov; Engineering Animation at www.eai.com; and The MathWorks at www.mathworks.com.