Mobile Field Analog for Lunar Habitat Integrated System Health Monitoring

Abstract

An analog of a lunar habitat has been constructed that will allow for remote monitoring and control of lights, temperature, air quality, and video in the 2009 NASA Desert Research and Technologies Simulations (D-RATS) field tests. The analog facility, known as `Microhab,' is also designed to function as a payload for the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robotic lunar mobility system, allowing for a mobile habitable environment that can be tested while the vehicle is deployed in field operations. The instrument suite and technologies applied to the Microhab analog have inheritance with systems used in previous field tests conducted at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Results of the 2009 field test will inform the development of ISHM technologies in the NASA Lunar Surface Systems Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) in the 2010 D-RATS and beyond. This paper describes the Microhab ISHM system, including Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components and operations, and reviews challenges and lessons learned from the 2009 field test.