NASA Space Technology Report: EVA Radio - Desert Research and Technology Studies DRATS 2011 Report, Analog Testing of Technologies for Human Space Exploration

In the fall of 2011, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) participated in the Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) field experiments held near Flagstaff, Arizona. The objective of the DRATS outing is to provide analog mission testing of candidate technologies for space exploration, especially those technologies applicable to human exploration of extraterrestrial rocky bodies. These activities are performed at locations with similarities to extra-terrestrial conditions. This report describes the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Dual-Band Radio Communication System which was demonstrated during the 2011 outing. The EVA radio system is designed to transport both voice and telemetry data through a mobile ad hoc wireless network and employs a dual-band radio configuration. Some key characteristics of this system include: 1. Dual-band radio configuration. 2. Intelligent switching between two different capability wireless networks. 3. Self-healing network. 4. Simultaneous data and voice communication.

1 Executive Summary * 2 Introduction * 3 Radio Testbed * 3.1 Hardware Description * 3.2 Radio Configuration * 3.2.1 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Radio Configuration * 3.2.2 900 MHz Contingency Radio Configuration * 3.3 Software Implementation * 3.3.1 Wireless Mesh Routing * 3.3.2 Wireless Network Health Sensing & Network Switching * 3.3.3 Speech Acquisition & Encoding * 3.3.4 Telemetry & Sensor Data Distribution * 4 Experiment Test Description * 4.1 EVA Test Scenario * 5 Early Assessment of Test Results * 5.1 System Evaluation * 5.1.1 Wireless Network Health Sensing & Network Switching * 5.1.2 Voice Data Distribution * 5.2 Test Subject Feedback * 5.2.1 Voice Quality * 5.2.2 Switching Logic * 5.2.3 User Interface * 6 Recommendations * 6.1 Environment Implications * 6.2 Network Configuration Drivers * 6.2.1 Network Data Traffic Control * 6.2.2 Wireless Link Access Time * 6.2.3 Network Packet Characterization * 6.3 DTN Rationale * 7 Future Work * 7.1 System Configuration * 7.1.1 Switching Logic * 7.1.2 OLSR Configuration * 7.1.3 OLSR Multicast Configuration * 7.1.4 Radio Configuration * 7.2 Localization * 7.3 Operational Concepts * 7.4 Data Analysis * 8 Concluding Remarks * A Configuration Management * B Topographical Map Generation * B.1 Detailed Instructions . * C Experimental Data Description * D Acronyms and Abbreviations * E References