Mission Team Research Articles

Autonomous Lunar Rover Localization while Fully Scanning a Bounded Obstacle-Rich Workspace.

This article addresses the scanning path plan strategy of a rover team composed of three rovers, such that the team explores unknown dark outer space environments. This research considers a dark outer space, where a rover needs to turn on its light and camera simultaneously to measure a limited space in front of the rover. The rover team is deployed from a symmetric base station, and the rover team's mission is to scan a bounded obstacle-rich workspace, such that there exists no remaining detection hole. In the team, only one rover, the hauler, can locate itself utilizing stereo cameras and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Every other rover follows the hauler, while not locating itself. Since Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is not available in outer space, the localization error of the hauler increases as time goes on. For rover's location estimate fix, one occasionally makes the rover home to the base station, whose shape and global position are known in advance. Once a rover is near the station, it uses its Lidar to measure the relative position of the base station. In this way, the rover fixes its localization error whenever it homes to the base station. In this research, one makes the rover team fully scan a bounded obstacle-rich workspace without detection holes, such that a rover's localization error is bounded by letting the rover home to the base station occasionally. To the best of our knowledge, this article is novel in addressing the scanning path plan strategy, so that a rover team fully scans a bounded obstacle-rich workspace without detection holes, while fixing the accumulated localization error occasionally. The efficacy of the proposed scanning and localization strategy is demonstrated utilizing MATLAB-based simulations.

Dentistry and Optometry: Collaborative Ventures in Health Mission Teams to Address Global Health Challenges

Dentistry and Optometry: Collaborative Ventures in Health Mission Teams to Address Global Health Challenges

Statistical Validation of Multiple Related Data Sets—Case Study Using Interstellar Boundary Explorer Satellite Data

Space scientists often face the question of whether data collected by different instruments are measurements of the same source population. This paper proposes a statistical validation method for evaluating the agreement between such related data sets. It offers a detailed case study focused on validating a new data set from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, which serves as a practical how-to guide for similar analyses. Since 2008, the IBEX satellite has been gathering data on heliospheric energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) while being exposed to various sources of background noise, such as cosmic rays and solar energetic particles. The IBEX mission initially released only a qualified triple-coincidence (qABC) data product, which was designed to provide observations of ENAs free of background contamination. Further measurements revealed that the qABC data were in fact susceptible to contamination, having relatively low ENA counts and high background rates. To mitigate this issue, the mission team recently considered releasing a certain qualified double-coincidence (qBC) data product, which has roughly twice the detection rate of the qABC data product. This paper presents a simulation-based validation of the new qBC data product against the already-released qABC data product. The results show that the qBCs can plausibly be said to be measuring the same source population as the qABCs up to an average absolute deviation of 3.6%. Visual diagnostics provide additional confirmation of source rate coherence across data products. The framework introduced here is general and can be applied to other validation problems both within and outside the field of space physics.

Developing incremental innovation in the high-tech industry: the effect of age and tenure in research and development teams

PurposeThis study's main goal is to expand the theoretical perspective and discuss the unique influence of age and tenure on R&D teams' incremental innovation outcomes. We answer scholars call for additional research on age-related processes by testing pathways through which older employees can benefit organizational performance. The current study advances the literature by relating to the context-related process of cohesion and investigating its moderating influence on the relationship between team antecedents (i.e. age and tenure) and incremental innovation.Design/methodology/approachThis research sample consists of 108 R&D teams operating in six mature high-tech organizations located in Israel. The participating entities design and manufacture state-of-the-art innovations in the semiconductors, communications and information technology sectors. The number of teams in each participating entity was 35, 21, 21, 19, 7 and 5, respectively. The sample consisted of 443 R&D employees and 212 team leaders/managers. The total sample comprised 655 participants. Team members filled out questionnaires to assess the independent variables. The dependent-variable questionnaire focusing on the team's incremental innovation accomplishments was completed by two managers for each team.FindingsWe found a negative association between team members' age and incremental innovation. Hypothesis 2, which predicted a positive association between team members' tenure and incremental innovation, was marginally supported. The interaction between team members' age and team members' tenure on incremental innovation was marginally supported. Hypothesis 4, which predicted that the negative association between team members' age and incremental innovation would be mitigated when the level of team cohesion is low, was supported. Hypothesis 5, which assumed that the positive association between team members' tenure and incremental innovation would be stronger when the level of cohesion is high, was supported.Practical implicationsThis research's results regarding the negative influence of R&D employees' age on incremental innovation are crucial for managers and team leaders in the high-tech industry. Following the age stereotype, many of them avoid recruiting and assigning older employees to R&D teams dealing in innovation creation and development. They should expand their perspective and consider additional attributes in order to assign the employees that best match the team's mission. The results show that R&D teams produce high and similar levels of incremental innovation when the level of team members' tenure is high, regardless of their age.Originality/valueThis study benefited from a relatively high number of respondents and teams from leading high-tech organizations, a high response rate and a research design that made it possible to establish a linkage between data on the independent variables and data on incremental innovation collected from separate independent sources. The data on the dependent variable—incremental innovation—was based on independent assessments made by two managers for each team. The study's measurements were based on leading studies on innovation.

Enabling Data Discovery with the Astrobiology Resource Metadata Standard.

As scientific investigations increasingly adopt Open Science practices, reuse of data becomes paramount. However, despite decades of progress in internet search tools, finding relevant astrobiology datasets for an envisioned investigation remains challenging due to the precise and atypical needs of the astrobiology researcher. In response, we have developed the Astrobiology Resource Metadata Standard (ARMS), a metadata standard designed to uniformly describe astrobiology "resources," that is, virtually any product of astrobiology research. Those resources include datasets, physical samples, software (modeling codes and scripts), publications, websites, images, videos, presentations, and so on. ARMS has been formulated to describe astrobiology resources generated by individual scientists or smaller scientific teams, rather than larger mission teams who may be required to use more complex archival metadata schemes. In the following, we discuss the participatory development process, give an overview of the metadata standard, describe its current use in practice, and close with a discussion of additional possible uses and extensions.

Characteristics and Practices of Highly Rated Senior Leadership Teams: A Comparative Case Study of CCCU Institutions

The purpose of this comparative case study research project was to identify the characteristics and practices utilized by the senior leadership teams (SLTs) at two CCCU institutions that had been highly rated in terms of confidence levels from the faculty/staff based on data gathered in ModernThink’s “Great Colleges to Work For” annual survey, as published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Because the COVID-19 crisis was current and impacting all institutions of higher education, these SLTs were selected to address the research question What have been the characteristics and practices of highly rated senior leadership teams as they guided their institutions in navigating the COVID-19 crisis? During one campus visit to each of two locations, a research team of three gathered data through 36 face-to-face interviews, direct observations, and document review. Study findings add to the literature by addressing gaps related to SLTs in the field of higher education, as identified by Kezar et al. This research project is the first “test” of the model of Kezar and colleagues, applying it to a study of two teams to assess which of the eight key elements of SLTs were most prominently identified among the perceptions and experiences of team members. Four unique primary themes emerged from the process of data analysis: (a) designing teams to develop significant levels of trust, (b) prioritizing shared team mission and institutional vision, (c) affirming strong presidential leadership that authentically empowers others, and (d) emphasizing clarity throughout crisis. This study extends the research on higher education SLTs and presents several implications and opportunities for further research.

Increasing diversity on spacecraft mission teams reduces risk

Many of the NASA spacecraft sent into Earth orbit and throughout the Solar System are competitively selected and led by principal investigators (PIs). These senior scientists are responsible for directing research activities, managing the use of funds, and reporting to the funding agency. Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) has competitively selected missions that are led by ESA-nominated project scientists and include instruments that are overseen by PIs. Usually, the PIs and project scientists form a science working team that provides scientific leadership of the mission. These NASA and ESA PI roles require a deep understanding of the mission’s scientific goals and engineering design aspects. And, importantly, these roles also require skills in team management.

Stereophotoclinometry for OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Navigation

We summarize a decade of effort by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission team to build up the unique capabilities, processes, and procedures required to accomplish the unprecedented navigation performance required during proximity operations at asteroid (101955) Bennu. Stereophotoclinometry was a key technology used for digital terrain model (DTM) generation and landmark navigation, enabling estimation of spacecraft trajectories and Bennu’s geophysical parameters. We outline the concept of operations for OSIRIS-REx landmark navigation and the wide array of testing and verification efforts leading up to OSIRIS-REx’s arrival at Bennu. We relate the outcome of these efforts to the experiences during proximity operations. We discuss navigation and DTM performance during operations, including detailed lessons learned to carry forward for future missions.

Planetary scientific target detection via deep learning: A case study for finding shatter cones in Mars rover images

AbstractPast, present, and forthcoming planetary rover missions to Mars and other planetary bodies are equipped with a large number of scientific cameras. The very large number of images resulting from this, combined with tight time constraints for navigation, measurements, and analyses, pose a major challenge for the mission teams in terms of scientific target evaluation. Shatter cones are the only macroscopic evidence for impact‐induced shock metamorphism and therefore impact craters on Earth. The typical features of shatter cones, such as striations and horsetail structures, are particularly suitable for machine learning methods. The necessary training images do not exist for such a case; therefore, we pursued the approach of producing them artificially. Using PRo3D, a viewer developed for the interactive exploration and geologic analysis of high‐resolution planetary surface reconstructions, we virtually placed shatter cones in 3‐D background scenes processed from true Mars rover imagery. We use PRo3D‐rendered images of such scenes as training data for machine learning architectures. Terrestrial analog studies in Ethiopia supported our lab work and were used to test the resulting neural network of this feasibility study. The result showed that our approach with shatter cones in artificial Mars rover scenes is suitable to train neural networks for automatic detection of shatter cones. In addition, we have identified several aspects that can be used to improve the training of the neural network and increase the recognition rate. For example, using background data with a higher resolution in order to have equal resolution of object (shatter cone) and Martian background and increase the number of objects that can be placed in the training data set. Also using better lighting reconstructions and a better radiometric adaption between object and Martian background would further improve the results.

Combining remote sensing techniques and field surveys for post-earthquake reconnaissance missions

Remote reconnaissance missions are promising solutions for the assessment of earthquake-induced structural damage and cascading geological hazards. Space-borne remote sensing can complement in-field missions when safety and accessibility concerns limit post-earthquake operations on the ground. However, the implementation of remote sensing techniques in post-disaster missions is limited by the lack of methods that combine different techniques and integrate them with field survey data. This paper presents a new approach for rapid post-earthquake building damage assessment and landslide mapping, based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The proposed texture-based building damage classification approach exploits very high resolution post-earthquake SAR data integrated with building survey data. For landslide mapping, a backscatter intensity-based landslide detection approach, which also includes the separation between landslides and flooded areas, is combined with optical-based manual inventories. The approach was implemented during the joint Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance, GeoHazards International and Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team mission that followed the 2021 Haiti Earthquake and Tropical Cyclone Grace.

Inequalities in the receipt of healthcare practitioner counseling for adults after COVID-19 in southern Brazil

Health counseling is a prevention and health promotion action, especially in the context of a pandemic, for both preventing disease and maintaining health. Inequalities may affect receipt of health counseling. The aim was to provide an overview of the prevalence of receiving counseling and to analyze income inequality in the receipt of health counseling. Methods: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey study with individuals aged 18 years or older with diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19 using RT-PCR testing between December 2020 and March 2021. They were asked about receipt of health counseling. Inequalities were assessed using the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Concentration Index (CIX) measures. We used the Chi-square test to assess the distribution of outcomes according to income. Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment. Results: A total of 2919 individuals were interviewed. Low prevalence of health counseling by healthcare practitioner was found. Participants with higher incomes were 30% more likely to receive more counseling. Conclusions: These results serve as a basis for aggregating public health promotion policies, in addition to reinforcing health counseling as a multidisciplinary team mission to promote greater health equity.

Spherical Harmonic Representation of Energetic Neutral Atom Flux Components Observed by IBEX

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) images the heliosphere by observing energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). The IBEX-Hi instrument on board IBEX provides full-sky maps of ENA fluxes produced in the heliosphere and very local interstellar medium through charge exchange of suprathermal ions with interstellar neutral atoms. The first IBEX-Hi results showed that, in addition to the anticipated globally distributed flux (GDF), a narrow and bright emission from a circular region in the sky, dubbed the IBEX ribbon, is visible in all energy steps. While the GDF is mainly produced in the inner heliosheath, ample evidence indicates that the ribbon forms outside the heliopause in the regions where the interstellar magnetic field is perpendicular to the lines of sight. The IBEX maps produced by the mission team distribute the observations into 6° × 6° rectangle pixels in ecliptic coordinates. The overlap of the GDF and ribbon components complicates qualitative analyses of each source. Here, we find the spherical harmonic representation of the IBEX maps, separating the GDF and ribbon components. This representation describes the ENA flux components in the sky without relying on any pixelization scheme. Using this separation, we discuss the temporal evolution of each component over the solar cycle. We find that the GDF is characterized by larger spatial scale structures than those of the ribbon. However, we identify two isolated, small-scale signals in the GDF region that require further study.

MAVEN mission perspectives and approaches to inclusion

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (MAVEN) is a NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since 2014. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission team has established a current set of best practices to strengthen Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives; there are numerous axes of diversity, and this paper does not focus on one specific aspect of diversity but rather focuses on mission-specific approaches to inclusion. We present the past and present approaches as well as future initiatives and areas of improvement to continuing our efforts towards maximizing inclusion and engagement on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission team and its working environment. The approaches presented in this paper are applicable to the space physics and planetary science communities, as well as any large-scale science or mission teams.

Characterisation of the new target of the NASA Lucy mission: Asteroid 152830 Dinkinesh (1999 VD57)

Context. The NASA Lucy mission is designed to collect data that will be used to study the very interesting population of Jupiter Trojans, which are considered to be time capsules from the time of birth of our Solar System. During its journey, the mission will pass near a main belt asteroid, Donaldjohanson. Recently, NASA announced that a new asteroid in the belt will also be visited by Lucy: 152830 Dinkinesh (1999 VD57). Aims. The main goal of this work is to characterise this newly selected target, asteroid Dinkinesh, in order to provide critical information to the mission team. This information includes the most likely surface composition, albedo, and size of the asteroid, which will be used to better plan the data acquisition strategy at the time of the fly-by. Methods. To this end, we obtained visible spectra, colour photometry, and time-series photometry for Dinkinesh using several telescopes located at different observatories. For the spectra, we used the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) on the island of La Palma (Spain); for the colour photometry, we used the 4.3 m Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT) near Happy Jack, Arizona (USA); and for the time-series photometry, we used the 82 cm IAC80 telescope located on the island of Tenerife (Spain). We used the visible reflectance spectrum to obtain the taxonomical class of the asteroid in order to constrain its albedo value. Colour and time-series photometry were used to compute the absolute magnitude of Dinkinesh, which was used in conjunction with an albedo estimation to constrain its size. Results. Both the visible spectrum and reflectance values computed from colour photometry show that Dinkinesh is an S-type asteroid; that is, it is composed mainly of silicates and some metal. According to observations carried out as part of the NEOWISE survey, S-type asteroids have a typical geometric albedo of pV = 0.223 ± 0.073. From our time-series photometry, we obtain an asteroid mean magnitude of r′ = 19.99 ± 0.05, which provides an absolute magnitude Hr′ = 17.53 ± 0.07 assuming G = 0.19 ± 0.25 for S-types. Using our colour-photometry, we transformed Hr′ to HV = 17.48 ± 0.05. This value of absolute magnitude combined with the geometric albedo provides a mean diameter for Dinkinesh of ~900 m, ranging between a minimum size of 542 m and a maximum size of 1309 m.

Multi-chord observation of stellar occultation by the near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon on 2021 October 3 (UTC) with very high accuracy

Abstract We observed a stellar occultation by (3200) Phaethon, which occurred in western Japan on 2021 October 3 (UTC). This observation was requested by the DESTINY+ mission team, which plans to conduct a flyby of asteroid Phaethon in 2028. Overall, this research effort contributes towards a large-scale observation campaign with a total of 72 observers observing from western Japan to southern Korea. 36 stations were established, and stellar occultation by the asteroid Phaethon was detected in 18 of them. This is the first time that this many multiple chord observations have been made for such a small asteroid (it has a diameter of 5–6 km). Observational reductions show that the apparent cross-section of Phaethon at the time of the occultation could be approximated using an ellipse with a major diameter of 6.12 ± 0.07 km and a minor diameter of 4.14 ± 0.07 km, and a position angle of 117.°4 ± 1.°5. As can be seen from the small error bars of the fitted ellipse, we have succeeded in estimating the shape and size of the asteroid with an extremely high degree of accuracy. Our observation results, together with other observations, will be used to create a 3D model of Phaethon and to improve its orbit. The instruments that we used for this observation are commonly used by many amateur astronomers in Japan for occultation observations and are not difficult to obtain. This paper describes the method and results of our observations using a CMOS camera and a GPS module, so that many people can participate in occultation observations in the future.

Landsat 9 Cross Calibration Under-Fly of Landsat 8: Planning, and Execution

During the early post-launch phase of the Landsat 9 mission, the Landsat 8 and 9 mission teams conducted a successful under-fly of Landsat 8 by Landsat 9, allowing for the near-simultaneous data collection of common Earth targets by the on-board sensors for cross-calibration. This effort, coordinated by the Landsat Calibration and Validation team, required contributions from various entities across National Aeronautics and Space Administration and U.S. Geological Survey such as Flight Dynamics, Systems, Mission Planning, and Flight Operations teams, beginning about 18 months prior to launch. Plans existed to allow this under-fly for any possible launch date of Landsat 9. This included 16 ascent plans and 16 data acquisition plans, one for every day of the Landsat orbital repeat period, with a minimum of 5 days of useful coverage overlap between the sensors. After the Landsat 9 launch, the plan executed, and led to the acquisition of over 2000 partial to full overlapping scene pairs. Although containing less than the expected number of scenes, this dataset was larger than previous Landsat mission under-fly efforts and more than sufficient for performing cross-calibration of the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 sensors. The details of the planning process and execution of this under-fly are presented.

Towards Ethical AI: Empirically Investigating Dimensions of AI Ethics, Trust Repair, and Performance in Human-AI Teaming.

Determining the efficacy of two trust repair strategies (apology and denial) for trust violations of an ethical nature by an autonomous teammate. While ethics in human-AI interaction is extensively studied, little research has investigated how decisions with ethical implications impact trust and performance within human-AI teams and their subsequent repair. Forty teams of two participants and one autonomous teammate completed three team missions within a synthetic task environment. The autonomous teammate made an ethical or unethical action during each mission, followed by an apology or denial. Measures of individual team trust, autonomous teammate trust, human teammate trust, perceived autonomous teammate ethicality, and team performance were taken. Teams with unethical autonomous teammates had significantly lower trust in the team and trust in the autonomous teammate. Unethical autonomous teammates were also perceived as substantially more unethical. Neither trust repair strategy effectively restored trust after an ethical violation, and autonomous teammate ethicality was not related to the team score, but unethical autonomous teammates did have shorter times. Ethical violations significantly harm trust in the overall team and autonomous teammate but do not negatively impact team score. However, current trust repair strategies like apologies and denials appear ineffective in restoring trust after this type of violation. This research highlights the need to develop trust repair strategies specific to human-AI teams and trust violations of an ethical nature.

A Time Capsule from the Early Solar System Is En Route to Earth

After an exciting encounter with asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx mission team looks forward to hitting pay dirt when a hefty sample of ancient planetesimal material is delivered to Earth next year.

Key Challenges Facing AMISOM in Military Diplomacy in the Horn of Africa

The world over, military diplomacy has not been always successful. This stems out of the fact that it could be faced by a plethora of challenges. This paper sets out to explore the key challenges facing AMISOM in military diplomacy in the Horn of Africa. The study adopted an exploratory and mixed methods research design. Data was obtained from a sample of 100 persons sampled from a population of 22,315 AMISOM Staff and Civilian contingent. The study employed a breadth of both primary and secondary sources for data collection. Primary data was being collected from study respondents by means of a research questionnaire and an interview schedule. The data analysis process involved both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Content analysis was mainly used to analyze the qualitative data and which would be reported normatively. Quantitative research findings were analyzed and reported using descriptive statistics, tables, graphs, charts and inferential statistics in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v23). Moreover, the data analysis was structured objectively to address each of the study research questions. The findings show that while competing interests may have clouded the scene at regional level, partly alluded to lack of a common approach to deal with the Somalia issue among the various countries, military diplomatic engagements by AMISOM are the most agreeable way to address regional peace and security. The study highlights the greater need for revised strategies in military diplomacy efforts and novel approaches to address competing interests among troop contributing countries that comprise AMISOM. Based on the study findings, the following recommendations were made. Arguably, the most important dimension of its success is hinged on the strategic unity and partnership of the different troops. At present however, the inconsistency in unity and strategic alliance among these countries continue to challenge the seamless command and probably influence the implementation of different military diplomacy strategies based on competing interests. Further, while assets remain a critical component of military diplomacy, the success of such multidimensional peace operations is equally anchored on a civilian component and the need for civilian capabilities. The realization of effective peacemaking and peacekeeping calls for efficient management structures at the field and in Addis for strategic and support of mission teams. AMISOM currently experiences an insufficient institutional capacity and human resources required to effectively handle complex peace operations and peacemaking initiatives. Recent assessment reveals the institution bureaucratic processes are still weak.

Guidelines for short-term medical missions: perspectives from host countries

BackgroundIn the past decade, there has been increasing guideline development for short-term medical missions (STMMs) traveling from high-income to low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of supporting health care services. The ethics of STMMs is criticized in the literature and there is frequently a lack of host country collaboration. This typically results in guidelines which are developed through the lens of the sending (high-income) countries’ staff and organizations. The aim of this paper is to evaluate an existing best practice guideline document from the perspective of host country participants with knowledge of STMMs from Honduras, Malawi, and the Philippines.MethodsThe guideline used for the evaluation consisted of nine best practice elements that were discerned based on literature and the experience of those working within the field. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a cross-sectional study with participants (n = 118) from the host countries. Thematic analysis was conducted by two researchers and the results were assessed by working group members to confirm interpretations of the data.ResultsOverall, participants expressed a strong interest in having more structured guidance surrounding STMM practices. There was a positive response to and general acceptance of the proposed STMM guidelines, although participants found the 24-page document onerous to use; a companion checklist was developed. The key themes that emerged from the interviews included collaboration and coordination, care for hard-to-reach communities, capacity building, critical products and essential medical supplies, and opportunity and feasibility.ConclusionsHost input suggests that the guidelines provide structured regulation and coordination of the medical mission process and have the potential to improve the way STMMs are carried out. The guidelines have also proven to be a useful tool for the actual implementation of STMMs and can be a tool to strengthen links and trust between mission teams and local health staff. However, local contexts vary considerably, and guidelines must be adapted for local use. It is recommended that STMM teams work in conjunction with host partners to ensure they meet local needs, increase capacity development of local health workers, and provide continuity of care for patients into the local system.