Autonomy to Enable NASA Missions from Aeronautics to Space

2024 ASCEND Call for Sessions

Session Format: Panel
Session Topic: Space Exploration and Infrastructure: Exploring, Living, and Working in Space (The panel must map to one of six Session Topics - https://www.ascend.events/presenters/call-for-sessions/#sessiontopics)
Title: Autonomy to Enable NASA Missions from Aeronautics to Space

Short Session Description:
In this panel discussion the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will discuss the role that autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play as humanity moves off-world. Recent advances in general autonomy tools are changing the way NASA and its partners leverage autonomy for its air and space initiatives, including Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concepts and potential lunar and Martian operations. The panelists will consist of autonomy subject matter experts familiar with the current state of the art for autonomy across both aeronautical and space domains. They will discuss how those technologies could evolve as operations become more complex and which autonomy technologies can be used in both the space and aeronautical domains. For example, perhaps autonomy work originally developed for terrestrial applications, like Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), could be applied to off-world lunar and Martian applications and vice versa. Additionally, the panel will address common misconceptions of these technologies, obstacles to implementation, and possible solutions for overcoming those obstacles.
Join NASA in exploring how research activities can align to streamline autonomy development efforts, advancing NASA's goals to expand humanity's reach beyond Earth for the benefit of all.

Contact Information:
• Dr. Adam Yingling
• Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS)
• Adam.j.yingling@nasa.gov, 703-416-9129
Session Length: 1.25 hours, 75 minutes
Extended Description:
Moderator: Dr. Adam Yingling, NASA, Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy
Panel Speakers:
• Autonomy Forum Principals
o Dr. Charles Norton, Deputy Chief Technologist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
o Dr. Carolyn Mercer, Chief Technologist, Space Mission Directorate (SMD)
o Dr. Parimal Kopardekar (PK), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Integration Manager
o Danette Alan, NASA, Senior Leader for Autonomous Systems, Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
o Duane Armstrong, Intelligent Systems Lead, Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL)

Panel Format:
• Introduction (10 min): The panel moderator will provide a 10-minute session introduction that will include an overview NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture, AAM autonomy research, and an introduction of the principals as panel speakers.
• Moderated Session Part 1 (30 min): There will be a 30-minute moderated session among the moderator and the five autonomy principals to discuss the current state of art for autonomy and how work developed in one domain may be applicable to other domains; including the merits and challenges for implementing those technologies.
• Moderated Session Part 2 (25 min): The moderator will then ask the principals to consider how technologies developed across all the domains might be able to address the most salient challenges identified in the previous session.
• Q&A (10 min): The session will conclude with 10-minutes of audience Q&A.

Session Goals and Outcomes:
The session goals are 1) to communicate the importance of autonomy for both aeronautical and space mission, 2) Investigate potential synergies across autonomy research efforts that will enable scalable operations, and 3) to receive community feedback as NASA leverages autonomy to evolve aviation on Earth and enable humanity to live and work off-world.