High-Level Project Summary
We have developed a POC of application that would allow you to establish communication Moon-Earth and Moon-Moon. A method was also found to determine the timestamps to create the correct order of incoming messages and write them to the general log.Our method of using binary data can immediately and seamlessly integrate console log information of many users. Such an application could be valuable to real-time mission support and long-term record keeping of future lunar human spaceflight missions for the benefit of scientific communities and the public.Our approach is important, because we found a way how to define timestamps and keep accurate time on the devices, which involved in logging.
Link to Project "Demo"
Link to Final Project
Detailed Project Description
LUNAR SURFACE OPERATIONS: REAL-TIME COLLABORATION
Communication & logging is an important part of scientific research. Communication allows information exchange & research coordination. Logging allows analyse the research results in depth. We need to define what kind of message an author can create or send and when it happens. We have some delay in signal transfer and limitation on the amount of transferred data.
To build application we need :
- Define messages type;
- Keep the correct time stamp.
Data is converted to binary form and transmitted to the receiver. Then it is checked for errors via CRC algorithm and corrected if necessary. At last it is converted back to a human-friendly form.
The messages can contain text, images or files of various formats such as: audio, video, binary data or stream. They are transmitted over the channels with the appropriate bandwidth.
Each message has the following properties: type, length, checksum header (used in case of error), recipient ID, transmitter ID, sending timestamp, receiving timestamp.
One of the key elements of the proposed solution is timestamps. They are recorded when sending and receiving a message, because it allows you to perform logging to understand what data passed through which devices at what time or were delivered to the receiver.
The clocks of all mission devices are synchronized with the reference clock on the base before departure then launched into space and operate in accordance with the tasks.
To prevent time deviations, devices will regularly make requests to obtain the accurate time from the base, adjusted for both signal transmission delays and hardware delays.
A large number of devices can be launched at different times within a single mission. The application will provide a schedule for adjusting timestamps for all of them. The schedule can be either downloaded to the device itself or stored on a transmitter that will send commands.
Space Agency Data
- EVA Console Log [1] - was used to understand the idea of Log messages format
- Deep Space Network [2] - was used to understand how communication between Moon and Earth can be performed
[1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQdpfA0Wsho&ab_channel=NASASpaceAppsChallenge
[2] - https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/services/networks/deep_space_network/about
Hackathon Journey
It is very exciting to imagine yourself as a part of the Artemis crew, even if a distant one. The exploration of the Moon and beyond will be a huge leap for the whole of mankind in understanding the world we live in and foundation for the future discoveries, starting with the Mars mission.
It also gave us a chance to learn more about the latest updates in aeronautics, which most of us don’t follow in our daily routines.
Such a hobby as taking part in hackathons brings both fun and knowledge to one’s life.
We separated the whole challenge into smaller tasks and then combined all researches into one project. In case of having challenges we asked mentors and then discussed problems in brain-storm format :) It was really cool to find people to collaborate with and be interested in reaching good results together!
We want to thank NASA and local Kyiv organizers for this great opportunity. Thanks to you we can be closer to the stars :)
References
We present POC - no special data or tools were used. All methods and algorithms are described in presentation.
Tags
#REAL-TIME #connection #logging #timestamps #moon #poc #Artemis #dsn
Global Judging
This project has been submitted for consideration during the Judging process.