Human-In-The-Loop Controlled Lunar Landing Simulator

Kurzfassung

Lunar landers play a critical role in crewed exploration of the Moon. Their specifications are tailored to different mission requirements and objectives. These can include size, propulsion, cargo and crew payload, landing gear, energy systems and system controllers. This thesis presents a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) controlled lunar lander simulator developed at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to help analyse the interaction between the piloting astronaut and lunar lander dynamics. A lunar lander dynamic model is designed and parametrized comprising Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters and a main thruster for landing. A comparison study is carried out for three different ground contact detection models with force calculation. The most suitable model is then implemented to simulate the landing contact forces. A numerical simulation stability analysis is performed, which is enforced by a dynamic mass scaling parameter. Although all lunar landers featured On-board Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) systems to autopilot the spacecraft to land on target using fuel optimized strategies, during all six successful Apollo landings, the crew seized control and landed manually. The part of the journey where the astronaut takes manual control of the lunar lander is the primary focus of this thesis. To investigate this, the lunar lander dynamic model is integrated within DLR’s Robotic Motion Simulator (RMS) framework. A suitable washout filter for the simulator motion cueing is parametrized taking in account the low gravity scenario. Furthermore, suitable Human Machine Interface (HMI) devices are incorporated into the DLR RMS for the manual steering of the virtual lunar lander. For this work, representative simulation scenarios are reconstructed, with the Apollo 11 mission data, as well as training scenarios for a lunar landing. This framework was fully embedded into the RMS, and empirically tested to verify the expected functionality for different lunar landing scenarios. Data collected from the pilot sensor measurements, lander path and Quaternion based Washout Filter (QWOF) performance are evaluated and discussed. This work paves the way to meet future challenges in spacecraft design, particularly for GNC validation and astronaut manual flight control training.