NASA Robot Assembly Algorithm Developed by Graduate Student Enables Satellite Antenna Insertion

A graduate student has developed an algorithm that enables a robot assembling satellites in space to insert an antenna into the correct spot, addressing robotics' classic peg-in-hole problem of inserting an object into its corresponding hole. Sarah Downs, now a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering at Texas A&M University, created the algorithm for her master's degree project at the University of Tulsa in collaboration with NASA and the U.S. Air Force. Downs grew up in Tulsa, Okla., and discovered robotics through her middle school's First Lego League team. Watching PBS specials on NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and the live broadcast of the Curiosity rover launch in 2011, inspired her to pursue a career with NASA. For her final master's project, she worked on the algorithm that allows a space robot to precisely insert an antenna during satellite assembly. Downs is now continuing her research on satellite assembly and manipulation at a larger scale in her doctoral program at Texas A&M. The work represents a step toward autonomous in-space assembly of satellites and other structures, a capability NASA and the Air Force have been pursuing to extend satellite lifespans and enable new mission architectures.