NASA has employed robotic methods to deploy NDT sensors and techniques for a number of critical inspection applications on aerospace vehicles and will continue to enhance robotic capability to support future missions. These robotic systems include both ground-based applications for inspection of aerospace components and vehicle assemblies as well as in flight inspections of spacecraft. Examples to be discussed include robotic x-ray systems that were used for the ground based inspection of a variety of Space Shuttle components such as the aft-skirt and carry structure assemblies, as well as the Orion spacecraft heatshield that flew on the Exploration Flight Test - 1 (EFT-1). Robotic NDT systems are also being employed for ultrasonic inspections of welds for the gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) propellant and oxidizer tanks. Additionally, NASA research efforts are underway to develop and demonstrate additional robotic NDT systems. A cutting edge coordinated multi-robotic inspection system to deploy infrared thermographic NDT systems on a full scale aircraft fuselage has been demonstrated, which can be expanded to accommodate other NDT sensor modalities. NASA is integrating in-situ NDE inspection techniques into large scale fiber placement robots to provide real-time NDE feedback for large scale composite structure construction. Further, more advanced deployment systems such as robotic "snake" technologies are being explored for NASA applications where access is an issue. The need for in-space NDT was highlighted by the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia due to impact damage to the thermal protection system (TPS). In response, the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), provided by the Canadian Space Agency, was augmented with a 50 ft. boom and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS). The OBSS inspection sensor package provided optical and LIDAR measurement capabilities that were used to inspect the Shuttle TPS for impact damage. The results of these inspections were critical input for the decision to proceed with re-entry of the Shuttle and the safe return of its crew. In-space inspections are also important for the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS and visiting crewed vehicles are exposed to hypervelocity impacts from micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD), which can cause damage to aging structures on the ISS as well as the TPS of vehicles docked there. NASA currently conducts surveys of the ISS exterior with visual cameras on the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) augmented by Dextre (Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator or SPDM). NASA's Image Science and Analysis Team have improved on their Shuttle-era techniques to inspect the current and future visiting vehicles to ISS. New robotic inspection tools are also being developed to enhance the inspection capability on ISS. The Visual Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot (VIPIR) experiment for NASA's Satellite Repair Mission has a flexible-deployable videoscope with an articulating tip and the Canadian Dextre Deployable Vision System (DDVS) will provide high resolution imager, LIDAR and infrared imager for much improved effectiveness. It is hoped that the humanoid-like R2 Robot, flown aboard ISS, can be developed to accomplish inspections inside and eventually be adapted to be used outside the ISS to do at least some inspections that an astronaut might do with less human and mission risk. NASA has been testing robotic free-flying platforms (SPHERES and Astro-bee) to perform various tasks, including inspection, with the goal of little or no astronaut involvement. Also, new robotic gripping tools (Gecko gripper) have been tested on ISS that enable temporary adhesion for inspection tools, robotic crawlers and other applications in zero-g, including satellite capture! Such robotic NDT systems will become increasingly important and enabling as humans travel deeper into the solar system, where return to Earth for vehicle inspection and repair is no longer a
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