Communications delays between International Space Station (ISS) crews and the ground are nearly unnoticeable, thanks to being routed between tracking and data relay satellites to reach the spacecraft just 250 miles above Earth’s surface. However, as Nasa prepares for a return to the Moon (240,000 miles from Earth) and eventually Mars (250 million miles), it will face ever longer communications delays. The space agency is thus considering tools to increase astronaut autonomy for operating spacecraft and systems.
The T2AR project demonstrates how station crew can inspect and maintain scientific and exercise equipment on board without assistance from ground teams.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi kicked off T2AR activities on the ISS, using the tool to perform maintenance on a piece of exercise equipment, the T2 Treadmill. Normally, the inspection procedure is available as a PDF document accessed on a computer or tablet, which...