Path Planning and Control for AERCam, a Free-Flying Inspection Robot in Space

This paper describes a prototype robot and the necessary path planning and control f o r space inspection applications. T h e robot i s the f irst generation of a freef lying robotic camera that will assist astronauts in constructing and maintaining the Space Station. T h e robot will provide remote views t o astronauts inside the Space Shuttle and future Space Station, and to ground controllers. T h e f irst part of the paper describes a planar robot prototype autonomously moving about a n air bearing table. T h e second part of this paper introduces a method f o r determining paths in the three-dimensions f o r e f i c i e n t fue l use. Finally, this paper describes the software simulation of the path planner with the future space station.