MODEL EVALUATION , RECOMMENDATION , AND PRIORITIZING OF FUTlTBE WORK FOR THE MANIPULATOR EMULATOR TESTBED

The Manipulator Emulator Testbed (MET) is to provide a facility capable of hosting the simulation of various manipulator configurations to support concept studies, evaluation, and other engineering development activities. Specifically, the testbed is intended to support development of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and related systems. The MET is required to permit that components simulated in software may be replaced by future hardware components. The objective of this study is to evaluate the math models developed for the MET simulation of a manipulator's rigid body dynamics and the servo systems for each of the driven manipulator joints. Specifically, the math models are examined with regard to their amenability to pipeline and parallel processing processing. Based on this evaluation and the project objectives, a set of prioritized recommendations are offered for future work.