Reusable science tools for analog exploration missions: xGDS Web Tools, VERVE, and Gigapan Voyage Susan Y. Lee a,n , David Lees b , Tamar Cohen a , Mark Allan a , Matthew Deans c,1 , Theodore Morse b , Eric Park b , Trey Smith b a Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, USA b Carnegie Mellon University, USA c NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA article info Article history: Received 25 June 2011 Received in revised form 22 November 2011 Accepted 7 January 2012 Available online 29 February 2012 Keywords: NASA Planetary analogs Intelligent Robotics Group Robotic Field Test Desert Research and Technology Studies Ground Data Systems Gigapan Voyage VERVE abstract The Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS) project led by the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA Ames Research Center creates software tools to support multiple NASA-led planetary analog field experiments. The two primary tools that fall under the xGDS umbrella are the xGDS Web Tools (xGDS-WT) and Visual Environment for Remote Virtual Exploration (VERVE). IRG has also developed a hardware and software system that is closely integrated with our xGDS tools and is used in multiple field experiments called Gigapan Voyage. xGDS-WT, VERVE, and Gigapan Voyage are examples of IRG projects that improve the ratio of science return versus development effort by creating generic and reusable tools that leverage existing technologies in both hardware and software. xGDS Web Tools provides software for gathering and organizing mission data for science and engineering operations, including tools for planning traverses, monitoring autonomous or piloted vehicles, visualization, documentation, analysis, and search. VERVE provides high performance three dimensional (3D) user interfaces used by scientists, robot operators, and mission planners to visualize robot data in real time. Gigapan Voyage is a gigapixel image capturing and processing tool that improves situational awareness and scientific exploration in human and robotic analog missions. All of these technologies emphasize software reuse and leverage open source and/or commercial-off-the-shelf tools to greatly improve the utility and reduce the develop- ment and operational cost of future similar technologies. Over the past several years these technologies have been used in many NASA-led robotic field campaigns including the Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), the Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP), the K10 Robotic Follow-Up tests, and most recently we have become involved in the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) field experiments. A major objective of these joint robot and crew experiments is to improve NASAs understanding of how to most effectively execute and increase science return from exploration missions. This paper focuses on an integrated suite of xGDS software and compatible hardware tools: xGDS Web Tools, VERVE, and Gigapan Voyage, how they are used, and the design decisions that were made to allow Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actaastro Acta Astronautica 0094-5765/$ - see front matter & 2012 IAA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2012.01.002 Abbreviations: IRG, Intelligent Robotics Group; GV, Gigapan Voyage; xGDS, Exploration Ground Data Systems; VERVE, Visual Environment for Remote Virtual Exploration; DRATS, Desert Research and Technology Studies; PLRP, Pavilion Lake Research Project; NEEMO, NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations. n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 650 604 4725. E-mail addresses: susan.y.lee@nasa.gov (S.Y. Lee), david.s.lees@nasa.gov (D. Lees), tamar.e.cohen@nasa.gov (T. Cohen), mark.b.allan@nasa.gov (M. Allan), matthew.deans@nasa.gov (M. Deans), theodore.f.morse@nasa.gov (T. Morse), eric.park@nasa.gov (E. Park), trey.smith@nasa.gov (T. Smith). 1 Work done at NASA Ames Research Center. Acta Astronautica 90 (2013) 268–288