A. Bergeron, B. Harnisch, P. Bourqui "Optical correlator for landing and identification of landing sites" AIAA 57th International Astronautical Congress, IAC, : 8172-8180, 2006
Abstract: With the emergence of planetary robotic mission, the automated identification of landing site and the automatic landing plays a role of increasing importance. However, the transmission delay between the vehicle and earth and the landing speed preclude the use of earth computing resources. As such these automated tasks require massive onboard processing capabilities to provide rapid feedback to the vehicle. Optical correlation, based on the use of light for computation, can provide fast identification and tracking capabilities. Massive computing can be achieved through its parallel architecture within a reduced mass and power envelope. Vehicle rotation, related to orientation, and scale, related to distance between the vehicle and the ground, can also be evaluated through multiple correlation analysis. Onboard optical correlator could thus potentially provide real-time feedback onboard vehicle for better identification of the landing sites and better control on landing manoeuvres. This could eventually result in improved reliability for these operations.
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