Application Framework for Monitoring and Control Software for the Aouda.X Spacesuit Simulator

The Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF) is developing a spacesuit simulator for future human Mars missions. A 45kg prototype of this “wearable spacecraft” has been tested in various simulations, e.g. during a Mars analog field test in the northern Sahara in February 2013. One of the main features of the suit is an advanced On-Board Data Handling System which provides a constant telemetry stream and allows remote control of core features. 

Until now individual software was used for interacting with each component. During recent field tests it became clear that having to handle these individual applications is not very efficient and requires a rather experienced user to be able to fully utilize the software.

The goal of this bachelor thesis is to provide a framework for different components to combine the individual applications in a single solution in order to improve the usability, lower the amount of training required for the user and to enable better assistance for making decisions during field operations. Furthermore it should be extensible for future improvements and addition of new components. The simulation aspect and the related existing infrastructure of the spacesuit additionally requires support for different "sites", which determine which components are available and where to retrieve the data from. The framework should also support working with multiple devices such as the spacesuit simulator at the same time in order to be used after a future expansion of the available hardware in the field.