Mission: Crisis on the ISS. Track down the invisible anomaly*
A very slight drop in atmospheric pressure was detected in the system monitoring logs of the International Space Station’s Japanese Experiment Module ‘Kibo’. While this level of pressure change could be due to an equipment error, if it indicates an air leak, careful investigation is necessary.
The cause has not yet been identified, and it has not been confirmed whether or not there is a leak. At this stage, careful analysis is needed before astronauts can conduct a direct investigation. Therefore, a preliminary inspection will be conducted by operating the Int-Ball2 robot flying inside the ISS.
Based on past operational data and case studies, potential leak locations include joints, hatch areas, and the ends of experimental racks. Checkpoints with AR markers have been installed at each of these potential locations.
Int-Ball2 will visit all checkpoints to collect inspection data. However, leaks are so minute that they are invisible to the naked eye. For inspection cameras and sensors to diagnose correctly, measurements must be taken accurately at the specified positions and orientations. The more accurately you reach the target point, the more accurately you can determine the presence and severity of any abnormalities.
Once all potential locations have been surveyed, the collected data will be integrated and analysed. This may reveal the true leak location, or it may turn out to be a false alarm. We will try to identify the cause based on the limited information available.
Precisely control Int-Ball2 and uncover the true nature of the anomaly.
* This is a fictional story.
