Virtual Reality Environments for Integrated Systems Health Management of Rocket Engine Tests

Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) consists of processes managing erroneous conditions that systems may encounter during their operational life by either designing out failures early on or defending and mitigating any possible failures. A successful implementation of ISHM consists of the following four components: data sensors, computations, data sinks, and visualization modules. In this paper, we explore the use of virtual reality (VR) platforms as a candidate for developing ISHM visualization modules. VR allows for a complete and spatially accurate 3-D model of a system to be displayed in real time. It provides a medium for improved data assimilation and analysis through its core tenants of immersion, interaction, and navigation. Furthermore, VR allows for integrating graphical, functional, and measurement data in the same platform-providing for the development of subsequent risk-analysis modules. The research objectives of this paper are focused on creating a detailed visual model of a multisensor rocket engine test facility inside a VR platform and demonstrating the capability of the VR platform in integrating graphical, measurement, and health data in an immersive, navigable, and interactive manner. A human-based performance evaluation of the VR platform is also presented. These research objectives are addressed using an example of a multisensor rocket-engine portable test stand at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Stennis Space Center's E-3 test facility.