A Docker Image and run scripts for NASA's Astrobee Robot Software

(Astrobee source code available at https://github.com/nasa/astrobee/tree/972b78b6651e87a634f7ae99a3b12aea860053f1)

Instructions to get started with a prebuilt Astrobee sim:

Install docker for your OS and check with docker version (If not running in Linux, start your Docker desktop.)

Clone this repo and cd into it:

git clone https://github.com/tammerb/ros-astrobee.git
cd ros-astrobee/

Pull the Docker image

Pull the pre-built Docker image (note: the compressed image is ~1.5GB and 6GB once extracted):

docker pull thbarkouki/ros-astrobee:latest

Check that the pull was successful with the docker images command.

Run the Simulator:

Run the simulator with by executing the run.sh script, e.g with:

./run.sh [OPTIONS]

(maybe require sudo)

The NavCam and DockCam views are off by default. Add the -c flag to turn them on for debugging (resource intensive). The default viewer is Rviz. Use the -s flag for Gazebo, or -g flag for GNC GUI. See details here: https://github.com/nasa/astrobee/tree/972b78b6651e87a634f7ae99a3b12aea860053f1/simulation#running-the-simulator

A browser tab should automatically open at http://localhost:8080/vnc_auto.html. If not, manually enter this address into your browser. See below for Flying Astrobee instructions.

Once you're done, close the browsers tab, (if you attached to the running container, exit the terminal you're controlling the Astrobee from with exit), and stop and remove both containers with docker-compose down in the original terminal you started in.

Interacting with Astrobee

To control the Astrobee robot, you need to enter (aka "attach to") the docker container with:

docker attach astrobee_sim_container

To launch additional bash sessions attached to the same container, from a different terminal execute:

docker exec -it astrobee_sim_container bash

Now you should be able to "tele-operate" the Astrobee using the teleop instructions available from the original Astrobee repo here: https://github.com/nasa/astrobee/blob/972b78b6651e87a634f7ae99a3b12aea860053f1/management/executive/teleop_tool.md

For testing only: This will start the containers (and install the image if needed), but not launch the sim:

Run run_no_launch.sh. This will start both the astrobee and noVNC containers, but will not launch the sim. You can open a second terminal and attach to the sim container by running docker attach astrobee_sim_container. You can then edit and launch the sim from inside. Exit the container with exit, and stop and remove both containers with docker-compose down.