Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Mission planning”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The NASA SLR Operational Center is responsible for: 1) NASA SLR network control, sustaining engineering, and logistics; 2) ILRS mission operations; and 3) ILRS and NASA SLR data operations. NASA SLR network control and sustaining engineering tasks include technical support, daily system performance monitoring, system scheduling, operator training, station status reporting, system relocation, logistics and support of the ILRS Networks and Engineering Working Group. These activities ensure the NASA SLR systems are meeting ILRS and NASA mission support requirements. ILRS mission operations tasks include mission planning, mission analysis, mission coordination, development of mission support plans, and support of the ILRS Missions Working Group. These activities ensure than new mission and campaign requirements are coordinated with the ILRS. Global Normal Points (NP) data, NASA SLR FullRate (FR) data, and satellite predictions are managed as part of data operations. Part of this operation includes supporting the ILRS Data Formats and Procedures Working Group. Global NP data operations consist of receipt, format and data integrity verification, archiving and merging. This activity culminates in the daily electronic transmission of NP files to the CDDIS. Currently of all these functions are automated. However, to ensure the timely and accurate flow of data, regular monitoring and maintenance of the operational software systems, computer systems and computer networking are performed. Tracking statistics between the stations and the data centers are compared periodically to eliminate lost data. Future activities in this area include sub-daily (i.e., hourly) NP data management, more stringent data integrity tests, and automatic station notification of format and data integrity issues.

Carter, David↗

Mission activities planning for a Hermes mission by means of AI-technology

Mission Activities Planning is a complex task to be performed by mission control centers. AI technology can offer attractive solutions to the planning problem. This paper presents the use of a new AI-based Mission Planning System for crew activity planning. Based on a HERMES servicing mission to the COLUMBUS Man Tended Free Flyer (MTFF) with complex time and resource constraints, approximately 2000 activities with 50 different resources have been generated, processed, and planned with parametric variation of operationally sensitive parameters. The architecture, as well as the performance of the mission planning system, is discussed. An outlook to future planning scenarios, the requirements, and how a system like MARS can fulfill those requirements is given.

Pape, U.↗

Deep Impact Sequence Planning Using Multi-Mission Adaptable Planning Tools With Integrated Spacecraft Models

The Deep Impact mission was ambitious and challenging. JPL's well proven, easily adaptable multi-mission sequence planning tools combined with integrated spacecraft subsystem models enabled a small operations team to develop, validate, and execute extremely complex sequence-based activities within very short development times. This paper focuses on the core planning tool used in the mission, APGEN. It shows how the multi-mission design and adaptability of APGEN made it possible to model spacecraft subsystems as well as ground assets throughout the lifecycle of the Deep Impact project, starting with models of initial, high-level mission objectives, and culminating in detailed predictions of spacecraft behavior during mission-critical activities.

Deep Impact Mission↗

Comparison of Artemis 2 and Artemis 5 Model Outcomes Using the Impact Probabilistic Risk Assessment Tool

BACKGROUND The Artemis campaign is a Moon exploration program with a series of six planned missions, five of which will be crewed. These five crewed missions will contain a single mission segment (space flight), or multiple mission segments involving space flight (Orion), lunar landing (LTV) and/or space habitat (Gateway). Each crewed segment faces the risk of unique medical conditions, necessitating medical sets/kits tailored to those specificities. To support and enable a data-driven and evidence-based decision-making process through out a mission’s life cycle, a software tool called IMPACT was developed. Using probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodologies, IMPACT (Informing Mission Planning via Analysis of Complex Tradespaces) is a novel tool built for analyzing the possibility of encountering complex medical risks during space flight, and for identifying the medical resources and capabilities needed to treat those potential at-risk medical conditions. This presentation will seek to compare IMPACT’s computational results upon potential complex space medical conditions (e.g., sprain/strain back or sleep disturbance) using IMPACT’s risk metrics and the associated optimized medical sets/kits between two Artemis missions: single segment Artemis 2 and multi-segmented Artemis 5. OVERVIEW By identifying potential medical conditions in space using input criteria such as crew quantity and composition, certain crew physical characteristics, mission duration and mission activities, IMPACT can produce analyses on the type of medical resources and capabilities needed to produce an optimized medical set/kit to address those medical conditions. IMPACT achieves this by performing hundreds of thousands of Monte Carlo simulations of missions to build aggregate pictures of medical risk. IMPACT’s risk metrics include loss of crew life (LOCL) – a measure of crew mortality due to medical conditions in space, return to definitive care (RTDC) – the need to perform crew evacuation, and task time lost (TTL) – a measure of the inability to perform activities due to crew disability. These risk metrics are applied to every medical condition identified by IMPACT’s computation analyses for every segment of the mission. Medical sets/kits are optimized to address these medical conditions but must fit within the stated Artemis Design Reference Mission (DRM) request for mass and volume physical size constraints. ANTICIPATED ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION Using two Artemis missions, Artemis 2 and Artemis 5, IMPACT will provide the analyses for comparison of medical set/kit contents based upon mass and/or volume requirements and identify the at-risk medical conditions within both missions. This paper serves as an initial exploration of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) medical risk calculations between two crewed Artemis missions and is not intended to be deemed the official medical response for the Artemis campaign.

probabilistic risk assessment↗

Mark IV-85 mission support planning and future mission set

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is currently involved with supporting a group of mature deep space missions, none of which was launched in the past ten years. With great anticipation, the DSN is looking forward to the return of the Space Transportation System, which is scheduled to launch four deep space missions in 1989 through 1992. The DSN also supports earth orbiting spacecraft that are not compatible with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS).

Amorose, R. J.↗

Graphical Planning Of Spacecraft Missions

Mission Planning Graphical Tool (MPGT) computer program provides analysts with graphical representations of spacecraft and environmental data used in planning missions. Designed to be generic software tool configured to analyze any specified Earth-orbiting spacecraft mission. Data presented as series of overlays on top of two-dimensional or three-dimensional projection of Earth. Includes spacecraft-orbit tracks, ground-station-antenna masks, solar and lunar ephemerides, and coverage by Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). From graphical representations, analyst determines such spacecraft-related constraints as communication coverage, infringement upon zones of interference, availability of sunlight, and visibility of targets to instruments.

Jeletic, J. F.↗

Deep impact sequence planning using multi-mission adaptable planning tools with integrated spacecraft models

The Deep Impact mission was ambitious and challenging. JPL's well proven, easily adaptable multi-mission sequence planning tools combined with integrated spacecraft subsystem models enabled a small operations team to develop, validate, and execute extremely complex sequence-based activities within very short development times. This paper focuses on the core planning tool used in the mission, APGEN. It shows how the multi-mission design and adaptability of APGEN made it possible to model spacecraft subsystems as well as ground assets throughout the lifecycle of the Deep Impact project, starting with models of initial, high-level mission objectives, and culminating in detailed predictions of spacecraft behavior during mission-critical activities.

Seybold, Calina C.↗

Planetary imaging - Past, present, and future

Recent exploration of the planets has been highlighted by the development of visual imaging systems carried on board the spacecraft. This paper describes the evolution of planetary camera systems from the earliest reconnaissance flight to Mars in 1965 (Mariner 4) through the planned mission to Jupiter and Saturn in 1977. Advances in telecommunication performance, mission planning and operations, and digital processing of images are also discussed. Science objectives and changes in the imaging systems required to meet these objectives are discussed for the Mariner Mars 1971 (Mariner 9), Mariner Venus-Mercury (Mariner 10), Viking 1975 (Mars Orbiter), and Mariner Jupiter-Saturn 1977 missions. The last section of the paper describes future plans for imaging experiments based on cameras using solid-state sensors, particularly charge-coupled devices.

Masursky, H.↗

Cartographic products in Space Shuttle earth observations operations

A description is given of the Automated Planning Mission Planning System (AMPS), a computer cartographic system developed by NASA in response to the need to streamline support for an increasing number and frequency of Shuttle missions and to enhance the quality of products produced for mission support. AMPS is menu driven and can plot orbit tracks and revolution times and site boundaries on Mercator projection maps. As an overall site selection process approaches, AMPS reduces the possibility of errors, is time effective, improves SSEOP products, and is adaptable for other related applications.

Lulla, Kamlesh↗

Autonomous satellite command and control: A comparison with other military systems

Existing satellite concepts of operation depend on readily available experts and are extremely manpower intensive. Areas of expertise required include mission planning, mission data interpretation, telemetry monitoring, and anomaly resolution. The concepts of operation have envolved to their current state in part because space systems have tended to be treated more as research and development assets rather than as operational assets. These methods of satellite command and control will be inadequate in the future because of the availability, survivability, and capability of human experts. Because space systems have extremely high reliability and limited access, they offer challenges not found in other military systems. Thus, automation techniques used elsewhere are not necessarily applicable to space systems. A program to make satellites much more autonomous has been developed, using a variety of advanced software techniques. The problem the program is addressing, some possible solutions, the goals of the Rome Air Development Center (RADC) program, the rationale as to why the goals are reasonable, and the current program status are discussed. Also presented are some of the concepts used in the program and how they differ from more traditional approaches.

Kruchten, Robert J.↗

Airborne Observation of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry

NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute collaborated on an effort to observe the Earth re-entry of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa sample return capsule. Hayabusa was an asteroid exploration mission that retrieved a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. Its sample return capsule re-entered over the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia on June 13, 2010. Being only the third sample return mission following NASA's Genesis and Stardust missions, Hayabusa's return was a rare opportunity to collect aerothermal data from an atmospheric entry capsule returning at superorbital speeds. NASA deployed its DC-8 airborne laboratory and a team of international researchers to Australia for the re-entry. For approximately 70 seconds, spectroscopic and radiometric imaging instruments acquired images and spectra of the capsule, its wake, and destructive re-entry of the spacecraft bus. Once calibrated, spectra of the capsule will be interpreted to yield data for comparison with and validation of high fidelity and engineering simulation tools used for design and development of future atmospheric entry system technologies. A brief summary of the Hayabusa mission, the preflight preparations and observation mission planning, mission execution, and preliminary spectral data are documented.

Spectroscopy↗

Recent Results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission and Plans for the Extended Mission

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (LRO), launched on June 18, 2009, began with the goal of seeking safe landing sites for future robotic missions or the return of humans to the Moon as part of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). In addition, LRO's objectives included the search for surface resources and to investigate the Lunar radiation environment. After spacecraft commissioning, this phase of the mission began on September 15, 2009, completed on September 15, 2010 when operational responsibility for LRO was transferred to NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The SMD mission is scheduled for 2 years and will be completed in 2012 with an opportunity for an extended mission beyond 2012. Under SMD, the mission focuses on a new set of goals related to understanding the geologic history of the Moon, its current state, and what it can tell us about the evolution of the Solar System. Having marked the two year anniversary will review here the major results from the LRO mission for both exploration and science and discuss plans and objectives going forward including a proposed 2-year extended mission. These objectives include: 1) understanding the bombardment history of the Moon, 2) interpreting Lunar geologic processes, 3) mapping the global Lunar regolith, 4) identifying volatiles on the Moon, and 5) measuring the Lunar atmosphere and radiation environment.

Keller, John W.↗

Internal Electrostatic Discharge Tests of Micro-D Connectors for Planned Europa Mission

NASA has planned a mission to study Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The mission would place a spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter, performing nominally 45 flybys of the moon. The suite of instruments onboard the spacecraft would investigate Europa’s potential to sustain life, studying the moon’s atmosphere, water-ice crust, suspected subsurface ocean, and rocky interior. The radiation environment at Europa’s orbit is severe and presents a significant threat to the spacecraft. There are several radiation effects that could be problematic, one of which is internal charging. Problems due to internal charging arise when high energy electrons penetrate the spacecraft and deposit within onboard dielectrics or floating metals. These charges can build up over time, generating electric fields that exceed the breakdown strength of materials in the region. A rapid discharge of the stored charges may occur, sending current pulses into electronics and potentially damaging them. An Internal Electrostatic Discharge (IESD) design environment was created for the planned Europa mission [Kim et al, in press]. The IESD design environment is meant to characterize the part of the radiation environment that poses the largest threat to the spacecraft with respect to internal charging. The environment was based off of electron data gathered by the Galileo spacecraft. Over the past year, the internal charging threat to several hardware components of the planned Europa Clipper spacecraft have been characterized using simulations and/or tests. The subject report documents one such test on Micro-D connectors.

Smithfield, Marianne↗

CRI planning and scheduling for space

Computer Resources International (CRI) has many years of experience in developing space planning and scheduling systems for the European Space Agency. Activities range from AIT/AIV planning over mission planning to research in on-board autonomy using advanced planning and scheduling technologies in conjunction with model based diagnostics. This article presents four projects carried out for ESA by CRI with various subcontractors: (1) DI, Distributed Intelligence for Ground/Space Systems is an on-going research project; (2) GMPT, Generic Mission Planning Toolset, a feasibility study concluded in 1993; (3) OPTIMUM-AIV, Open Planning Tool for AIV, development of a knowledge based AIV planning and scheduling tool ended in 1992; and (4) PlanERS-1, development of an AI and knowledge-based mission planning prototype for the ERS-1 earth observation spacecraft ended in 1991.

Aarup, Mads↗

Artificial intelligence techniques for scheduling Space Shuttle missions

Planning and scheduling of NASA Space Shuttle missions is a complex, labor-intensive process requiring the expertise of experienced mission planners. We have developed a planning and scheduling system using combinations of artificial intelligence knowledge representations and planning techniques to capture mission planning knowledge and automate the multi-mission planning process. Our integrated object oriented and rule-based approach reduces planning time by orders of magnitude and provides planners with the flexibility to easily modify planning knowledge and constraints without requiring programming expertise.

Henke, Andrea L.↗

The Mission Operations Planning Assistant

The Mission Operations Planning Assistant (MOPA) is a knowledge-based system developed to support the planning and scheduling of instrument activities on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS). The MOPA system represents and maintains instrument plans at two levels of abstraction in order to keep plans comprehensible to both UARS Principal Investigators and Command Management personnel. The hierarchical representation of plans also allows MOPA to automatically create detailed instrument activity plans from which spacecraft command loads may be generated. The MOPA system was developed on a Symbolics 3640 computer using the ZetaLisp and ART languages. MOPA's features include a textual and graphical interface for plan inspection and modification, recognition of instrument operational constraint violations during the planning process, and consistency maintenance between the different planning levels. This paper describes the current MOPA system.

Schuetzle, James G.↗

The mission operations planning assistant

The Mission Operations Planning Assistant (MOPA) is a knowledge-based system developed to support the planning and scheduling of instrument activities on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS). The MOPA system represents and maintains instrument plans at two levels of abstraction in order to keep plans comprehensible to both UARS Prinicpal Investigators and Command Management personnel. The hierarchical representation of plans also allows MOPA to automatically create detailed instrument activity plans from which spacecraft command loads may be generated. The MOPA system was developed on a Symbolics 3640 computer using the ZETALISP and ART languages. MOPA's features include a textual and graphical interface for plan inspection and modification, recognition of instrument operational constraint violations during the planning process, and consistency maintenance between the different planning levels. This paper describes the current MOPA system.

Schuetzle, James G.↗