The Final Count Down: A Review of Three Decades of Flight Controller Training Methods for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittermore, Gary; Bertels, Christie

2011-01-01

Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex; therefore, the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. An overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams are trained and certified, reveals that while the training methodology for developing flight controllers has evolved significantly over the last thirty years the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. Changes in methodology and tools have been driven by many factors, including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. Flight controllers share their experiences in training and operating the space shuttle. The primary training method throughout the program has been mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly train like you fly. A review of lessons learned from flight controller training suggests how they could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors, including missions to the moon or to Mars. The lessons learned from operating the space shuttle for over thirty years will help the space industry build the next human transport space vehicle.

NASA/MOD Operations Impacts from Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzpatrick, Michael; Mattes, Gregory; Grabois, Michael; Griffith, Holly

2011-01-01

Operations plays a pivotal role in the success of any human spaceflight program. This paper will highlight some of the core tenets of spaceflight operations from a systems perspective and use several examples from the Space Shuttle Program to highlight where the success and safety of a mission can hinge upon the preparedness and competency of the operations team. Further, awareness of the types of operations scenarios and impacts that can arise during human crewed space missions can help inform design and mission planning decisions long before a vehicle gets into orbit. A strong operations team is crucial to the development of future programs; capturing the lessons learned from the successes and failures of a past program will allow for safer, more efficient, and better designed programs in the future. No matter how well a vehicle is designed and constructed, there are always unexpected events or failures that occur during space flight missions. Preparation, training, real-time execution, and troubleshooting are skills and values of the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) flight controller; these operational standards have proven invaluable to the Space Shuttle Program. Understanding and mastery of these same skills will be required of any operations team as technology advances and new vehicles are developed. This paper will focus on individual Space Shuttle mission case studies where specific operational skills, techniques, and preparedness allowed for mission safety and success. It will detail the events leading up to the scenario or failure, how the operations team identified and dealt with the failure and its downstream impacts. The various options for real-time troubleshooting will be discussed along with the operations team final recommendation, execution, and outcome. Finally, the lessons learned will be summarized along with an explanation of how these lessons were used to improve the operational preparedness of future flight control teams.

Disrupting Aviation: An Exploratory Study of the Opportunities and Risks of Tablet Computers in Commercial Flight Operations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyne, Matthew

2013-01-01

Commercial flight operational safety has dramatically improved in the last 30 years because of enhanced crew coordination, communication, leadership and team development. Technology insertion into cockpit operations, however, has been shown to create crew distractions, resulting in flight safety risks, limited use given policy limitations and…

The Final Count Down: A Review of Three Decades of Flight Controller Training Methods for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittemore, Gary D.; Bertels, Christie

2011-01-01

Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex, therefore the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. As the space shuttle program ends in 2011, a review of how training for STS-1 was conducted compared to STS-134 will show multiple changes in training of shuttle flight controller over a thirty year period. This paper will additionally give an overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams have been trained certified over the life span of the space shuttle. The training methods for developing flight controllers have evolved significantly over the last thirty years, while the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. These changes have been driven by many factors including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. A primary method used for training Space Shuttle flight control teams is by running mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly "train like you fly." The reader will learn what it is like to perform a simulation as a shuttle flight controller. Finally, the paper will reflect on the lessons learned in training for the shuttle program, and how those could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors.

Transportable Payload Operations Control Center reusable software: Building blocks for quality ground data systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahmot, Ron; Koslosky, John T.; Beach, Edward; Schwarz, Barbara

1994-01-01

The Mission Operations Division (MOD) at Goddard Space Flight Center builds Mission Operations Centers which are used by Flight Operations Teams to monitor and control satellites. Reducing system life cycle costs through software reuse has always been a priority of the MOD. The MOD's Transportable Payload Operations Control Center development team established an extensive library of 14 subsystems with over 100,000 delivered source instructions of reusable, generic software components. Nine TPOCC-based control centers to date support 11 satellites and achieved an average software reuse level of more than 75 percent. This paper shares experiences of how the TPOCC building blocks were developed and how building block developer's, mission development teams, and users are all part of the process.

President Richard Nixon visits MSC to award Apollo 13 Mission Operations team

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-04-18

S70-35600 (18 April 1970) --- President Richard M. Nixon introduces Sigurd A. Sjoberg (far right), director of Flight Operations at Manned Spacecraft Center, and the four Apollo 13 flight directors during the President?s post-mission visit to the Manned Spacecraft Center. The flight directors are, from left to right, Glynn S. Lunney, Eugene A. Kranz, Gerald D. Griffin and Milton L. Windler. Dr. Thomas O. Paine, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is seated at left. President Nixon was on the site to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation?s highest civilian honor -to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team.

KSC-2014-4219

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Tillema, chief of Flight Operations in the Operations Support Division of NASA Center Operations, center, discusses plans for a training session to practice use of a Bambi Bucket in honing firefighting techniques. Bill Martin, a URS Federal Technical Services pilot in NASA Flight Operations, is on the left, with crew chief Mark Smith, also of URS. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

An automated environment for multiple spacecraft engineering subsystem mission operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahrami, K. A.; Hioe, K.; Lai, J.; Imlay, E.; Schwuttke, U.; Hsu, E.; Mikes, S.

1990-01-01

Flight operations at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are now performed by teams of specialists, each team dedicated to a particular spacecraft. Certain members of each team are responsible for monitoring the performances of their respective spacecraft subsystems. Ground operations, which are very complex, are manual, labor-intensive, slow, and tedious, and therefore costly and inefficient. The challenge of the new decade is to operate a large number of spacecraft simultaneously while sharing limited human and computer resources, without compromising overall reliability. The Engineering Analysis Subsystem Environment (EASE) is an architecture that enables fewer controllers to monitor and control spacecraft engineering subsystems. A prototype of EASE has been installed in the JPL Space Flight Operations Facility for on-line testing. This article describes the underlying concept, development, testing, and benefits of the EASE prototype.

Mentoring SFRM: A New Approach to International Space Station Flight Controller Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huning, Therese; Barshi, Immanuel; Schmidt, Lacey

2008-01-01

The Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) of the Johnson Space Center is responsible for providing continuous operations support for the International Space Station (ISS). Operations support requires flight controllers who are skilled in team performance as well as the technical operations of the ISS. Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM), a NASA adapted variant of Crew Resource Management (CRM), is the competency model used in the MOD. ISS flight controller certification has evolved to include a balanced focus on development of SFRM and technical expertise. The latest challenge the MOD faces is how to certify an ISS flight controller (operator) to a basic level of effectiveness in 1 year. SFRM training uses a two-pronged approach to expediting operator certification: 1) imbed SFRM skills training into all operator technical training and 2) use senior flight controllers as mentors. This paper focuses on how the MOD uses senior flight controllers as mentors to train SFRM skills. Methods: A mentor works with an operator throughout the training flow. Inserted into the training flow are guided-discussion sessions and on-the-job observation opportunities focusing on specific SFRM skills, including: situational leadership, conflict management, stress management, cross-cultural awareness, self care and team care while on-console, communication, workload management, and situation awareness. The mentor and operator discuss the science and art behind the skills, cultural effects on skills applications, recognition of good and bad skills applications, recognition of how skills application changes subtly in different situations, and individual goals and techniques for improving skills. Discussion: This mentoring program provides an additional means of transferring SFRM knowledge compared to traditional CRM training programs. Our future endeavors in training SFRM skills (as well as other organization s) may benefit from adding team performance skills mentoring. This paper explains our mentoring approach and discusses its effectiveness and future applicability in promoting SFRM/CRM skills.

Hypermedia and intelligent tutoring applications in a mission operations environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ames, Troy; Baker, Clifford

1990-01-01

Hypermedia, hypertext and Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) applications to support all phases of mission operations are investigated. The application of hypermedia and ITS technology to improve system performance and safety in supervisory control is described - with an emphasis on modeling operator's intentions in the form of goals, plans, tasks, and actions. Review of hypermedia and ITS technology is presented as may be applied to the tutoring of command and control languages. Hypertext based ITS is developed to train flight operation teams and System Test and Operation Language (STOL). Specific hypermedia and ITS application areas are highlighted, including: computer aided instruction of flight operation teams (STOL ITS) and control center software development tools (CHIMES and STOL Certification Tool).

International Space Station Payload Operations Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fanske, Elizabeth Anne

2011-01-01

The Payload Operations Integrator (POINT) plays an integral part in the Certification of Flight Readiness process for the Mission Operations Laboratory and the Payload Operations Integration Function that supports International Space Station Payload operations. The POINTs operate in support of the POIF Payload Operations Manager to bring together and integrate the Certification of Flight Readiness inputs from various MOL teams through maintaining an open work tracking log. The POINTs create monthly metrics for current and future payloads that the Payload Operations Integration Function supports. With these tools, the POINTs assemble the Certification of Flight Readiness package before a given flight, stating that the Mission Operations Laboratory is prepared to support it. I have prepared metrics for Increment 29/30, maintained the Open Work Tracking Logs for Flights ULF6 (STS-134) and ULF7 (STS-135), and submitted the Mission Operations Laboratory Certification of Flight Readiness package for Flight 44P to the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD/OZ).

MSFC Skylab operations support summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, J. R.

1974-01-01

A summary of the actions and problems involved in preparing the Skylab-one vehicle is presented. The subjects discussed are: (1) flight operations support functions and organization, (2) launch operations and booster flight support functions and organization, (3) Skylab launch vehicle support teams, (4) Skylab orbital operations support performance analysis, (5) support manning and procedures, and (6) data support and facilities.

Space Flight Resource Management for ISS Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, Lacey L.; Slack, Kelley; Holland, Albert; Huning, Therese; O'Keefe, William; Sipes, Walter E.

2010-01-01

Although the astronaut training flow for the International Space Station (ISS) spans 2 years, each astronaut or cosmonaut often spends most of their training alone. Rarely is it operationally feasible for all six ISS crewmembers to train together, even more unlikely that crewmembers can practice living together before launch. Likewise, ISS Flight Controller training spans 18 months of learning to manage incredibly complex systems remotely in plug-and-play ground teams that have little to no exposure to crewmembers before a mission. How then do all of these people quickly become a team - a team that must respond flexibly yet decisively to a variety of situations? The answer implemented at NASA is Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM), the so-called "soft skills" or team performance skills. Based on Crew Resource Management, SFRM was developed first for shuttle astronauts and focused on managing human errors during time-critical events (Rogers, et al. 2002). Given the nature of life on ISS, the scope of SFRM for ISS broadened to include teamwork during prolonged and routine operations (O'Keefe, 2008). The ISS SFRM model resembles a star with one competency for each point: Communication, Cross-Culture, Teamwork, Decision Making, Team Care, Leadership/Followership, Conflict Management, and Situation Awareness. These eight competencies were developed with international participation by the Human Behavior and Performance Training Working Group. Over the last two years, these competencies have been used to build a multi-modal SFRM training flow for astronaut candidates and flight controllers that integrates team performance skills into the practice of technical skills. Preliminary results show trainee skill increases as the flow progresses; and participants find the training invaluable to performing well and staying healthy during ISS operations. Future development of SFRM training will aim to help support indirect handovers as ISS operations evolve further with the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program.

Science Operations Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Squibb, Gael F.

1984-10-01

The operation teams for the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) included scientists from the IRAS International Science Team. The scientific decisions on an hour-to-hour basis, as well as the long-term strategic decisions, were made by science team members. The IRAS scientists were involved in the analysis of the instrument performance, the analysis of the quality of the data, the decision to reacquire data that was contaminated by radiation effects, the strategy for acquiring the survey data, and the process for using the telescope for additional observations, as well as the processing decisions required to ensure the publication of the final scientific products by end of flight operations plus one year. Early in the project, two science team members were selected to be responsible for the scientific operational decisions. One, located at the operations control center in England, was responsible for the scientific aspects of the satellite operations; the other, located at the scientific processing center in Pasadena, was responsible for the scientific aspects of the processing. These science team members were then responsible for approving the design and test of the tools to support their responsibilities and then, after launch, for using these tools in making their decisions. The ability of the project to generate the final science data products one year after the end of flight operations is due in a large measure to the active participation of the science team members in the operations. This paper presents a summary of the operational experiences gained from this scientific involvement.

SHARP Demonstration Flight: Video Broadcast System for Research in Intelligent Flight Characterization and Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kitts, Christopher

2001-01-01

The NASA Ames Research Center (Thermal Protection Materials and Systems Branch) is investigating new ceramic materials for the thermal protection of atmospheric entry vehicles. An incremental approach to proving the capabilities of these materials calls for a lifting entry flight test of a sharp leading edge component on the proposed SHARP (Slender Hypervelocity Aerothermodynamic Research Probe) vehicle. This flight test will establish the aerothermal performance constraint under real lifting entry conditions. NASA Ames has been developing the SHARP test flight with SSDL (responsible for the SHARP S I vehicle avionics), Montana State University (responsible for the SHARP S I vehicle airframe), the Wickman Spacecraft and Propulsion Company (responsible for the sounding rocket and launch operations), and with the SCU Intelligent Robotics Program, The SCU team was added well after the rest of the development team had formed. The SCU role was to assist with the development of a real-time video broadcast system which would relay onboard flight video to a communication groundstation. The SCU team would also assist with general vehicle preparation as well as flight operations. At the time of the submission of the original SCU proposal, a test flight in Wyoming was originally targeted for September 2000. This date was moved several times into the Fall of 2000. It was then postponed until the Spring of 2001, and later pushed into late Summer 2001. To date, the flight has still not taken place. These project delays resulted in SCU requesting several no-cost extensions to the project. Based on the most recent conversations with the project technical lead, Paul Kolodjiez, the current plan is for the overall SHARP team to assemble what exists of the vehicle, to document the system, and to 'mothball' the vehicle in anticipation of future flight and funding opportunities.

Shuttle operations era planning for flight operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, J. D.; Beckman, D. A.

1984-01-01

The Space Transportation System (STS) provides routine access to space for a wide range of customers in which cargos vary from single payloads on dedicated flights to multiple payloads that share Shuttle resources. This paper describes the flight operations planning process from payload introduction through flight assignment to execution of the payload objectives and the changes that have been introduced to improve that process. Particular attention is given to the factors that influence the amount of preflight preparation necessary to satisfy customer requirements. The partnership between the STS operations team and the customer is described in terms of their functions and responsibilities in the development of a flight plan. A description of the Mission Control Center (MCC) and payload support capabilities completes the overview of Shuttle flight operations.

STS-35 Mission Manager Actions Room at the Marshall Space Flight Center Spacelab Payload Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activities at the Mission Manager Actions Room during the mission.

Medical Operations Support for ISS Operations - The Role of the BME Operations Team Leads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Janney, Rob; Sabatier, Veronica

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the role of the biomedical flight controllers (BMEs), and BME Operations Team Leads (OTLs) in providing medical support for personnel on the International Space Station. This presentation will concentrate on role of the BME OTLs, who provide the integration function across the integration function across all Crew Health Care System (CHeCS) disciplines for operational products and medical procedures.

Mentoring SFRM: A New Approach to International Space Station Flight Control Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huning, Therese; Barshi, Immanuel; Schmidt, Lacey

2009-01-01

The Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) of the Johnson Space Center is responsible for providing continuous operations support for the International Space Station (ISS). Operations support requires flight controllers who are skilled in team performance as well as the technical operations of the ISS. Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM), a NASA adapted variant of Crew Resource Management (CRM), is the competency model used in the MOD. ISS flight controller certification has evolved to include a balanced focus on development of SFRM and technical expertise. The latest challenge the MOD faces is how to certify an ISS flight controller (Operator) to a basic level of effectiveness in 1 year. SFRM training uses a twopronged approach to expediting operator certification: 1) imbed SFRM skills training into all Operator technical training and 2) use senior flight controllers as mentors. This paper focuses on how the MOD uses senior flight controllers as mentors to train SFRM skills.

A Data-Based Console Logger for Mission Operations Team Coordination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronesbery, Carroll; Malin, Jane T.; Jenks, Kenneth; Overland, David; Oliver, Patrick; Zhang, Jiajie; Gong, Yang; Zhang, Tao

2005-01-01

Concepts and prototypes1,2 are discussed for a data-based console logger (D-Logger) to meet new challenges for coordination among flight controllers arising from new exploration mission concepts. The challenges include communication delays, increased crew autonomy, multiple concurrent missions, reduced-size flight support teams that include multidisciplinary flight controllers during quiescent periods, and migrating some flight support activities to flight controller offices. A spiral development approach has been adopted, making simple, but useful functions available early and adding more extensive support later. Evaluations have guided the development of the D-Logger from the beginning and continue to provide valuable user influence about upcoming requirements. D-Logger is part of a suite of tools designed to support future operations personnel and crew. While these tools can be used independently, when used together, they provide yet another level of support by interacting with one another. Recommendations are offered for the development of similar projects.

Bridging the Gap: Extending the Life of Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-28

Flight Support Team Fatigue Usage Index Full Up System Level High Flight Hours Initial Operational Capability Initial Operational Test and Evaluation...SLMP SRA STOVL TAT TMS T&R TRAP VMFAT WRA Naval Aviation Enterprise Naval Air Systems Command Naval Inventory Control Point Operational ...suggestions for reducing this burden Ia Washingl!ln Headquarters Service, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis

ARC-2008-ACD08-0260-019

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-04

K-10 (red) plaentary rover at Marscape (Ames Mars Yard): with prototype flight control team remotely operating K-10 'Red' from Ames Future Flight Centeral (FFC) Simulator, with Rob Landis and Steve Riley.

Integrating Space Flight Resource Management Skills into Technical Lessons for International Space Station Flight Controller Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Evelyn

2008-01-01

The Johnson Space Center s (JSC) International Space Station (ISS) Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM) training program is designed to teach the team skills required to be an effective flight controller. It was adapted from the SFRM training given to Shuttle flight controllers to fit the needs of a "24 hours a day/365 days a year" flight controller. More recently, the length reduction of technical training flows for ISS flight controllers impacted the number of opportunities for fully integrated team scenario based training, where most SFRM training occurred. Thus, the ISS SFRM training program is evolving yet again, using a new approach of teaching and evaluating SFRM alongside of technical materials. Because there are very few models in other industries that have successfully tied team and technical skills together, challenges are arising. Despite this, the Mission Operations Directorate of NASA s JSC is committed to implementing this integrated training approach because of the anticipated benefits.

Spitzer observatory operations: increasing efficiency in mission operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Charles P.; Kahr, Bolinda E.; Sarrel, Marc A.

2006-06-01

This paper explores the how's and why's of the Spitzer Mission Operations System's (MOS) success, efficiency, and affordability in comparison to other observatory-class missions. MOS exploits today's flight, ground, and operations capabilities, embraces automation, and balances both risk and cost. With operational efficiency as the primary goal, MOS maintains a strong control process by translating lessons learned into efficiency improvements, thereby enabling the MOS processes, teams, and procedures to rapidly evolve from concept (through thorough validation) into in-flight implementation. Operational teaming, planning, and execution are designed to enable re-use. Mission changes, unforeseen events, and continuous improvement have often times forced us to learn to fly anew. Collaborative spacecraft operations and remote science and instrument teams have become well integrated, and worked together to improve and optimize each human, machine, and software-system element. Adaptation to tighter spacecraft margins has facilitated continuous operational improvements via automated and autonomous software coupled with improved human analysis. Based upon what we now know and what we need to improve, adapt, or fix, the projected mission lifetime continues to grow - as does the opportunity for numerous scientific discoveries.

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Battery Operations Problem Resolution Team (PRT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keys, Denney J.

2010-01-01

The NASA Technical Discipline Fellow for Electrical Power, was requested to form a Problem Resolution Team (PRT) to help assess the health of the flight battery that is currently operating aboard NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and provide recommendations for battery operations to mitigate the risk of impacting science operations for the rest of the mission. This report contains the outcome of the PRT's assessment.

Using SFOC to fly the Magellan Venus mapping mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bucher, Allen W.; Leonard, Robert E., Jr.; Short, Owen G.

1993-01-01

Traditionally, spacecraft flight operations at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have been performed by teams of spacecraft experts utilizing ground software designed specifically for the current mission. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory set out to reduce the cost of spacecraft mission operations by designing ground data processing software that could be used by multiple spacecraft missions, either sequentially or concurrently. The Space Flight Operations Center (SFOC) System was developed to provide the ground data system capabilities needed to monitor several spacecraft simultaneously and provide enough flexibility to meet the specific needs of individual projects. The Magellan Spacecraft Team utilizes the SFOC hardware and software designed for engineering telemetry analysis, both real-time and non-real-time. The flexibility of the SFOC System has allowed the spacecraft team to integrate their own tools with SFOC tools to perform the tasks required to operate a spacecraft mission. This paper describes how the Magellan Spacecraft Team is utilizing the SFOC System in conjunction with their own software tools to perform the required tasks of spacecraft event monitoring as well as engineering data analysis and trending.

HUT Data Inspected at Marshall Space Flight Center During the STS-35 Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of viewing HUT data in the Mission Manager Actions Room during the mission.

Staying Alive! Training High-Risk Teams for Self Correction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slack, Kelley; Noe, Raymond; Weaver, Sallie

2011-01-01

Research examining teams working in high-risk operations has been lacking. The present symposium showcases research on team training that helps to optimize team performance in environments characterized by life or death situations arising spontaneously after long periods of mundane activity by pulling experts from diverse areas of industry: space flight, health care, and medical simulation.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Single Stage to Orbit/Reusable Launch Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has compiled an Annual Performance Report of the X-33/RLV Program. This report consists of individual reports from all industry team members, as well as NASA team centers. This portion of the report is comprised of a status report of Lockheed Martin's contribution to the program. The following is a summary of the Lockheed Martin Centers involved and work reviewed under their portion of the agreement: (1) Lockheed Martin Skunk Works - Vehicle Development, Operations Development, X-33 and RLV Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Ground Operations, Reliability, Maintainability/Testability, Supportability, & Special Analysis Team, and X-33 Flight Assurance; (2) Lockheed Martin Technical Operations - Launch Support Systems, Ground Support Equipment, Flight Test Operations, and RLV Operations Development Support; (3) Lockheed Martin Space Operations - TAEM and A/L Guidance and Flight Control Design, Evaluation of Vehicle Configuration, TAEM and A/L Dispersion Analysis, Modeling and Simulations, Frequency Domain Analysis, Verification and Validation Activities, and Ancillary Support; (4) Lockheed Martin Astronautics-Denver - Systems Engineering, X-33 Development; (5) Sanders - A Lockheed Martin Company - Vehicle Health Management Subsystem Progress, GSS Progress; and (6) Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems - X-33 Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Tank, Key Challenges, Lessons Learned, X-33/RLV Composite Technology, Reusable Cyrogenic Insulation (RCI) and Vehicle Health Monitoring, Main Propulsion Systems (MPS), Structural Testing, X-33 System Integration and Analysis, and Cyrogenic Systems Operations.

ARC-2008-ACD08-0260-022

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-04

K-10 (red) plaentary rover at Marscape (Ames Mars Yard): with prototype flight control team remotely operating K-10 'Red' from Ames Future Flight Centeral (FFC) Simulator, L-R; Pascal Lee, Melissa Rice, David Lees, Trey Smith

NASA Medical Response to Human Spacecraft Accidents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patlach, Robert

2010-01-01

Manned space flight is risky business. Accidents have occurred and may occur in the future. NASA's manned space flight programs, with all their successes, have had three fatal accidents, one at the launch pad and two in flight. The Apollo fire and the Challenger and Columbia accidents resulted in a loss of seventeen crewmembers. Russia's manned space flight programs have had three fatal accidents, one ground-based and two in flight. These accidents resulted in the loss of five crewmembers. Additionally, manned spacecraft have encountered numerous close calls with potential for disaster. The NASA Johnson Space Center Flight Safety Office has documented more than 70 spacecraft incidents, many of which could have become serious accidents. At the Johnson Space Center (JSC), medical contingency personnel are assigned to a Mishap Investigation Team. The team deploys to the accident site to gather and preserve evidence for the Accident Investigation Board. The JSC Medical Operations Branch has developed a flight surgeon accident response training class to capture the lessons learned from the Columbia accident. This presentation will address the NASA Mishap Investigation Team's medical objectives, planned response, and potential issues that could arise subsequent to a manned spacecraft accident. Educational Objectives are to understand the medical objectives and issues confronting the Mishap Investigation Team medical personnel subsequent to a human space flight accident.

S70-35594

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-08-07

S70-35594 (18 April 1970) --- President Richard M. Nixon presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team at Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). Accepting for the team is Sigurd A. Sjoberg, director of Flight Operations at MSC. Dr. Thomas O. Paine, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is at left. Also seen here on the speaker's platform are Jeffrey C. Lovell, son of astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., commander of the Apollo 13 mission; Gerald D. Griffin (second from right) and Milton L. Windler, two of four flight directors who worked around the clock during the mission.

Medical Scenarios Relevant to Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacal, Kira; Hurs, Victor; Doerr, Harold

2004-01-01

The Medical Operational Support Team (MOST) was tasked by the JSC Space Medicine and Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) to incorporate medical simulation into 1) medical training for astronaut-crew medical officers (CMO) and medical flight control teams and 2) evaluations of procedures and resources required for medical care aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Development of evidence-based medical scenarios that mimic the physiology observed during spaceflight will be needed for the MOST to complete these two tasks. The MOST used a human patient simulator, the ISS-like resources in the Medical Simulation Laboratory (MSL), and evidence from space operations, military operations and medical literature to develop space relevant medical scenarios. These scenarios include conditions concerning airway management, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and mitigating anaphylactic symptoms. The MOST has used these space relevant medical scenarios to develop a preliminary space medical training regimen for NASA flight surgeons, Biomedical Flight Controllers (Biomedical Engineers; BME) and CMO-analogs. This regimen is conducted by the MOST in the MSL. The MOST has the capability to develop evidence-based space-relevant medical scenarios that can help SLSD I) demonstrate the proficiency of medical flight control teams to mitigate space-relevant medical events and 2) validate nextgeneration medical equipment and procedures for space medicine applications.

Activities at the JSC Payload Operations Control Center During Spacelab Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

During a Spacelab flight, the hub of activity was the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The POCC became home to the management and science teams who worked around the clock to guide and support the mission. All Spacelab principal investigators and their teams of scientists and engineers set up work areas in the POCC. Through the use of computers, they could send commands to their instruments and receive and analyze experiment data. Instantaneous video and audio communications made it possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew. This real-time interaction between investigators on the ground and the crew in space was probably the most exciting of Spacelab's many capabilities. As principal investigators talked to the payload specialists during the mission, they consulted on experiment operations, made decisions, and shared in the thrill of gaining new knowledge. In December 1990, a newly-established POCC at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) opened its door for the operations of the Spacelab payloads and experiments, while JSC monitored the Shuttle flight operations. MSFC had managing responsibilities for the Spacelab missions.

ARC-2008-ACD08-0260-023

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-04

K-10 (red) plaentary rover at Marscape (Ames Mars Yard): with prototype flight control team remotely operating K-10 'Red' from Ames Future Flight Centeral (FFC) Simulator. L-R; Jeff Tripp, David Lees, Trey Smith, Mark Helper, Simon Rutishauser

ARC-2008-ACD08-0260-016

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-04

K-10 (red) plaentary rover at Marscape (Ames Mars Yard): with prototype flight control team remotely operating K-10 'Red' from Ames Future Flight Centeral (FFC) Simulator, L-R Eric Park, Debra Schreckenghost, Rob Landis, Tod Milam, Steve Riley, Estrellina Pacis

Mars Express Science Operations During Deep Eclipse: An Example of Adapting Science Operations On Aging Spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merritt, Donald R.; Cardesin Moinelo, Alejandro; Marin Yaseli de la Parra, Julia; Breitfellner, Michel; Blake, Rick; Castillo Fraile, Manuel; Grotheer, Emmanuel; Martin, Patrick; Titov, Dmitri

2018-05-01

This paper summarizes the changes required to the science planning of the Mars Express spacecraft to deal with the second-half of 2017, a very restrictive period that combined low power, low data rate and deep eclipses, imposing very limiting constraints for science operations. With this difficult operational constraint imposed, the ESAC Mars Express science planning team worked very hard with the ESOC flight control team and all science experiment teams to maintain a minimal level of science operations during this difficult operational period. This maintained the integrity and continuity of the long term science observations, which is a hallmark and highlight of such long-lived missions.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-12

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of WUPPE data review at the Science Operations Area during the mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-02

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of BBKRT data review in the Science Operations Area during the mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-02

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity at the Operations Control Facility during the mission as Dr. Urban and Paul Whitehouse give a “thumbs up”.

Human Factors in Training - Space Flight Resource Management Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryne, Vicky; Connell, Erin; Barshi, Immanuel; Arsintescu, L.

2009-01-01

Accidents and incidents show that high workload-induced stress and poor teamwork skills lead to performance decrements and errors. Research on teamwork shows that effective teams are able to adapt to stressful situations, and to reduce workload by using successful strategies for communication and decision making, and through dynamic redistribution of tasks among team members. Furthermore, superior teams are able to recognize signs and symptoms of workload-induced stress early, and to adapt their coordination and communication strategies to the high workload, or stress conditions. Mission Control Center (MCC) teams often face demanding situations in which they must operate as an effective team to solve problems with crew and vehicle during onorbit operations. To be successful as a team, flight controllers (FCers) must learn effective teamwork strategies. Such strategies are the focus of Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM) training. SFRM training in MOD has been structured to include some classroom presentations of basic concepts and case studies, with the assumption that skill development happens in mission simulation. Integrated mission simulations do provide excellent opportunities for FCers to practice teamwork, but also require extensive technical knowledge of vehicle systems, mission operations, and crew actions. Such technical knowledge requires lengthy training. When SFRM training is relegated to integrated simulations, FCers can only practice SFRM after they have already mastered the technical knowledge necessary for these simulations. Given the centrality of teamwork to the success of MCC, holding SFRM training till late in the flow is inefficient. But to be able to train SFRM earlier in the flow, the training cannot rely on extensive mission-specific technical knowledge. Hence, the need for a generic SFRM training framework that would allow FCers to develop basic teamwork skills which are mission relevant, but without the required mission knowledge. Work on SFRM training has been conducted in collaboration with the Expedition Vehicle Division at the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) and with United Space Alliance (USA) which provides training to Flight Controllers. The space flight resource management training work is part of the Human Factors in Training Directed Research Project (DRP) of the Space Human Factors Engineering (SHFE) Project under the Space Human Factors and Habitability (SHFH) Element of the Human Research Program (HRP). Human factors researchers at the Ames Research Center have been investigating team work and distributed decision making processes to develop a generic SFRM training framework for flight controllers. The work proposed for FY10 continues to build on this strong collaboration with MOD and the USA Training Group as well as previous research in relevant domains such as aviation. In FY10, the work focuses on documenting and analyzing problem solving strategies and decision making processes used in MCC by experienced FCers.

Readiness for First Crewed Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaible, Dawn M.

2011-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) was requested to develop a generic framework for evaluating whether any given program has sufficiently complete and balanced plans in place to allow crewmembers to fly safely on a human spaceflight system for the first time (i.e., first crewed flight). The NESC assembled a small team which included experts with experience developing robotic and human spaceflight and aviation systems through first crewed test flight and into operational capability. The NESC team conducted a historical review of the steps leading up to the first crewed flights of Mercury through the Space Shuttle. Benchmarking was also conducted with the United States (U.S.) Air Force and U.S. Navy. This report contains documentation of that review.

ARC-2008-ACD08-0260-024

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-04

K-10 (red) plaentary rover at Marscape (Ames Mars Yard): with prototype flight control team remotely operating K-10 'Red' from Ames Future Flight Centeral (FFC) Simulator, L-R; Kip Hodges, Mark Helper, Marwan Hussein, Pascal Lee, Melissa Rice, Trey Smith, David Lees

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-01-01

During a Spacelab flight, the hub of activity was the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Johnson Space Flight Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The POCC became home to the management and science teams who worked around the clock to guide and support the mission. All Spacelab principal investigators and their teams of scientists and engineers set up work areas in the POCC. Through the use of computers, they could send commands to their instruments and receive and analyze experiment data. Instantaneous video and audio communications made it possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew. This real-time interaction between investigators on the ground and the crew in space was probably the most exciting of Spacelab's many capabilities. As principal investigators talked to the payload specialists during the mission, they consulted on experiment operations, made decisions, and shared in the thrill of gaining new knowledge. In December 1990, a newly-established POCC at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) opened its door for the operations of the Spacelab payloads and experiments, while JSC monitored the Shuttle flight operations. MSFC had managing responsibilities for the Spacelab missions.

Decision Making Training in the Mission Operations Directorate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Keefe, William S.

2013-01-01

At JSC, we train our new flight controllers on a set of team skills that we call Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM). SFRM is akin to Crew Resource Management for the airlines and trains flight controllers to work as an effective team to reduce errors and improve safety. We have developed this training over the years with the assistance of Ames Research Center, Wyle Labs and University of Central Florida. One of the skills we teach is decision making/ problem solving (DM/PS). We teach DM/PS first in several classroom sessions, reinforce it in several part task training environments, and finally practice it in full-mission, full-team simulations. What I am proposing to talk about is this training flow: its content and how we teach it.

Apollo experience report: Engineering and analysis mission support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fricke, R. W., Jr.

1975-01-01

The tasks performed by the team of specialists that evaluated hardware performance during prelaunch checkout and in-flight operation are discussed. The organizational structure, operational procedures, and interfaces as well as the facilities and software required to perform these tasks are discussed. The scope of the service performed by the team and the evaluation philosophy are described. Summaries of problems and their resolution are included as appendixes.

Zero to Integration in Eight Months, the Dawn Ground Data System Engineering Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubon, Lydia P.

2006-01-01

The Dawn Project has presented the Ground Data System (GDS) with technical challenges driven by cost and schedule constraints commonly associated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Discovery Projects. The Dawn mission consists of a new and exciting Deep Space partnership among: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), manages the project and is responsible for flight operation; Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), is the spacecraft builder and is responsible for flight system test and integration; and the University of California, at Los Angeles (UCLA), is responsible for science planning and operations. As a cost-capped mission, one of Dawn's implementation strategies is to leverage from both flight and ground heritage. OSC's ground data system is used for flight system test and integration as part of the flight heritage strategy. Mission operations, however, are to be conducted with JPL's ground system. The system engineering challenge of dealing with two heterogeneous ground systems emerged immediately. During the first technical interchange meeting between the JPL's GDS Team and OSC's Flight Software Team, August 2003, the need to integrate the ground system with the flight software was brought to the table. This need was driven by the project's commitment to enable instrument engineering model integration in a spacecraft simulator environment, for both demonstration and risk mitigation purposes, by April 2004. This paper will describe the system engineering approach that was undertaken by JPL's GDS Team in order to meet the technical challenge within a non-negotiable eight-month schedule. Key to the success was adherence to fundamental systems engineering practices: decomposition of the project request into manageable requirements; integration of multiple ground disciplines and experts into a focused team effort; definition of a structured yet flexible development process; definition of an in-process risk reduction plan; and aggregation of the intermediate products to an integrated final product. In addition, this paper will highlight the role of lessons learned from the integration experience. The lessons learned from an early GDS deployment have served as the foundation for the design and implementation of the Dawn Ground Data System.

Zero to Integration in Eight Months, the Dawn Ground Data System Engineering Challange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubon, Lydia P.

2006-01-01

The Dawn Project has presented the Ground Data System (GDS) with technical challenges driven by cost and schedule constraints commonly associated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Discovery Projects. The Dawn mission consists of a new and exciting Deep Space partnership among: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), responsible for project management and flight operations; Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), spacecraft builder and responsible for flight system test and integration; and the University of California, at Los Angeles (UCLA), responsible for science planning and operations. As a cost-capped mission, one of Dawn s implementation strategies is to leverage from both flight and ground heritage. OSC's ground data system is used for flight system test and integration as part of the flight heritage strategy. Mission operations, however, are to be conducted with JPL s ground system. The system engineering challenge of dealing with two heterogeneous ground systems emerged immediately. During the first technical interchange meeting between the JPL s GDS Team and OSC's Flight Software Team, August 2003, the need to integrate the ground system with the flight software was brought to the table. This need was driven by the project s commitment to enable instrument engineering model integration in a spacecraft simulator environment, for both demonstration and risk mitigation purposes, by April 2004. This paper will describe the system engineering approach that was undertaken by JPL's GDS Team in order to meet the technical challenge within a non-negotiable eight-month schedule. Key to the success was adherence to an overall systems engineering process and fundamental systems engineering practices: decomposition of the project request into manageable requirements; definition of a structured yet flexible development process; integration of multiple ground disciplines and experts into a focused team effort; in-process risk management; and aggregation of the intermediate products to an integrated final product. In addition, this paper will highlight the role of lessons learned from the integration experience. The lessons learned from an early GDS deployment have served as the foundation for the design and implementation of the Dawn Ground Data System.

Multi-team dynamics and distributed expertise in imission operations.

PubMed

Caldwell, Barrett S

2005-06-01

The evolution of space exploration has brought an increased awareness of the social and socio-technical issues associated with team performance and task coordination, both for the onboard astronauts and in mission control. Spaceflight operations create a unique environment in which to address classic group dynamics topics including communication, group process, knowledge development and sharing, and time-critical task performance. Mission operations in the early years of the 21st century have developed into a set of complex, multi-team task settings incorporating multiple mission control teams and flight crews interacting in novel ways. These more complex operational settings help highlight the emergence of a new paradigm of distributed supervisory coordination, and the need to consider multiple dimensions of expertise being supported and exchanged among team members. The creation of new mission profiles with very long-duration time scales (months, rather than days) for the International Space Station, as well as planned exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, emphasize fundamental distinctions from the 40 yr from Mercury to the Space Shuttle. Issues in distributed expertise and information flow in mission control settings from two related perspectives are described. A general conceptual view of knowledge sharing and task synchronization is presented within the context of the mission control environment. This conceptual presentation is supplemented by analysis of quasi-experimental data collected from actual flight controllers at NASA-Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX.

Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Launch and Commissioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Nikesha; DeWeese, Keith; Vess, Melissa; O'Donnell, James R., Jr.; Welter, Gary

2015-01-01

During launch and early operation of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) analysis team encountered four main on-orbit anomalies. These include: (1) unexpected shock from Solar Array deployment, (2) momentum buildup from the Magnetic Torquer Bars (MTBs) phasing errors, (3) transition into Safehold due to albedo induced Course Sun Sensor (CSS) anomaly, and (4) a flight software error that could cause a Safehold transition due to a Star Tracker occultation. This paper will discuss ways GN&C engineers identified the anomalies and tracked down the root causes. Flight data and GN&C on-board models will be shown to illustrate how each of these anomalies were investigated and mitigated before causing any harm to the spacecraft. On May 29, 2014, GPM was handed over to the Mission Flight Operations Team after a successful commissioning period. Currently, GPM is operating nominally on orbit, collecting meaningful scientific data that will significantly improve our understanding of the Earth's climate and water cycle.

Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Launch and Commissioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Nikesha; Deweese, Keith; Vess, Missie; Welter, Gary; O'Donnell, James R., Jr.

2015-01-01

During launch and early operation of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) analysis team encountered four main on orbit anomalies. These include: (1) unexpected shock from Solar Array deployment, (2) momentum buildup from the Magnetic Torquer Bars (MTBs) phasing errors, (3) transition into Safehold due to albedo-induced Course Sun Sensor (CSS) anomaly, and (4) a flight software error that could cause a Safehold transition due to a Star Tracker occultation. This paper will discuss ways GNC engineers identified and tracked down the root causes. Flight data and GNC on board models will be shown to illustrate how each of these anomalies were investigated and mitigated before causing any harm to the spacecraft. On May 29, 2014, GPM was handed over to the Mission Flight Operations Team after a successful commissioning period. Currently, GPM is operating nominally on orbit, collecting meaningful scientific data that will significantly improve our understanding of the Earth's climate and water cycle.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-03

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo is an overview of the MSFC Payload Control Room (PCR).

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-04

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures a press briefing at MSFC during STS-35, ASTRO-1 Mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-02

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of viewing HUT data in the Mission Manager Actions Room during the mission.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-02

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. Pictured onboard the shuttle is astronaut Robert Parker using a Manual Pointing Controller (MPC) for the ASTRO-1 mission Instrument Pointing System (IPS).

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-02

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activities at the Mission Manager Actions Room during the mission.

Range Commanders Council Meteorology Group 88th Meeting: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Task Report, 2004

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Barry C.

2004-01-01

Supported Return-to-Flight activities by providing surface climate data from Kennedy Space Center used primarily for ice and dew formation studies, and upper air wind analysis primarily used for ascent loads analyses. The MSFC Environments Group's Terrestrial and Planetary Environments Team documented Space Shuttle day-of-launch support activities by publishing a document in support of SSP Return-to-Flight activities entitled "Space Shuttle Program Flight Operations Support". The team also formalized the Shuttle Natural Environments Technical Panel and chaired the first special session of the SSP Natural Environments Panel meeting at KSC, November 4-7,2003.58 participants from NASA, DOD and other government agencies from across the country attended the meeting.

Space Shuttle Ascent Flight Design Process: Evolution and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Picka, Bret A.; Glenn, Christopher B.

2011-01-01

The Space Shuttle Ascent Flight Design team is responsible for defining a launch to orbit trajectory profile that satisfies all programmatic mission objectives and defines the ground and onboard reconfiguration requirements for this high-speed and demanding flight phase. This design, verification and reconfiguration process ensures that all applicable mission scenarios are enveloped within integrated vehicle and spacecraft certification constraints and criteria, and includes the design of the nominal ascent profile and trajectory profiles for both uphill and ground-to-ground aborts. The team also develops a wide array of associated training, avionics flight software verification, onboard crew and operations facility products. These key ground and onboard products provide the ultimate users and operators the necessary insight and situational awareness for trajectory dynamics, performance and event sequences, abort mode boundaries and moding, flight performance and impact predictions for launch vehicle stages for use in range safety, and flight software performance. These products also provide the necessary insight to or reconfiguration of communications and tracking systems, launch collision avoidance requirements, and day of launch crew targeting and onboard guidance, navigation and flight control updates that incorporate the final vehicle configuration and environment conditions for the mission. Over the course of the Space Shuttle Program, ascent trajectory design and mission planning has evolved in order to improve program flexibility and reduce cost, while maintaining outstanding data quality. Along the way, the team has implemented innovative solutions and technologies in order to overcome significant challenges. A number of these solutions may have applicability to future human spaceflight programs.

Ground Data System Risk Mitigation Techniques for Faster, Better, Cheaper Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Catena, John J.; Saylor, Rick; Casasanta, Ralph; Weikel, Craig; Powers, Edward I. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

With the advent of faster, cheaper, and better missions, NASA Projects acknowledged that a higher level of risk was inherent and accepted with this approach. It was incumbent however upon each component of the Project whether spacecraft, payload, launch vehicle, or ground data system to ensure that the mission would nevertheless be an unqualified success. The Small Explorer (SMEX) program's ground data system (GDS) team developed risk mitigation techniques to achieve these goals starting in 1989. These techniques have evolved through the SMEX series of missions and are practiced today under the Triana program. These techniques are: (1) Mission Team Organization--empowerment of a closeknit ground data system team comprising system engineering, software engineering, testing, and flight operations personnel; (2) Common Spacecraft Test and Operational Control System--utilization of the pre-launch spacecraft integration system as the post-launch ground data system on-orbit command and control system; (3) Utilization of operations personnel in pre-launch testing--making the flight operations team an integrated member of the spacecraft testing activities at the beginning of the spacecraft fabrication phase; (4) Consolidated Test Team--combined system, mission readiness and operations testing to optimize test opportunities with the ground system and spacecraft; and (5). Reuse of Spacecraft, Systems and People--reuse of people, software and on-orbit spacecraft throughout the SMEX mission series. The SMEX ground system development approach for faster, cheaper, better missions has been very successful. This paper will discuss these risk management techniques in the areas of ground data system design, implementation, test, and operational readiness.

Flight Planning Branch NASA Co-op Tour

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marr, Aja M.

2013-01-01

This semester I worked with the Flight Planning Branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center. I learned about the different aspects of flight planning for the International Space Station as well as the software that is used internally and ISSLive! which is used to help educate the public on the space program. I had the opportunity to do on the job training in the Mission Control Center with the planning team. I transferred old timeline records from the planning team's old software to the new software in order to preserve the data for the future when the software is retired. I learned about the operations of the International Space Station, the importance of good communication between the different parts of the planning team, and enrolled in professional development classes as well as technical classes to learn about the space station.

Remote Infrared Imaging of the Space Shuttle During Hypersonic Flight: HYTHIRM Mission Operations and Coordination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, Richard J.; McCrea, Andrew C.; Gruber, Jennifer R.; Hensley, Doyle W.; Verstynen, Harry A.; Oram, Timothy D.; Berger, Karen T.; Splinter, Scott C.; Horvath, Thomas J.; Kerns, Robert V.

2011-01-01

The Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements (HYTHIRM) project has been responsible for obtaining spatially resolved, scientifically calibrated in-flight thermal imagery of the Space Shuttle Orbiter during reentry. Starting with STS-119 in March of 2009 and continuing through to the majority of final flights of the Space Shuttle, the HYTHIRM team has to date deployed during seven Shuttle missions with a mix of airborne and ground based imaging platforms. Each deployment of the HYTHIRM team has resulted in obtaining imagery suitable for processing and comparison with computational models and wind tunnel data at Mach numbers ranging from over 18 to under Mach 5. This paper will discuss the detailed mission planning and coordination with the NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center that the HYTHIRM team undergoes to prepare for and execute each mission.

NASA Space Life Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayes, Judith

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the requirements that NASA has for the medical service of a crew returning to earth after long duration space flight. The scenarios predicate a water landing. Two scenarios are reviewed that outline the ship-board medical operations team and the ship board science reseach team. A schedule for the each crew upon landing is posited for each of scenarios. The requirement for a heliport on board the ship is reviewed and is on the requirement for a helicopter to return the Astronauts to the Baseline Data Collection Facility (BDCF). The ideal is to integrate the medical and science requirements, to minimize the risks and Inconveniences to the returning astronauts. The medical support that is required for all astronauts returning from long duration space flight (30 days or more) is reviewed. The personnel required to support the team is outlined. The recommendations for medical operations and science research for crew support are stated.

Lewis Wooten, manager of the Mission Operations Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-20

LEWIS WOOTEN MANAGES THE MISSION OPERATIONS LABORATORY. MORE THAN 1600 INVESTIGATIONS AND STUDENT EXPERIMENTS FOR OVER 80 COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITH THE HELP OF WOOTEN'S TEAM AT NASA'S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA.

Review of Issues Associated with Safe Operation and Management of the Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnstone, Paul M.; Blomberg, Richard D.; Gleghorn, George J.; Krone, Norris J.; Voltz, Richard A.; Dunn, Robert F.; Donlan, Charles J.; Kauderer, Bernard M.; Brill, Yvonne C.; Englar, Kenneth G.;

HiSentinel: A Stratospheric Airship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, I.; Lew, T.; Perry, W.; Smith, M.

On December 4 2005 a team led by Southwest Research Institute SwRI successfully demonstrated powered flight of the HiSentinel stratospheric airship at an altitude of 74 000 feet The development team of Aerostar International the Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL and SwRI launched the airship from Roswell N M for a five-hour technology demonstration flight The 146-foot-long airship carried a 60-pound equipment pod and propulsion system when it became only the second airship in history to achieve powered flight in the stratosphere Designed for launch from remote sites these airships do not require large hangars or special facilities Unlike most stratospheric airship concepts HiSentinel is launched flaccid with the hull only partially inflated with helium As the airship rises the helium expands until it completely inflates the hull to the rigid aerodynamic shape required for operation A description of previous Team development results of the test flight plans for future development and applicability to future science missions will be presented

X-33 Reusable Launch Vehicle Demonstrator, Spaceport and Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Letchworth, Gary F.

2011-01-01

The X-33 was a suborbital reusable spaceplane demonstrator, in development from 1996 to early 2001. The intent of the demonstrator was to lower the risk of building and operating a full-scale reusable vehicle fleet. Reusable spaceplanes offered the potential to lower the cost of access to space by an order of magnitude, compared with conventional expendable launch vehicles. Although a cryogenic tank failure during testing ultimately led to the end of the effort, the X-33 team celebrated many successes during the development. This paper summarizes some of the accomplishments and milestones of this X-vehicle program, from the perspective of an engineer who was a member of the team throughout the development. X-33 Program accomplishments include rapid, flight hardware design, subsystem testing and fabrication, aerospike engine development and testing, Flight Operations Center and Operations Control Center ground systems design and construction, rapid Environmental Impact Statement NEPA process approval, Range development and flight plan approval for test flights, and full-scale system concept design and refinement. Lessons from the X-33 Program may have potential application to new RLV and other aerospace systems being developed a decade later.

Flight Dynamics Performances of the MetOp A Satellite during the First Months of Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Righetti, Pier Luigi; Meixner, Hilda; Sancho, Francisco; Damiano, Antimo; Lazaro, David

2007-01-01

The 19th of October 2006 at 16:28 UTC the first MetOp satellite (MetOp A) was successfully launched from the Baykonur cosmodrome by a Soyuz/Fregat launcher. After only three days of LEOP operations, performed by ESOC, the satellite was handed over to EUMETSAT, who is since then taking care of all satellite operations. MetOp A is the first European operational satellite for meteorology flying in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), all previous satellites operated by EUMETSAT, belonging to the METEOSAT family, being located in the Geo-stationary orbit. To ensure safe operations for a LEO satellite accurate and continuous commanding from ground of the on-board AOCS is required. That makes the operational transition at the end of the LEOP quite challenging, as the continuity of the Flight Dynamics operations is to be maintained. That means that the main functions of the Flight Dynamics have to be fully validated on-flight during the LEOP, before taking over the operational responsibility on the spacecraft, and continuously monitored during the entire mission. Due to the nature of a meteorological operational mission, very stringent requirements in terms of overall service availability (99 % of the collected data), timeliness of processing of the observation data (3 hours after sensing) and accuracy of the geo-location of the meteorological products (1 km) are to be fulfilled. That translates in tight requirements imposed to the Flight Dynamics facility (FDF) in terms of accuracy, timeliness and availability of the generated orbit and clock solutions; a detailed monitoring of the quality of these products is thus mandatory. Besides, being the accuracy of the image geo-location strongly related with the pointing performance of the platform and with the on-board timing stability, monitoring from ground of the behaviour of the on-board sensors and clock is needed. This paper presents an overview of the Flight Dynamics operations performed during the different phases of the MetOp A mission up to routine. The activities performed to validate all the Flight Dynamics functions, characterize the behaviour of the satellite and monitor the performances of the Flight Dynamics facility will be highlighted. The MetOp Flight Dynamics Operations team is led by Anders Meier Soerensen and composed by Pier Luigi Righetti, Francisco Sancho, Antimo Damiano and David Lazaro. The team is supported by Hilda Meixner, responsible for all Flight Dynamics validation activities.

Managing human error in aviation.

PubMed

Helmreich, R L

1997-05-01

Crew resource management (CRM) programs were developed to address team and leadership aspects of piloting modern airplanes. The goal is to reduce errors through team work. Human factors research and social, cognitive, and organizational psychology are used to develop programs tailored for individual airlines. Flight crews study accident case histories, group dynamics, and human error. Simulators provide pilots with the opportunity to solve complex flight problems. CRM in the simulator is called line-oriented flight training (LOFT). In automated cockpits CRM promotes the idea of automation as a crew member. Cultural aspects of aviation include professional, business, and national culture. The aviation CRM model has been adapted for training surgeons and operating room staff in human factors.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-04

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Due to loss of data used for pointing and operating the ultraviolet telescopes, MSFC ground teams were forced to aim the telescopes with fine tuning by the flight crew. This photo captures the activity of WUPPE (Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment) data review at the Science Operations Area during the mission. This image shows mission activities at the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) Work Station in the Science Operations Area (SOA).

NASA Flight Planning Branch Space Shuttle Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clevenger, Jennifer D.; Bristol, Douglas J.; Whitney, Gregory R.; Blanton, Mark R.; Reynolds, F. Fisher, III

2011-01-01

Planning products and procedures that allowed the mission Flight Control Teams and the Astronaut crews to plan, train and fly every Space Shuttle mission were developed by the Flight Planning Branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. As the Space Shuttle Program came to a close, lessons learned were collected from each phase of the successful execution of these Space Shuttle missions. Specific examples of how roles and responsibilities of console positions that develop the crew and vehicle attitude timelines have been analyzed and will be discussed. Additionally, the relationships and procedural hurdles experienced through international collaboration have molded operations. These facets will be explored and related to current and future operations with the International Space Station and future vehicles. Along with these important aspects, the evolution of technology and continual improvement of data transfer tools between the Space Shuttle and ground team has also defined specific lessons used in improving the control team s effectiveness. Methodologies to communicate and transmit messages, images, and files from the Mission Control Center to the Orbiter evolved over several years. These lessons were vital in shaping the effectiveness of safe and successful mission planning and have been applied to current mission planning work in addition to being incorporated into future space flight planning. The critical lessons from all aspects of previous plan, train, and fly phases of Space Shuttle flight missions are not only documented in this paper, but are also discussed regarding how they pertain to changes in process and consideration for future space flight planning.

Flight Planning Branch Space Shuttle Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, Jennifer B.; Scott, Tracy A.; Hyde, Crystal M.

2011-01-01

Planning products and procedures that allow the mission flight control teams and the astronaut crews to plan, train and fly every Space Shuttle mission have been developed by the Flight Planning Branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center. As the Space Shuttle Program ends, lessons learned have been collected from each phase of the successful execution of these Shuttle missions. Specific examples of how roles and responsibilities of console positions that develop the crew and vehicle attitude timelines will be discussed, as well as techniques and methods used to solve complex spacecraft and instrument orientation problems. Additionally, the relationships and procedural hurdles experienced through international collaboration have molded operations. These facets will be explored and related to current and future operations with the International Space Station and future vehicles. Along with these important aspects, the evolution of technology and continual improvement of data transfer tools between the shuttle and ground team has also defined specific lessons used in the improving the control teams effectiveness. Methodologies to communicate and transmit messages, images, and files from Mission Control to the Orbiter evolved over several years. These lessons have been vital in shaping the effectiveness of safe and successful mission planning that have been applied to current mission planning work in addition to being incorporated into future space flight planning. The critical lessons from all aspects of previous plan, train, and fly phases of shuttle flight missions are not only documented in this paper, but are also discussed as how they pertain to changes in process and consideration for future space flight planning.

Intelligent resources for satellite ground control operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Patricia M.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a cooperative approach to the design of intelligent automation and describes the Mission Operations Cooperative Assistant for NASA Goddard flight operations. The cooperative problem solving approach is being explored currently in the context of providing support for human operator teams and also in the definition of future advanced automation in ground control systems.

78 FR 14912 - International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program Change

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-08

...; and Public Expectations of IASA Categories Removal of Inactive Countries Under the IASA program, the... can put a U.S. carrier code on its flights. Public Expectations of IASA Category Ratings Members of... by a team consisting of a team leader and at least one expert in operations, maintenance, and...

The AMADEE-15 Mars simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groemer, Gernot; Losiak, Anna; Soucek, Alexander; Plank, Clemens; Zanardini, Laura; Sejkora, Nina; Sams, Sebastian

2016-12-01

We report on the AMADEE-15 mission, a 12-day Mars analog field test at the Kaunertal Glacier in Austria. Eleven experiments were conducted by a field crew at the test site under simulated martian surface exploration conditions and coordinated by a Mission Support Center in Innsbruck, Austria. The experiments' research fields encompassed geology, human factors, astrobiology, robotics, tele-science, exploration, and operations research. A Remote Science Support team analyzed field data in near real time, providing planning input for a flight control team to manage a complex system of field assets in a realistic work flow, including: two advanced space suit simulators; and four robotic and aerial vehicles. Field operations were supported by a dedicated flight planning group, an external control center tele-operating the PULI-rover, and a medical team. A 10-min satellite communication delay and other limitations pertinent to human planetary surface activities were introduced. This paper provides an overview of the geological context and environmental conditions of the test site and the mission architecture, with a focus on the mission's communication infrastructure. We report on the operational workflows and the experiments conducted, as well as a novel approach of measuring mission success through the introduction of general analog mission transferrable performance indicators.

Space Technology 5: Changing the Mission Design without Changing the Hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlisle, Candace C.; Webb, Evan H.; Slavin, James A.

2005-01-01

The Space Technology 5 (ST-5) Project is part of NASA's New Millennium Program. The validation objectives are to demonstrate the research-quality science capability of the ST-5 spacecraft; to operate the three spacecraft as a constellation; and to design, develop, test and flight-validate three capable micro-satellites with new technologies. A three-month flight demonstration phase is planned, beginning in March 2006. This year, the mission was re-planned for a Pegasus XL dedicated launch into an elliptical polar orbit (instead of the Originally-planned Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.) The re-plan allows the mission to achieve the same high-level technology validation objectives with a different launch vehicle. The new mission design involves a revised science validation strategy, a new orbit and different communication strategy, while minimizing changes to the ST-5 spacecraft itself. The constellation operations concepts have also been refined. While the system engineers, orbit analysts, and operations teams were re-planning the mission, the implementation team continued to make progress on the flight hardware. Most components have been delivered, and the first spacecraft is well into integration and test.

Intelligent Command and Control Systems for Satellite Ground Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Christine M.

1999-01-01

This grant, Intelligent Command and Control Systems for Satellite Ground Operations, funded by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, has spanned almost a decade. During this time, it has supported a broad range of research addressing the changing needs of NASA operations. It is important to note that many of NASA's evolving needs, for example, use of automation to drastically reduce (e.g., 70%) operations costs, are similar requirements in both government and private sectors. Initially the research addressed the appropriate use of emerging and inexpensive computational technologies, such as X Windows, graphics, and color, together with COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) hardware and software such as standard Unix workstations to re-engineer satellite operations centers. The first phase of research supported by this grant explored the development of principled design methodologies to make effective use of emerging and inexpensive technologies. The ultimate performance measures for new designs were whether or not they increased system effectiveness while decreasing costs. GT-MOCA (The Georgia Tech Mission Operations Cooperative Associate) and GT-VITA (Georgia Tech Visual and Inspectable Tutor and Assistant), whose latter stages were supported by this research, explored model-based design of collaborative operations teams and the design of intelligent tutoring systems, respectively. Implemented in proof-of-concept form for satellite operations, empirical evaluations of both, using satellite operators for the former and personnel involved in satellite control operations for the latter, demonstrated unequivocally the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed modeling and design strategy underlying both research efforts. The proof-of-concept implementation of GT-MOCA showed that the methodology could specify software requirements that enabled a human-computer operations team to perform without any significant performance differences from the standard two-person satellite operations team. GT-VITA, using the same underlying methodology, the operator function model (OFM), and its computational implementation, OFMspert, successfully taught satellite control knowledge required by flight operations team members. The tutor structured knowledge in three ways: declarative knowledge (e.g., What is this? What does it do?), procedural knowledge, and operational skill. Operational skill is essential in real-time operations. It combines the two former knowledge types, assisting a student to use them effectively in a dynamic, multi-tasking, real-time operations environment. A high-fidelity simulator of the operator interface to the ground control system, including an almost full replication of both the human-computer interface and human interaction with the dynamic system, was used in the GT-MOCA and GT-VITA evaluations. The GT-VITA empirical evaluation, conducted with a range of'novices' that included GSFC operations management, GSFC operations software developers, and new flight operations team members, demonstrated that GT-VITA effectively taught a wide range of knowledge in a succinct and engaging manner.

Imagery Integration Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calhoun, Tracy; Melendrez, Dave

2014-01-01

The Human Exploration Science Office (KX) provides leadership for NASA's Imagery Integration (Integration 2) Team, an affiliation of experts in the use of engineering-class imagery intended to monitor the performance of launch vehicles and crewed spacecraft in flight. Typical engineering imagery assessments include studying and characterizing the liftoff and ascent debris environments; launch vehicle and propulsion element performance; in-flight activities; and entry, landing, and recovery operations. Integration 2 support has been provided not only for U.S. Government spaceflight (e.g., Space Shuttle, Ares I-X) but also for commercial launch providers, such as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and Orbital Sciences Corporation, servicing the International Space Station. The NASA Integration 2 Team is composed of imagery integration specialists from JSC, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), who have access to a vast pool of experience and capabilities related to program integration, deployment and management of imagery assets, imagery data management, and photogrammetric analysis. The Integration 2 team is currently providing integration services to commercial demonstration flights, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), and the Space Launch System (SLS)-based Exploration Missions (EM)-1 and EM-2. EM-2 will be the first attempt to fly a piloted mission with the Orion spacecraft. The Integration 2 Team provides the customer (both commercial and Government) with access to a wide array of imagery options - ground-based, airborne, seaborne, or vehicle-based - that are available through the Government and commercial vendors. The team guides the customer in assembling the appropriate complement of imagery acquisition assets at the customer's facilities, minimizing costs associated with market research and the risk of purchasing inadequate assets. The NASA Integration 2 capability simplifies the process of securing one-of-a-kind imagery assets and skill sets, such as ground-based fixed and tracking cameras, crew-in the-loop imaging applications, and the integration of custom or commercial-off-the-shelf sensors onboard spacecraft. For spaceflight applications, the Integration 2 Team leverages modeling, analytical, and scientific resources along with decades of experience and lessons learned to assist the customer in optimizing engineering imagery acquisition and management schemes for any phase of flight - launch, ascent, on-orbit, descent, and landing. The Integration 2 Team guides the customer in using NASA's world-class imagery analysis teams, which specialize in overcoming inherent challenges associated with spaceflight imagery sets. Precision motion tracking, two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry, image stabilization, 3D modeling of imagery data, lighting assessment, and vehicle fiducial marking assessments are available. During a mission or test, the Integration 2 Team provides oversight of imagery operations to verify fulfillment of imagery requirements. The team oversees the collection, screening, and analysis of imagery to build a set of imagery findings. It integrates and corroborates the imagery findings with other mission data sets, generating executive summaries to support time-critical mission decisions.

The critical care air transport program.

PubMed

Beninati, William; Meyer, Michael T; Carter, Todd E

2008-07-01

The critical care air transport team program is a component of the U.S. Air Force Aeromedical Evacuation system. A critical care air transport team consists of a critical care physician, critical care nurse, and respiratory therapist along with the supplies and equipment to operate a portable intensive care unit within a cargo aircraft. This capability was developed to support rapidly mobile surgical teams with high capability for damage control resuscitation and limited capacity for postresuscitation care. The critical care air transport team permits rapid evacuation of stabilizing casualties to a higher level of care. The aeromedical environment presents important challenges for the delivery of critical care. All equipment must be tested for safety and effectiveness in this environment before use in flight. The team members must integrate the current standards of care with the limitation imposed by stresses of flight on their patient. The critical care air transport team capability has been used successfully in a range of settings from transport within the United States, to disaster response, to support of casualties in combat.

Developing a corss-project support system during mission operations: Deep Space 1 extended mission flight control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarffe, V. A.

2002-01-01

NASA is focusing on small, low-cost spacecraft for both planetary and earth science missions. Deep Space 1 (DS1) was the first mission to be launched by the NMP. The New Millennium Project (NMP) is designed to develop and test new technology that can be used on future science missions with lower cost and risk. The NMP is finding ways to reduce cost not only in development, but also in operations. DS 1 was approved for an extended mission, but the budget was not large, so the project began looking into part time team members shared with other projects. DS1 launched on October 24, 1998, in it's primary mission it successfully tested twelve new technologies. The extended mission started September 18, 1999 and ran through the encounter with Comet Borrelly on September 22,2001. The Flight Control Team (FCT) was one team that needed to use part time or multi mission people. Circumstances led to a situation where for the few months before the Borrelly encounter in September of 2001 DSl had no certified full time Flight Control Engineers also known as Aces. This paper examines how DS 1 utilized cross-project support including the communication between different projects, and the how the tools used by the Flight Control Engineer fit into cross-project support.

Computer Software Configuration Item-Specific Flight Software Image Transfer Script Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolen, Kenny; Greenlaw, Ronald

2010-01-01

A K-shell UNIX script enables the International Space Station (ISS) Flight Control Team (FCT) operators in NASA s Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston to transfer an entire or partial computer software configuration item (CSCI) from a flight software compact disk (CD) to the onboard Portable Computer System (PCS). The tool is designed to read the content stored on a flight software CD and generate individual CSCI transfer scripts that are capable of transferring the flight software content in a given subdirectory on the CD to the scratch directory on the PCS. The flight control team can then transfer the flight software from the PCS scratch directory to the Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) of an ISS Multiplexer/ Demultiplexer (MDM) via the Indirect File Transfer capability. The individual CSCI scripts and the CSCI Specific Flight Software Image Transfer Script Generator (CFITSG), when executed a second time, will remove all components from their original execution. The tool will identify errors in the transfer process and create logs of the transferred software for the purposes of configuration management.

Deep Impact comet encounter: design, development, and operations of the Big Event at Tempel 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wissler, Steven

2005-01-01

Deep Impact is NASA's eighth Discovery mission. This low-cost, focused planetary science investigation gathered the data necessary to help scientists unlock early secrets of our solar system. The comet encounter with Tempel 1 was a complex event - requiring extremely accurate timing, robutstness to an unknown environment, and flight team adaptability. The mission operations and flight systems performance were spectacular for approach, impact, and lookback imaging on July 4, 2005.

Deep Impact comet encounter: design, development, and operations of the big event at Tempel 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wissler, Steven; Rocca, Jennifer; Kubitschek, Daniel

2005-01-01

Deep Impact is NASA's eighth Discovery mission. This low-cost, focused planetary science investigation gathered the data necessary to help scientists unlock early secrets of our solar system. The comet encounter with Tempel 1 was a complex event - requiring extremely accurate timing, robustness to an unknown environment, and flight team adaptibility. The mission operations and flight systems performance were spectacular for approach, impact, and lookback imaging on July 4, 2005.

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-8 mission flight experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noonan, C. H.; Mcintosh, R. J.; Rowe, J. N.; Defazio, R. L.; Galal, K. F.

1995-01-01

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-8 spacecraft was launched on April 13, 1994, at 06:04:02 coordinated universal time (UTC), with separation from the Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle occurring at 06:33:05 UTC. The launch was followed by a series of complex, intense operations to maneuver the spacecraft into its geosynchronous mission orbit. The Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) was responsible for GOES-8 attitude, orbit maneuver, orbit determination, and station acquisition support during the ascent phase. This paper summarizes the efforts of the FDF support teams and highlights some of the unique challenges the launch team faced during critical GOES-8 mission support. FDF operations experience discussed includes: (1) The abort of apogee maneuver firing-1 (AMF-1), cancellation of AMF-3, and the subsequent replans of the maneuver profile; (2) The unexpectedly large temperature dependence of the digital integrating rate assembly (DIRA) and its effect on GOES-8 attitude targeting in support of perigee raising maneuvers; (3) The significant effect of attitude control thrusting on GOES-8 orbit determination solutions; (4) Adjustment of the trim tab to minimize torque due to solar radiation pressure; and (5) Postlaunch analysis performed to estimate the GOES-8 separation attitude. The paper also discusses some key FDF GOES-8 lessons learned to be considered for the GOES-J launch which is currently scheduled for May 19, 1995.

Rover Family Photo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Members of the Mars Exploration Rovers Assembly, Test and Launch Operations team gather around Rover 2 and its predecessor, a flight spare of the Pathfinder mission's Sojourner rover, named Marie Curie.

Rover Family Photo

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-26

Members of the Mars Exploration Rovers Assembly, Test and Launch Operations team gather around NASA Rover 2 and its predecessor, a flight spare of the Pathfinder mission Sojourner rover, named Marie Curie.

Mission Operations Planning and Scheduling System (MOPSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Terri; Hempel, Paul

2011-01-01

MOPSS is a generic framework that can be configured on the fly to support a wide range of planning and scheduling applications. It is currently used to support seven missions at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in roles that include science planning, mission planning, and real-time control. Prior to MOPSS, each spacecraft project built its own planning and scheduling capability to plan satellite activities and communications and to create the commands to be uplinked to the spacecraft. This approach required creating a data repository for storing planning and scheduling information, building user interfaces to display data, generating needed scheduling algorithms, and implementing customized external interfaces. Complex scheduling problems that involved reacting to multiple variable situations were analyzed manually. Operators then used the results to add commands to the schedule. Each architecture was unique to specific satellite requirements. MOPSS is an expert system that automates mission operations and frees the flight operations team to concentrate on critical activities. It is easily reconfigured by the flight operations team as the mission evolves. The heart of the system is a custom object-oriented data layer mapped onto an Oracle relational database. The combination of these two technologies allows a user or system engineer to capture any type of scheduling or planning data in the system's generic data storage via a GUI.

Identifying and training non-technical skills for teams in acute medicine

PubMed Central

Flin, R; Maran, N

2004-01-01

The aviation domain provides a better analogy for the "temporary" teams that are found in acute medical specialities than industrial or military teamwork research based on established teams. Crew resource management (CRM) training, which emphasises portable skills (for whatever crew a pilot is rostered to on a given flight), has been recognised to have potential application in medicine, especially for teams in the operating theatre, intensive care unit, and emergency room. Drawing on research from aviation psychology that produced the behavioural marker system NOTECHS for rating European pilots' non-technical skills for teamwork on the flightdeck, this paper outlines the Anaesthetists Non-Technical Skills behavioural rating system for anaesthetists working in operating theatre teams. This taxonomy was used as the design basis for a training course, Crisis Avoidance Resource Management for Anaesthetists used to develop these skills, based in an operating theatre simulator. Further developments of this training programme for teams in emergency medicine are outlined. PMID:15465960

Integrated Clinical Training for Space Flight Using a High-Fidelity Patient Simulator in a Simulated Microgravity Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurst, Victor; Doerr, Harold K.; Polk, J. D.; Schmid, Josef; Parazynksi, Scott; Kelly, Scott

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use of telemedicine in a simulated microgravity environment using a patient simulator. For decades, telemedicine techniques have been used in terrestrial environments by many cohorts with varied clinical experience. The success of these techniques has been recently expanded to include microgravity environments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In order to investigate how an astronaut crew medical officer will execute medical tasks in a microgravity environment, while being remotely guided by a flight surgeon, the Medical Operation Support Team (MOST) used the simulated microgravity environment provided aboard DC-9 aircraft teams of crew medical officers, and remote flight surgeons performed several tasks on a patient simulator.

Origin of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-04-15

Twelve scientific specialists of the Peenemuende team at the front of Building 4488, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. They led the Army's space efforts at ABMA before transfer of the team to National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). (Left to right) Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, Director, Research Projects Office; Dr. Helmut Hoelzer, Director, Computation Laboratory: Karl L. Heimburg, Director, Test Laboratory; Dr. Ernst Geissler, Director, Aeroballistics Laboratory; Erich W. Neubert, Director, Systems Analysis Reliability Laboratory; Dr. Walter Haeussermarn, Director, Guidance and Control Laboratory; Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director Development Operations Division; William A. Mrazek, Director, Structures and Mechanics Laboratory; Hans Hueter, Director, System Support Equipment Laboratory;Eberhard Rees, Deputy Director, Development Operations Division; Dr. Kurt Debus, Director Missile Firing Laboratory; Hans H. Maus, Director, Fabrication and Assembly Engineering Laboratory

Assessment team report on flight-critical systems research at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siewiorek, Daniel P. (Compiler); Dunham, Janet R. (Compiler)

1989-01-01

The quality, coverage, and distribution of effort of the flight-critical systems research program at NASA Langley Research Center was assessed. Within the scope of the Assessment Team's review, the research program was found to be very sound. All tasks under the current research program were at least partially addressing the industry needs. General recommendations made were to expand the program resources to provide additional coverage of high priority industry needs, including operations and maintenance, and to focus the program on an actual hardware and software system that is under development.

Extensible Adaptable Simulation Systems: Supporting Multiple Fidelity Simulations in a Common Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McLaughlin, Brian J.; Barrett, Larry K.

2012-01-01

Common practice in the development of simulation systems is meeting all user requirements within a single instantiation. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) presents a unique challenge to establish a simulation environment that meets the needs of a diverse user community while also spanning a multi-mission environment over decades of operation. In response, the JPSS Flight Vehicle Test Suite (FVTS) is architected with an extensible infrastructure that supports the operation of multiple observatory simulations for a single mission and multiple mission within a common system perimeter. For the JPSS-1 satellite, multiple fidelity flight observatory simulations are necessary to support the distinct user communities consisting of the Common Ground System development team, the Common Ground System Integration & Test team, and the Mission Rehearsal Team/Mission Operations Team. These key requirements present several challenges to FVTS development. First, the FVTS must ensure all critical user requirements are satisfied by at least one fidelity instance of the observatory simulation. Second, the FVTS must allow for tailoring of the system instances to function in diverse operational environments from the High-security operations environment at NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) to the ground system factory floor. Finally, the FVTS must provide the ability to execute sustaining engineering activities on a subset of the system without impacting system availability to parallel users. The FVTS approach of allowing for multiple fidelity copies of observatory simulations represents a unique concept in simulator capability development and corresponds to the JPSS Ground System goals of establishing a capability that is flexible, extensible, and adaptable.

Revisiting Training and Verification Process Implementation for Risk Reduction on New Missions at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Larry W.; Fragoso, Ruth S.

2007-01-01

In 2003 we proposed an effort to develop a core program of standardized training and verification practices and standards against which the implementation of these practices could be measured. The purpose was to provide another means of risk reduction for deep space missions to preclude the likelihood of a repeat of the tragedies of the 1998 Mars missions. We identified six areas where the application of standards and standardization would benefit the overall readiness process for flight projects at JPL. These are Individual Training, Team Training, Interface and Procedure Development, Personnel Certification, Interface and procedure Verification, and Operations Readiness Testing. In this paper we will discuss the progress that has been made in the tasks of developing the proposed infrastructure in each of these areas. Specifically we will address the Position Training and Certification Standards that are now available for each operational position found on our Flight Operations Teams (FOT). We will also discuss the MGSS Baseline Flight Operations Team Training Plan which can be tailored for each new flight project at JPL. As these tasks have been progressing, the climate and emphasis for Training and for V and V at JPL has changed, and we have learned about the expansion, growth, and limitations in the roles of traditional positions at JPL such as the Project's Training Engineer, V and V Engineer, and Operations Engineer. The need to keep a tight rein on budgets has led to a merging and/or reduction in these positions which pose challenges to individual capacities and capabilities. We examine the evolution of these processes and the roles involved while taking a look at the impact or potential impact of our proposed training related infrastructure tasks. As we conclude our examination of the changes taking place for new flight projects, we see that the importance of proceeding with our proposed tasks and adapting them to the changing climate remains an important element in reducing the risk in the challenging business of space exploration.

Lessons Learned on Operating and Preparing Operations for a Technology Mission from the Perspective of the Earth Observing-1 Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandl, Dan; Howard, Joseph

2000-01-01

The New Millennium Program's first Earth-observing mission (EO-1) is a technology validation mission. It is managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and is scheduled for launch in the summer of 2000. The purpose of this mission is to flight-validate revolutionary technologies that will contribute to the reduction of cost and increase of capabilities for future land imaging missions. In the EO-1 mission, there are five instrument, five spacecraft, and three supporting technologies to flight-validate during a year of operations. EO-1 operations and the accompanying ground system were intended to be simple in order to maintain low operational costs. For purposes of formulating operations, it was initially modeled as a small science mission. However, it quickly evolved into a more complex mission due to the difficulties in effectively integrating all of the validation plans of the individual technologies. As a consequence, more operational support was required to confidently complete the on-orbit validation of the new technologies. This paper will outline the issues and lessons learned applicable to future technology validation missions. Examples of some of these include the following: (1) operational complexity encountered in integrating all of the validation plans into a coherent operational plan, (2) initial desire to run single shift operations subsequently growing to 6 "around-the-clock" operations, (3) managing changes in the technologies that ultimately affected operations, (4) necessity for better team communications within the project to offset the effects of change on the Ground System Developers, Operations Engineers, Integration and Test Engineers, S/C Subsystem Engineers, and Scientists, and (5) the need for a more experienced Flight Operations Team to achieve the necessary operational flexibility. The discussion will conclude by providing several cost comparisons for developing operations from previous missions to EO-1 and discuss some details that might be done differently for future technology validation missions.

A Human-Autonomy Teaming Approach for a Flight-Following Task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandt, Summer L.; Lachter, Joel; Russell, Ricky; Shively, R. Jay

2017-01-01

Human involvement with increasingly autonomous systems must adjust to allow for a more dynamic relationship involving cooperation and teamwork. As part of an ongoing project to develop a framework for human autonomy teaming (HAT) in aviation, a study was conducted to evaluate proposed tenets of HAT. Participants performed a flight-following task at a ground station both with and without HAT features enabled. Overall, participants preferred the ground station with HAT features enabled over the station without the HAT features. Participants reported that the HAT displays and automation were preferred for keeping up with operationally important issues. Additionally, participants reported that the HAT displays and automation provided enough situation awareness to complete the task, reduced the necessary workload and were efficient. Overall, there was general agreement that HAT features supported teaming with the automation. These results will be used to refine and expand our proposed framework for human-autonomy teaming.

Crew Selection and Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helmreich, Robert L.

1996-01-01

This research addressed a number of issues relevant to the performance of teams in demanding environments. Initial work, conducted in the aviation analog environment, focused on developing new measures of performance related attitudes and behaviors. The attitude measures were used to assess acceptance of concepts related to effective teamwork and personal capabilities under stress. The behavioral measures were used to evaluate the effectiveness of flight crews operating in commercial aviation. Assessment of team issues in aviation led further to the evaluation and development of training to enhance team performance. Much of the work addressed evaluation of the effectiveness of such training, which has become known as Crew Resource Management (CRM). A second line of investigation was into personality characteristics that predict performance in challenging environments such as aviation and space. A third line of investigation of team performance grew out of the study of flight crews in different organizations. This led to the development of a theoretical model of crew performance that included not only individual attributes such as personality and ability, but also organizational and national culture. A final line of investigation involved beginning to assess whether the methodologies and measures developed for the aviation analog could be applied to another domain -- the performance of medical teams working in the operating room.

KSC-2009-1800

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mike Curie (far left), with NASA Public Affairs, moderates the flight readiness review news conference for space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission. On the panel are (from left) Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon and Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. During a thorough review of Discovery's readiness for flight, NASA managers decided Feb. 20 more data and possible testing are required before proceeding to launch. Engineering teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. A new launch date has not been determined. NASA managers decided Feb. 20 more data and possible testing are required before proceeding to launch. Engineering teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. A new launch date has not been determined. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

Minimum Equipment Lists, Flight Rules and ... Past, Present and Future of Safety Pre-Determined Decisions for Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herd, A.; Wolff, M.

2012-01-01

Extended mission operations, such as human spaceflight to Mars provide an opportunity for take current human exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit, such as the operations undertaken on the International Space Station (ISS). This opportunity also presents a challenge in terms of extending what we currently understand as "remote operations" performed on ISS, offering learning beyond that gained from the successful moon- lander expeditions. As such there is a need to assess how the existing operations concept of ground support teams directing (and supporting) on-orbit ISS operations can be applied in the extended mission concept. The current mission support concept involves three interacting operations products - a short term plan, crew procedures and flight rules. Flight rules (for ISS operations) currently provide overall planning, engineering and operations constraints (including those derived from a safety perspective) in the form of a rule book. This paper will focus specifically on flight rules, and describe the current use of them, and assess the future role of flight rules to support exploration, including the deployment of decision support tools (DSTs) to ensure flight rule compliancy for missions with minimal ground support. Taking consideration of the historical development of pre-planned decisions, and their manifestation within the operations environment, combined with the extended remoteness of human exploration missions, we will propose a future development of this product and a platform on which it could be presented.

The MARS2013 Mars analog mission.

PubMed

Groemer, Gernot; Soucek, Alexander; Frischauf, Norbert; Stumptner, Willibald; Ragonig, Christoph; Sams, Sebastian; Bartenstein, Thomas; Häuplik-Meusburger, Sandra; Petrova, Polina; Evetts, Simon; Sivenesan, Chan; Bothe, Claudia; Boyd, Andrea; Dinkelaker, Aline; Dissertori, Markus; Fasching, David; Fischer, Monika; Föger, Daniel; Foresta, Luca; Fritsch, Lukas; Fuchs, Harald; Gautsch, Christoph; Gerard, Stephan; Goetzloff, Linda; Gołebiowska, Izabella; Gorur, Paavan; Groemer, Gerhard; Groll, Petra; Haider, Christian; Haider, Olivia; Hauth, Eva; Hauth, Stefan; Hettrich, Sebastian; Jais, Wolfgang; Jones, Natalie; Taj-Eddine, Kamal; Karl, Alexander; Kauerhoff, Tilo; Khan, Muhammad Shadab; Kjeldsen, Andreas; Klauck, Jan; Losiak, Anna; Luger, Markus; Luger, Thomas; Luger, Ulrich; McArthur, Jane; Moser, Linda; Neuner, Julia; Orgel, Csilla; Ori, Gian Gabriele; Paternesi, Roberta; Peschier, Jarno; Pfeil, Isabella; Prock, Silvia; Radinger, Josef; Ramirez, Barbara; Ramo, Wissam; Rampey, Mike; Sams, Arnold; Sams, Elisabeth; Sandu, Oana; Sans, Alejandra; Sansone, Petra; Scheer, Daniela; Schildhammer, Daniel; Scornet, Quentin; Sejkora, Nina; Stadler, Andrea; Stummer, Florian; Taraba, Michael; Tlustos, Reinhard; Toferer, Ernst; Turetschek, Thomas; Winter, Egon; Zanella-Kux, Katja

2014-05-01

We report on the MARS2013 mission, a 4-week Mars analog field test in the northern Sahara. Nineteen experiments were conducted by a field crew in Morocco under simulated martian surface exploration conditions, supervised by a Mission Support Center in Innsbruck, Austria. A Remote Science Support team analyzed field data in near real time, providing planning input for the management of a complex system of field assets; two advanced space suit simulators, four robotic vehicles, an emergency shelter, and a stationary sensor platform in a realistic work flow were coordinated by a Flight Control Team. A dedicated flight planning group, external control centers for rover tele-operations, and a biomedical monitoring team supported the field operations. A 10 min satellite communication delay and other limitations pertinent to human planetary surface activities were introduced. The fields of research for the experiments were geology, human factors, astrobiology, robotics, tele-science, exploration, and operations research. This paper provides an overview of the geological context and environmental conditions of the test site and the mission architecture, in particular the communication infrastructure emulating the signal travel time between Earth and Mars. We report on the operational work flows and the experiments conducted, including a deployable shelter prototype for multiple-day extravehicular activities and contingency situations.

Solar Dynamics Observatory On-Orbit Jitter Testing, Analysis, and Mitigation Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Kuo-Chia; Blaurock, Carl A.; Bourkland, Kristin L.; Morgenstern, Wendy M.; Maghami, Peiman G.

2011-01-01

The recently launched Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has two science instruments onboard that required sub-arcsecond pointing stability. Significant effort has been spent pre-launch to characterize the disturbances sources and validating jitter level at the component, sub-assembly, and spacecraft levels. However, an end-to-end jitter test emulating the flight condition was not performed on the ground due to cost and risk concerns. As a result, the true jitter level experienced on orbit remained uncertain prior to launch. Based on the pre-launch analysis, several operational constraints were placed on the observatory aimed to minimize the instrument jitter levels. If the actual jitter is below the analysis predictions, these operational constraints can be relaxed to reduce the burden of the flight operations team. The SDO team designed a three-day jitter test, utilizing the instrument sensors to measure pointing jitter up to 256 Hz. The test results were compared to pre-launch analysis predictions, used to determine which operational constraints can be relaxed, and analyzed for setting the jitter mitigation strategies for future SDO operations.

Satellite Ground Operations Automation: Lessons Learned and Future Approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Catena, John; Frank, Lou; Saylor, Rick; Weikel, Craig; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Reducing spacecraft ground system operations costs is a major goal in all missions. The Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) flight operations team at the NASA/Goddard Spacecraft Flight Center developed in-house scripts and procedures to automate monitoring of critical spacecraft functions. The initial staffing profile of 16x7 was reduced first to 8x5 and then to 'lights out'. Operations functions became an offline review of system performance and the generation of future science plans for subsequent upload to the spacecraft. Lessons learned will be applied to the challenging Triana mission, where 24x7 contact with the spacecraft will be necessary at all times.

KSC technicians on team to modify X-34

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The modified X-34, known as A-1A, rests in the background of the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., while an integrated team of KSC, Dryden Flight Research Center and Orbital Sciences Corporation engineers and technicians bring the X-34 A-1A vehicle closer to test flight readiness. Since September, eight NASA engineering technicians from KSC's Engineering Prototype Lab have assisted in the complex process of converting the X-34 A-1 vehicle from captive carry status to unpowered flight status, the A-1A. The X-34 is 58.3 feet long, 27.7 feet wide from wing tip to wing tip, and 11.5 feet tall from the bottom of the fuselage to the top of the tail. The autonomously operated technology demonstrator will be air- launched from an L-1011 airplane and should be capable of flying eight times the speed of sound, reaching an altitude of 250,000 feet. The X-34 Project is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Unobtrusive Monitoring of Spaceflight Team Functioning. Literature Review and Operational Assessment for NASA Behavioral Health and Performance Element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maidel, Veronica; Stanton, Jeffrey M.

2010-01-01

This document contains a literature review suggesting that research on industrial performance monitoring has limited value in assessing, understanding, and predicting team functioning in the context of space flight missions. The review indicates that a more relevant area of research explores the effectiveness of teams and how team effectiveness may be predicted through the elicitation of individual and team mental models. Note that the mental models referred to in this literature typically reflect a shared operational understanding of a mission setting such as the cockpit controls and navigational indicators on a flight deck. In principle, however, mental models also exist pertaining to the status of interpersonal relations on a team, collective beliefs about leadership, success in coordination, and other aspects of team behavior and cognition. Pursuing this idea, the second part of this document provides an overview of available off-the-shelf products that might assist in extraction of mental models and elicitation of emotions based on an analysis of communicative texts among mission personnel. The search for text analysis software or tools revealed no available tools to enable extraction of mental models automatically, relying only on collected communication text. Nonetheless, using existing software to analyze how a team is functioning may be relevant for selection or training, when human experts are immediately available to analyze and act on the findings. Alternatively, if output can be sent to the ground periodically and analyzed by experts on the ground, then these software packages might be employed during missions as well. A demonstration of two text analysis software applications is presented. Another possibility explored in this document is the option of collecting biometric and proxemic measures such as keystroke dynamics and interpersonal distance in order to expose various individual or dyadic states that may be indicators or predictors of certain elements of team functioning. This document summarizes interviews conducted with personnel currently involved in observing or monitoring astronauts or who are in charge of technology that allows communication and monitoring. The objective of these interviews was to elicit their perspectives on monitoring team performance during long-duration missions and the feasibility of potential automatic non-obtrusive monitoring systems. Finally, in the last section, the report describes several priority areas for research that can help transform team mental models, biometrics, and/or proxemics into workable systems for unobtrusive monitoring of space flight team effectiveness. Conclusions from this work suggest that unobtrusive monitoring of space flight personnel is likely to be a valuable future tool for assessing team functioning, but that several research gaps must be filled before prototype systems can be developed for this purpose.

Design and implementation of an inter-agency, multi-mission space flight operations network interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byrne, R.; Scharf, M.; Doan, D.; Liu, J.; Willems, A.

2004-01-01

An advanced network interface was designed and implemented by a team from the Jet Propulsion Lab with support from the European Space Operations Center. This poster shows the requirements for the interface, the design, the topology, the testing and lessons learned from the whole implementation.

Lessons Learned from Engineering a Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madden, Maureen; Cary, Everett, Jr.; Esposito, Timothy; Parker, Jeffrey; Bradley, David

2006-01-01

NASA's Small Explorers (SMEX) satellites have surpassed their designed science-lifetimes and their flight operations teams are now facing the challenge of continuing operations with reduced funding. At present, these missions are being reengineered into a fleet-oriented ground system at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). When completed, this ground system will provide command and control of four SMEX missions and will demonstrate fleet automation and control concepts. As a path-finder for future mission consolidation efforts, this ground system will also demonstrate new ground-based technologies that show promise of supporting longer mission lifecycles and simplifying component integration. One of the core technologies being demonstrated in the SMEiX Mission Operations Center is the GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) architecture. The GMSEC architecture uses commercial Message Oriented Middleware with a common messaging standard to realize a higher level of component interoperability, allowing for interchangeable components in ground systems. Moreover, automation technologies utilizing the GMSEC architecture are being evaluated and implemented to provide extended lights-out operations. This mode of operation will provide routine monitoring and control of the heterogeneous spacecraft fleet. The operational concepts being developed will reduce the need for staffed contacts and is seen as a necessity for fleet management. This paper will describe the experiences of the integration team throughout the reengineering effort of the SMEX ground system. Additionally, lessons learned will be presented based on the team s experiences with integrating multiple missions into a fleet-based automated ground system.

Lessons Learned from Engineering a Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madden, Maureen; Cary, Everett, Jr.; Esposito, Timothy; Parker, Jeffrey; Bradley, David

2006-01-01

NASA's Small Explorers (SMEX) satellites have surpassed their designed science-lifetimes and their flight operations teams are now facing the challenge of continuing operations with reduced funding. At present, these missions are being re-engineered into a fleet-oriented ground system at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). When completed, this ground system will provide command and control of four SMEX missions and will demonstrate fleet automation and control concepts. As a path-finder for future mission consolidation efforts, this ground system will also demonstrate new ground-based technologies that show promise of supporting longer mission lifecycles and simplifying component integration. One of the core technologies being demonstrated in the SMEX Mission Operations Center is the GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) architecture. The GMSEC architecture uses commercial Message Oriented Middleware with a common messaging standard to realize a higher level of component interoperability, allowing for interchangeable components in ground systems. Moreover, automation technologies utilizing the GMSEC architecture are being evaluated and implemented to provide extended lights-out operations. This mode of operation will provide routine monitoring and control of the heterogeneous spacecraft fleet. The operational concepts being developed will reduce the need for staffed contacts and is seen as a necessity for fleet management. This paper will describe the experiences of the integration team throughout the re-enginering effort of the SMEX ground system. Additionally, lessons learned will be presented based on the team's experiences with integrating multiple missions into a fleet-automated ground system.

International Space Station Medical Projects - Full Services to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pietrzyk, R. A.; Primeaux, L. L.; Wood, S. J.; Vessay, W. B.; Platts, S. H.

2018-01-01

The International Space Station Medical Projects (ISSMP) Element provides planning, integration, and implementation services for HRP research studies for both spaceflight and flight analog research. Through the implementation of these two efforts, ISSMP offers an innovative way of guiding research decisions to meet the unique challenges of understanding the human risks to space exploration. Flight services provided by ISSMP include leading informed consent briefings, developing and validating in-flight crew procedures, providing ISS crew and ground-controller training, real-time experiment monitoring, on-orbit experiment and hardware operations and facilitating data transfer to investigators. For analog studies at the NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), the ISSMP team provides subject recruitment and screening, science requirements integration, data collection schedules, data sharing agreements, mission scenarios and facilities to support investigators. The ISSMP also serves as the HRP interface to external analog providers including the :envihab bed rest facility (Cologne, Germany), NEK isolation chamber (Moscow, Russia) and the Antarctica research stations. Investigators working in either spaceflight or analog environments requires a coordinated effort between NASA and the investigators. The interdisciplinary nature of both flight and analog research requires investigators to be aware of concurrent research studies and take into account potential confounding factors that may impact their research objectives. Investigators must define clear research requirements, participate in Investigator Working Group meetings, obtain human use approvals, and provide study-specific training, sample and data collection and procedures all while adhering to schedule deadlines. These science requirements define the technical, functional and performance operations to meet the research objectives. The ISSMP maintains an expert team of professionals with the knowledge and experience to guide investigators science through all aspects of mission planning, crew operations, and research integration. During this session, the ISSMP team will discuss best-practices approaches for successfully preparing and conducting studies in both the flight and analog environments. Critical tips and tricks will be shown to greatly improve your chances of successfully completing your research aboard the International Space Station and in Spaceflight Analogs.

Using Google Earth for Submarine Operations at Pavilion Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deans, M. C.; Lees, D. S.; Fong, T.; Lim, D. S.

2009-12-01

During the July 2009 Pavilion Lake field test, we supported submarine "flight" operations using Google Earth. The Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames has experience with ground data systems for NASA missions, earth analog field tests, disaster response, and the Gigapan camera system. Leveraging this expertise and existing software, we put together a set of tools to support sub tracking and mapping, called the "Surface Data System." This system supports flight planning, real time flight operations, and post-flight analysis. For planning, we make overlays of the regional bedrock geology, sonar bathymetry, and sonar backscatter maps that show geology, depth, and structure of the bottom. Placemarks show the mooring locations for start and end points. Flight plans are shown as polylines with icons for waypoints. Flight tracks and imagery from previous field seasons are embedded in the map for planning follow-on activities. These data provide context for flight planning. During flights, sub position is updated every 5 seconds from the nav computer on the chase boat. We periodically update tracking KML files and refresh them with network links. A sub icon shows current location of the sub. A compass rose shows bearings to indicate heading to the next waypoint. A "Science Stenographer" listens on the voice loop and transcribes significant observations in real time. Observations called up to the surface immediately appear on the map as icons with date, time, position, and what was said. After each flight, the science back room immediately has the flight track and georeferenced notes from the pilots. We add additional information in post-processing. The submarines record video continuously, with "event" timestamps marked by the pilot. We cross-correlate the event timestamps with position logs to geolocate events and put a preview image and compressed video clip into the map. Animated flight tracks are also generated, showing timestamped position and providing timelapse playback of the flight. Neogeography tools are increasing in popularity and offer an excellent platform for geoinformatics. The scientists on the team are already familiar with Google Earth, eliminating up-front training on new tools. The flight maps and archived data are available immediately and in a usable format. Google Earth provides lots of measurement tools, annotation tools, and other built-in functions that we can use to create and analyze the map. All of this information is saved to a shared filesystem so that everyone on the team has access to all of the same map data. After the field season, the map data will be used by the team to analyse and correlate information from across the lake and across different flights to support their research, and to plan next year's activities.

Remotely Piloted Vehicles for Experimental Flight Control Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Motter, Mark A.; High, James W.

2009-01-01

A successful flight test and training campaign of the NASA Flying Controls Testbed was conducted at Naval Outlying Field, Webster Field, MD during 2008. Both the prop and jet-powered versions of the subscale, remotely piloted testbeds were used to test representative experimental flight controllers. These testbeds were developed by the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project s emphasis on new flight test techniques. The Subsonic Fixed Wing Project is under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). The purpose of these testbeds is to quickly and inexpensively evaluate advanced concepts and experimental flight controls, with applications to adaptive control, system identification, novel control effectors, correlation of subscale flight tests with wind tunnel results, and autonomous operations. Flight tests and operator training were conducted during four separate series of tests during April, May, June and August 2008. Experimental controllers were engaged and disengaged during fully autonomous flight in the designated test area. Flaps and landing gear were deployed by commands from the ground control station as unanticipated disturbances. The flight tests were performed NASA personnel with support from the Maritime Unmanned Development and Operations (MUDO) team of the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-11-27

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-35, launched December 2, 1990, was the ASTRO-1 Observatory. Designed for round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy, ASTRO-1 featured a collection of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo- Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT). Ultraviolet telescopes mounted on Spacelab elements in cargo bay were to be operated in shifts by flight crew. Loss of both data display units (used for pointing telescopes and operating experiments) during mission impacted crew-aiming procedures and forced ground teams at Marshall Space Flight Center to aim ultraviolet telescopes with fine-tuning by flight crew. BBXRT, also mounted in cargo bay, was directed from outset by ground-based operators at Goddard Space Flight Center. This is the logo or emblem that was designed to represent the ASTRO-1 payload.

Flight and Integrated Vehicle Testing: Laying the Groundwork for the Next Generation of Space Exploration Launch Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, J. L.; Cockrell, C. E.

2009-01-01

Integrated vehicle testing will be critical to ensuring proper vehicle integration of the Ares I crew launch vehicle and Ares V cargo launch vehicle. The Ares Projects, based at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, created the Flight and Integrated Test Office (FITO) as a separate team to ensure that testing is an integral part of the vehicle development process. As its name indicates, FITO is responsible for managing flight testing for the Ares vehicles. FITO personnel are well on the way toward assembling and flying the first flight test vehicle of Ares I, the Ares I-X. This suborbital development flight will evaluate the performance of Ares I from liftoff to first stage separation, testing flight control algorithms, vehicle roll control, separation and recovery systems, and ground operations. Ares I-X is now scheduled to fly in summer 2009. The follow-on flight, Ares I-Y, will test a full five-segment first stage booster and will include cryogenic propellants in the upper stage, an upper stage engine simulator, and an active launch abort system. The following flight, Orion 1, will be the first flight of an active upper stage and upper stage engine, as well as the first uncrewed flight of an Orion spacecraft into orbit. The Ares Projects are using an incremental buildup of flight capabilities prior to the first operational crewed flight of Ares I and the Orion crew exploration vehicle in 2015. In addition to flight testing, the FITO team will be responsible for conducting hardware, software, and ground vibration tests of the integrated launch vehicle. These efforts will include verifying hardware, software, and ground handling interfaces. Through flight and integrated testing, the Ares Projects will identify and mitigate risks early as the United States prepares to take its next giant leaps to the Moon and beyond.

STS-114: Discovery Question & Answer with Joint Crew on ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot James Kelly, Mission Specialists Souichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson, Charles Camarda, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, and Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer John Phillips answers questions from United States, Japanese and Russian News media in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Risk, safety, extravehicular activities, spacewalks, re-entry, gap fillers, tiles, flight operations, flight crew activities, team work, and life in space are topics covered with the News media.

Managing Risk in Safety Critical Operations - Lessons Learned from Space Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalez, Steven A.

2002-01-01

The Mission Control Center (MCC) at Johnson Space Center (JSC) has a rich legacy of supporting Human Space Flight operations throughout the Apollo, Shuttle and International Space Station eras. Through the evolution of ground operations and the Mission Control Center facility, NASA has gained a wealth of experience of what it takes to manage the risk in Safety Critical Operations, especially when human life is at risk. The focus of the presentation will be on the processes (training, operational rigor, team dynamics) that enable the JSC/MCC team to be so successful. The presentation will also share the evolution of the Mission Control Center architecture and how the evolution was introduced while managing the risk to the programs supported by the team. The details of the MCC architecture (e.g., the specific software, hardware or tools used in the facility) will not be shared at the conference since it would not give any additional insight as to how risk is managed in Space Operations.

Clinical Space Medicine Products as Developed by the Medical Operations Support Team (MOST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polk, James D.; Doerr, Harold K.; Hurst, Victor W., IV; Schmid, Josef

2007-01-01

Medical Operations Support Team (MOST) is introducing/integrating teaching practices associated with high fidelity human patient simulation into the NASA culture, in particular, into medical training sessions and medical procedure evaluations. Current/Future Products iclude: a) Development of Sub-optimal Airway Protocols for the International Space Station (ISS) using the ILMA; b) Clinical Core Competency Training for NASA Flight Surgeons (FS); c) Post-Soyuz Landing Clinical Training for NASA FS; d) Experimental Integrated Training for Astronaut Crew Medical Officers and NASA FS; and e) Private Clinical Refresher Training.

Quality Interaction Between Mission Assurance and Project Team Members

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwong-Fu, Helenann H.; Wilson, Robert K.

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation demonstrates the importance of value added Mission Assurance to flight operations in order to assure mission success and the Health and Safety of the mission, (i.e., the Spitzer space Telescope.)

Pegasus air-launched space booster flight test program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, Antonio L.; Knutson, Martin A.

1995-03-01

Pegasus is a satellite-launching space rocket dropped from a B52 carrier aircraft instead of launching vertically from a ground pad. Its three-year, privately-funded accelerated development was carried out under a demanding design-to-nonrecurring cost methodology, which imposed unique requirements on its flight test program, such as the decision not to drop an inert model from the carrier aircraft; the number and type of captive and free-flight tests; the extent of envelope exploration; and the decision to combine test and operational orbital flights. The authors believe that Pegasus may be the first vehicle where constraints in the number and type of flight tests to be carried out actually influenced the design of the vehicle. During the period November 1989 to February of 1990 a total of three captive flight tests were conducted, starting with a flutter clearing flight and culminating in a complete drop rehearsal. Starting on April 5, 1990, two combination test/operational flights were conducted. A unique aspect of the program was the degree of involvement of flight test personnel in the early design of the vehicle and, conversely, of the design team in flight testing and early flight operations. Various lessons learned as a result of this process are discussed throughout this paper.

Preparing GMAT for Operational Maneuver Planning of the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Qureshi, Rizwan Hamid; Hughes, Steven P.

2014-01-01

The General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) is an open-source space mission design, analysis and trajectory optimization tool. GMAT is developed by a team of NASA, private industry, public and private contributors. GMAT is designed to model, optimize and estimate spacecraft trajectories in flight regimes ranging from low Earth orbit to lunar applications, interplanetary trajectories and other deep space missions. GMAT has also been flight qualified to support operational maneuver planning for the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) mission. ACE was launched in August, 1997 and is orbiting the Sun-Earth L1 libration point. The primary science objective of ACE is to study the composition of both the solar wind and the galactic cosmic rays. Operational orbit determination, maneuver operations and product generation for ACE are conducted by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF). This paper discusses the entire engineering lifecycle and major operational certification milestones that GMAT successfully completed to obtain operational certification for the ACE mission. Operational certification milestones such as gathering of the requirements for ACE operational maneuver planning, gap analysis, test plans and procedures development, system design, pre-shadow operations, training to FDF ACE maneuver planners, shadow operations, Test Readiness Review (TRR) and finally Operational Readiness Review (ORR) are discussed. These efforts have demonstrated that GMAT is flight quality software ready to support ACE mission operations in the FDF.

STS-114: Mission Status/Post MMT Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Paul Hill, STS-114 Lead Shuttle Flight Director, and Wayne Hill, Deputy Manager for the Space Shuttle Program and Chair of the Mission Management Team, discusses with the News media the complete operational success of the STS-114 Flight. Paul Hill mentioned the undocking and flight around did occur right on time that day, and checking out Discovery's entry system in preparation for de-orbit on Monday morning. He summarized the long list of flight operations and activities demonstrated like various forms of inspections on RCC and tile, gap fillers and blanket, imagery and photography, three space walks and re-supply. Wayne Hill talked about flight control check out, pre-entry plans, opportunity landing in Cape Carneval, Florida and back-up landing operations in Edwards Air Force Base, California. He emphasized the concern for crew and public safety during landing. News media focused their questions on public expectations and feelings about the return of the Shuttle to Earth, analysis of mechanical and technical failures, safety of dark or daylight landings.

International aircrew sleep and wakefulness after multiple time zone flights - A cooperative study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graeber, R. Curtis; Lauber, John K.; Connell, Linda J.; Gander, Philippa H.

1986-01-01

An international research team has carried out an electroencephalographic study of sleep and wakefulness in flight crews operating long-haul routes across seven or eight time zones. Following baseline recordings, volunteer crews (n = 56) from four airlines spent their first outbound layover at a sleep laboratory. This paper provides an overview of the project's history, its research design, and the standardization of procedures. The overall results are remarkably consistent among the four participating laboratories and strongly support the feasibility of cooperative international sleep research in the operational arena.

Building a Foundation to Study Distributed Information Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Thaden, Terry L.

2007-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of this research is to assess information behaviour as it pertains to operational teams in dynamic safety critical operations. Method: In this paper, I describe some of the problems faced by crews on modern flight decks and suggest a framework modelled on Information Science, Human Factors, and Activity Theory research to…

ATV Engineering Support Team Safety Console Preparation for the Johannes Kepler Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chase, R.; Oliefka, L.

2010-09-01

This paper describes the improvements to be implemented in the Safety console position of the Engineering Support Team(EST) at the Automated Transfer Vehicle(ATV) Control Centre(ATV-CC) for the upcoming ATV Johannes Kepler mission. The ATV missions to the International Space Station are monitored and controlled from the ATV-CC in Toulouse, France. The commanding of ATV is performed by the Vehicle Engineering Team(VET) in the main control room under authority of the Flight Director. The EST performs a monitoring function in a room beside the main control room. One of the EST positions is the Safety console, which is staffed by safety engineers from ESA and the industrial prime contractor, Astrium. The function of the Safety console is to check whether the hazard controls are available throughout the mission as required by the Hazard Reports approved by the ISS Safety Review Panel. Safety console preparation activities were limited prior to the first ATV mission due to schedule constraints, and the safety engineers involved have been working to improve the readiness for ATV 2. The following steps have been taken or are in process, and will be described in this paper: • review of the implementation of Operations Control Agreement Documents(OCADs) that record the way operational hazard controls are performed to meet the needs of the Hazard Reports(typically in Flight Rules and Crew Procedures), • crosscheck of operational control needs and implementations with respect to ATV's first flight observations and post flight evaluations, with a view to identifying additional, obsolete or revised operational hazard controls, • participation in the Flight Rule review and update process carried out between missions, • participation in the assessment of anomalies observed during the first ATV mission, to ensure that any impacts are addressed in the ATV 2 safety documentation, • preparation of a Safety console handbook to provide lists of important safety aspects to be monitored at various stages of the mission, including links to relevant Hazard Reports, Flight Rules, and supporting documentation, • participation to training courses conducted in the frame of the ATV Training Academy(ATAC), and provision of courses related to safety for the other members of the VET and EST, • participation to simulations conducted at ATV-CC, including off-nominal cases. The result of these activities will be an improved level of readiness for the ATV 2 mission.

X-45A in flight with F-18 #846 chase aircraft, during first GPS-guided weapon demonstration flight

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-19

The first X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator completed its sixth flight on Dec. 19, 2002, raising its landing gear in flight for the first time. The X-45A flew for 40 minutes and reached an airspeed of 195 knots and an altitude of 7,500 feet. Dryden is supporting the DARPA/Boeing team in the design, development, integration, and demonstration of the critical technologies, processes, and system attributes leading to an operational UCAV system. Dryden support of the X-45A demonstrator system includes analysis, component development, simulations, ground and flight tests.

Reduced Crew Operations Research at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandt, Summer L.; Lachter, Joel

2017-01-01

In 2012, NASA began exploring the feasibility of single pilot reduced crew operations (SPORCO) in the context of scheduled passenger air carrier operations (i.e., Parts 121 and 135). This research was spurred by two trends in aviation research: the trend toward reducing costs and a shortage of pilots. A series of simulations were conducted to develop tools and a concept of operations to support RCO. This slide deck is a summary of the NASA Ames RCO research prepared for an R T team at Airbus. Airbus is considering moving forward with reducing crew during the cruise phase of flight with long-haul flights and is interested in the work we have completed.

GO1 Inert Test Article Captive Carry

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-10

Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) completed the GO1 Inert Test Article captive carry flight test at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in December. Under a public-private partnership with NASA, GO developed the GO1-ITA, a mass properties and outer mold line simulator for the GO1 hypersonic flight testbed and earned NASA airworthiness approval for flight on NASA’s C-20a. NASA’s C-20a was originally modified to add a centerline hard point to carry the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) pod. Together with the NASA Armstrong team, a campaign of three flight tests was conducted, successfully completing all test objectives including clearing the operational flight envelope of the C-20a with the GO1-ITA mounted to the centerline hard point, and demonstrated the unique launch maneuver designed for air launch of the GO1 on operational flights starting in 2019. Data collected during the campaign will be used to validate models and inform the ongoing design and development of GO1.

Design of a Mission Data Storage and Retrieval System for NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lux, Jessica; Downing, Bob; Sheldon, Jack

2007-01-01

The Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) employs the WATR Integrated Next Generation System (WINGS) for the processing and display of aeronautical flight data. This report discusses the post-mission segment of the WINGS architecture. A team designed and implemented a system for the near- and long-term storage and distribution of mission data for flight projects at DFRC, providing the user with intelligent access to data. Discussed are the legacy system, an industry survey, system operational concept, high-level system features, and initial design efforts.

Team Training for Dynamic Cross-Functional Teams in Aviation: Behavioral, Cognitive, and Performance Outcomes.

PubMed

Littlepage, Glenn E; Hein, Michael B; Moffett, Richard G; Craig, Paul A; Georgiou, Andrea M

2016-12-01

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a training program designed to improve cross-functional coordination in airline operations. Teamwork across professional specializations is essential for safe and efficient airline operations, but aviation education primarily emphasizes positional knowledge and skill. Although crew resource management training is commonly used to provide some degree of teamwork training, it is generally focused on specific specializations, and little training is provided in coordination across specializations. The current study describes and evaluates a multifaceted training program designed to enhance teamwork and team performance of cross-functional teams within a simulated airline flight operations center. The training included a variety of components: orientation training, position-specific declarative knowledge training, position-specific procedural knowledge training, a series of high-fidelity team simulations, and a series of after-action reviews. Following training, participants demonstrated more effective teamwork, development of transactive memory, and more effective team performance. Multifaceted team training that incorporates positional training and team interaction in complex realistic situations and followed by after-action reviews can facilitate teamwork and team performance. Team training programs, such as the one described here, have potential to improve the training of aviation professionals. These techniques can be applied to other contexts where multidisciplinary teams and multiteam systems work to perform highly interdependent activities. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Conceptual Inquiry of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station GNC Flight Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kranzusch, Kara

2007-01-01

The concept of Mission Control was envisioned by Christopher Columbus Kraft in the 1960's. Instructed to figure out how to operate human space flight safely, Kraft envisioned a room of sub-system experts troubleshooting problems and supporting nominal flight activities under the guidance of one Flight Director who is responsible for the success of the mission. To facilitate clear communication, MCC communicates with the crew through a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) who is an astronaut themselves. Gemini 4 was the first mission to be supported by such a MCC and successfully completed the first American EVA. The MCC seen on television is called the Flight Control Room (FCR, pronounced ficker) or otherwise known as the front room. While this room is the most visible aspect, it is a very small component of the entire control center. The Shuttle FCR is known as the White FCR (WFCR) and Station's as FCR-1. (FCR-1 was actually the first FCR built at JSC which was used through the Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programs until the WFCR was completed in 1992. Afterwards FCR-1 was refurbished first for the Life Sciences Center and then for the ISS in 2006.) Along with supporting the Flight Director, each FCR operator is also the supervisor for usually two or three support personnel in a back room called the Multi-Purpose Support Room (MPSR, pronounced mipser). MPSR operators are more deeply focused on their specific subsystems and have the responsible to analyze patterns, and diagnose and assess consequences of faults. The White MPSR (WMPSR) operators are always present for Shuttle operations; however, ISS FCR controllers only have support from their Blue MPSR (BMPSR) while the Shuttle is docked and during critical operations. Since ISS operates 24-7, the FCR team reduces to a much smaller Gemini team of 4-5 operators for night and weekend shifts when the crew is off-duty. The FCR is also supported by the Mission Evaluation Room (MER) which is a collection of contractor engineers who provide analysis and long-term troubleshooting support. Each MER operator is an expert in a very small portion of a sub-system and each FCR console usually interfaces with several MER positions.

STS-103 Crew at Breakfast, Suiting, Departing O&C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) team is preparing for NASA's third scheduled service call to Hubble. This mission, STS-103, will launch from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The seven flight crew members for STS-103 are: Commander Curtis L. Brown (his sixth flight), Pilot Scott J. Kelly and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy (his third flight) will join space walkers Steven L. Smith (his third flight), C. Michael Foale (his fifth flight), John M. Grunsfeld (his third flight) and ESA astronaut Claude Nicollier (his fourth flight). This current video presents a live footage of the seven STS-103 crewmembers eating breakfast, suiting, and departing the O&C (Operations and Checkout) before the 6:50 p.m. lift-off.

Flight Dynamics Mission Support and Quality Assurance Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oh, InHwan

1996-01-01

This paper summarizes the method of the Computer Sciences Corporation Flight Dynamics Operation (FDO) quality assurance approach to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Support Branch. Historically, a strong need has existed for developing systematic quality assurance using methods that account for the unique nature and environment of satellite Flight Dynamics mission support. Over the past few years FDO has developed and implemented proactive quality assurance processes applied to each of the six phases of the Flight Dynamics mission support life cycle: systems and operations concept, system requirements and specifications, software development support, operations planing and training, launch support, and on-orbit mission operations. Rather than performing quality assurance as a final step after work is completed, quality assurance has been built in as work progresses in the form of process assurance. Process assurance activities occur throughout the Flight Dynamics mission support life cycle. The FDO Product Assurance Office developed process checklists for prephase process reviews, mission team orientations, in-progress reviews, and end-of-phase audits. This paper will outline the evolving history of FDO quality assurance approaches, discuss the tailoring of Computer Science Corporations's process assurance cycle procedures, describe some of the quality assurance approaches that have been or are being developed, and present some of the successful results.

Preparation of Flight Operations and IWS Integration of the CELIAS Experiment on the SOHO Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ipavich, Fred

1996-01-01

During this annual progress report time period, the following activities took place: (1) Generation of several versions of the CELIAS (STOF/SEM/CTOF/MTOF/DPU) commissioning timeline for the first 180 days after launch. These were written and submitted by A. Galvin after consultation (phone, fax, e-mail, meetings) with the CELIAS Instrument Manager and Lead-Co-I's. (2) Identification of several problems with the CELIAS portion of the Project Data Base (PDB). (3) Meetings with the Flight Operations Team regarding PDB, critical commands, etc. (4) Attend Science Operations Working Group (SOWG) Meetings (November 1994, February 1995, May 1995) and Flight Operations Review Meeting (July 1995). (5) Participate in Flight Operation Simulations SIM 1 (November 14-18, 1994), SIM 2 (May 1-4, 1995) and SIM3 (August 7-11, 1995). (6) Participate in the Ground System Compatibility Test Rehearsal (April 24- 28, 1995), GSCT #2 (May 30-June 14, 1995), GSCT #3 (September 12-22, 1995), and GSCT #4b (October 30-November 5, 1995). A small portion of the documentation for the above cited activities is appended.

Real-Time Operation of the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suffredini, M. T.

2002-01-01

The International Space Station is on orbit and real-time operations are well underway. Along with the assembly challenges of building and operating the International Space Station , scientific activities are also underway. Flight control teams in three countries are working together as a team to plan, coordinate and command the systems on the International Space Station.Preparations are being made to add the additional International Partner elements including their operations teams and facilities. By October 2002, six Expedition crews will have lived on the International Space Station. Management of real-time operations has been key to these achievements. This includes the activities of ground teams in control centers around the world as well as the crew on orbit. Real-time planning is constantly challenged with balancing the requirements and setting the priorities for the assembly, maintenance, science and crew health functions on the International Space Station. It requires integrating the Shuttle, Soyuz and Progress requirements with the Station. It is also necessary to be able to respond in case of on-orbit anomalies and to set plans and commands in place to ensure the continues safe operation of the Station. Bringing together the International Partner operations teams has been challenging and intensely rewarding. Utilization of the assets of each partner has resulted in efficient solutions to problems. This paper will describe the management of the major real-time operations processes, significant achievements, and future challenges.

A hitchhiker's guide to an ISS experiment in under 9 months.

PubMed

Nadir, Andrei James; Sato, Kevin

2017-01-01

The International Space Station National Laboratory gives students a platform to conduct space-flight science experiments. To successfully take advantage of this opportunity, students and their mentors must have an understanding of how to develop and then conduct a science project on international space station within a school year. Many factors influence the speed in which a project progresses. The first step is to develop a science plan, including defining a hypothesis, developing science objectives, and defining a concept of operation for conducting the flight experiment. The next step is to translate the plan into well-defined requirements for payload development. The last step is a rapid development process. Included in this step is identifying problems early and negotiating appropriate trade-offs between science and implementation complexity. Organizing the team and keeping players motivated is an equally important task, as is employing the right mentors. The project team must understand the flight experiment infrastructure, which includes the international space station environment, payload resource requirements and available components, fail-safe operations, system logs, and payload data. Without this understanding, project development can be impacted, resulting in schedule delays, added costs, undiagnosed problems, and data misinterpretation. The information and processes for conducting low-cost, rapidly developed student-based international space station experiments are presented, including insight into the system operations, the development environment, effective team organization, and data analysis. The details are based on the Valley Christian Schools (VCS, San Jose, CA) fluidic density experiment and penicillin experiment, which were developed by 13- and 14-year-old students and flown on ISS.

GFAST Software Demonstration

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-17

NASA engineers and test directors gather in Firing Room 3 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to watch a demonstration of the automated command and control software for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. The software is called the Ground Launch Sequencer. It will be responsible for nearly all of the launch commit criteria during the final phases of launch countdowns. The Ground and Flight Application Software Team (GFAST) demonstrated the software. It was developed by the Command, Control and Communications team in the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. GSDO is helping to prepare the center for the first test flight of Orion atop the SLS on Exploration Mission 1.

Green Propellant Infusion Mission Program Development and Technology Maturation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McLean, Christopher H.; Deininger, William D.; Joniatis, John; Aggarwal, Pravin K.; Spores, Ronald A.; Deans, Matthew; Yim, John T.; Bury, Kristen; Martinez, Jonathan; Cardiff, Eric H.;

GEMINI-TITAN (GT)-V - PILOT - SUITING-UP - CAPE

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-08-19

S65-46374 (21 Aug. 1965) --- Astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., Gemini-5 pilot, is pictured during suiting up operations on the morning of the flight of Gemini-5. With him is Dr. Eugene Tubbs, a member of the medical team at Cape Kennedy. The mission was originally set for Aug. 19, 1965, but was scrubbed and reset for Aug. 21. Command pilot for the flight is astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr.

STS-99 Flight Day Highlights and Crew Activities Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Live footage shows the Blue Team (second of the dual shift crew), Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, Janice E. Voss and Mamoru Mohri, beginning the first mapping swath covering a 140-mile-wide path. While Mohri conducts mapping operations, Voss and Gorie are seen participating in a news conference with correspondents from NBC and CNN. The Red Team (first of the dual shift crew), Kevin R. Kregel, Janet L. Kavandi and Gerhard P.J. Thiele, relieves the Blue Team and are seen continuing the mapping operations for this around the clock Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Commander Kregel is shown performing boom (mass) durability tests, calibrating the EarthCam Payload, and speaking with the Launch Control Center (LCC) about trouble shooting a bracket for better camera angle.

Mission Operations Control Room Activities during STS-2 mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) activities during STS-2 mission. President Ronald Reagan is briefed by Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., JSC Director, who points toward the orbiter spotter on the projection plotter at the front of the MOCR (39499); President Reagan joking with STS-2 astronauts during space to ground conversation (39500); Mission Specialist/Astronaut Sally K. Ride communicates with the STS-2 crew from the spacecraft communicator console (39501); Charles R. Lewis, bronze team Flight Director, monitors activity from the STS-2 crew. He is seated at the flight director console in MOCR (39502); Eugene F. Kranz, Deputy Director of Flight Operations at JSC answers a question during a press conference on Nov. 13, 1981. He is flanked by Glynn S. Lunney, Manager, Space Shuttle Program Office, JSC; and Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Director of JSC (39503).

RHETT and SCARLET: Synergistic power and propulsion technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allen, D.M.; Curran, F.M.; Sankovic, J.

1995-12-31

The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) sponsors an aggressive program to qualify high performance space power and electric propulsion technologies for space flight. Specifically, the BMDO space propulsion program is now integrating an advanced Hall thruster system including all components necessary for use in an operational spacecraft. This Russian Hall Effect Thruster Technology (RHETT) integrated pallet will be qualified for space flight later this year. This will be followed by a space flight demonstration and verification in 1996. The BMDO power program includes a parallel program to qualify and space flight demonstrate the Solar Concentrator Arrays with Refractive Linear Elementmore » Technology (SCARLET). The first flight SCARLET system is being fabricated for Use on the EER/CTA Comet spacecraft in late July. The space flight demonstration is the first full size, deployed concentrator solar array. The propulsion work is conducted by an industry team led by Space Power, Inc. and Olin Aerospace with their partners in Russia, NIITP and TsNIIMash. The power program is conducted by an industry team led by AEC-Able. This paper is to familiarize the space power community with the synergies between spacecraft power and electric propulsion.« less

Gene Kranz Visits Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

On October 19, 2006, former NASA director of Mission Operations Gene Kranz was a keynote speaker at the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) 2006 Annual Safety Day program. The best selling author of 'Failure Is Not An Option' and past Apollo flight director was featured during a morning session called 'Coffee and Kranz'. Marshall employees hung on his every word as he told the fascinating story of Apollo 13. Kranz was the acting flight director during the Apollo 13 mission, a mission that seemed doomed to fail due to an onboard explosion. Kranz and his flight control team worked around the clock relentlessly, solving problem after problem, until the crew was returned safely to Earth.

ARC-2009-ACD09-0269-040

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-08

TROPI-2; Preparation of experiment containers in EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System) Lab, N-236 Sixten Experiment Containers (ECs) being prepared with flight seeds in December and January will be hand carried to KSC for deployment on STS-130 (shuttle flight 20A). During the ISS (international Space Station) operations the two TROPi-2 experiments to begin by mid Feburary and be completed by early March will monitor by the payload team at Ames from our Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC) The experiment samples are scheduled to return on shuttle fight 19A. Left to right are Prem Kumar, Katherine Millar, Bob Bowman

Crew Recovery and Contingency Planning for a Manned Stratospheric Balloon Flight - the StratEx Program.

PubMed

Menon, Anil S; Jourdan, David; Nusbaum, Derek M; Garbino, Alejandro; Buckland, Daniel M; Norton, Sean; Clark, Johnathan B; Antonsen, Erik L

2016-10-01

The StratEx program used a self-contained space suit and balloon system to loft pilot Alan Eustace to a record-breaking altitude and skydive from 135,897 feet (41,422 m). After releasing from the balloon and a stabilized freefall, the pilot safely landed using a parachute system based on a modified tandem parachute rig. A custom spacesuit provided life support using a similar system to NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Washington, DC USA) Extravehicular Mobility Unit. It also provided tracking, communications, and connection to the parachute system. A recovery support team, including at least two medical personnel and two spacesuit technicians, was charged with reaching the pilot within five minutes of touchdown to extract him from the suit and provide treatment for any injuries. The team had to track the flight at all times, be prepared to respond in case of premature release, and to operate in any terrain. Crew recovery operations were planned and tailored to anticipate outcomes during this novel event in a systematic fashion, through scenario and risk analysis, in order to minimize the probability and impact of injury. This analysis, detailed here, helped the team configure recovery assets, refine navigation and tracking systems, develop procedures, and conduct training. An extensive period of testing and practice culminated in three manned flights leading to a successful mission and setting the record for exit altitude, distance of fall with stabilizing device, and vertical speed with a stabilizing device. During this mission, recovery teams reached the landing spot within one minute, extracted the pilot, and confirmed that he was not injured. This strategy is presented as an approach to prehospital planning and care for improved safety during crew recovery in novel, extreme events. Menon AS , Jourdan D , Nusbaum DM , Garbino A , Buckland DM , Norton S , Clark JB , Antonsen EL . Crew recovery and contingency planning for a manned stratospheric balloon flight - the StratEx program. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(5):524-531.

Flight Dynamics Operations: Methods and Lessons Learned from Space Shuttle Orbit Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutri-Kohart, Rebecca M.

2011-01-01

The Flight Dynamics Officer is responsible for trajectory maintenance of the Space Shuttle. This paper will cover high level operational considerations, methodology, procedures, and lessons learned involved in performing the functions of orbit and rendezvous Flight Dynamics Officer and leading the team of flight dynamics specialists during different phases of flight. The primary functions that will be address are: onboard state vector maintenance, ground ephemeris maintenance, calculation of ground and spacecraft acquisitions, collision avoidance, burn targeting for the primary mission, rendezvous, deorbit and contingencies, separation sequences, emergency deorbit preparation, mass properties coordination, payload deployment planning, coordination with the International Space Station, and coordination with worldwide trajectory customers. Each of these tasks require the Flight Dynamics Officer to have cognizance of the current trajectory state as well as the impact of future events on the trajectory plan in order to properly analyze and react to real-time changes. Additionally, considerations are made to prepare flexible alternative trajectory plans in the case timeline changes or a systems failure impact the primary plan. The evolution of the methodology, procedures, and techniques used by the Flight Dynamics Officer to perform these tasks will be discussed. Particular attention will be given to how specific Space Shuttle mission and training simulation experiences, particularly off-nominal or unexpected events such as shortened mission durations, tank failures, contingency deorbit, navigation errors, conjunctions, and unexpected payload deployments, have influenced the operational procedures and training for performing Space Shuttle flight dynamics operations over the history of the program. These lessons learned can then be extended to future vehicle trajectory operations.

Prescribed Travel Schedules for Fatigue Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmire, Alexandra; Johnston, Smith; Lockley, Steven

2011-01-01

The NASA Fatigue Management Team is developing recommendations for managing fatigue during travel and for shift work operations, as Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Circadian Desynchrony in ISS Operations. The Guidelines provide the International Space Station (ISS ) flight surgeons and other operational clinicians with evidence-based recommendations for mitigating fatigue and other factors related to sleep loss and circadian desynchronization. As much international travel is involved both before and after flight, the guidelines provide recommendations for: pre-flight training, in-flight operations, and post-flight rehabilitation. The objective of is to standardize the process by which care is provided to crewmembers, ground controllers, and other support personnel such as trainers, when overseas travel or schedule shifting is required. Proper scheduling of countermeasures - light, darkness, melatonin, diet, exercise, and medications - is the cornerstone for facilitating circadian adaptation, improving sleep, enhancing alertness, and optimizing performance. The Guidelines provide, among other things, prescribed travel schedules that outline the specific implementation of these mitigation strategies. Each travel schedule offers evidence based protocols for properly using the NASA identified countermeasures for fatigue. This presentation will describe the travel implementation schedules and how these can be used to alleviate the effects of jet lag and/or schedule shifts.

Assessment of in-flight anomalies of long life outer plant mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, Alan R.; Green, Nelson W.; Garrett, Henry B.

2004-01-01

Thee unmanned planetary spacecraft to the outer planets have been controlled and operated successfully in space for an accumulated total of 66 years. The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft each have been in space for more than 26 years. The Galileo spacecraft was in space for 14 years, including eight years in orbit about Jupiter. During the flight operations for these missions, anomalies for the ground data system and the flight systems have been tracked using the anomaly reporting tool at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A total of 3300 incidents, surprises, and anomaly reports have been recorded in the database. This paper describes methods and results for classifying and identifying trends relative to ground system vs. flight system, software vs. hardware, and corrective actions. There are several lessons learned from these assessments that significantly benefit the design and planning for long life missions of the future. These include the necessity for having redundancy for successful operation of the spacecraft, awareness that anomaly reporting is dependent on mission activity not the age of the spacecraft, and the need for having a program to maintain and transfer operation knowledge and tools to replacement flight team members.

Mars Pathfinder Atmospheric Entry Navigation Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braun, R. D.; Spencer, D. A.; Kallemeyn, P. H.; Vaughan, R. M.

1997-01-01

On July 4, 1997, after traveling close to 500 million km, the Pathfinder spacecraft successfully completed entry, descent, and landing, coming to rest on the surface of Mars just 27 km from its target point. In the present paper, the atmospheric entry and approach navigation activities required in support of this mission are discussed. In particular, the flight software parameter update and landing site prediction analyses performed by the Pathfinder operations navigation team are described. A suite of simulation tools developed during Pathfinder's design cycle, but extendible to Pathfinder operations, are also presented. Data regarding the accuracy of the primary parachute deployment algorithm is extracted from the Pathfinder flight data, demonstrating that this algorithm performed as predicted. The increased probability of mission success through the software parameter update process is discussed. This paper also demonstrates the importance of modeling atmospheric flight uncertainties in the estimation of an accurate landing site. With these atmospheric effects included, the final landed ellipse prediction differs from the post-flight determined landing site by less then 0.5 km in downtrack.

NASA Activity Update for the 2013 Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (UVSI) Yearbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, Jeffrey E.

2013-01-01

This year s report offers a high level perspective on some of the UAS related activities in which NASA is involved, both internal and external to the agency. Internally, NASA issued UAS operational policy on certification of NASA UAS and aircrew. A team of NASA UAS experts and operators analyzed all current procedures and best practices to design the policy. An update to the agencies Aircraft Operations Management Manual incorporated a new chapter to address UAS planning, preflight operations, flight operations, flight crew requirements, airworthiness and flight safety reviews. NASA UAS are classified into three categories based on weight and airspeed. Aircrews, including observers, are classified by how they interface with the UAS, and the policy defines qualifications, training, and currency. The NASA flight readiness approval process identifies risks and mitigations in order to reduce the likelihood and/or consequence of the risk to an acceptable level. The UAS operations process incorporates all aspects of airworthiness, flight standards and range safety exactly the same processes used for NASA manned aircraft operations. NASA has two internal organizations that routinely operate UAS. The Science Mission Directorate utilizes UAS as part of its Airborne Science Program and is the most frequent operator of NASA UAS in both national and international airspace. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate conducts UAS flight operations in addition to conducting research important to the UAS community. This past year the Science Mission Directorate supported the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentimental (HS3) Mission with two NASA Global Hawk platforms. HS3 is a five-year mission specifically targeted to investigate the processes that underlie hurricane formation. During the 2012 portion of this mission the Global Hawk overflew hurricanes Leslie and Nadine in the Atlantic Ocean completing 6 flights and accumulating more than 148 flight hours. Another multi-year mission was initiated last year when the Sensor Integrated Environmental Remote Research Aircraft (SIERRA) UAS began surveying faults in California s Surprise Valley. A team of scientists and engineers from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), NASA Ames Research Center, Central Washington University, and Carnegie Mellon University will measure magnetic fields using ground surveys and the SIERRA to map the geophysics below the surface of Surprise Valley. The data collected will be used to generate 3D maps of the geophysical data of the area. The Aeronautics Mission Directorate continues its collaboration with Boeing to conduct UAS flight operations of the X-48C, a modified version of the X-48B originally built by Cranfield Aerospace, United Kingdom. The Aeronautics Mission Directorate utilizes vehicles of this size for a wide variety of research studies. Most of these operations are conducted within restricted airspace. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate also sponsors the UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project, which is working in close cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address critical challenges associated with routine UAS operations in civil airspace. The project is focused on separation assurance and collision avoidance systems and algorithms, command and control for non-military operations including spectrum allocation requirements, human system interaction issues, and safety and certification topics.

Visual Advantage of Enhanced Flight Vision System During NextGen Flight Test Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kramer, Lynda J.; Harrison, Stephanie J.; Bailey, Randall E.; Shelton, Kevin J.; Ellis, Kyle K.

2014-01-01

Synthetic Vision Systems and Enhanced Flight Vision System (SVS/EFVS) technologies have the potential to provide additional margins of safety for aircrew performance and enable operational improvements for low visibility operations in the terminal area environment. Simulation and flight tests were jointly sponsored by NASA's Aviation Safety Program, Vehicle Systems Safety Technology project and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to evaluate potential safety and operational benefits of SVS/EFVS technologies in low visibility Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) operations. The flight tests were conducted by a team of Honeywell, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and NASA personnel with the goal of obtaining pilot-in-the-loop test data for flight validation, verification, and demonstration of selected SVS/EFVS operational and system-level performance capabilities. Nine test flights were flown in Gulfstream's G450 flight test aircraft outfitted with the SVS/EFVS technologies under low visibility instrument meteorological conditions. Evaluation pilots flew 108 approaches in low visibility weather conditions (600 feet to 3600 feet reported visibility) under different obscurants (mist, fog, drizzle fog, frozen fog) and sky cover (broken, overcast). Flight test videos were evaluated at three different altitudes (decision altitude, 100 feet radar altitude, and touchdown) to determine the visual advantage afforded to the pilot using the EFVS/Forward-Looking InfraRed (FLIR) imagery compared to natural vision. Results indicate the EFVS provided a visual advantage of two to three times over that of the out-the-window (OTW) view. The EFVS allowed pilots to view the runway environment, specifically runway lights, before they would be able to OTW with natural vision.

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-109

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliu, Armando

2005-01-01

The Debris Team has developed and implemented measures to control damage from debris in the Shuttle operational environment and to make the control measures a part of routine launch flows. These measures include engineering surveillance during vehicle processing and closeout operations, facility and flight hardware inspections before and after launch, and photographic analysis of mission events. Photographic analyses of mission imagery from launch, on-orbit, and landing provide significant data in verifying proper operation of systems and evaluating anomalies. In addition to the Kennedy Space Center Photo/Video Analysis, reports from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are also included in this document to provide an integrated assessment of the mission.

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-110

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliu, Armando

2005-01-01

The Debris Team has developed and implemented measures to control damage from debris in the Shuttle operational environment and to make the control measures a part of routine launch flows. These measures include engineering surveillance during vehicle processing and closeout operations, facility and flight hardware inspections before and after launch, and photographic analysis of mission events. Photographic analyses of mission imagery from launch, on-orbit, and landing provide significant data in verifying proper operation of systems and evaluating anomalies. In addition to the Kennedy Space Center Photo/Video Analysis, reports from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are also included in this document to provide an integrated assessment of the mission.

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-105

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliu, Armando

2005-01-01

The Debris Team has developed and implemented measures to control damage from debris in the Shuttle operational environment and to make the control measures a part of routine launch flows. These measures include engineering surveillance during vehicle processing and closeout operations, facility and flight hardware inspections before and after launch, and photographic analysis of mission events. Photographic analyses of mission imagery from launch, on-orbit, and landing provide significant data in verifying proper operation of systems and evaluating anomalies. In addition to the Kennedy Space Center Photo/Video Analysis, reports from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are also included in this document to provide an integrated assessment of the mission.

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-104

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliu, Armando

2005-01-01

The Debris Team has developed and implemented measures to control damage from debris in the Shuttle operational environment and to make the control measures a part of routine launch flows. These measures include engineering surveillance during vehicle processing and closeout operations, facility and flight hardware inspections before and after launch, and photographic analysis of mission events. Photographic analyses of mission imagery from launch, on-orbit, and landing provide significant data in verifying proper operation of systems and evaluating anomalies. In addition to the Kennedy Space Center Photo/Video Analysis, reports from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are also included in this document to provide an integrated assessment of the mission.

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-108

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliu, Armando

2005-01-01

The Debris Team has developed and implemented measures to control damage from debris in the Shuttle operational environment and to make the control measures a part of routine launch flows. These measures include engineering surveillance during vehicle processing and closeout operations, facility and flight hardware inspections before and after launch, and photographic analysis of mission events. Photographic analyses of mission imagery from launch, on-orbit, and landing provide significant data in verifying proper operation of systems and evaluating anomalies. In addition to the Kennedy Space Center Photo/Video Analysis, reports from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are also included in this document to provide an integrated assessment of the mission.

Upgrades to Electronic Speckle Interferometer (ESPI) Operation and Data Analysis at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connelly, Joseph; Blake, Peter; Jones, Joycelyn

2008-01-01

The authors report operational upgrades and streamlined data analysis of a commissioned electronic speckle interferometer (ESPI) in a permanent in-house facility at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Our ESPI was commercially purchased for use by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) development team. We have quantified and reduced systematic error sources, improved the software operability with a user-friendly graphic interface, developed an instrument simulator, streamlined data analysis for long-duration testing, and implemented a turn-key approach to speckle interferometry. We also summarize results from a test of the JWST support structure (previously published), and present new results from several pieces of test hardware at various environmental conditions.

Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

An assessment of NASA's safety performance for 1983 affirms that NASA Headquarters and Center management teams continue to hold the safety of manned flight to be their prime concern, and that essential effort and resources are allocated for maintaining safety in all of the development and operational programs. Those conclusions most worthy of NASA management concentration are given along with recommendations for action concerning; product quality and utility; space shuttle main engine; landing gear; logistics and management; orbiter structural loads, landing speed, and pitch control; the shuttle processing contractor; and the safety of flight operations. It appears that much needs to be done before the Space Transportation System can achieve the reliability necessary for safe, high rate, low cost operations.

Streamlining: Reducing costs and increasing STS operations effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersburg, R. K.

1985-01-01

The development of streamlining as a concept, its inclusion in the space transportation system engineering and operations support (STSEOS) contract, and how it serves as an incentive to management and technical support personnel is discussed. The mechanics of encouraging and processing streamlining suggestions, reviews, feedback to submitters, recognition, and how individual employee performance evaluations are used to motivation are discussed. Several items that were implemented are mentioned. Information reported and the methodology of determining estimated dollar savings are outlined. The overall effect of this activity on the ability of the McDonnell Douglas flight preparation and mission operations team to support a rapidly increasing flight rate without a proportional increase in cost is illustrated.

Orbiter integrated active thermal control subsystem test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaax, J. R.

1980-01-01

Integrated subsystem level testing of the systems within the orbiter active thermal chamber capable of simulating ground, orbital, and entry temperature and pressure profiles. The test article was in a closed loop configuration that included flight type and functionally simulated protions of all ATCS components for collecting, transporting, and rejecting orbiter waste heat. Specially designed independently operating equipment simulated the transient thermal input from the cabin, payload, fuel cells, freon cold plates, hydraulic system, and space environment. Test team members using data, controls, and procedures available to a flight crew controlled the operation of the ATCS. The ATCS performance met or exceeded all thermal and operational requirements for planned and contingency mission support.

T-38 A- AIRCRAFT (NASA 924)

NASA Image and Video Library

1983-12-07

S82-33032 (30 June 1982) --- This scene shows activity at the spacecraft communicator and flight activities officer consoles in the mission operations control room (MOCR) in the Johnson Space Center?s mission control center (MCC). Astronaut Brewster H. Shaw Jr., right, Astronaut Roy D. Bridges Jr. and Marianne J. Dyson are pictured during STS-4?s Day 4 activity. Shaw and Bridges are spacecraft communicators and Dyson is a flight activities officer on the entry team.

NASA's Space Launch System: Progress Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, Jerry; Lyles, Garry

2017-01-01

NASA and its commercial industry team achieved significant progress in 2016 in manufacturing and testing of the Block 1 vehicle for the first launch of the Space Launch System (SLS). Test and flight article hardware for the liquid hydrogen fuel tank as well as the engine section for the core stage were completed at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans. Test stands neared completion at Marshall Space Flight Center for the propellant tanks, engine section, intertank and payload section. Stennis Space Center completed major structural renovations on the B2 test stand, where the core stage "green run" test program will be conducted. The SLS team completed a hotfire test series at Stennis to successfully demonstrate the ability of the RS-25 engine to operate under SLS environments and performance conditions. The team also test fired the second qualification five-segment solid rocket motor and cast the first six motor segments for the first SLS mission. The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) test article was delivered to Marshall for structural tests, and work is nearly finished on the flight stage. Flight software testing completed at Marshall included power quality and command and data handling. In 2017, that work continues. SLS completed Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), a powerful, human-rated spacecraft that will propel explorers to cis-lunar space. In 2017, hardware will continue to be integrated at MAF for core stage structural test articles and the first two operational flights. RS-25 hotfire testing will continue to explore engine performance, as well as test flight-like software and four new Engine Controller Units (ECUs) for the first mission. Production of development components for a more affordable RS-25 design is underway. Core stage structural test articles have begun arriving at Marshall. While engineering challenges typical of a new development are possible, SLS is working toward launch readiness in late 2018. This paper will discuss these and other technical and programmatic successes and challenges over the past year and provide a preview of work ahead before first flight

Orbit Determination Strategy and Simulation Performance for OSIRIS-REx Proximity Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, Jason M.; Antreasian, Peter G.; Jackman, Coralie D.; Page, Brian; Wibben, Daniel R.; Moreau, Michael C.

2017-01-01

The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRISREx)is a NASA New Frontiers mission to the near-earth asteroid Bennu that will rendez vousin 2018, create a comprehensive and detailed set of observations over several years, collect a regolith sample, and return the sample to Earth in 2023. The Orbit Determination (OD) team isa sub-section of the Flight Dynamics System responsible for generating precise reconstructions and predictions of the spacecraft trajectory. The OD team processes radiometric data, LIDAR, as well as center-finding and landmark-based Optical Navigation images throughout the proximity operations phase to estimate and predict the spacecraft location within several meters. Stringent knowledge requirements stress the OD teams concept of operations and procedures to produce verified and consistent high quality solutions for observation planning, maneuver planning, and onboard sequencing. This paper will provide insight into the OD concept of operations and summarize the OD performance expected during the approach and early proximity operation phases,based on our pre-encounter knowledge of Bennu. Strategies and methods used to compare and evaluate predicted and reconstructed solutions are detailed. The use of high fidelity operational tests during early 2017 will stress the teams concept of operations and ability to produce precise OD solutions with minimal turn-around delay.

Overview of medical operations for a manned stratospheric balloon flight.

PubMed

Blue, Rebecca S; Law, Jennifer; Norton, Sean C; Garbino, Alejandro; Pattarini, James M; Turney, Matthew W; Clark, Jonathan B

2013-03-01

Red Bull Stratos was a commercial program designed to bring a test parachutist protected by a full-pressure suit via a stratospheric balloon with a pressurized capsule to 120,000 ft (36,576 m), from which he would freefall and subsequently parachute to the ground. On March 15, 2012, the Red Bull Stratos program successfully conducted a preliminary manned balloon test flight and parachute jump, reaching a final altitude of 71,581 ft (21,818 m). In light of the uniqueness of the operation and medical threats faced, a comprehensive medical plan was needed to ensure prompt and efficient response to any medical contingencies. This report will serve to discuss the medical plans put into place before the first manned balloon flight and the actions of the medical team during that flight. The medical operations developed for this program will be systematically evaluated, particularly, specific recommendations for improvement in future high-altitude and commercial space activities. A multipronged approach to medical support was developed, consisting of event planning, medical personnel, equipment, contingency-specific considerations, and communications. Medical operations were found to be highly successful when field-tested during this stratospheric flight, and the experience allowed for refinement of medical operations for future flights. The lessons learned and practices established for this program can easily be used to tailor a plan specific to other aviation or spaceflight events.

14 CFR 91.145 - Management of aircraft operations in the vicinity of aerial demonstrations and major sporting...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... and events may include: (1) United States Naval Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angels); (2) United... nautical mile radius from the center of the demonstration and an altitude 17000 mean sea level (for high...

14 CFR 91.145 - Management of aircraft operations in the vicinity of aerial demonstrations and major sporting...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... and events may include: (1) United States Naval Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angels); (2) United... nautical mile radius from the center of the demonstration and an altitude 17000 mean sea level (for high...

14 CFR 91.145 - Management of aircraft operations in the vicinity of aerial demonstrations and major sporting...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... and events may include: (1) United States Naval Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angels); (2) United... nautical mile radius from the center of the demonstration and an altitude 17000 mean sea level (for high...

A Human-Autonomy Teaming Approach for a Flight-Following Task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandt, Summer L.; Russell, Ricky; Lachter, Joel; Shively, Robert

2017-01-01

Managing aircraft is becoming more complex with increasingly sophisticated automation responsible for more flight tasks. With this increased complexity, it is becoming more difficult for operators to understand what the automation is doing and why. Human involvement with increasingly autonomous systems must adjust to allow for a more dynamic relationship involving cooperation and teamwork. As part of an ongoing project to develop a framework for human-autonomy teaming (HAT) in aviation, a part-task study was conducted to demonstrate, evaluate and refine proposed critical aspects of HAT. These features were built into an automated recommender system on a ground station available from previous studies. Participants performed a flight-following task once with the original ground station (i.e., No HAT condition) and once with the HAT features enabled (i.e., HAT condition). Behavioral and subjective measures were collected; subjective measures are presented here. Overall, participants preferred the ground station with HAT features enabled compared to the station without the HAT features. Participants reported that the HAT displays and automation were preferred for keeping up with operationally important issues. Additionally, participants reported that the HAT displays and automation provided enough situation awareness to complete the task and reduced workload relative to the No HAT baseline.

Alternative Approaches to Mission Control Automation at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rackley, Michael; Cooter, Miranda; Davis, George; Mackey, Jennifer

2001-01-01

To meet its objective of reducing operations costs without incurring a corresponding increase in risk, NASA is seeking new methods to automate mission operations. This paper examines the state of the art in automating ground operations for space missions. A summary of available technologies and methods for automating mission operations is provided. Responses from interviews with several space mission FOTs (Flight Operations Teams) to assess the degree and success of those technologies and methods implemented are presented. Mission operators that were interviewed approached automation using different tools and methods resulting in varying degrees of success - from nearly completely automated to nearly completely manual. Two key criteria for successful automation are the active participation of the FOT in the planning, designing, testing, and implementation of the system and the relative degree of complexity of the mission.

Two Outs, Bottom of the Ninth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snow, Frank

2002-01-01

It was eight months before launch when my second Flight Operations Team lead said he was leaving the project for another job. Six months earlier, the original lead had said he was leaving. I was stunned--but I remained confident that we would recover. I didn't expect to lose the second lead. After all, lightning is not supposed to strike twice in the same place. This time, with only eight months until launch, I was very much concerned. No, 'concerned' is probably too mild a word. Let's get it right: I was sweating. Losing a lead at any stage presents problems, but two losses within 6 months of each other can definitely shake the confidence of an inexperienced Flight Ops Team.

DRACO Flowpath Performance and Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Komar, D. R.; McDonald, Jon

1999-01-01

The Advanced Space Transportation (AST) project office has challenged NASA to design, manufacture, ground-test and flight-test an axisymmetric, hydrocarbon-fueled, flight-weight, ejector-ramjet engine system testbed no later than 2005. To accomplish this, a multi-center NASA team has been assembled. The goal of this team, led by NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), is to develop propulsion technologies that demonstrate rocket and airbreathing combined-cycle operation (DRACO). Current technical activities include flowpath conceptual design, engine systems conceptual design, and feasibility studies investigating the integration and operation of the DRACO engine with a Lockheed D-21B drone. This paper focuses on the activities of the Flowpath Systems Product Development Team (PDT), led by NASA-Glenn Research Center (GRC) and supported by NASA-MSFC and TechLand Research, Inc. The objective of the Flowpath PDT at the start of the DRACO program was to establish a conceptual design of the flowpath aerodynamic lines, determine the preliminary performance, define the internal environments, and support the DRACO testbed concept feasibility studies. To accomplish these tasks, the PDT convened to establish a baseline flowpath concept. With the conceptual lines defined, cycle analysis tasks were planned and the flowpath performance and internal environments were defined. Additionally, sensitivity studies investigating the effects of inlet reference area, combustion performance, and combustor/nozzle materials selection were performed to support the Flowpath PDT design process. Results of these tasks are the emphasis of this paper and are intended to verify the feasibility of the DRACO flowpath and engine system as well as identify the primary technical challenges inherent in the flight-weight design of an advanced propulsion technology demonstration engine. Preliminary cycle performance decks were developed to support the testbed concept feasibility studies but are not discussed further in this paper.

Twelve Scientific Specialists of the Peenemuende Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Twelve scientific specialists of the Peenemuende team at the front of Building 4488, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. They led the Army's space efforts at ABMA before transfer of the team to National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). (Left to right) Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, Director, Research Projects Office; Dr. Helmut Hoelzer, Director, Computation Laboratory: Karl L. Heimburg, Director, Test Laboratory; Dr. Ernst Geissler, Director, Aeroballistics Laboratory; Erich W. Neubert, Director, Systems Analysis Reliability Laboratory; Dr. Walter Haeussermarn, Director, Guidance and Control Laboratory; Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director Development Operations Division; William A. Mrazek, Director, Structures and Mechanics Laboratory; Hans Hueter, Director, System Support Equipment Laboratory;Eberhard Rees, Deputy Director, Development Operations Division; Dr. Kurt Debus, Director Missile Firing Laboratory; Hans H. Maus, Director, Fabrication and Assembly Engineering Laboratory

Spacelab Operations Support Room Space Engineering Support Team in the SL POCC During the IML-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Spacelab Operations Support Room Space Engineering Support team in the SL POCC during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in BFCR - HST Orbit & Planning Teams

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-18

JSC2009-E-120479 (18 May 2009) --- Members of the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope Planning and Orbit flight control team pose for a group portrait in the blue flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in BFCR - HST Planning & Orbit Team

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-19

JSC2009-E-120701 (19 May 2009) --- Members of the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope Planning and Orbit flight control team pose for a group portrait in the blue flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

32 CFR 705.32 - Aviation events and parachute demonstrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the officially designated military flight or parachute demonstration teams, flyover by aircraft, a... of military flight and parachute demonstration teams. Armed Forces recruiting teams are available to... support of air show fund raising efforts in the form of provision of military flight and parachute...

32 CFR 705.32 - Aviation events and parachute demonstrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the officially designated military flight or parachute demonstration teams, flyover by aircraft, a... of military flight and parachute demonstration teams. Armed Forces recruiting teams are available to... support of air show fund raising efforts in the form of provision of military flight and parachute...

32 CFR 705.32 - Aviation events and parachute demonstrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the officially designated military flight or parachute demonstration teams, flyover by aircraft, a... of military flight and parachute demonstration teams. Armed Forces recruiting teams are available to... support of air show fund raising efforts in the form of provision of military flight and parachute...

32 CFR 705.32 - Aviation events and parachute demonstrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the officially designated military flight or parachute demonstration teams, flyover by aircraft, a... of military flight and parachute demonstration teams. Armed Forces recruiting teams are available to... support of air show fund raising efforts in the form of provision of military flight and parachute...

32 CFR 705.32 - Aviation events and parachute demonstrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the officially designated military flight or parachute demonstration teams, flyover by aircraft, a... of military flight and parachute demonstration teams. Armed Forces recruiting teams are available to... support of air show fund raising efforts in the form of provision of military flight and parachute...

SDO FlatSat Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amason, David L.

2008-01-01

The goal of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is to understand and, ideally, predict the solar variations that influence life and society. It's instruments will measure the properties of the Sun and will take hifh definition images of the Sun every few seconds, all day every day. The FlatSat is a high fidelity electrical and functional representation of the SDO spacecraft bus. It is a high fidelity test bed for Integration & Test (I & T), flight software, and flight operations. For I & T purposes FlatSat will be a driver to development and dry run electrical integration procedures, STOL test procedures, page displays, and the command and telemetry database. FlatSat will also serve as a platform for flight software acceptance and systems testing for the flight software system component including the spacecraft main processors, power supply electronics, attitude control electronic, gimbal control electrons and the S-band communications card. FlatSat will also benefit the flight operations team through post-launch flight software code and table update development and verification and verification of new and updated flight operations products. This document highlights the benefits of FlatSat; describes the building of FlatSat; provides FlatSat facility requirements, access roles and responsibilities; and, and discusses FlatSat mechanical and electrical integration and functional testing.

Unobtrusive Monitoring of Spaceflight Team Functioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maidel, Veronica; Stanton, Jeffrey M.

2010-01-01

This document contains a literature review suggesting that research on industrial performance monitoring has limited value in assessing, understanding, and predicting team functioning in the context of space flight missions. The review indicates that a more relevant area of research explores the effectiveness of teams and how team effectiveness may be predicted through the elicitation of individual and team mental models. Note that the mental models referred to in this literature typically reflect a shared operational understanding of a mission setting such as the cockpit controls and navigational indicators on a flight deck. In principle, however, mental models also exist pertaining to the status of interpersonal relations on a team, collective beliefs about leadership, success in coordination, and other aspects of team behavior and cognition. Pursuing this idea, the second part of this document provides an overview of available off-the-shelf products that might assist in extraction of mental models and elicitation of emotions based on an analysis of communicative texts among mission personnel. The search for text analysis software or tools revealed no available tools to enable extraction of mental models automatically, relying only on collected communication text. Nonetheless, using existing software to analyze how a team is functioning may be relevant for selection or training, when human experts are immediately available to analyze and act on the findings. Alternatively, if output can be sent to the ground periodically and analyzed by experts on the ground, then these software packages might be employed during missions as well. A demonstration of two text analysis software applications is presented. Another possibility explored in this document is the option of collecting biometric and proxemic measures such as keystroke dynamics and interpersonal distance in order to expose various individual or dyadic states that may be indicators or predictors of certain elements of team functioning. This document summarizes interviews conducted with personnel currently involved in observing or monitoring astronauts or who are in charge of technology that allows communication and monitoring. The objective of these interviews was to elicit their perspectives on monitoring team performance during long-duration missions and the feasibility of potential automatic non-obtrusive monitoring systems. Finally, in the last section, the report describes several priority areas for research that can help transform team mental models, biometrics, and/or proxemics into workable systems for unobtrusive monitoring of space flight team effectiveness. Conclusions from this work suggest that unobtrusive monitoring of space flight personnel is likely to be a valuable future tool for assessing team functioning, but that several research gaps must be filled before prototype systems can be developed for this purpose.

Autonomous Mission Operations Roadmap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, Jeremy David

2014-01-01

As light time delays increase, the number of such situations in which crew autonomy is the best way to conduct the mission is expected to increase. However, there are significant open questions regarding which functions to allocate to ground and crew as the time delays increase. In situations where the ideal solution is to allocate responsibility to the crew and the vehicle, a second question arises: should the activity be the responsibility of the crew or an automated vehicle function? More specifically, we must answer the following questions: What aspects of mission operation responsibilities (Plan, Train, Fly) should be allocated to ground based or vehicle based planning, monitoring, and control in the presence of significant light-time delay between the vehicle and the Earth?How should the allocated ground based planning, monitoring, and control be distributed across the flight control team and ground system automation? How should the allocated vehicle based planning, monitoring, and control be distributed between the flight crew and onboard system automation?When during the mission should responsibility shift from flight control team to crew or from crew to vehicle, and what should the process of shifting responsibility be as the mission progresses? NASA is developing a roadmap of capabilities for Autonomous Mission Operations for human spaceflight. This presentation will describe the current state of development of this roadmap, with specific attention to in-space inspection tasks that crews might perform with minimum assistance from the ground.

Hayabusa—Its technology and science accomplishment summary and Hayabusa-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawaguchi, Jun'ichiro; Fujiwara, Akira; Uesugi, Tono

2008-05-01

Hayabusa performed five descents last November, among which two touching-down flights were included. Actually Hayabusa made three touching-downs and one long landing on the surface of Itokawa during those two flights. This paper summarizes how series of descents were planned and operated. The contents focus their attention on the correction maneuvers planning as well as what kind of terminals with what kind of software tools were actually built and used. The project team had distilled and accumulated their experiences through the rehearsal flights and accomplished this difficult mission. This paper presents the entire story about it.

Zero Gravity Flights as the Most Effective Embryonic Operation for Planned Commercial Spaceport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abu Samah, Shamsul Kamar; Ridzuan Zakaria, Norul; Nasrun, Nasri; Abu, Jalaluddin; Muszaphar Shukor, Dato'Sheikh

2013-09-01

From the experience gained by the management team of Spaceport Malaysia, a popular service that can be provided by a planned commercial spaceport in a country without existing space travel infrastructure are zero gravity flights. Zero gravity flights range from parabolic flights using aerobatic airplane to suborbital flights using rockets, and in the near future using suborbital rocketplanes. Therefore, zero gravity flights can be operated from a certified runway or planned for operation at a future commercial spaceport. With such range of operation, zero gravity flights provide a natural link between a low cost operation of small airplane to exclusive high profile operation of suborbital rocketplane, and this attracts the attention of individuals and organizations that are planning for the establishment of a commercial spaceport. This is the approach chosen by the planners and developers of Spaceport Malaysia. A significant factor in zero gravity flight is the zero gravity time, the period where the payload onboard the airplane or rocketplane will experience zero gravity. Based on the momentum of the airplane or rocketplane, the zero gravity time may vary from few seconds to few minutes and that determines the quality of the zero gravity flight. To achieve zero gravity, the airplane or rocketplane will fly with a steady velocity for a significant time as a gravity control flight, accelerate upwards with an angle producing hypergravity and perform parabolic flight with natural momentum producing zero gravity and followed by dive that will result in another hypergravity flight. 2 zero gravity platforms being considered for operation at and by Spaceport Malaysia are F-5E Tiger II and Airbus A300, since both platforms have been successfully used by a partner of Spaceport Malaysia in performing zero gravity flights. An F-5E fighter jet owned by Royal Malaysian Air Force is being planned to be converted into a zero gravity platform to be operated at and by Spaceport Malaysia. Based on recorded zero gravity flights of the fighter jet, an F-5E will be able to produce 45 seconds of zero gravity time, long enough for effective zero gravity experiments. An A300 in operation in Europe is also being considered to be operated bySpaceport Malaysia. Even though this airplane can only produce less than half the zero gravity time produced by F-5E, the A300 has the advantage off passengers to experience zero gravity. Both zero gravity platforms have been promoting Spaceport Malaysia project and suborbital flights to be operational at the spaceport as both zero gravity flights and suborbital flights attract the interest from similar and preferred operators and markets. Therefore based on Spaceport Malaysia as a case study, zero gravity flights are the most effective embryonic operation for a planned commercial spaceport.

Towards "DRONE-BORNE" Disaster Management: Future Application Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanzi, Tullio Joseph; Chandra, Madhu; Isnard, Jean; Camara, Daniel; Sebastien, Olivier; Harivelo, Fanilo

2016-06-01

Information plays a key role in crisis management and relief efforts for natural disaster scenarios. Given their flight properties, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) provide new and interesting perspectives on the data gathering for disaster management. A new generation of UAVs may help to improve situational awareness and information assessment. Among the advantages UAVs may bring to the disaster management field, we can highlight the gain in terms of time and human resources, as they can free rescue teams from time-consuming data collection tasks and assist research operations with more insightful and precise guidance thanks to advanced sensing capabilities. However, in order to be useful, UAVs need to overcome two main challenges. The first one is to achieve a sufficient autonomy level, both in terms of navigation and interpretation of the data sensed. The second major challenge relates to the reliability of the UAV, with respect to accidental (safety) or malicious (security) risks. This paper first discusses the potential of UAV in assisting in different humanitarian relief scenarios, as well as possible issues in such situations. Based on recent experiments, we discuss the inherent advantages of autonomous flight operations, both lone flights and formation flights. The question of autonomy is then addressed and a secure embedded architecture and its specific hardware capabilities is sketched out. We finally present a typical use case based on the new detection and observation abilities that UAVs can bring to rescue teams. Although this approach still has limits that have to be addressed, technically speaking as well as operationally speaking, it seems to be a very promising one to enhance disaster management efforts activities.

ESOC - The satellite operation center of the European Space Agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dworak, H. P.

1980-04-01

The operation and individual functions of the European Space Operation Center (ESOC) that controls the flight of ESA satellites are presented. The main role of the ESOC is discussed and its division into three areas: telemetry, remote piloting, and tracking is outlined. Attention is given to the manipulation of experimental data collected on board the satellites as well as to the functions of the individual ground stations. A block diagram of the information flow to the Meteosat receiving station is presented along with the network outlay of data flow between the ground stations and the ESOC. Distribution of tasks between the ground operation manager, spacecraft operations manager, and flight dynamic software coordinator is discussed with reference to a mission team. A short description of the current missions including COS-B, GEOS-1 and 2, Meteosat, OTS, and ISEE-B is presented

Flight Test Implementation of a Second Generation Intelligent Flight Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams-Hayes, Peggy S.

2005-01-01

The NASA F-15 Intelligent Flight Control System project team has developed a series of flight control concepts designed to demonstrate the benefits of a neural network-based adaptive controller. The objective of the team was to develop and flight-test control systems that use neural network technology, to optimize the performance of the aircraft under nominal conditions, and to stabilize the aircraft under failure conditions. Failure conditions include locked or failed control surfaces as well as unforeseen damage that might occur to the aircraft in flight. The Intelligent Flight Control System team is currently in the process of implementing a second generation control scheme, collectively known as Generation 2 or Gen 2, for flight testing on the NASA F-15 aircraft. This report describes the Gen 2 system as implemented by the team for flight test evaluation. Simulation results are shown which describe the experiment to be performed in flight and highlight the ways in which the Gen 2 system meets the defined objectives.

Comparison of Orion Vision Navigation Sensor Performance from STS-134 and the Space Operations Simulation Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christian, John A.; Patangan, Mogi; Hinkel, Heather; Chevray, Keiko; Brazzel, Jack

2012-01-01

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is a new spacecraft being designed by NASA and Lockheed Martin for future crewed exploration missions. The Vision Navigation Sensor is a Flash LIDAR that will be the primary relative navigation sensor for this vehicle. To obtain a better understanding of this sensor's performance, the Orion relative navigation team has performed both flight tests and ground tests. This paper summarizes and compares the performance results from the STS-134 flight test, called the Sensor Test for Orion RelNav Risk Mitigation (STORRM) Development Test Objective, and the ground tests at the Space Operations Simulation Center.

Integrated Airport Surface Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koczo, S.

1998-01-01

The current air traffic environment in airport terminal areas experiences substantial delays when weather conditions deteriorate to Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Research activity at NASA has culminated in the development, flight test and demonstration of a prototype Low Visibility Landing and Surface Operations (LVLASO) system. A NASA led industry team and the FAA developed the system which integrated airport surface surveillance systems, aeronautical data links, DGPS navigation, automation systems, and controller and flight deck displays. The LVLASO system was demonstrated at the Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft during August, 1997. This report documents the contractors role in this testing particularly in the area of data link and DGPS navigation.

Debris/ice/TPS assessment and integrated photographic analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-45

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katnik, Gregory N.; Higginbotham, Scott A.; Davis, J. Bradley

1992-01-01

The Debris Team has developed and implemented measures to control damage from debris in the Shuttle operational environment and to make the control measures a part of routine launch flows. These measures include engineering surveillance during vehicle processing and closeout operations, facility and flight hardware inspections before and after launch, and photographic analysis of mission events. Photographic analyses of mission imagery from launch, on-orbit, and landing provide significant data in verifying proper operation of systems and evaluating anomalies. In addition to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Photo/Video Analysis, reports from Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Rockwell International-Downey are also included to provide an integrated assessment of each Shuttle mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-19

On October 19, 2006, former NASA director of Mission Operations Gene Kranz was a keynote speaker at the Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC’s) 2006 Annual Safety Day program. The best selling author of “Failure Is Not An Option” and past Apollo flight director was featured during a morning session called “Coffee and Kranz”. Marshall employees hung on his every word as he told the fascinating story of Apollo 13. Kranz was the acting flight director during the Apollo 13 mission, a mission that seemed doomed to fail due to an onboard explosion. Kranz and his flight control team worked around the clock relentlessly, solving problem after problem, until the crew was returned safely to Earth.

The second X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator aircraft during its maiden flight. The flight marks another milestone for the UCAV program, and verified the aircraft's flight control software

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-11-21

The second X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator completed its first flight on November 21, 2002, after taking off from a dry lakebed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California. X-45A vehicle two flew for approximately 30 minutes and reached an airspeed of 195 knots and an altitude of 7500 feet. This flight validated the functionality of the UCAV flight software on the second air vehicle. Dryden is supporting the DARPA/Boeing team in the design, development, integration, and demonstration of the critical technologies, processes, and system attributes leading to an operational UCAV system. Dryden support of the X-45A demonstrator system includes analysis, component development, simulations, ground and flight tests.

KSC-2013-3542

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A remote-controlled aircraft flies during a competition with a unique set of sensors and software to conduct a mock search-and-rescue operation. The aircraft was assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Teams from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy and Marshall Space Flight Center competed in the unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-3543

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A remote-controlled aircraft flies during a competition with a unique set of sensors and software to conduct a mock search-and-rescue operation. The aircraft was assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Teams from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy and Marshall Space Flight Center competed in the unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-3546

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A remote-controlled aircraft flies during a competition with a unique set of sensors and software to conduct a mock search-and-rescue operation. The aircraft was assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center and Marshall competed in the unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-3540

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A remote-controlled aircraft takes off during a competition with a unique set of sensors and software to conduct a mock search-and-rescue operation. The aircraft was assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Teams from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy and Marshall Space Flight Center competed in the unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-3541

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A remote-controlled aircraft flies during a competition with a unique set of sensors and software to conduct a mock search-and-rescue operation. The aircraft was assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Teams from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy and Marshall Space Flight Center competed in the unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

STS-106 Orbit 2 Flight Team

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-14

JSC2000-06244 (September 2000)--- Flight director Jeff Hanley, front center, and the fifty-odd flight controllers making up the ISS Orbit 2 Team pose for their group portrait in the ISS Flight Control Room of Houston's Mission Control Center.

Automation and Process Improvement Enables a Small Team to Operate a Low Thrust Mission in Orbit Around the Asteroid Vesta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weise, Timothy M

2012-01-01

NASA's Dawn mission to the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres launched September 27, 2007 and arrived at Vesta in July of 2011. This mission uses ion propulsion to achieve the necessary delta-V to reach and maneuver at Vesta and Ceres. This paper will show how the evolution of ground system automation and process improvement allowed a relatively small engineering team to transition from cruise operations to asteroid operations while maintaining robust processes. The cruise to Vesta phase lasted almost 4 years and consisted of activities that were built with software tools, but each tool was open loop and required engineers to review the output to ensure consistency. Additionally, this same time period was characterized by the evolution from manually retrieved and reviewed data products to automatically generated data products and data value checking. Furthermore, the team originally took about three to four weeks to design and build about four weeks of spacecraft activities, with spacecraft contacts only once a week. Operations around the asteroid Vesta increased the tempo dramatically by transitioning from one contact a week to three or four contacts a week, to fourteen contacts a week (every 12 hours). This was accompanied by a similar increase in activity complexity as well as very fast turn around activity design and build cycles. The design process became more automated and the tools became closed loop, allowing the team to build more activities without sacrificing rigor. Additionally, these activities were dependent on the results of flight system performance, so more automation was added to analyze the flight data and provide results in a timely fashion to feed the design cycle. All of this automation and process improvement enabled up the engineers to focus on other aspects of spacecraft operations, including spacecraft health monitoring and anomaly resolution.

Managing Risk for Cassini During Mission Operations and Data Analysis (MOandDA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witkowski, Mona M.

2002-01-01

A Risk Management Process has been tailored for Cassini that not only satisfies the requirements of NASA and JPL, but also allows the Program to proactively identify and assess risks that threaten mission objectives. Cassini Risk Management is a team effort that involves both management and engineering staff. The process is managed and facilitated by the Mission Assurance Manager (MAM), but requires regular interactions with Program Staff and team members to instill the risk management philosophy into the day to day mission operations. While Risk Management is well defined for projects in the development phase, it is a relatively new concept for Mission Operations. The Cassini team has embraced this process and has begun using it in an effective, proactive manner, to ensure mission success. It is hoped that the Cassini Risk Management Process will form the basis by which risk management is conducted during MO&DA on future projects. proactive in identifying, assessing and mitigating risks before they become problems. Cost ehtiveness is achieved by: Comprehensively identifying risks Rapidly assessing which risks require the expenditure of pruject cewums Taking early actions to mitigate these risks Iterating the process frequently, to be responsive to the dynamic internal and external environments The Cassini Program has successfully implemented a Risk Management Process for mission operations, The initial SRL has been developed and input into he online tool. The Risk Management webbased system has been rolled out for use by the flight team and risk owners we working proactive in identifying, assessing and mitigating risks before they become problems. Cost ehtiveness is achieved by: Comprehensively identifying risks Rapidly assessing which risks require the expenditure of pruject cewums Taking early actions to mitigate these risks Iterating the process frequently, to be responsive to the dynamic internal and external environments The Cassini Program has successfully implemented a Risk Management Process for mission operations, The initial SRL has been developed and input into he online tool. The Risk Management webbased system has been rolled out for use by the flight team and risk owners we working put into place will become visible and will be illusmted in future papers.

The First Flight Decision for New Human Spacecraft Vehicles - A General Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaible, Dawn M.; Sumrall, John Phillip

2011-01-01

Determining when it is safe to fly a crew on a launch vehicle/spacecraft for the first time, especially when the test flight is a part of the overall system certification process, has long been a challenge for program decision makers. The decision on first flight is ultimately the judgment of the program and agency management in conjunction with the design and operations team. To aid in this decision process, a NASA team undertook the task to develop a generic framework for evaluating whether any given program or commercial provider has sufficiently complete and balanced plans in place to allow crewmembers to safely fly on human spaceflight systems for the first time. It was the team s goal to establish a generic framework that could easily be applied to any new system, although the system design and intended mission would require specific assessment. Historical data shows that there are multiple approaches that have been successful in first flight with crew. These approaches have always been tailored to the specific system design, mission objectives, and launch environment. Because specific approaches may vary significantly between different system designs and situations, prescriptive instructions or thorough checklists cannot be provided ahead of time. There are, however, certain general approaches that should be applied in thinking through the decision for first flight. This paper addresses some of the most important factors to consider when developing a new system or evaluating an existing system for whether or not it is safe to fly humans to/from space. In the simplest terms, it is time to fly crew for the first time when it is safe to do so and the benefit of the crewed flight is greater than the residual risk. This is rarely a straight-forward decision. The paper describes the need for experience, sound judgment, close involvement of the technical and management teams, and established decision processes. In addition, the underlying level of confidence the manager has in making the decision will also be discussed. By applying the outlined thought processes and approaches to a specific design, test program and mission objectives, a project team will be better able to focus the debate and discussion on critical areas for consideration and added scrutiny -- allowing decision makers to adequately address the first crewed flight decision.

Ares I-X: First Step in a New Era of Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Stephan R.

2010-01-01

Since 2005, NASA's Constellation Program has been designing, building, and testing the next generation of launch and space vehicles to carry humans beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). On October 28, 2009, the Ares Projects successfully launched the first suborbital development flight test of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, Ares I-X, from Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Although the final Constellation Program architecture is under review, data and lessons obtained from Ares I-X can be applied to any launch vehicle. This presentation will discuss the mission background and future impacts of the flight. Ares I is designed to carry up to four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). It also can be used with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle for a variety of missions beyond LEO. The Ares I-X development flight test was conceived in 2006 to acquire early engineering, operations, and environment data during liftoff, ascent, and first stage recovery. Engineers are using the test flight data to improve the Ares I design before its critical design review the final review before manufacturing of the flight vehicle begins. The Ares I-X flight test vehicle incorporated a mix of flight and mockup hardware, reflecting a similar length and mass to the operational vehicle. It was powered by a four-segment SRB from the Space Shuttle inventory, and was modified to include a fifth, spacer segment that made the booster approximately the same size as the five-segment SRB. The Ares I-X flight closely approximated flight conditions the Ares I will experience through Mach 4.5, performing a first stage separation at an altitude of 125,000 feet and reaching a maximum dynamic pressure ("Max Q") of approximately 850 pounds per square foot. The Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) was organized functionally to address all the major test elements, including: first stage, avionics, and roll control (Marshall Space Flight Center); upper stage simulator (Glenn Research Center); crew module/launch abort system simulator (Langley Research Center); and ground systems and operations (KSC). Interfaces between vehicle elements and vehicle-ground elements, as well as environment analyses were performed by a systems engineering and integration team at Langley. Experience and lessons learned from these integrated product teams area are already being integrated into the Ares Projects to support the next generation of exploration launch vehicles.

GFAST Software Demonstration

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-17

NASA engineers and test directors gather in Firing Room 3 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to watch a demonstration of the automated command and control software for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. In front, far right, is Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). The software is called the Ground Launch Sequencer. It will be responsible for nearly all of the launch commit criteria during the final phases of launch countdowns. The Ground and Flight Application Software Team (GFAST) demonstrated the software. It was developed by the Command, Control and Communications team in the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. GSDO is helping to prepare the center for the first test flight of Orion atop the SLS on EM-1.

STS-107 Flight Day 11 Highlights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

This video shows the activities of the STS-107 crew (Rick Husband, Commander; William McCool, Pilot; Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Mission Specialists; Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist) during flight day 11 of the Columbia orbiter's final mission. In the video, crew members from the Blue Team (McCool, Brown, Anderson) and the Red Team (Husband, Chawla, Clark, Ramon) are shown at work on experiments in the SpaceHab RDM (Research Double Module), and performing other tasks. Much of the video is shot and narrated by Commander Husband. Mission Specialist Brown is shown operating the MEIDEX (Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment). Crew activities shown include making breakfast, entering sleep stations, and programming shuttle maneuvers necessary for the spaceborne experiments onboard. Earth views shown in the video include one of Egypt, Israel and Jerusalem.

An intelligent automated command and control system for spacecraft mission operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoffel, A. William

1994-01-01

The Intelligent Command and Control (ICC) System research project is intended to provide the technology base necessary for producing an intelligent automated command and control (C&C) system capable of performing all the ground control C&C functions currently performed by Mission Operations Center (MOC) project Flight Operations Team (FOT). The ICC research accomplishments to date, details of the ICC, and the planned outcome of the ICC research, mentioned above, are discussed in detail.

Culture and error in space: implications from analog environments.

PubMed

Helmreich, R L

2000-09-01

An ongoing study investigating national, organizational, and professional cultures in aviation and medicine is described. Survey data from 26 nations on 5 continents show highly significant national differences regarding appropriate relationships between leaders and followers, in group vs. individual orientation, and in values regarding adherence to rules and procedures. These findings replicate earlier research on dimensions of national culture. Data collected also isolate significant operational issues in multi-national flight crews. While there are no better or worse cultures, these cultural differences have operational implications for the way crews function in an international space environment. The positive professional cultures of pilots and physicians exhibit a high enjoyment of the job and professional pride. However, a negative component was also identified characterized by a sense of personal invulnerability regarding the effects of stress and fatigue on performance. This misperception of personal invulnerability has operational implications such as failures in teamwork and increased probability of error. A second component of the research examines team error in operational environments. From observational data collected during normal flight operations, new models of threat and error and their management were developed that can be generalized to operations in space and other socio-technological domains. Five categories of crew error are defined and their relationship to training programs in team performance, known generically as Crew Resource Management, is described. The relevance of these data for future spaceflight is discussed.

Origin of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

NASA Image and Video Library

1940-01-01

The German Rocket Team, also known as the Von Braun Rocket Team, poses for a group photograph at Fort Bliss, Texas. After World War II ended in 1945, Dr. Wernher von Braun led some 120 of his Peenemuende Colleagues, who developed the V-2 rocket for the German military during the War, to the United Sttes under a contract to the U.S. Army Corps as part of Operation Paperclip. During the following five years the team worked on high altitude firings of the captured V-2 rockets at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and a guided missile development unit at Fort Bliss, Texas. In April 1950, the group was transferred to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and continued to work on the development of the guided missiles for the U.S. Army until transferring to a newly established field center of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

A mission operations architecture for the 21st century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tai, W.; Sweetnam, D.

1996-01-01

An operations architecture is proposed for low cost missions beyond the year 2000. The architecture consists of three elements: a service based architecture; a demand access automata; and distributed science hubs. The service based architecture is based on a set of standard multimission services that are defined, packaged and formalized by the deep space network and the advanced multi-mission operations system. The demand access automata is a suite of technologies which reduces the need to be in contact with the spacecraft, and thus reduces operating costs. The beacon signaling, the virtual emergency room, and the high efficiency tracking automata technologies are described. The distributed science hubs provide information system capabilities to the small science oriented flight teams: individual access to all traditional mission functions and services; multimedia intra-team communications, and automated direct transparent communications between the scientists and the instrument.

Clifford Charlesworth seated at his console in Mission Control Room

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-12-21

S68-55742 (21 Dec. 1968) --- Clifford E. Charlesworth, Apollo 8 "Green Team" flight director, is seated at his console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, during the launch of the Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) manned lunar orbit space mission.

STS-119 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 3 - Flight Director Bryan Lunney

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-24

JSC2009-E-061542 (24 March 2009) --- The members of the STS-119 Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. Flight director Bryan Lunney (center) near the front.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 1 - Flight Director Tony Ceccacci

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-20

JSC2009-E-120813 (20 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Tony Ceccacci holds the STS-125 mission logo.

STS-131 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 2 - Flight Director Mike Sarafin

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-051978 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Mike Sarafin holds the STS-131 mission logo.

STS-131 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Planning - Flight Director: Ginger Kerrick

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-12

JSC2010-E-050902 (12 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Planning flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ginger Kerrick (center) is visible on the second row.

STS-118 Ascent/Entry Flight Control Team in White Flight Control Room (WFCR) with Flight Director Steve Stitch

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-20

JSC2007-E-41011 (20 July 2007) --- STS-118 Ascent/Entry flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Steve Stich (center right) and astronaut Tony Antonelli, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), hold the STS-118 mission logo.

The first X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator completed its sixth flight on Dec. 19, 2002, raising its landing gear in flight for the first time. The X-45A flew for 40 minutes and reached an airspeed of 195 knots

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-19

The first X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator completed its sixth flight on Dec. 19, 2002, raising its landing gear in flight for the first time. The X-45A flew for 40 minutes and reached an airspeed of 195 knots and an altitude of 7,500 feet. Dryden is supporting the DARPA/Boeing team in the design, development, integration, and demonstration of the critical technologies, processes, and system attributes leading to an operational UCAV system. Dryden support of the X-45A demonstrator system includes analysis, component development, simulations, ground and flight tests.

Models of Human Information Requirements: "When Reasonable Aiding Systems Disagree"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corker, Kevin; Pisanich, Gregory; Shafto, Michael (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Aircraft flight management and Air Traffic Control (ATC) automation are under development to maximize the economy of flight and to increase the capacity of the terminal area airspace while maintaining levels of flight safety equal to or better than current system performance. These goals are being realized by the introduction of flight management automation aiding and operations support systems on the flight deck and by new developments of ATC aiding systems that seek to optimize scheduling of aircraft while potentially reducing required separation and accounting for weather and wake vortex turbulence. Aiding systems on both the flight deck and the ground operate through algorithmic functions on models of the aircraft and of the airspace. These models may differ from each other as a result of variations in their models of the immediate environment. The resultant flight operations or ATC commands may differ in their response requirements (e.g. different preferred descent speeds or descent initiation points). The human operators in the system must then interact with the automation to reconcile differences and resolve conflicts. We have developed a model of human performance including cognitive functions (decision-making, rule-based reasoning, procedural interruption recovery and forgetting) that supports analysis of the information requirements for resolution of flight aiding and ATC conflicts. The model represents multiple individuals in the flight crew and in ATC. The model is supported in simulation on a Silicon Graphics' workstation using Allegro Lisp. Design guidelines for aviation automation aiding systems have been developed using the model's specification of information and team procedural requirements. Empirical data on flight deck operations from full-mission flight simulation are provided to support the model's predictions. The paper describes the model, its development and implementation, the simulation test of the model predictions, and the empirical validation process. The model and its supporting data provide a generalizable tool that is being expanded to include air/ground compatibility and ATC crew interactions in air traffic management.

Learning Lessons from the X-37 Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Susan; Spanyer, Karen

2005-01-01

The X-37 was planned as an automated vehicle capable of flight-testing new aerospace technologies in combined environments that are beyond the capability of existing ground or flight platforms. Flight demonstration with the X-37 architecture and configuration in relevant environments was planned to reduce the risk of developing launch vehicle technologies for sustainable, affordable exploration and other aerospace applications. Current plans are for the X-37 Approach and Landing Test Vehicle (ALTV) to be atmospheric tested in 2005 from Scaled Composite's White Knight carrier aircraft at up to 40,000 feet over California's Mojave Spaceport, with and turnaround maintenance performed. The fight Operations Control Center will conduct the mission, using a streamlined operations concept. Taxi-tow and captive-carry tests will be conducted prior to the atmospheric-test series. Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with NASA participation, technical objectives are to: (1) mature Computed Air Data System/Remote Pressure Sensor technology, (2) manage energy during Terminal Area Energy Management/Heading Alignment Cone maneuvers, and (3) validate the aerodatabase. The X-37 Project began in 1999 under a cooperative agreement as an element of NASA's Future X Program and transitioned to a NASA Research Announcement under the Space Launch Initiative. In mid-2004, NASA transferred ownership to DARPA, with its heritage of performing high-risk, high-payoff research and development. NASA contributes technical expertise, including risk analysis and system integration. The Boeing Company is the prime contractor, with nationwide suppliers. This recent partnership exemplifies the synergy attainable when NASA Centers, other Government agencies, and industry work together toward a common goal - contributing to the knowledge base for U.S. exploration and other aerospace endeavors. The X-37 team represents a range of space transportation disciplines - from engineering to management. Some members have been with the project since its inception. All have gained priceless experience during the design, manufacturing, and testing of the ALTV, as well as through developing advanced orbital flight technologies, such as state-of-the-art Thermal Protection Systems and hot structures. Throughout this process, the X-37 Project team captures lessons that are directly applicable to other such efforts. The upcoming ALTV flights offer another dimension of data and first-hand experience that will prove invaluable to those designing new generations of reusable spacecraft. And ongoing technology developments will expand the aerospace knowledge base. Delivering prototype hardware is always a risky proposition. During the course of the X-37 effort, the team has experienced many challenging opportunities, delivering significant accomplishments and learning numerous lessons in the process. The ability to manage the risk landscape is key to overcoming obstacles, especially technical hurdles that are encountered in progressing hardware from design to flight. The approach to managing risk under this partnership is evolving but, in general, the team allocates resources to reduce the likelihood of severe-consequence risks, thus maximizing mission success and ensuring that the X-37 Project delivers value to its stakeholders. As the team sharpens its focus on operations, it continues to contribute knowledge to those who would undertake high-risk, high-payoff research and development and provides valuable experience to implement the exploration vision.

Aircraft Mishap Exercise at SLF

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-14

Members of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Flight Operations team participate in a rehearsal of a helicopter crash-landing to test new and updated emergency procedures. Called the Aircraft Mishap Preparedness and Contingency Plan, the operation was designed to validate several updated techniques the center's first responders would follow, should they ever need to rescue a crew in case of a real accident. The mishap exercise took place at the center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Aircraft Mishap Exercise at SLF

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-14

NASA Kennedy Space Center's Flight Operations team reviews procedures before beginning a rehearsal of a helicopter crash-landing to test new and updated emergency procedures. Called the Aircraft Mishap Preparedness and Contingency Plan, the operation was designed to validate several updated techniques the center's first responders would follow, should they ever need to rescue a crew in case of a real accident. The mishap exercise took place at the center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Aircraft Mishap Exercise at SLF

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-14

Members of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Flight Operations team prepare for a rehearsal of a helicopter crash-landing to test new and updated emergency procedures. Called the Aircraft Mishap Preparedness and Contingency Plan, the operation was designed to validate several updated techniques the center's first responders would follow, should they ever need to rescue a crew in case of a real accident. The mishap exercise took place at the center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Aircraft Mishap Exercise at SLF

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-14

A member of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Flight Operations team prepares for a rehearsal of a helicopter crash-landing to test new and updated emergency procedures. Called the Aircraft Mishap Preparedness and Contingency Plan, the operation was designed to validate several updated techniques the center's first responders would follow, should they ever need to rescue a crew in case of a real accident. The mishap exercise took place at the center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Learning Lessons from the X-37 Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Susan; Spanyer, Karen

2005-01-01

The X-37 was planned as an automated vehicle capable of flight-testing new aerospace technologies in combined environments that are beyond the capability of existing ground or flight platforms. Flight demonstration with the X-37 architecture and configuration in relevant environments was planned to reduce the risk of developing launch vehicle technologies for sustainable, affordable exploration and other aerospace applications. Current plans are for the X-37 Approach and Landing Test Vehicle (ALTV) to be atmospheric tested in 2005 from Scaled Composite s White Knight carrier aircraft at up to 40,000 feet over California's Mojave Spaceport, with landing and turnaround maintenance performed. The Flight Operations Control Center will conduct the mission, using a streamlined operations concept. Taxi-tow and captive-carry tests will be conducted prior to the atmospheric-test series. Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with NASA participation, technical objectives are to: (1) mature Computed Air Data System/Remote Pressure Sensor technology, (2) manage energy during Terminal Area Energy Management/Heading Alignment Cone maneuvers, and (3) validate the aerodatabase. The X-37 Project began in 1999 under a cooperative agreement as an element of NASA's Future X Program and transitioned to a NASA Research Announcement under the Space Launch Initiative. In mid-2004, NASA transferred ownership to DARPA, with its heritage of performing high-risk, high-payoff research and development (R&D). NASA contributes technical expertise, including risk analysis and system integration. The Boeing Company is the prime contractor, with nationwide suppliers. This partnership exemplifies the synergy attainable when NASA Centers, other Government agencies, and industry work together toward a common goal - contributing to the knowledge base for U.S. exploration and other aerospace endeavors. The X-37 team represents a range of space transportation disciplines - from engineering to management. Some members have been with the project since its inception. All have gained priceless experience during the design, manufacturing, and testing of the ALTV, as well as through developing advanced orbital flight technologies, such as state-of-the-art Thermal Protection Systems and hot structures. Throughout this process, the X-37 Project team captures lessons that are directly applicable to other such efforts. The upcoming ALTV flights offer another dimension of data and first-hand experience that will prove invaluable to those designing new generations of reusable spacecraft. And ongoing technology developments will expand the aerospace knowledge base. Delivering prototype hardware is always a risky proposition. During the course of this effort, the X-37 team has experienced many challenging opportunities, delivering significant accomplishments and learning numerous lessons in the process. The ability to manage the risk landscape is key to overcoming obstacles, especially technical hurdles that are encountered in progressing hardware from design to flight. The approach to managing risk under this partnership is evolving but, in general, the team allocates resources to reduce the likelihood of severe-consequence risks, thus maximizing mission success and ensuring that the X-37 Project delivers value to its stakeholders. As the team sharpens its focus on operations, it continues to contribute knowledge to those who would undertake high-risk, high-payoff R&D and provides valuable experience to implement the Vision for Space Exploration.

Autonomous Command Operation of the WIRE Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prior, Mike; Walyus, Keith; Saylor, Rick

1999-01-01

This paper presents the end-to-end design architecture for an autonomous commanding capability to be used on the Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) mission for the uplink of command loads during unattended station contacts. The WIRE mission is the fifth and final mission of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Small Explorer (SMEX) series to be launched in March of 1999. Its primary mission is the targeting of deep space fields using an ultra-cooled infrared telescope. Due to its mission design WIRE command loads are large (approximately 40 Kbytes per 24 hours) and must be performed daily. To reduce the cost of mission operations support that would be required in order to uplink command loads, the WIRE Flight Operations Team has implemented an autonomous command loading capability. This capability allows completely unattended operations over a typical two-day weekend period.

Proposal Improvements That Work

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, F.

1998-01-01

Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, an operating location of Boeing in Canoga Park, California is under contract with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama for design, development, production, and mission support of Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs). The contract was restructured in 1996 to emphasize a mission contracting environment under which Rocketdyne supports the Space Transportation System launch manifest of seven flights a year without the need for a detailed list of contract deliverables such as nozzles, turbopumps, and combustion devices. This contract structure is in line with the overall Space Shuttle program goals established by the NASA to fly safely, meet the flight manifest, and reduce cost. Rocketdyne's Contracts, Pricing, and Estimating team has worked for the past several years with representatives from MSFC, the local Defense Contract Management Command, and the DCAA to improve the quality of cost proposals to MSFC for contract changes on the SSME. The contract changes on the program result primarily from engineering change proposals for product enhancements to improve safety, maintainability, or operability in the space environment. This continuous improvement team effort has been successful in improving proposal quality, reducing cycle time, and reducing cost. Some of the principal lessons learned are highlighted here to show how proposal improvements can be implemented to enhance customer satisfaction and ensure cost proposals can be evaluated easily by external customers.

STS-106 Orbit 1 Flight Team with Phil Engelhauf in WFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-15

JSC2000-06253 (15 Sept. 2000) --- Flight director Phil Engelauf, front center, and the other fifty-odd flight controllers making up the STS-106 Orbit 1 team, pose for their group portrait in the Flight Control Room of Houston's Mission Control Center.

Aircraft digital flight control technical review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davenport, Otha B.; Leggett, David B.

1993-01-01

The Aircraft Digital Flight Control Technical Review was initiated by two pilot induced oscillation (PIO) incidents in the spring and summer of 1992. Maj. Gen. Franklin (PEO) wondered why the Air Force development process for digital flight control systems was not preventing PIO problems. Consequently, a technical review team was formed to examine the development process and determine why PIO problems continued to occur. The team was also to identify the 'best practices' used in the various programs. The charter of the team was to focus on the PIO problem, assess the current development process, and document the 'best practices.' The team reviewed all major USAF aircraft programs with digital flight controls, specifically, the F-15E, F-16C/D, F-22, F-111, C-17, and B-2. The team interviewed contractor, System Program Office (SPO), and Combined Test Force (CTF) personnel on these programs. The team also went to NAS Patuxent River to interview USN personnel about the F/A-18 program. The team also reviewed experimental USAF and NASA systems with digital flight control systems: X-29, X-31, F-15 STOL and Maneuver Technology Demonstrator (SMTD), and the Variable In-Flight Stability Test Aircraft (VISTA). The team also discussed the problem with other experts in the field including Ralph Smith and personnel from Calspan. The major conclusions and recommendations from the review are presented.

Automation of Cassini Support Imaging Uplink Command Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ly-Hollins, Lisa; Breneman, Herbert H.; Brooks, Robert

2010-01-01

"Support imaging" is imagery requested by other Cassini science teams to aid in the interpretation of their data. The generation of the spacecraft command sequences for these images is performed by the Cassini Instrument Operations Team. The process initially established for doing this was very labor-intensive, tedious and prone to human error. Team management recognized this process as one that could easily benefit from automation. Team members were tasked to document the existing manual process, develop a plan and strategy to automate the process, implement the plan and strategy, test and validate the new automated process, and deliver the new software tools and documentation to Flight Operations for use during the Cassini extended mission. In addition to the goals of higher efficiency and lower risk in the processing of support imaging requests, an effort was made to maximize adaptability of the process to accommodate uplink procedure changes and the potential addition of new capabilities outside the scope of the initial effort.

Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC) during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured activities are of the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Gravity Plant Physiology Facility (GPPF) Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Gravity Plant Physiology Facility (GPPF) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Crystal Growth Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) During the STS-42

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Crystal Growth team in the SL POCC during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

X-34 Main Propulsion System Design and Operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Champion, R. J., Jr.; Darrow, R. J., Jr.

1998-01-01

The X-34 program is a joint industry/government program to develop, test, and operate a small, fully-reusable hypersonic flight vehicle, utilizing technologies and operating concepts applicable to future Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) systems. The vehicle will be capable of Mach 8 flight to 250,000 feet altitude and will demonstrate an all composite structure, composite RP-1 tank, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Fastrac engine, and the operability of an advanced thermal protection systems. The vehicle will also be capable of carrying flight experiments. MSFC is supporting the X-34 program in three ways: Program Management, the Fastrac engine as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), and the design of the Main Propulsion System (MPS). The MPS Product Development Team (PDT) at MSFC is responsible for supplying the MPS design, analysis, and drawings to Orbital. The MPS consists of the LOX and RP-1 Fill, Drain, Feed, Vent, & Dump systems and the Helium & Nitrogen Purge, Pressurization, and Pneumatics systems. The Reaction Control System (RCS) design was done by Orbital. Orbital is the prime contractor and has responsibility for integration, procurement, and construction of all subsystems. The paper also discusses the design, operation, management, requirements, trades studies, schedule, and lessons learning with the MPS and RCS designs.

STS-106 WFCR Planning Flight Team

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-14

JSC2000-06247 (September 2000)--- Flight director Bill Reeves, at right foreground, and the fifty-odd flight controllers who support his STS-106 planning team pose for their group portrait in Houston's Mission Control Center.

Post-Flight Data Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Marina

2018-01-01

A software tool that facilitates the retrieval and analysis of post-flight data. This allows our team and other teams to effectively and efficiently analyze and evaluate post-flight data in order to certify commercial providers.

AMO EXPRESS: A Command and Control Experiment for Crew Autonomy Onboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornelius, Randy; Frank, Jeremy; Garner, Larry; Haddock, Angie; Stetson, Howard; Wang, Lui

2015-01-01

The Autonomous Mission Operations project is investigating crew autonomy capabilities and tools for deep space missions. Team members at Ames Research Center, Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are using their experience with ISS Payload operations and TIMELINER to: move earth based command and control assets to on-board for crew access; safely merge core and payload command procedures; give the crew single action intelligent operations; and investigate crew interface requirements.

STS-120 Orbit 2 Flight Control Team Photo

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-31

JSC2007-E-095908 (31 Oct. 2007) --- The members of the STS-120 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Mike Moses holds the STS-120 mission logo.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 2 - Flight Director Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-20

JSC2009-E-120845 (20 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Rick LaBrode (right) is visible on the front row.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 3 - Flight Director Paul Dye

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-20

JSC2009-E-120846 (20 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Paul Dye (center left) is visible on the front row.

STS-131 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 1 - Flight Director: Richard Jones

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-12

JSC2010-E-050680 (12 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Richard Jones (second left) is on the front row.

MH17: the Malaysian experience.

PubMed

Khoo, L S; Hasmi, A H; Abdul Ghani Aziz, S A; Ibrahim, M A; Mahmood, M S

2016-04-01

A disaster is a natural or man-made (or technological) hazard resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. It is a phenomenon that can cause damage to life and property and destroy the economic, social and cultural life of the people; and overwhelms the capacity of the community to cope with the event. The recent tragic aviation accidents in 2014 involving Malaysia Airlines flights MH370 and MH17 shocked the world in an unprecedented manner. This paper focuses on the Malaysian experience in the MH17 mission in Ukraine as well as the first ever international Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) operation for the Malaysian DVI team. The DVI operations in Hilversum, the Netherlands were well described in stages. The Netherlands' Landelijk Team Forensische Opsporing as the lead DVI team in Hilversum operated systematically, ensuring the success of the whole mission. This paper discusses the lessons learned by the Malaysian team on proper DVI structure, inter- and intra-agency cooperation, facilities planning and set up, logistics and health and safety aspects, as well as effective communication and collaboration with other international delegates. Several issues and challenges faced by the Malaysian team were also documented. In addition, the authors shared views, opinions and recommendations for a more comprehensive DVI operation in the future.

Spacecraft operations automation: Automatic alarm notification and web telemetry display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Short, Owen G.; Leonard, Robert E.; Bucher, Allen W.; Allen, Bryan

1999-11-01

In these times of Faster, Better, Cheaper (FBC) spacecraft, Spacecraft Operations Automation is an area that is targeted by many Operations Teams. To meet the challenges of the FBC environment, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Operations Team designed and quickly implemented two new low-cost technologies: one which monitors spacecraft telemetry, checks the status of the telemetry, and contacts technical experts by pager when any telemetry datapoints exceed alarm limits, and a second which allows quick and convenient remote access to data displays. The first new technology is Automatic Alarm Notification (AAN). AAN monitors spacecraft telemetry and will notify engineers automatically if any telemetry is received which creates an alarm condition. The second new technology is Web Telemetry Display (WTD). WTD captures telemetry displays generated by the flight telemetry system and makes them available to the project web server. This allows engineers to check the health and status of the spacecraft from any computer capable of connecting to the global internet, without needing normally-required specialized hardware and software. Both of these technologies have greatly reduced operations costs by alleviating the need to have operations engineers monitor spacecraft performance on a 24 hour per day, 7 day per week basis from a central Mission Support Area. This paper gives details on the design and implementation of AAN and WTD, discusses their limitations, and lists the ongoing benefits which have accrued to MGS Flight Operations since their implementation in late 1996.

Supporting Real-Time Operations and Execution through Timeline and Scheduling Aids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marquez, Jessica J.; Pyrzak, Guy; Hashemi, Sam; Ahmed, Samia; McMillin, Kevin Edward; Medwid, Joseph Daniel; Chen, Diana; Hurtle, Esten

2013-01-01

Since 2003, the NASA Ames Research Center has been actively involved in researching and advancing the state-of-the-art of planning and scheduling tools for NASA mission operations. Our planning toolkit SPIFe (Scheduling and Planning Interface for Exploration) has supported a variety of missions and field tests, scheduling activities for Mars rovers as well as crew on-board International Space Station and NASA earth analogs. The scheduled plan is the integration of all the activities for the day/s. In turn, the agents (rovers, landers, spaceships, crew) execute from this schedule while the mission support team members (e.g., flight controllers) follow the schedule during execution. Over the last couple of years, our team has begun to research and validate methods that will better support users during realtime operations and execution of scheduled activities. Our team utilizes human-computer interaction principles to research user needs, identify workflow processes, prototype software aids, and user test these. This paper discusses three specific prototypes developed and user tested to support real-time operations: Score Mobile, Playbook, and Mobile Assistant for Task Execution (MATE).

Spacecraft control center automation using the generic inferential executor (GENIE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartley, Jonathan; Luczak, Ed; Stump, Doug

1996-01-01

The increasing requirement to dramatically reduce the cost of mission operations led to increased emphasis on automation technology. The expert system technology used at the Goddard Space Flight Center (MD) is currently being applied to the automation of spacecraft control center activities. The generic inferential executor (GENIE) is a tool which allows pass automation applications to be constructed. The pass script templates constructed encode the tasks necessary to mimic flight operations team interactions with the spacecraft during a pass. These templates can be configured with data specific to a particular pass. Animated graphical displays illustrate the progress during the pass. The first GENIE application automates passes of the solar, anomalous and magnetospheric particle explorer (SAMPEX) spacecraft.

GSMS and space views: Advanced spacecraft monitoring tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlton, Douglas; Vaules, David, Jr.; Mandl, Daniel

1993-01-01

The Graphical Spacecraft Monitoring System (GSMS) processes and translates real-time telemetry data from the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) spacecraft into high resolution 2-D and 3-D color displays showing the spacecraft's position relative to the Sun, Earth, Moon, and stars, its predicted orbit path, its attitude, instrument field of views, and other items of interest to the GRO Flight Operations Team (FOT). The GSMS development project is described and the approach being undertaken for implementing Space Views, the next version of GSMS, is presented. Space Views is an object-oriented graphical spacecraft monitoring system that will become a standard component of Goddard Space Flight Center's Transportable Payload Operations Control Center (TPOCC).

Hypogravity Research and Educational Parabolic Flight Activities Conducted in Barcelona: a new Hub of Innovation in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Poch, Antoni; González, Daniel Ventura; López, David

2016-12-01

We report on different research and educational activities related to parabolic flights conducted in Barcelona since 2008. We use a CAP10B single-engine aerobatic aircraft flying out of Sabadell Airport and operating in visual flight conditions providing up to 8 seconds of hypogravity for each parabola. Aside from biomedical experiments being conducted, different student teams have flown in parabolic flights in the framework of the international contest `Barcelona Zero-G Challenge', and have published their results in relevant symposiums and scientific journals. The platform can certainly be a good testbed for a proof-of-concept before accessing other microgravity platforms, and has proved to be excellent for motivational student campaigns.

Launch Vehicle Control Center Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Michael D.; Epps, Amy; Woodruff, Van; Vachon, Michael Jacob; Monreal, Julio; Williams, Randall; McLaughlin, Tom

2014-01-01

This analysis is a survey of control center architectures of the NASA Space Launch System (SLS), United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V and Delta IV, and the European Space Agency (ESA) Ariane 5. Each of these control center architectures have similarities in basic structure, and differences in functional distribution of responsibilities for the phases of operations: (a) Launch vehicles in the international community vary greatly in configuration and process; (b) Each launch site has a unique processing flow based on the specific configurations; (c) Launch and flight operations are managed through a set of control centers associated with each launch site, however the flight operations may be a different control center than the launch center; and (d) The engineering support centers are primarily located at the design center with a small engineering support team at the launch site.

The New Millenium Program: Serving Earth and Space Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Fuk K.

2000-01-01

NASA has exciting plans for space science and Earth observations during the next decade. A broad range of advanced spacecraft and measurement technologies will be needed to support these plans within the existing budget and schedule constraints. Many of these technology needs are common to both NASA's Office of Earth Science (OES) and Office of Space Sciences (OSS). Even though some breakthrough technologies have been identified to address these needs, project managers have traditionally been reluctant to incorporate them into flight programs because their inherent development risk. To accelerate the infusion of new technologies into its OES and OSS missions, NASA established the New Millennium Program (NMP). This program analyzes the capability needs of these enterprises, identifies candidate technologies to address these needs, incorporates advanced technology suites into validation flights, validates them in the relevant space environment, and then proactively infuses the validated technologies into future missions to enhance their capabilities while reducing their life cycle cost. The NMP employs a cross-enterprise Science Working Group, the NASA Enterprise science and technology roadmaps to define the capabilities needed by future Earth and Space science missions. Additional input from the science community is gathered through open workshops and peer-reviewed NASA Research Announcement (NRAs) for advanced measurement concepts. Technology development inputs from the technology organizations within NASA, other government agencies, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC's), U.S. industry, and academia are sought to identify breakthrough technologies that might address these needs. This approach significantly extends NASA's technology infrastructure. To complement other flight test programs that develop or validate of individual components, the NMP places its highest priority on system-level validations of technology suites in the relevant space environment. This approach is not needed for all technologies, but it is usually essential to validate advanced system architectures or new measurement concepts. The NMP has recently revised its processes for defining candidate validation flights, and selecting technologies for these flights. The NMP now employs integrated project formulation teams, 'Which include scientists, technologists, and mission planners, to incorporate technology suites into candidate validation flights. These teams develop competing concepts, which can be rigorously evaluated prior to selection for flight. The technology providers for each concept are selected through an open, competitive, process during the project formulation phase. If their concept is selected for flight, they are incorporated into the Project Implementation Team, which develops, integrates, tests, launches, and operates the technology validation flight. Throughout the project implementation phase, the Implementation Team will document and disseminate their validation results to facilitate the infusion of their validated technologies into future OSS and OES science missions. The NMP has successfully launched its first two Deep Space flights for the OSS, and is currently implementing its first two Earth Orbiting flights for the OES. The next OSS and OES flights are currently being defined. Even though these flights are focused on specific Space Science and Earth Science themes, they are designed to validate a range of technologies that could benefit both enterprises, including advanced propulsion, communications, autonomous operations and navigation, multifunctional structures, microelectronics, and advanced instruments. Specific examples of these technologies will be provided in our presentation. The processes developed by the NMP also provide benefits across the Space and Earth Science enterprises. In particular, the extensive, nation-wide technology infrastructure developed by the NMP enhances the access to breakthrough technologies for both enterprises.

Synthetic and Enhanced Vision Systems for NextGen (SEVS) Simulation and Flight Test Performance Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shelton, Kevin J.; Kramer, Lynda J.; Ellis,Kyle K.; Rehfeld, Sherri A.

2012-01-01

The Synthetic and Enhanced Vision Systems for NextGen (SEVS) simulation and flight tests are jointly sponsored by NASA's Aviation Safety Program, Vehicle Systems Safety Technology project and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The flight tests were conducted by a team of Honeywell, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and NASA personnel with the goal of obtaining pilot-in-the-loop test data for flight validation, verification, and demonstration of selected SEVS operational and system-level performance capabilities. Nine test flights (38 flight hours) were conducted over the summer and fall of 2011. The evaluations were flown in Gulfstream.s G450 flight test aircraft outfitted with the SEVS technology under very low visibility instrument meteorological conditions. Evaluation pilots flew 108 approaches in low visibility weather conditions (600 ft to 2400 ft visibility) into various airports from Louisiana to Maine. In-situ flight performance and subjective workload and acceptability data were collected in collaboration with ground simulation studies at LaRC.s Research Flight Deck simulator.

Lessons Learned from Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sindiy, Oleg V.; Abrahamson, Matthew J.; Biswas, Abhijit; Wright, Malcolm W.; Padams, Jordan H.; Konyha, Alexander L.

2015-01-01

This paper provides an overview of Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) activities and lessons learned during mission operations. Activities described cover the periods of commissioning, prime, and extended mission operations, during which primary and secondary mission objectives were achieved for demonstrating space-to-ground optical communications. Lessons learned cover Mission Operations System topics in areas of: architecture verification and validation, staffing, mission support area, workstations, workstation tools, interfaces with support services, supporting ground stations, team training, procedures, flight software upgrades, post-processing tools, and public outreach.

Flight Hardware Fabricated for Combustion Science in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

OMalley, Terence F.; Weiland, Karen J.

2005-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center s Telescience Support Center (TSC) allows researchers on Earth to operate experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the space shuttles. NASA s continuing investment in the required software, systems, and networks provides distributed ISS ground operations that enable payload developers and scientists to monitor and control their experiments from the Glenn TSC. The quality of scientific and engineering data is enhanced while the long-term operational costs of experiments are reduced because principal investigators and engineering teams can operate their payloads from their home institutions.

Development of a Space Station Operations Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandli, A. E.; Mccandless, W. T.

1988-01-01

To enhance the productivity of operations aboard the Space Station, a means must be provided to augment, and frequently to supplant, human effort in support of mission operations and management, both on the ground and onboard. The Operations Management System (OMS), under development at the Johnson Space Center, is one such means. OMS comprises the tools and procedures to facilitate automation of station monitoring, control, and mission planning tasks. OMS mechanizes, and hence rationalizes, execution of tasks traditionally performed by mission planners, the mission control center team, onboard System Management software, and the flight crew.

Development of a Space Station Operations Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandli, A. E.; McCandless, W. T.

To enhance the productivity of operations aboard the Space Station, a means must be provided to augment, and frequently to supplant, human effort in support of mission operations and management, both on the ground and onboard. The Operations Management System (OMS), under development at the Johnson Space Center, is one such means. OMS comprises the tools and procedures to facilitate automation of station monitoring, control, and mission planning tasks. OMS mechanizes, and hence rationalizes, execution of tasks traditionally performed by mission planners, the mission control center team, onboard System Management software, and the flight crew.

A Vehicle Management End-to-End Testing and Analysis Platform for Validation of Mission and Fault Management Algorithms to Reduce Risk for NASA's Space Launch System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trevino, Luis; Patterson, Jonathan; Teare, David; Johnson, Stephen

2015-01-01

The engineering development of the new Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle requires cross discipline teams with extensive knowledge of launch vehicle subsystems, information theory, and autonomous algorithms dealing with all operations from pre-launch through on orbit operations. The characteristics of these spacecraft systems must be matched with the autonomous algorithm monitoring and mitigation capabilities for accurate control and response to abnormal conditions throughout all vehicle mission flight phases, including precipitating safing actions and crew aborts. This presents a large and complex system engineering challenge, which is being addressed in part by focusing on the specific subsystems involved in the handling of off-nominal mission and fault tolerance with response management. Using traditional model based system and software engineering design principles from the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Systems Modeling Language (SysML), the Mission and Fault Management (M&FM) algorithms for the vehicle are crafted and vetted in specialized Integrated Development Teams (IDTs) composed of multiple development disciplines such as Systems Engineering (SE), Flight Software (FSW), Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) and the major subsystems and vehicle elements such as Main Propulsion Systems (MPS), boosters, avionics, Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), Thrust Vector Control (TVC), and liquid engines. These model based algorithms and their development lifecycle from inception through Flight Software certification are an important focus of this development effort to further insure reliable detection and response to off-nominal vehicle states during all phases of vehicle operation from pre-launch through end of flight. NASA formed a dedicated M&FM team for addressing fault management early in the development lifecycle for the SLS initiative. As part of the development of the M&FM capabilities, this team has developed a dedicated testbed that integrates specific M&FM algorithms, specialized nominal and off-nominal test cases, and vendor-supplied physics-based launch vehicle subsystem models. Additionally, the team has developed processes for implementing and validating these algorithms for concept validation and risk reduction for the SLS program. The flexibility of the Vehicle Management End-to-end Testbed (VMET) enables thorough testing of the M&FM algorithms by providing configurable suites of both nominal and off-nominal test cases to validate the developed algorithms utilizing actual subsystem models such as MPS. The intent of VMET is to validate the M&FM algorithms and substantiate them with performance baselines for each of the target vehicle subsystems in an independent platform exterior to the flight software development infrastructure and its related testing entities. In any software development process there is inherent risk in the interpretation and implementation of concepts into software through requirements and test cases into flight software compounded with potential human errors throughout the development lifecycle. Risk reduction is addressed by the M&FM analysis group working with other organizations such as S&MA, Structures and Environments, GNC, Orion, the Crew Office, Flight Operations, and Ground Operations by assessing performance of the M&FM algorithms in terms of their ability to reduce Loss of Mission and Loss of Crew probabilities. In addition, through state machine and diagnostic modeling, analysis efforts investigate a broader suite of failure effects and associated detection and responses that can be tested in VMET to ensure that failures can be detected, and confirm that responses do not create additional risks or cause undesired states through interactive dynamic effects with other algorithms and systems. VMET further contributes to risk reduction by prototyping and exercising the M&FM algorithms early in their implementation and without any inherent hindrances such as meeting FSW processor scheduling constraints due to their target platform - ARINC 653 partitioned OS, resource limitations, and other factors related to integration with other subsystems not directly involved with M&FM such as telemetry packing and processing. The baseline plan for use of VMET encompasses testing the original M&FM algorithms coded in the same C++ language and state machine architectural concepts as that used by Flight Software. This enables the development of performance standards and test cases to characterize the M&FM algorithms and sets a benchmark from which to measure the effectiveness of M&FM algorithms performance in the FSW development and test processes.

First Phase of X-48B Flight Tests Completed

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-19

A joint NASA/Boeing team completed the first phase of flight tests on the unique X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, CA. The team completed the 80th and last flight of the project's first phase on March 19, 2010.

STS-109 Flight Control Team Photo in WFCR - Orbit 2 with Flight Director Tony Ceccaci.

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-05

JSC2002-00574 (5 March 2002) --- The members of the STS-109 Orbit 2 Team pose for a group portrait in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Tony Ceccacci holds the STS-109 mission logo.

Approach to an Affordable and Productive Space Transportation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCleskey, Carey M.; Rhodes, Russel E.; Lepsch, Roger A.; Henderson, Edward M.; Robinson, John W.

2012-01-01

This paper describes an approach for creating space transportation architectures that are affordable, productive, and sustainable. The architectural scope includes both flight and ground system elements, and focuses on their compatibility to achieve a technical solution that is operationally productive, and also affordable throughout its life cycle. Previous papers by the authors and other members of the Space Propulsion Synergy Team (SPST) focused on space flight system engineering methods, along with operationally efficient propulsion system concepts and technologies. This paper follows up previous work by using a structured process to derive examples of conceptual architectures that integrate a number of advanced concepts and technologies. The examples are not intended to provide a near-term alternative architecture to displace current near-term design and development activity. Rather, the examples demonstrate an approach that promotes early investments in advanced system concept studies and trades (flight and ground), as well as in advanced technologies with the goal of enabling highly affordable, productive flight and ground space transportation systems.

CASIS Fact Sheet: Hardware and Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomon, Michael R.; Romero, Vergel

2016-01-01

Vencore is a proven information solutions, engineering, and analytics company that helps our customers solve their most complex challenges. For more than 40 years, we have designed, developed and delivered mission-critical solutions as our customers' trusted partner. The Engineering Services Contract, or ESC, provides engineering and design services to the NASA organizations engaged in development of new technologies at the Kennedy Space Center. Vencore is the ESC prime contractor, with teammates that include Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Sierra Lobo, Nelson Engineering, EASi, and Craig Technologies. The Vencore team designs and develops systems and equipment to be used for the processing of space launch vehicles, spacecraft, and payloads. We perform flight systems engineering for spaceflight hardware and software; develop technologies that serve NASA's mission requirements and operations needs for the future. Our Flight Payload Support (FPS) team at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) provides engineering, development, and certification services as well as payload integration and management services to NASA and commercial customers. Our main objective is to assist principal investigators (PIs) integrate their science experiments into payload hardware for research aboard the International Space Station (ISS), commercial spacecraft, suborbital vehicles, parabolic flight aircrafts, and ground-based studies. Vencore's FPS team is AS9100 certified and a recognized implementation partner for the Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS

Human-Autonomy Teaming in a Flight Following Task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, Robert J.

2017-01-01

The NATO HFM-247 Working Group is creating a summary report of the group's activities on human-autonomy teaming. This chapter is a summary of our at NASA Ames work toward developing a framework for human-autonomy teaming (HAT) in aviation. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate and evaluate proposed tenets of HAT. The HAT features were derived from three tenets and were built into an automated recommender system on a ground station. These tenets include bi-directional communication, automation transparency, and operator directed interface. This study focused primarily on interactions with one piece of automation, the Autonomous Constrained Flight Planner (ACFP). The ACFP is designed to support rapid diversion decisions for commercial pilots in off-nominal situations. Much effort has gone into enhancing this tool not only in capability but also in transparency. In this study, participants used the ACFP at a ground station designed to aid dispatchers in a flight following role to reroute aircraft in situations such as inclement weather, system failures and medical emergencies. Participants performed this task both with HAT features enabled and without and provided feedback. We examined subjective and behavioral indicators of HAT collaborations using a proof-of-concept demonstration of HAT tenets. The data collected suggest potential advantages and disadvantages of HAT.

Infrared On-Orbit RCC Inspection With the EVA IR Camera: Development of Flight Hardware From a COTS System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gazanik, Michael; Johnson, Dave; Kist, Ed; Novak, Frank; Antill, Charles; Haakenson, David; Howell, Patricia; Jenkins, Rusty; Yates, Rusty; Stephan, Ryan;

Current Activities and Capabilities of the Terrestrial Environment Group at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Barry C.; Batts, Wade

1997-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) designated Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) the center of excellence for space transportation. The Aerospace Environments and Effects (AEE) team of the Electromagnetics and Aerospace Environments Branch (EL23) in the Systems Analysis and Integration Laboratory at MSFC, supports the center of excellence designation by providing near-Earth space, deep space, planetary, and terrestrial environments expertise to projects as required. The Terrestrial Environment (TE) group within the AEE team maintains an extensive TE data base. Statistics and models derived from this data are applied to the design and development of new aerospace vehicles, as well as performance enhancement of operational vehicles such as the Space Shuttle. The TE is defined as the Earth's atmospheric environment extending from the surface to orbital insertion altitudes (approximately 90 km).

ISS15A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 Orbit 1 - Flight Director Kwatsi Alibaruho

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-20

JSC2009-E-060959 (20 March 2009) --- The members of the STS-119/15A ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Flight director Kwatsi Alibaruho (right) is visible on the front row.

STS-131/19A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 1- Flight Director Ron Spencer

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-052008 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131/19A ISS Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ron Spencer (right) holds the STS-131 mission logo.

ISS ULF2 Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 3 - Flight Director David Korth

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-20

JSC2009-E-061164 (20 March 2009) --- The members of the STS-119/15A ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Flight director David Korth (right) is visible on the front row.

STS-131/19A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 1- Flight Director Courtney McMillan

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-052979 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131/19A ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Courtenay McMillan (center) stands on the front row.

STS-131/19A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 3- Flight Director Ed Van Cise

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-052556 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131/19A ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ed Van Cise holds the STS-131 mission logo.

Correlation Of Terrestrial gamma flashes, Electric fields, and Lightning strikes (COTEL) in thunderstorms using networked balloon payloads developed by university and community college students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landry, B. J.; Blair, D.; Causey, J.; Collins, J.; Davis, A.; Fernandez-Kim, V.; Kennedy, J.; Pate, N.; Kearney, C.; Schayer, C.; Turk, E.; Cherry, M. L.; Fava, C.; Granger, D.; Stewart, M.; Guzik, T. G.

2017-12-01

High energy gamma ray flashes from terrestrial sources have been observed by satellites for decades, but the actual mechanism, assumed to be thunderstorm lightning, has yet to be fully characterized. The goal of COTEL, funded by NASA through the University Student Instrument Project (USIP) program, is to correlate in time TGF events, lightning strikes, and electric fields inside of thunderstorms. This will be accomplished using a small network of balloon-borne payloads suspended in and around thunderstorm environments. The payloads will detect and timestamp gamma radiation bursts, lightning strikes, and the intensity of localized electric fields. While in flight, data collected by the payloads will be transmitted to a ground station in real-time and will be analyzed post-flight to investigate potential correlations between lightning, TGFs, and electric fields. The COTEL student team is in its second year of effort having spent the first year developing the basic balloon payloads and ground tracking system. Currently the team is focusing on prototype electric field and gamma radiation detectors. Testing and development of these systems will continue into 2018, and flight operations will take place during the spring 2018 Louisiana thunderstorm season. The presentation, led by undergraduate Physics student Brad Landry, will cover the student team effort in developing the COTEL system, an overview of the system architecture, balloon flight tests conducted to date, preliminary results from prototype detectors, lessons learned for student-led science projects, and future plans.

Mission Manager Area of the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Pictured is Jack Jones in the Mission Manager Area.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-07

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. This photo is of Space classroom students in the Discovery Optics Lab at MSFC during STS-35, ASTRO-1 mission payload operations.

X-33 Flight Operations Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In response to Clause 17 of the Cooperative Agreement NCC8-115, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has compiled an Annual Performance Report of the X-33/RLV Program. This report consists of individual reports from all industry team members, as well as NASA team centers. Contract award was announced on July 2, 1996 and the first milestone was hand delivered to NASA MSFC on July 17, 1996. With the dedication of the launch site, and continuing excellence in technological achievement, the third year of the Cooperative Agreement has been one of outstanding accomplishment and excitement.

NASA/ARMY/BELL XV-15 Tiltrotor Low-Noise Terminal Area Operations Flight Research Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, Bryan D.; Conner, David A.; Decker, William A.; Marcolini, Michael A.; Klein, Peter D.

2001-01-01

To evaluate the noise reduction potential for tiltrotor aircraft, a series of three XV- 15 acoustic flight tests were conducted over a five-year period by a NASA/Army/Bell Helicopter team. Lower hemispherical noise characteristics for a wide range of steady-state terminal area type operating conditions were measured during the Phase I test and indicated that the takeoff and level flight conditions were not significant contributors to the total noise of tiltrotor operations. Phase I results were also used to design low-noise approach profiles that were tested later during the Phase 2 and Phase 3 tests. These latter phases used large area microphone arrays to directly measure ground noise footprints. Approach profiles emphasized noise reduction while maintaining handling qualities sufficient for tiltrotor commercial passenger ride comfort and flight safety under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions. This paper will discuss the weather, aircraft, tracking, guidance, and acoustic instrumentation systems, as well as the approach profile design philosophy, and the overall test program philosophy. Acoustic results are presented to document the variation in tiltrotor noise due to changes in operating condition, indicating the potential for significant noise reduction using the unique tiltrotor capability of nacelle tilt. Recommendations are made for a final XV-15 test to define the acoustic benefits of the automated approach capability which has recently been added to this testbed aircraft.

Activity in the Mission Control Center during Apollo 14

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-02-04

S71-17610 (4 Feb. 1971) --- Partial view of activity in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center at the time the Apollo 14 S-IVB stage impacted on the lunar surface. The flight director's console is in the foreground. Eugene F. Kranz, chief of the MSC Flight Control Division, is in the right foreground. Seated at the console is Glynn S. Lunney, head of the Flight Director Office, Flight Control Division. Facing the camera is Gerald D. Griffin, flight director of the Third (Gold) Team. A seismic reading from the impact can be seen in the center background. The S-IVB impacted on the lunar surface at 1:40:54 a.m. (CST), Feb. 4, 1971, about 90 nautical miles south-southwest of the Apollo 12 passive seismometer. The energy release was comparable to 11 tons of TNT.

STS-132/ULF-4 Flight Control Team in FCR-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-085365 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Emily Nelson holds the Expedition 23 mission logo.

STS-124/1J ISS Orbit 3 flight control team portrait

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-06-09

JSC2008-E-045777 (9 June 2008) --- The members of the STS-124/1J ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Emily Nelson stands in the center foreground.

STS-132/ULF-4 Flight Control Team in FCR-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-19

JSC2010-E-086277 (19 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Holly Ridings holds the STS-132 mission logo.

STS-132 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-22

JSC2010-E-086698 (22 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Mike Sarafin (center) is visible on the front row.

STS-132 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086451 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Chris Edelen (second left) is visible on the front row.

STS-132/ULF-4 Flight Control Team in FCR-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086504 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Scott Stover holds the Expedition 23 mission logo.

Investigation of Desiccants and CO2 Sorbents for Advanced Exploration Systems 2016-2017

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knox, Jim; Cmarik, Gregory E.

2017-01-01

Advanced Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) design is critical for manned space flight beyond Earth. Current systems enable extended missions in low-Earth orbit, but for deep-space missions, not only will astronauts be outside the reach of resupply operations from Earth but they will also need to handle malfunctions and compensate for the degradation of materials. These two daunting challenges must be overcome for long-term independent space flight. In order to solve the first, separation and recycling of onboard atmosphere is required. Current systems utilize space vacuum to fully regenerate CO2 sorbent beds, but this is not sustainable. The second challenge stems from material and performance degradation due to operational cycling and on-board contaminants. This report will review the recent work by the ECLSS team at Marshall Space Flight Center towards overcoming these challenges by characterizing materials via novel methods and by assessing new air revitalization systems.

Integrated Medical Model Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, J.; Boley, L.; Foy, M.; Goodenow, D.; Griffin, D.; Keenan, A.; Kerstman, E.; Melton, S.; McGuire, K.; Saile, L.;

Material Analysis and System Design for Exploration Life Support Systems 2017

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knox, Jim; Cmarik, Gregory E.

2017-01-01

Advanced Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) design is critical for manned space flight beyond Earth. Current systems enable extended missions in low-Earth orbit, but for deep-space missions, not only will astronauts be outside the reach of resupply operations from Earth but they will also need to handle malfunctions and compensate for the degradation of materials. These two daunting challenges must be overcome for long-term independent space flight. In order to solve the first, separation and recycling of onboard atmosphere is required. Current systems utilize space vacuum to fully regenerate CO2 sorbent beds, but this is not sustainable. The second challenge stems from material and performance degradation due to operational cycling and on-board contaminants. This report will review the recent work by the ECLSS team at Marshall Space Flight Center towards overcoming these challenges by characterizing materials via novel methods and by assessing new air revitalization systems.

Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Flight Dynamics System (FDS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Good, Susan M.; Nicholson, Ann M.

2012-01-01

The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) will be launched in January 2013 to continue the legacy of Landsat land imagery collection that has been on-going for the past 40 years. While the overall mission and science goals are designed to produce the SAME data over the years, the ground systems designed to support the mission objectives have evolved immensely. The LDCM Flight Dynamics System (FDS) currently being tested and deployed for operations is highly automated and well integrated with the other ground system elements. The FDS encompasses the full suite of flight dynamics functional areas, including orbit and attitude determination and prediction, orbit and attitude maneuver planning and execution, and planning product generation. The integration of the orbit, attitude, maneuver, and products functions allows a very smooth flow for daily operations support with minimal input needed from the operator. The system also provides a valuable real-time component that monitors the on-board orbit and attitude during every ground contact and will autonomously alert the Flight Operations Team (FOT) personnel when any violations are found. This paper provides an overview of the LDCM Flight Dynamics System and a detailed description of how it is used to support space operations. For the first time on a Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)-managed mission, the ground attitude and orbits systems are fully integrated into a cohesive package. The executive engine of the FDS permits three levels of automation: low, medium, and high. The high-level, which will be the standard mode for LDCM, represents nearly lights-out operations. The paper provides an in-depth look at these processes within the FDS in support of LDCM in all mission phases.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Ascent/Entry with Flight Director Norman Knight

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-21

JSC2009-E-121353 (21 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Ascent and Entry flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Norm Knight (left) and astronaut Gregory H. Johnson, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), hold the STS-125 mission logo.

Does this interface make my sensor look bad? Basic principles for designing usable, useful interfaces for sensor technology operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNamara, Laura A.; Berg, Leif; Butler, Karin; Klein, Laura

2017-05-01

Even as remote sensing technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade, the remote sensing community lacks interfaces and interaction models that facilitate effective human operation of our sensor platforms. Interfaces that make great sense to electrical engineers and flight test crews can be anxiety-inducing to operational users who lack professional experience in the design and testing of sophisticated remote sensing platforms. In this paper, we reflect on an 18-month collaboration which our Sandia National Laboratory research team partnered with an industry software team to identify and fix critical issues in a widely-used sensor interface. Drawing on basic principles from cognitive and perceptual psychology and interaction design, we provide simple, easily learned guidance for minimizing common barriers to system learnability, memorability, and user engagement.

NASA Precision Landing Technologies Completes Initial Flight Tests on Vertical Testbed Rocket

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-19

This 2-minute, 40-second video shows how over the past 5 weeks, NASA and Masten Space Systems teams have prepared for and conducted sub-orbital rocket flight tests of next-generation lander navigation technology through the CoOperative Blending of Autonomous Landing Technologies (COBALT) project. The COBALT payload was integrated onto Masten’s rocket, Xodiac. The Xodiac vehicle used the Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation during this first campaign, which was intentional to verify and refine COBALT system performance. The joint teams conducted numerous ground verification tests, made modifications in the process, practiced and refined operations’ procedures, conducted three tether tests, and have now flown two successful free flights. This successful, collaborative campaign has provided the COBALT and Xodiac teams with the valuable performance data needed to refine the systems and prepare them for the second flight test campaign this summer when the COBALT system will navigate the Xodiac rocket to a precision landing. The technologies within COBALT provide a spacecraft with knowledge during entry, descent, and landing that enables it to precisely navigate and softly land close to surface locations that have been previously too risky to target with current capabilities. The technologies will enable future exploration destinations on Mars, the moon, Europa, and other planets and moons. The two primary navigation components within COBALT include the Langley Research Center’s Navigation Doppler Lidar, which provides ultra-precise velocity and line-of-sight range measurements, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Lander Vision System (LVS), which provides navigation estimates relative to an existing surface map. The integrated system is being flight tested onboard a Masten suborbital rocket vehicle called Xodiac. The COBALT project is led by the Johnson Space Center, with funding provided through the Game Changing Development, Flight Opportunities program, and Advanced Exploration Systems programs. Based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, the Flight Opportunities program funds technology development flight tests on commercial suborbital space providers of which Masten is a vendor. The program has previously tested the LVS on the Masten rocket and validated the technology for the Mars 2020 rover.

JWST Pathfinder Telescope Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary W.; Kennard, Scott H.; Broccolo, Ronald T.; Ellis, James M.; Daly, Elizabeth A.; Hahn, Walter G.; Amon, John N.; Mt. Pleasant, Stephen M.; Texter, Scott; Atkinson, Charles B.;

Expedition 43 flight control team with Flight Director Gary Horlacher during the release of SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle. Photo Date: May 21, 2015. Location: Building 30 - FCR1. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-21

Expedition 43 flight control team with Flight Director Gary Horlacher during the release of SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle. Photo Date: May 21, 2015. Location: Building 30 - FCR1. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

STS-132 Flight Control Team in WFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-25

JSC2010-E-087358 (25 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Entry flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Tony Ceccacci holds the STS-132 mission logo. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Critical Care Air Transport Team severe traumatic brain injury short-term outcomes during flight for Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom.

PubMed

Boyd, L Renee; Borawski, J; Lairet, J; Limkakeng, A T

2017-10-01

Our understanding of the expertise and equipment required to air transport injured soldiers with severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) continue to evolve. We conducted a retrospective chart review of characteristics, interventions required and short-term outcomes of patients with severe TBI managed by the US Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATTs) deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom between 1 June 2007 and 31 August 2010. Patients were cared for based on guidelines given by the Brain Trauma Foundation and the Joint Theater Trauma System by non-neurosurgeon physicians with dedicated neurocritical care training. We report basic characteristics, injuries, interventions required and complications during transport. Intracranial haemorrhage was the most common diagnosis in this cohort. Most injuries were weapon related. During this study, there were no reported in-flight deaths. The majority of patients were mechanically ventilated. There were 45 patients who required at least one vasopressor to maintain adequate tissue perfusion, including four patients who required three or more. Some patients required intracranial pressure (ICP) management, treatment of diabetes insipidus and/or seizure prophylaxis medications. Air transport personnel must be prepared to provide standard critical care but also care specific to TBIs, including ICP control and management of diabetes insipidus. Although these patients and their potential complications are traditionally managed by neurosurgeons, those providers without neurosurgical backgrounds can be provided this training to help fill a wartime need. This study provides data for the future development of air transport guidelines for validating and clearing flight surgeons. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Space Station redesign option A: Modular buildup concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

In early 1993, President Clinton mandated that NASA look at lower cost alternatives to Space Station Freedom. He also established an independent advisory committee - the Blue Ribbon Panel - to review the redesign work and evaluate alternatives. Daniel Goldin, NASA Administrator, established a Station Redesign Team that began operating in late March from Crystal City, Virginia. NASA intercenter teams - one each at Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, and Langley Research Center provided engineering and other support. The results of the Option A study done at Marshall Space Flight Center are summarized. Two configurations (A-1 and A-2) are covered. Additional data is provided in the briefing package MSFC SRT-001, Final System Review to SRT-002, Space Station Option A Modular Buildup Concept, Volumes 1-5, Revision B, June 10, 1993. In June 1993, President Clinton decided to proceed with a modular concept consistent with Option A, and asked NASA to provide an Implementation Plan by September. All data from the Option A redesign activity was provided to NASA's Transition Team for use in developing the Implementation Plan.

Integration of Advanced Concepts and Vehicles Into the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Volume 1; Introduction, Key Messages, and Vehicle Attributes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zellweger, Andres; Resnick, Herbert; Stevens, Edward; Arkind, Kenneth; Cotton William B.

2010-01-01

Raytheon, in partnership with NASA, is leading the way in ensuring that the future air transportation continues to be a key driver of economic growth and stability and that this system provides an environmentally friendly, safe, and effective means of moving people and goods. A Raytheon-led team of industry and academic experts, under NASA contract NNA08BA47C, looked at the potential issues and impact of introducing four new classes of advanced aircraft into the next generation air transportation system -- known as NextGen. The study will help determine where NASA should further invest in research to support the safe introduction of these new air vehicles. Small uncrewed or unmanned aerial systems (SUAS), super heavy transports (SHT) including hybrid wing body versions (HWB), very light jets (VLJ), and supersonic business jets (SSBJ) are the four classes of aircraft that we studied. Understanding each vehicle's business purpose and strategy is critical to assessing the feasibility of new aircraft operations and their impact on NextGen's architecture. The Raytheon team used scenarios created by aviation experts that depict vehicles in year 2025 operations along with scripts or use cases to understand the issues presented by these new types of vehicles. The information was then mapped into the Joint Planning and Development Office's (JPDO s) Enterprise Architecture to show how the vehicles will fit into NextGen's Concept of Operations. The team also identified significant changes to the JPDO's Integrated Work Plan (IWP) to optimize the NextGen vision for these vehicles. Using a proven enterprise architecture approach and the JPDO s Joint Planning Environment (JPE) web site helped make the leap from architecture to planning efficient, manageable and achievable. Very Light Jets flying into busy hub airports -- Supersonic Business Jets needing to climb and descend rapidly to achieve the necessary altitude Super-heavy cargo planes requiring the shortest common flight path -- are just a few of the potential new operations in the future National Airspace System. To assess the impact of these new scenarios on overall national airspace operations, the Raytheon team used the capabilities of a suite of tools such as NASA's Airspace Concepts Evaluation System (ACES), the Flight Optimization System (FLOPS), FAA's Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT), Intelligent Automations Kinematic Trajectory Generator (KTG) and the Aviation Safety Risk Model (ASRM). Detailed metroplex modeling, surface delay models for super heavy transports, prioritized routing and corridors for supersonics business jets, and VLJ demand models are some of the models developed by the Raytheon team to study the effect of operating these new vehicles in the future NAS. Using this suite of models, several trade studies were conducted to evaluate these effects in terms of delays, equity in access, safety, and the environment. Looking at the impact of each vehicle, a number of critical issues were identified. The Raytheon team concluded that strict compliance to NextGen's 4-dimensional trajectory (4DT) management will be required to accommodate these vehicles unique operations and increased number of flights in the future air space system. The next section provides a discussion of this and the other key findings from our study.

A Summary of the Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, Docking, and Undocking (RPODU) Lessons Learned from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Orbital Express (OE) Demonstration System Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennehy, Cornelius J.; Carpenter, James R.

2011-01-01

The Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) Technical Discipline Team (TDT) sponsored Dr. J. Russell Carpenter, a Navigation and Rendezvous Subject Matter Expert (SME) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), to provide support to the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Orbital Express (OE) rendezvous and docking flight test that was conducted in 2007. When that DARPA OE mission was completed, Mr. Neil Dennehy, NASA Technical Fellow for GN&C, requested Dr. Carpenter document his findings (lessons learned) and recommendations for future rendezvous missions resulting from his OE support experience. This report captures lessons specifically from anomalies that occurred during one of OE's unmated operations.

Containerless Processing in Reduced Gravity Using the TEMPUS Facility during MSL-1 and MSL-1R

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan R.

1998-01-01

Containerless processing provides a high purity environment for the study of high-temperature, very reactive materials. It is an important method which provides access to the metastable state of an undercooled melt. In the absence of container walls, the nucleation rate is greatly reduced and undercooling up to (Tm-Tn)/Tm approx. equal to 0.2 can be obtained, where Tm and Tn are the melting and nucleation temperatures, respectively. Electromagnetic levitation represents a method particularly well-suited for the study of metallic melts. The TEMPUS (Tiegelfreies ElektroMagnetisches Prozessieren Unter Schwerelosgkeit) facility is a research instrument designed to perform electromagnetic levitation studies in reduced gravity. TEMPUS is a joint undertaking between DARA, the German Space Agency, and the Microgravity Science and Applications Division of NASA. The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center provides the leadership for scientific and management efforts which support the four US PI teams which performed experiments in the TEMPUS facility. The facility is sensitive to accelerations in the 1-10 Hz range. This became evident during the MSL-1 mission. Analysis of accelerometer and video data indicated that loss of sample control occurred during crew exercise periods which created disturbances in this frequency range. Prior to the MSL-1R flight the TEMPUS team, the accelerometer support groups and the mission operations team developed a strategy to provide for the operation of the facility without such disturbances. The successful implementation of this plan led to the highly successful operation of this facility during MSL-1R.

ISS Operations Cost Reductions Through Automation of Real-Time Planning Tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Timothy A.; Clancey, William J.; McDonald, Aaron; Toschlog, Jason; Tucker, Tyson; Khan, Ahmed; Madrid, Steven (Eric)

2011-01-01

In 2007 the Johnson Space Center s Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) management team challenged their organizations to find ways to reduce the cost of operations for supporting the International Space Station (ISS) in the Mission Control Center (MCC). Each MOD organization was asked to define and execute projects that would help them attain cost reductions by 2012. The MOD Operations Division Flight Planning Branch responded to this challenge by launching several software automation projects that would allow them to greatly improve console operations and reduce ISS console staffing and intern reduce operating costs. These tasks ranged from improving the management and integration mission plan changes, to automating the uploading and downloading of information to and from the ISS and the associated ground complex tasks that required multiple decision points. The software solutions leveraged several different technologies including customized web applications and implementation of industry standard web services architecture; as well as engaging a previously TRL 4-5 technology developed by Ames Research Center (ARC) that utilized an intelligent agent-based system to manage and automate file traffic flow, archive data, and generate console logs. These projects to date have allowed the MOD Operations organization to remove one full time (7 x 24 x 365) ISS console position in 2010; with the goal of eliminating a second full time ISS console support position by 2012. The team will also reduce one long range planning console position by 2014. When complete, these Flight Planning Branch projects will account for the elimination of 3 console positions and a reduction in staffing of 11 engineering personnel (EP) for ISS.

Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP)

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-10-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education, and defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle. For the SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second- generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado along with a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP)

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-10-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education and defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle during separation of stages. For SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first-generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado; a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

SLI Artist's Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education, and defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle. For the SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second- generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado along with a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

SLI Artist `s Launch Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education and defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle during launch. For SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado along with a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

SLI Artist's Concept-Stage Separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education and defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle during separation of stages. For SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first-generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado; a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

[Flight nurses' comprehension about their role in the multiprofesional team of aero-medical transport].

PubMed

Scuissiato, Dayane Reinhardt; Boffi, Letícia Valois; da Rocha, Roseline da Rocha; Montezeli, Juliana Helena; Bordin, Michelle Taverna; Peres, Aida Maris

2012-01-01

This is a descriptive qualitative research which aimed at identifying the flight nurses' comprehension by about their role in the aero-medical multiprofesional team. A semi-structured interview was carried out with eight flight nurses from Curitiba-PR, from June to August 2009. The speeches were analyzed by the content analysis, from which three categories emerged. The first describes the responsibilities of the flight nurses as managers of the aero-medical mission, planning for before, during and after the transport, what includes the aircraft check-list and knowledge of the patient's case. The second category deals with aspects of these professionals as care providers to the aero-transferred patient. The third describes communication and team-work as fundamental requirements for flight nurses. It was concluded that the nurse in aero-medical team mixes management and caring in his/her professional practice by the use of specific competences.

ISS-12A.1 Orbit 1 Flight Control Team in FCR-1 with Flight Director Derek Hassmann

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-15

JSC2006-E-54411 (15 Dec. 2006) --- The members of the STS-116/12A.1 ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the station flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Derek Hassman (center right) holds the STS-116 mission logo. Astronaut Terry W. Virts Jr., spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), is at center. PHALCON flight controller Scott Stover (center left) holds the P5 truss power reconfiguration logo.

STS-105 Flight Control Team Photo

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-31

JSC2001-02115 (31 July 2001) --- The flight controllers for the Ascent/Entry shift for the upcoming STS-105 mission pose with the assigned astronaut crew for a team portrait in the Shuttle Flight Control Room (WFCR) of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director John Shannon (left center) and STS-105 commander Scott J. Horowitz hold the mission logo. Also pictured on the front row are spacecraft communicator Kenneth D. Cockrell and STS-105 crew members Daniel T. Barry, Frederick W. (Rick) Sturckow and Patrick G. Forrester. The team had been participating in an integrated simulation for the scheduled August mission.

These College Teams Go Sky-High Competing for a Championship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monaghan, Peter

1986-01-01

The National Collegiate Flying Association's annual national competition in flight skills and safety involves competition among flight-trained college students and teams in precision landing with and without engines, cross-country navigation, flight-computer accuracy, message drops, preflight inspection proficiency, and aircraft recognition. (MSE)

X-48B Skyray Takeoff

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-19

A joint NASA/Boeing team completed the first phase of flight tests on the unique X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, CA. The team completed the 80th and last flight of the project's first phase on March 19, 2010.

CATE: A Case Study of an Interdisciplinary Student-Led Microgravity Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colwell, J. E.; Dove, A.; Lane, S. S.; Tiller, C.; Whitaker, A.; Lai, K.; Hoover, B.; Benjamin, S.

2015-12-01

The Collisional Accretion Experiment (CATE) was designed, built, and flown on NASA's C-9 parabolic flight airplane in less than a year by an interdisciplinary team of 6 undergraduate students under the supervision of two faculty. CATE was selected in the initial NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) solicitation in the Fall of 2013, and the experiment flight campaign was in July 2014. The experiment studied collisions between different particle populations at low velocities (sub-m/s) in a vacuum and microgravity to gain insight into processes in the protoplanetary disk and planetary ring systems. Faculty provided the experiment concept and key experiment design parameters, and the student team developed the detailed hardware design for all components, manufactured and tested hardware, operated the experiment in flight, and analyzed data post-flight. Students also developed and led an active social media campaign and education and public outreach campaign to engage local high school students in the project. The ability to follow an experiment through from conception to flight was a key benefit for undergraduate students whose available time for projects such as this is frequently limited to their junior and senior years. Key factors for success of the program included having an existing laboratory infrastructure and experience in developing flight payloads and an intrinsically simple experiment concept. Students were highly motivated, in part, by their sense of technical and scientific ownership of the project, and this engagement was key to the project's success.

User participation in the development of the human/computer interface for control centers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broome, Richard; Quick-Campbell, Marlene; Creegan, James; Dutilly, Robert

1996-01-01

Technological advances coupled with the requirements to reduce operations staffing costs led to the demand for efficient, technologically-sophisticated mission operations control centers. The control center under development for the earth observing system (EOS) is considered. The users are involved in the development of a control center in order to ensure that it is cost-efficient and flexible. A number of measures were implemented in the EOS program in order to encourage user involvement in the area of human-computer interface development. The following user participation exercises carried out in relation to the system analysis and design are described: the shadow participation of the programmers during a day of operations; the flight operations personnel interviews; and the analysis of the flight operations team tasks. The user participation in the interface prototype development, the prototype evaluation, and the system implementation are reported on. The involvement of the users early in the development process enables the requirements to be better understood and the cost to be reduced.

The Development and Evaluation of an Operational Aerobraking Strategy for the Mars 2001 Odyssey Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tartabini, Paul V.; Munk, Michelle M.; Powell, Richard W.

2002-01-01

The Mars 2001 Odyssey Orbiter successfully completed the aerobraking phase of its mission on January 11, 2002. This paper discusses the support provided by NASA's Langley Research Center to the navigation team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the planning and operational support of Mars Odyssey Aerobraking. Specifically, the development of a three-degree-of-freedom aerobraking trajectory simulation and its application to pre-flight planning activities as well as operations is described. The importance of running the simulation in a Monte Carlo fashion to capture the effects of mission and atmospheric uncertainties is demonstrated, and the utility of including predictive logic within the simulation that could mimic operational maneuver decision-making is shown. A description is also provided of how the simulation was adapted to support flight operations as both a validation and risk reduction tool and as a means of obtaining a statistical basis for maneuver strategy decisions. This latter application was the first use of Monte Carlo trajectory analysis in an aerobraking mission.

Identifying Human Factors Issues in Aircraft Maintenance Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veinott, Elizabeth S.; Kanki, Barbara G.; Shafto, Michael G. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Maintenance operations incidents submitted to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) between 1986-1992 were systematically analyzed in order to identify issues relevant to human factors and crew coordination. This exploratory analysis involved 95 ASRS reports which represented a wide range of maintenance incidents. The reports were coded and analyzed according to the type of error (e.g, wrong part, procedural error, non-procedural error), contributing factors (e.g., individual, within-team, cross-team, procedure, tools), result of the error (e.g., aircraft damage or not) as well as the operational impact (e.g., aircraft flown to destination, air return, delay at gate). The main findings indicate that procedural errors were most common (48.4%) and that individual and team actions contributed to the errors in more than 50% of the cases. As for operational results, most errors were either corrected after landing at the destination (51.6%) or required the flight crew to stop enroute (29.5%). Interactions among these variables are also discussed. This analysis is a first step toward developing a taxonomy of crew coordination problems in maintenance. By understanding what variables are important and how they are interrelated, we may develop intervention strategies that are better tailored to the human factor issues involved.

Telescience operations with the solar array module plasma interaction experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wald, Lawrence W.; Bibyk, Irene K.

1995-01-01

The Solar Array Module Plasma Interactions Experiment (SAMPIE) is a flight experiment that flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-62) in March 1994, as part of the OAST-2 mission. The overall objective of SAMPIE was to determine the adverse environmental interactions within the space plasma of low earth orbit (LEO) on modern solar cells and space power system materials which are artificially biased to high positive and negative direct current (DC) voltages. The two environmental interactions of interest included high voltage arcing from the samples to the space plasma and parasitic current losses. High voltage arcing can cause physical damage to power system materials and shorten expected hardware life. parasitic current losses can reduce power system efficiency because electric currents generated in a power system drain into the surrounding plasma via parasitic resistance. The flight electronics included two programmable high voltage DC power supplies to bias the experiment samples, instruments to measure the surrounding plasma environment in the STS cargo bay, and the on-board data acquisition system (DAS). The DAS provided in-flight experiment control, data storage, and communications through the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Hitchhiker flight avionics to the GSFC Payload Operations Control Center (POCC). The DAS and the SAMPIE POCC computer systems were designed for telescience operations; this paper will focus on the experiences of the SAMPIE team regarding telescience development and operations from the GSFC POCC during STS-62. The SAMPIE conceptual development, hardware design, and system verification testing were accomplished at the NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC). SAMPIE was developed under the In-Space Technology Experiment Program (IN-STEP), which sponsors NASA, industry, and university flight experiments designed to enable and enhance space flight technology. The IN-STEP Program is sponsored by the Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT).

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-01

A team of NASA researchers from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Dryden Flight Research center have proven that beamed light can be used to power an aircraft, a first-in-the-world accomplishment to the best of their knowledge. Using an experimental custom built radio-controlled model aircraft, the team has demonstrated a system that beams enough light energy from the ground to power the propeller of an aircraft and sustain it in flight. Special photovoltaic arrays on the plane, similar to solar cells, receive the light energy and convert it to electric current to drive the propeller motor. In a series of indoor flights this week at MSFC, a lightweight custom built laser beam was aimed at the airplane `s solar panels. The laser tracks the plane, maintaining power on its cells until the end of the flight when the laser is turned off and the airplane glides to a landing. The laser source demonstration represents the capability to beam more power to a plane so that it can reach higher altitudes and have a greater flight range without having to carry fuel or batteries, enabling an indefinite flight time. The demonstration was a collaborative effort between the Dryden Center at Edward's, California, where the aircraft was designed and built, and MSFC, where integration and testing of the laser and photovoltaic cells was done. Laser power beaming is a promising technology for consideration in new aircraft design and operation, and supports NASA's goals in the development of revolutionary aerospace technologies. Photographed with their invention are (from left to right): David Bushman and Tony Frackowiak, both of Dryden; and MSFC's Robert Burdine.

MD-11 PCA - Research flight team photo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

On Aug. 30, 1995, a the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 transport aircraft landed equipped with a computer-assisted engine control system that has the potential to increase flight safety. In landings at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, on August 29 and 30, the aircraft demonstrated software used in the aircraft's flight control computer that essentially landed the MD-11 without a need for the pilot to manipulate the flight controls significantly. In partnership with McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA), with Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell helping to design the software, NASA developed this propulsion-controlled aircraft (PCA) system following a series of incidents in which hydraulic failures resulted in the loss of flight controls. This new system enables a pilot to operate and land the aircraft safely when its normal, hydraulically-activated control surfaces are disabled. This August 29, 1995, photo shows the MD-11 team. Back row, left to right: Tim Dingen, MDA pilot; John Miller, MD-11 Chief pilot (MDA); Wayne Anselmo, MD-11 Flight Test Engineer (MDA); Gordon Fullerton, PCA Project pilot; Bill Burcham, PCA Chief Engineer; Rudey Duran, PCA Controls Engineer (MDA); John Feather, PCA Controls Engineer (MDA); Daryl Townsend, Crew Chief; Henry Hernandez, aircraft mechanic; Bob Baron, PCA Project Manager; Don Hermann, aircraft mechanic; Jerry Cousins, aircraft mechanic; Eric Petersen, PCA Manager (Honeywell); Trindel Maine, PCA Data Engineer; Jeff Kahler, PCA Software Engineer (Honeywell); Steve Goldthorpe, PCA Controls Engineer (MDA). Front row, left to right: Teresa Hass, Senior Project Management Analyst; Hollie Allingham (Aguilera), Senior Project Management Analyst; Taher Zeglum, PCA Data Engineer (MDA); Drew Pappas, PCA Project Manager (MDA); John Burken, PCA Control Engineer.

Man-Machine Interaction Design and Analysis System (MIDAS): Memory Representation and Procedural Implications for Airborne Communication Modalities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corker, Kevin M.; Pisanich, Gregory M.; Lebacqz, Victor (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

The Man-Machine Interaction Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) has been under development for the past ten years through a joint US Army and NASA cooperative agreement. MIDAS represents multiple human operators and selected perceptual, cognitive, and physical functions of those operators as they interact with simulated systems. MIDAS has been used as an integrated predictive framework for the investigation of human/machine systems, particularly in situations with high demands on the operators. Specific examples include: nuclear power plant crew simulation, military helicopter flight crew response, and police force emergency dispatch. In recent applications to airborne systems development, MIDAS has demonstrated an ability to predict flight crew decision-making and procedural behavior when interacting with automated flight management systems and Air Traffic Control. In this paper we describe two enhancements to MIDAS. The first involves the addition of working memory in the form of an articulatory buffer for verbal communication protocols and a visuo-spatial buffer for communications via digital datalink. The second enhancement is a representation of multiple operators working as a team. This enhanced model was used to predict the performance of human flight crews and their level of compliance with commercial aviation communication procedures. We show how the data produced by MIDAS compares with flight crew performance data from full mission simulations. Finally, we discuss the use of these features to study communications issues connected with aircraft-based separation assurance.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-28

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Spacelab Operations Support Room Space Engineering Support team in the SL POCC during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-03

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Pictured is Jack Jones in the Mission Manager Area.

Cassini End of Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-14

Spacecraft operations team manager for the Cassini mission at Saturn, Julie Webster, watches monitors in mission control of the Space Flight Operations Center as the Cassini spacecraft begins downlink data through NASA's Deep Space Network, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Since its arrival in 2004, the Cassini-Huygens mission has been a discovery machine, revolutionizing our knowledge of the Saturn system and captivating us with data and images never before obtained with such detail and clarity. On Sept. 15, 2017, operators will deliberately plunge the spacecraft into Saturn, as Cassini gathered science until the end. The “plunge” ensures Saturn’s moons will remain pristine for future exploration. During Cassini’s final days, mission team members from all around the world gathered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to celebrate the achievements of this historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-12-03

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. Pictured is the TV OPS area of the SL POCC.

Magellan attitude control mission operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dukes, Eileen M.

1993-01-01

From the Martin Marietta Astronautics Group base in Denver, Colorado, spacecraft engineers have been operating the Magellan spacecraft for the past three and one half years, along with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for NASA. The spacecraft team in Denver is responsible for the health of the vehicle, from command generation to evaluation of engineering telemetry. Operation of the spacecraft's Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem (AACS) has specifically posed several in-flight challenges. This system must provide accurate pointing of the spacecraft throughout each 3.2 hour orbit which typically consists of 5 - 9 discrete maneuvers. Preparation of bi-weekly command sequences, monitoring execution, and trending of subsystem performance is of paramount importance, but in-flight anomalies have also demanded the attention of AACS engineers. Anomalies are often very interesting and challenging aspects of a project, and the Magellan mission was no exception. From the first unsuccessful attempts to perform a starscan, to spacecraft safing events, much has been experienced to add to the `lessons learned' from this mission. Many of Magellan's in-flight experiences, anomalies, and their resolutions are highlighted in this paper.

Flight teams compare notes

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-13

NASA Operation IceBridge pilot Michael Anderson chats with Lt. Colonel Brent Keenan aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft during a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, to the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station in Antarctica on Nov. 12, 2013. The C-17s that ferry people, equipment and supplies to Antarctica are operated by the U.S. Air Force's 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, Wash. NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. In 2013, IceBridge is conducting its first field campaign directly from Antarctica. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge Credit: NASA/Goddard/Jefferson Beck NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Magellan attitude control mission operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dukes, Eileen M.

From the Martin Marietta Astronautics Group base in Denver, Colorado, spacecraft engineers have been operating the Magellan spacecraft for the past three and one half years, along with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for NASA. The spacecraft team in Denver is responsible for the health of the vehicle, from command generation to evaluation of engineering telemetry. Operation of the spacecraft's Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem (AACS) has specifically posed several in-flight challenges. This system must provide accurate pointing of the spacecraft throughout each 3.2 hour orbit which typically consists of 5 - 9 discrete maneuvers. Preparation of bi-weekly command sequences, monitoring execution, and trending of subsystem performance is of paramount importance, but in-flight anomalies have also demanded the attention of AACS engineers. Anomalies are often very interesting and challenging aspects of a project, and the Magellan mission was no exception. From the first unsuccessful attempts to perform a starscan, to spacecraft safing events, much has been experienced to add to the `lessons learned' from this mission. Many of Magellan's in-flight experiences, anomalies, and their resolutions are highlighted in this paper.

Reverse Engineering Crosswind Limits - A New Flight Test Technique?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asher, Troy A.; Willliams, Timothy L.; Strovers, Brian K.

2013-01-01

During modification of a Gulfstream III test bed aircraft for an experimental flap project, all roll spoiler hardware had to be removed to accommodate the test article. In addition to evaluating the effects on performance and flying qualities resulting from the modification, the test team had to determine crosswind limits for an airplane previously certified with roll spoilers. Predictions for the modified aircraft indicated the maximum amount of steady state sideslip available during the approach and landing phase would be limited by aileron authority rather than by rudder. Operating out of a location that tends to be very windy, an arbitrary and conservative wind limit would have either been overly restrictive or potentially unsafe if chosen poorly. When determining a crosswind limit, how much reserve roll authority was necessary? Would the aircraft, as configured, have suitable handling qualities for long-term use as a flying test bed? To answer these questions, the test team combined two typical flight test techniques into a new maneuver called the sideslip-to-bank maneuver, and was able to gather flying qualities data, evaluate aircraft response and measure trends for various crosswind scenarios. This paper will describe the research conducted, the maneuver, flight conditions, predictions, and results from this in-flight evaluation of crosswind capability.

Barred Spiral Galaxy

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300 Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: P. Knezek (WIYN) The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

The Development of Project Orion Ground Safety Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirkpatrick, Paul; Condzella, Bill; Williams, Jeff

2011-01-01

In spite of a very compressed schedule, Project Orion's AFT safety team was able to pull together a comprehensive set of ground safety requirements using existing requirements and subject matter experts. These requirements will serve as the basis for the design of GSE and ground operations. Using the above lessons as a roadmap, new Projects can produce the same results. A rigorous set of ground safety requirements is required to assure ground support equipment (GSE) and associated flight hardware ground operations are conducted safety

MISSION CONTROL CENTER (MCC) - GEMINI-TITAN (GT)-6 ACTIVITY - MSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-12-12

S65-62062 (12 Dec. 1965) --- Discussing the scrubbing of the planned National Aeronautics and Space Administration?s Gemini-6 spaceflight are (from left) William C. Schneider (standing), deputy director, Gemini Program Office of Manned Spaceflight, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.; Eugene F. Kranz (seated), white team flight director; Christopher C. Kraft Jr., red team flight director; and John D. Hodge, blue team flight director. The Gemini-6 mission has been rescheduled for Dec. 15, 1965. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Penguin Beach

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Members of the IceBridge team visited a colony of Magellanic penguins near Punta Arenas on a no-flight day. Credit: NASA/ Maria-Jose Vinas NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

STS safety approval process for small self-contained payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gum, Mary A.

1988-01-01

The safety approval process established by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for Get Away Special (GAS) payloads is described. Although the designing organization is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of its payload, the Get Away Special team at the Goddard Space Flight Center will act as advisors while iterative safety analyses are performed and the Safety Data Package inputs are submitted. This four phase communications process will ultimately give NASA confidence that the GAS payload is safe, and successful completion of the Phase 3 package and review will clear the way for flight aboard the Space Transportation System orbiter.

KSC-2012-3565

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Secured inside a transportation container, the Orion crew module arrives at the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-3595

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion crew module is unwrapped after its arrival in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3600

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion crew module is lowered onto a workstand in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3573

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The transportation canister holding the Orion crew module rests on the floor of the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2012-3567

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion crew module, packed inside a transportation canister, arrives inside the high bay of the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Advanced automation in space shuttle mission control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heindel, Troy A.; Rasmussen, Arthur N.; Mcfarland, Robert Z.

1991-01-01

The Real Time Data System (RTDS) Project was undertaken in 1987 to introduce new concepts and technologies for advanced automation into the Mission Control Center environment at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project's emphasis is on producing advanced near-operational prototype systems that are developed using a rapid, interactive method and are used by flight controllers during actual Shuttle missions. In most cases the prototype applications have been of such quality and utility that they have been converted to production status. A key ingredient has been an integrated team of software engineers and flight controllers working together to quickly evolve the demonstration systems.

International Space Station Alpha user payload operations concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlagheck, Ronald A.; Crysel, William B.; Duncan, Elaine F.; Rider, James W.

1994-01-01

International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) will accommodate a variety of user payloads investigating diverse scientific and technology disciplines on behalf of five international partners: Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States. A combination of crew, automated systems, and ground operations teams will control payload operations that require complementary on-board and ground systems. This paper presents the current planning for the ISSA U.S. user payload operations concept and the functional architecture supporting the concept. It describes various NASA payload operations facilities, their interfaces, user facility flight support, the payload planning system, the onboard and ground data management system, and payload operations crew and ground personnel training. This paper summarizes the payload operations infrastructure and architecture developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to prepare and conduct ISSA on-orbit payload operations from the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC), and from various user operations locations. The authors pay particular attention to user data management, which includes interfaces with both the onboard data management system and the ground data system. Discussion covers the functional disciplines that define and support POIC payload operations: Planning, Operations Control, Data Management, and Training. The paper describes potential interfaces between users and the POIC disciplines, from the U.S. user perspective.

Prototype Common Bus Spacecraft: Hover Test Implementation and Results. Revision, Feb. 26, 2009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hine, Butler Preston; Turner, Mark; Marshall, William S.

2009-01-01

In order to develop the capability to evaluate control system technologies, NASA Ames Research Center (Ames) began a test program to build a Hover Test Vehicle (HTV) - a ground-based simulated flight vehicle. The HTV would integrate simulated propulsion, avionics, and sensors into a simulated flight structure, and fly that test vehicle in terrestrial conditions intended to simulate a flight environment, in particular for attitude control. The ultimate purpose of the effort at Ames is to determine whether the low-cost hardware and flight software techniques are viable for future low cost missions. To enable these engineering goals, the project sought to develop a team, processes and procedures capable of developing, building and operating a fully functioning vehicle including propulsion, GN&C, structure, power and diagnostic sub-systems, through the development of the simulated vehicle.

Cassini NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-14

Cassini NASA Social attendees speak with members of the Cassini mission team in the Charles Elachi Mission Control Center in the Space Flight Operation Center, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Since its arrival in 2004, the Cassini-Huygens mission has been a discovery machine, revolutionizing our knowledge of the Saturn system and captivating us with data and images never before obtained with such detail and clarity. On Sept. 15, 2017, operators will deliberately plunge the spacecraft into Saturn, as Cassini gathered science until the end. The “plunge” ensures Saturn’s moons will remain pristine for future exploration. During Cassini’s final days, mission team members from all around the world gathered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to celebrate the achievements of this historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

KSC-2012-3602

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Dignitaries turn out for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building Mission Briefing Room are, from left, Nicholas Cummings, chief of Operations Integration, Ground Systems Development and Operations Program U.S. Senator Bill Nelson Johnson Space Center Director Michael Coats and Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Psychological Support Operations and the ISS One-Year Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beven, G.; Vander Ark, S. T.; Holland, A. W.

2016-01-01

Since NASA began human presence on the International Space Station (ISS) in November 1998, crews have spent two to seven months onboard. In March 2015 NASA and Russia embarked on a new era of ISS utilization, with two of their crewmembers conducting a one-year mission onboard ISS. The mission has been useful for both research and mission operations to better understand the human, technological, mission management and staffing challenges that may be faced on missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. The work completed during the first 42 ISS missions provided the basis for the pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight work completed by NASA's Space Medicine Operations Division, while our Russian colleagues provided valuable insights from their long-duration mission experiences with missions lasting 10-14 months, which predated the ISS era. Space Medicine's Behavioral Health and Performance Group (BHP) provided pre-flight training, evaluation, and preparation as well as in-flight psychological support for the NASA crewmember. While the BHP team collaboratively planned for this mission with the help of all ISS international partners within the Human Behavior and Performance Working Group to leverage their collective expertise, the US and Russian BHP personnel were responsible for their respective crewmembers. The presentation will summarize the lessons and experience gained within the areas identified by this Working Group as being of primary importance for a one-year mission.

The Iodine Satellite (iSAT) Hall Thruster Demonstration Mission Concept and Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John W.; Polzin, Kurt A.; Calvert, Derek; Kamhawi, Hani

2014-01-01

The use of iodine propellant for Hall thrusters has been studied and proposed by multiple organizations due to the potential mission benefits over xenon. In 2013, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center competitively selected a project for the maturation of an iodine flight operational feed system through the Technology Investment Program. Multiple partnerships and collaborations have allowed the team to expand the scope to include additional mission concept development and risk reduction to support a flight system demonstration, the iodine Satellite (iSAT). The iSAT project was initiated and is progressing towards a technology demonstration mission preliminary design review. The current status of the mission concept development and risk reduction efforts in support of this project is presented.

NASA Mission: The Universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

This booklet is mainly a recruitment tool for the various NASA Centers. This well illustrated booklet briefly describes NASA's mission and career opportunities on the NASA team. NASA field installations and their missions are briefly noted. NASA's four chief program offices are briefly described. They are: (1) Aeronautics, Exploration, and Space Technology; (2) Space Flight; (3) Space Operations; and (4) Space Science and Applications.

Underway Recovery Test 6 (URT-6) - Day 5 Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-21

Lead Instrumentation Engineer Kevin Taylor keeps an eye on the load levels during Underway Recovery Test 6 operations off the coast of San Diego. Kennedy Space Center’s NASA Recovery Team works with the U.S. Navy to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion's next flight, Exploration Mission-1, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Suzy Cunningham sings the national anthem to kick off Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting conducted for employees. She is senior spaceport manager, NASA/Air Force Spaceport Planning and Customer Service Office. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Suzy Cunningham sings the national anthem to kick off Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting conducted for employees. She is senior spaceport manager, NASA/Air Force Spaceport Planning and Customer Service Office. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

Creating a safer operating room: Groups, team dynamics and crew resource management principles.

PubMed

Wakeman, Derek; Langham, Max R

2018-04-01

The operating room (OR) is a special place wherein groups of highly skilled individuals must work in a coordinated and harmonious fashion to deliver optimal patient care. Team dynamics and human factors principles were initially studied by the aviation industry to better understand and prevent airline accidents. As a result, crew resource management (CRM) training was designed for all flight personnel to create a highly reliable industry with a commitment to a culture of safety. CRM has since been adapted to health care, resulting in care improvement and harm reduction across a wide variety of medical specialties. When implemented in the OR, CRM has been shown not only to improve communication and morale for OR staff, but also reduce morbidity and mortality for patients. As increasing focus is placed on quality, safety, and high-reliability, surgeons will be expected to participate and lead efforts to facilitate a team approach in this new era of patient care. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vapor Crystal Growth System (VCGS) Team in the SL POCC During the STS-42 IML-1 Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Vapor Crystal Growth System (VCGS) team in SL POCC), during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

A comparison of two recorders for obtaining in-flight heart rate data.

PubMed

Dahlstrom, Nicklas; Nahlinder, Staffan

2006-09-01

: Measurement of mental workload has been widely used for evaluation of aircraft design, mission analysis and assessment of pilot performance during flight operations. Heart rate is the psychophysiological measure that has been most frequently used for this purpose. The risk of interference with flight safety and pilot performance, as well as the generally constrained access to flights, make it difficult for researchers to collect in-flight heart rate data. Thus, this study was carried out to investigate whether small, non-intrusive sports recorders can be used for in-flight data collection for research purposes. Data was collected from real and simulated flights with student pilots using the Polar Team System sports recorder and the Vitaport II, a clinical and research recording device. Comparison of the data shows that in-flight heart rate data from the smaller and less intrusive sports recorder have a correlation of.981 with that from the clinical recorder, thus indicating that the sports recorder is reliable and cost-effective for obtaining heart rate data for many research situations.

Human Flight to Lunar and Beyond - Re-Learning Operations Paradigms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Edward (Ted); Statman, Joseph

2016-01-01

For the first time since the Apollo era, NASA is planning on sending astronauts on flights beyond LEO. The Human Space Flight (HSF) program started with a successful initial flight in Earth orbit, in December 2014. The program will continue with two Exploration Missions (EM): EM-1 will be unmanned and EM-2, carrying astronauts, will follow. NASA established a multi-center team to address the communications, and related tacking/navigation needs. This paper will focus on the lessons learned by the team designing the architecture and operations for the missions. Many of these Beyond Earth Orbit lessons had to be re-learned, as the HSF program has operated for many years in Earth orbit. Unlike the Apollo missions that were largely tracked by a dedicated ground network, the HSF planned missions will be tracked (at distances beyond GEO) by the DSN, a network that mostly serves robotic missions. There have been surprising challenges to the DSN as unique modern human spaceflight needs stretch the experience base beyond that of tracking robotic missions in deep space. Close interaction between the DSN and the HSF community to understand the unique needs (e.g. 2-way voice) resulted in a Concept of Operations (ConOps) that leverages both the deep space robotic and the Human LEO experiences. Several examples will be used to highlight the unique challenges the team faced in establishing the communications and tracking capabilities for HSF missions beyond Earth Orbit, including: Navigation. At LEO, HSF missions can rely on GPS devices for orbit determination. For Lunar-and-beyond HSF missions, techniques such as precision 2-way and 3-way Doppler and ranging, Delta-Difference-of-range, and eventually possibly on-board navigation will be used. At the same time, HSF presents a challenge to navigators, beyond those presented by robotic missions - navigating a dynamic/"noisy" spacecraft. Impact of latency - the delay associated with Round-Trip-Light-Time (RTLT). Imagine trying to have a 2-way discussion (audio or video) with an astronaut, with a 2-3 sec or more delay inserted (for lunar distances) or 20 minutes delay (for Mars distances). Balanced communications link. For robotic missions, there has been a heavy emphasis on higher downlink data rates, e.g. bringing back science data. Higher uplink data rates were of secondary importance, as uplink was used only to send commands (and occasionally small files) to the spacecraft. The ratio of downlink-to-uplink data rates was often 10:1 or more. For HSF, a continuous forward link is established and rates for uplink and downlink are more similar.

STS-113 Flight Control Team Photo in WFCR - Orbit 2 with Flight Director John Curry.

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-11-27

JSC2002-02106 (27 November 2002) --- The members of the STS-113 Orbit 2 Team pose for a group portrait in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight Director John Curry stands to the left of the STS-113 mission logo and astronaut Lisa M. Nowak, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), stands to the left of Curry.

KSC-2012-3636

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronaut Rex Walheim talks to Michael Leinbach, director of Human Spaceflight Operations for United Launch Alliance, in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay during an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-3634

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Pepper Phillips, program manager for NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations, addresses the audience assembled in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

HDEV Flight Assembly

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-07

View of the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) flight assembly installed on the exterior of the Columbus European Laboratory module. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter. The High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment places four commercially available HD cameras on the exterior of the space station and uses them to stream live video of Earth for viewing online. The cameras are enclosed in a temperature specific housing and are exposed to the harsh radiation of space. Analysis of the effect of space on the video quality, over the time HDEV is operational, may help engineers decide which cameras are the best types to use on future missions. High school students helped design some of the cameras' components, through the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program, and student teams operate the experiment.

NASA's DC-8 Desert Shadow

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The DC-8 research aircraft casting its shadow on the ground in California's Mojave Desert during an IceBridge instrument check flight. Prior to field campaigns, IceBridge instrument and aircraft teams run the aircraft through a series of tests to ensure that everything is operating at peak condition. Credit: NASA / Jim Yungel NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Light Echo

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

"Light Echo" Illuminates Dust Around Supergiant Star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI) The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Space Students Visit MSFC During STS-35 Astro-1 Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The primary objective of the STS-35 mission was round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-Ray astronomy with the Astro-1 observatory which consisted of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. This photo is of Space classroom students in the Discovery Optics Lab at MSFC during STS-35, ASTRO-1 mission payload operations.

Extended Bright Bodies - Flight and Ground Software Challenges on the Cassini Mission at Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sung, Tina S.; Burk, Thomas A.

2016-01-01

Extended bright bodies in the Saturn environment such as Saturn's rings, the planet itself, and Saturn's satellites near the Cassini spacecraft may interfere with the star tracker's ability to find stars. These interferences can create faulty spacecraft attitude knowledge, which would decrease the pointing accuracy or even trip a fault protection response on board the spacecraft. The effects of the extended bright body interference were observed in December of 2000 when Cassini flew by Jupiter. Based on this flight experience and expected star tracker behavior at Saturn, the Cassini AACS operations team defined flight rules to suspend the star tracker during predicted interference windows. The flight rules are also implemented in the existing ground software called Kinematic Predictor Tool to create star identification suspend commands to be uplinked to the spacecraft for future predicted interferences. This paper discusses the details of how extended bright bodies impact Cassini's acquisition of attitude knowledge, how the observed data helped the ground engineers in developing flight rules, and how automated methods are used in the flight and ground software to ensure the spacecraft is continuously operated within these flight rules. This paper also discusses how these established procedures will continue to be used to overcome new bright body challenges that Cassini will encounter during its dips inside the rings of Saturn for its final orbits of a remarkable 20-year mission at Saturn.

Investigation of Desiccants and CO2 Sorbents for Advanced Exploration Systems 2015-2016

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cmarik, Gregory E.; Knox, Jim

2016-01-01

Advanced Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) design is critical for human space flight beyond Earth. Current systems enable extended missions in low-Earth orbit, but for deep-space missions, not only will astronauts be outside the reach of resupply operations from Earth but they will also need to handle malfunctions and compensate for the degradation of materials. These two daunting challenges must be overcome for long-term independent space flight. In order to solve the first, separation and reuse of onboard atmosphere components is required. Current systems utilize space vacuum to fully regenerate adsorbent beds, but this is not sustainable thus necessitating a closed-loop system. The second challenge stems from material and performance degradation due to operational cycling and on-board contaminants. This report will review the recent work by the ECLSS team at Marshall Space Flight Center towards overcoming these challenges by characterizing materials via novel methods for use in future systems.

The Mars In-Situ-Propellant-Production Precursor (MIP) Flight Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, D. I.; Ratliff, J. E.; Baird, R. S.; Sanders, G. B.; Johnson, K. R.; Karlmann, P. B.; Baraona, C. R.; Landis, G. A.; Jenkins, P. P.; Scheiman, D. A.

1999-01-01

Strategic planning for human missions of exploration to Mars has conclusively identified insitu propellant production (ISPP) as an enabling technology. A team of scientists and engineers from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Glenn Research Center is preparing the MARS ISPP PRECURSOR (MIP) Flight Demonstration. The objectives of MIP are to characterize the performance of processes and hardware that are important to ISPP concepts and to demonstrate how these processes and hardware interact with the Mars environment. Operating this hardware in the actual Mars environment is extremely important due to (1) uncertainties in our knowledge of the Mars environment, and (2) conditions that cannot be adequately simulated on Earth. The MIP Flight Demonstration is a payload onboard the MARS SURVEYOR Lander and will be launched in April 2001. MIP will be the first hardware to utilize the indigenous resources of a planet or moon. Its successful operation will pave the way for future robotic and human missions to rely on propellants produced using Martian resources as feedstock.

Using Web 2.0 Techniques in NASA's Ares Engineering Operations Network (AEON) Environment - First Impressions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, David W.

2010-01-01

The Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is responsible for Engineering Support capability for NASA s Ares rocket development and operations. In pursuit of this, MOL is building the Ares Engineering and Operations Network (AEON), a web-based portal to support and simplify two critical activities: Access and analyze Ares manufacturing, test, and flight performance data, with access to Shuttle data for comparison Establish and maintain collaborative communities within the Ares teams/subteams and with other projects, e.g., Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS). AEON seeks to provide a seamless interface to a) locally developed engineering applications and b) a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) collaborative environment that includes Web 2.0 capabilities, e.g., blogging, wikis, and social networking. This paper discusses how Web 2.0 might be applied to the typically conservative engineering support arena, based on feedback from Integration, Verification, and Validation (IV&V) testing and on searching for their use in similar environments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barr, Jonathan L.; Taira, Randal Y.; Orr, Heather M.

The purpose of this document is to describe the operating concepts, capabilities, and benefits of RAMS including descriptions of how the system implementations can improve emergency response, damage assessment, task prioritization, and situation awareness. This CONOPS provides general information on operational processes and procedures required to utilize RAMS, and expected performance benefits of the system. The primary audiences for this document are the end users of RAMS (including flight operators and incident commanders) and the RAMS management team. Other audiences include interested offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and officials from other state and local jurisdictions who wantmore » to implement similar systems.« less

Leadership and Cultural Challenges in Operating the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, J. L.; Ritsher, J. B.; Saylor, S. A.; Kanas, N.

2006-01-01

Operating the International Space Station (ISS) involves an indefinite, continuous series of long-duration international missions, and this requires an unprecedented degree of cooperation across multiple sites, organizations, and nations. ISS flight controllers have had to find ways to maintain effective team performance in this challenging new context. The goal of this study was to systematically identify and evaluate the major leadership and cultural challenges faces by ISS flight controllers, and to highlight the approaches that they have found most effective to surmount these challenges. We conducted a qualitative survey using a semi-structured interview. Subjects included 14 senior NASA flight controllers who were chosen on the basis of having had substantial experience working with international partners. Data were content analyzed using an iterative process with multiple coders and consensus meetings to resolve discrepancies. To further explore the meaning of the interview findings, we also conducted some new analyses of data from a previous questionnaire study of Russian and American ISS mission control personnel. The interview data showed that respondents had substantial consensus on several leadership and cultural challenges and on key strategies for dealing with them, and they offered a wide range of specific tactics for implementing these strategies. Surprisingly few respondents offered strategies for addressing the challenge of working with team members whose native language is not American English. The questionnaire data showed that Americans think it is more important than Russians that mission control personnel speak the same dialect of one shared common language. Although specific to the ISS program, our results are consistent with recent management, cultural, and aerospace research. We aim to use our results to improve training for current and future ISS flight controllers.

Comparison of TOPEX/Poseidon orbit determination solutions obtained by the Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Division and Precision Orbit Determination Teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doll, C.; Mistretta, G.; Hart, R.; Oza, D.; Cox, C.; Nemesure, M.; Bolvin, D.; Samii, Mina V.

1993-01-01

Orbit determination results are obtained by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) using the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS) and a real-time extended Kalman filter estimation system to process Tracking Data and Relay Satellite (TDRS) System (TDRSS) measurements in support of the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon spacecraft navigation and health and safety operations. GTDS is the operational orbit determination system used by the FDD, and the extended Kalman fliter was implemented in an analysis prototype system, the Real-Time Orbit Determination System/Enhanced (RTOD/E). The Precision Orbit Determination (POD) team within the GSFC Space Geodesy Branch generates an independent set of high-accuracy trajectories to support the TOPEX/Poseidon scientific data. These latter solutions use the Geodynamics (GEODYN) orbit determination system with laser ranging tracking data. The TOPEX/Poseidon trajectories were estimated for the October 22 - November 1, 1992, timeframe, for which the latest preliminary POD results were available. Independent assessments were made of the consistencies of solutions produced by the batch and sequential methods. The batch cases were assessed using overlap comparisons, while the sequential cases were assessed with covariances and the first measurement residuals. The batch least-squares and forward-filtered RTOD/E orbit solutions were compared with the definitive POD orbit solutions. The solution differences were generally less than 10 meters (m) for the batch least squares and less than 18 m for the sequential estimation solutions. The differences among the POD, GTDS, and RTOD/E solutions can be traced to differences in modeling and tracking data types, which are being analyzed in detail.

Web Design for Space Operations: An Overview of the Challenges and New Technologies Used in Developing and Operating Web-Based Applications in Real-Time Operational Support Onboard the International Space Station, in Astronaut Mission Planning and Mission Control Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khan, Ahmed

2010-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Operations Planning Team, Mission Control Centre and Mission Automation Support Network (MAS) have all evolved over the years to use commercial web-based technologies to create a configurable electronic infrastructure to manage the complex network of real-time planning, crew scheduling, resource and activity management as well as onboard document and procedure management required to co-ordinate ISS assembly, daily operations and mission support. While these Web technologies are classified as non-critical in nature, their use is part of an essential backbone of daily operations on the ISS and allows the crew to operate the ISS as a functioning science laboratory. The rapid evolution of the internet from 1998 (when ISS assembly began) to today, along with the nature of continuous manned operations in space, have presented a unique challenge in terms of software engineering and system development. In addition, the use of a wide array of competing internet technologies (including commercial technologies such as .NET and JAVA ) and the special requirements of having to support this network, both nationally among various control centres for International Partners (IPs), as well as onboard the station itself, have created special challenges for the MCC Web Tools Development Team, software engineers and flight controllers, who implement and maintain this system. This paper presents an overview of some of these operational challenges, and the evolving nature of the solutions and the future use of COTS based rich internet technologies in manned space flight operations. In particular this paper will focus on the use of Microsoft.s .NET API to develop Web-Based Operational tools, the use of XML based service oriented architectures (SOA) that needed to be customized to support Mission operations, the maintenance of a Microsoft IIS web server onboard the ISS, The OpsLan, functional-oriented Web Design with AJAX

International Space Station Medical Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jeffrey A.

2008-01-01

NASA is currently the leader, in conjunction with our Russian counterpart co-leads, of the Multilateral Medical Policy Board (MMPB), the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP), which coordinates medical system support for International Space Station (ISS) crews, and the Multilateral Space Medicine Board (MSMB), which medically certifies all crewmembers for space flight on-board the ISS. These three organizations have representatives from NASA, RSA-IMBP (Russian Space Agency- Institute for Biomedical Problems), GCTC (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japanese Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The policy and strategic coordination of ISS medical operations occurs at this level, and includes interactions with MMOP working groups in Radiation Health, Countermeasures, Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA), Informatics, Environmental Health, Behavioral Health and Performance, Nutrition, Clinical Medicine, Standards, Post-flight Activities and Rehabilitation, and Training. Each ISS Expedition has a lead Crew Surgeon from NASA and a Russian Crew Surgeon from GCTC assigned to the mission. Day-to-day issues are worked real-time by the flight surgeons and biomedical engineers (also called the Integrated Medical Group) on consoles at the MCC (Mission Control Center) in Houston and the TsUP (Center for Flight Control) in Moscow/Korolev. In the future, this may also include mission control centers in Europe and Japan, when their modules are added onto the ISS. Private medical conferences (PMCs) are conducted regularly and upon crew request with the ISS crew via private audio and video communication links from the biomedical MPSR (multipurpose support room) at MCC Houston. When issues arise in the day-to-day medical support of ISS crews, they are discussed and resolved at the SMOT (space medical operations team) meetings, which occur weekly among the International Partners. Any medical or life science issue that is not resolved at the SMOT can be taken to the Mission Management Team meeting, which occurs biweekly from MCC-Houston. This meeting includes the other International Partners and all flight support and console position representatives via teleconference. ISS Crew Surgeons have handled many medical conditions on orbit; including skin rashes, dental abscesses, lacerations, and STT segment EKG changes. Fortunately to date, there have not been any forced medical evacuations from the ISS. This speaks well for the implementation of the primary, secondary and even tertiary prevention strategies invoked by the Integrated Medical Group, as there were several medical evacuations during the previous Russian space stations.

Collision Avoidance: Coordination of Predicted Conjunctions between NASA Satellites and Satellites of other Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, A.; Watson, W.

2014-09-01

This paper describes one of the challenges facing the flight operations teams of the International Earth Observing constellation satellites at the 705 km orbit, including NASAs satellites. The NASA Earth Science Mission Operations (ESMO) Project has been dealing with predicted conjunctions (close approach) between operational/non-operational space objects and the satellites in the International Earth observing constellations for several years. Constellation satellites include: NASAs Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra, Aqua, and Aura, CloudSat, the joint NASA/CNES CALIPSO mission, Earth Observing 1 (EO-1), the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA) Global Change Observation Mission-Water 1 (GCOM-W1) mission, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat 7 and Landsat 8, and until 2013, Argentinas SAC-C mission and the CNES PARASOL mission. The NASA Conjunction Analysis and Risk Assessment (CARA) team provides daily reports to the ESMO Project regarding any high interest close approach events (HIEs) involving the constellation satellites. The daily CARA reports provide risk assessment results that help the operations teams to determine if there is a need to perform a risk mitigation action. If the conjuncting space object is an operational satellite that is capable of maneuvering, the affected satellite team needs to coordinate their action plan with the owner operator of the conjuncting satellite. It is absolutely critical for the two teams to communicate as soon as possible. The goal is to minimize the collision risk; this can happen if both satellite operators do not coordinate their maneuver plans. The constellation teams have established guidelines for coordinating HIEs. This coordination process has worked successfully for several years for satellites that are operated by other organizations in the United States and by NASAs international partners, all with whom NASA has a cooperative agreement. However, the situation is different for HIEs with satellites of foreign operators that do not have an agreement with NASA and the constellation organizations. The current process for coordinating close approach events is neither timely nor satisfactory. Due to the concern that NASAs multi-billion dollar assets at the 705 km orbit can be wiped out by a collision with satellites of foreign operators, the NASA ESMO Project and the CARA team are proposing a more timely coordination and communication process to resolve and safely mitigate these HIEs. This proposed process does not violate any existing communication constraints between the United States and certain foreign operators. This proposal, as described in this paper, will be presented at the conference and comments from other satellite operators will be welcomed and greatly appreciated.

JSC Astronaut corps, STS-3 vehicle integration test team and others

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Members of the JSC astronaut corps, STS-3 vehicle integration test (VIT) team and other personnel pose for photograph at the completion of a countdown demonstration test (CDDT) and safety briefings at Launch Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center. Participants are, from the left, Wilbur J. Etbauer, engineer with the VIT team; George W.S. Abbey, Director of Flight Operations at JSC; Astronaut John H. Young, Chief of the Astronaut Office at JSC; Jack Fleming of Rockwell International; Mission Specialist-Astronaut John M. Lounge; Astronaut Daniel C. Brandenstein; Mission Specialist-Astronaut James D. Van Hoften; Astronauts C. Gordon Fullerton and Jack Lousma, prime crew for STS-3; Olan J. Bertrand, VIT team member; Mission Specialist-Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan; Richard W. Nygren, head of the VIT team; and Astronaut Donald E. Williams. The Columbia is obscured by its service structure on Launch Pad 39A in the background. Part of slide-wire emergency escape system is visible in the picture.

Customizing the JPL Multimission Ground Data System: Lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Susan C.; Louie, John J.; Guerrero, Ana Maria; Hurley, Daniel; Flora-Adams, Dana

1994-01-01

The Multimission Ground Data System (MGDS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has brought improvements and new technologies to mission operations. It was designed as a generic data system to meet the needs of multiple missions and avoid re-inventing capabilities for each new mission and thus reduce costs. It is based on adaptable tools that can be customized to support different missions and operations scenarios. The MGDS is based on a distributed client/server architecture, with powerful Unix workstations, incorporating standards and open system architectures. The distributed architecture allows remote operations and user science data exchange, while also providing capabilities for centralized ground system monitor and control. The MGDS has proved its capabilities in supporting multiple large-class missions simultaneously, including the Voyager, Galileo, Magellan, Ulysses, and Mars Observer missions. The Operations Engineering Lab (OEL) at JPL has been leading Customer Adaptation Training (CAT) teams for adapting and customizing MGDS for the various operations and engineering teams. These CAT teams have typically consisted of only a few engineers who are familiar with operations and with the MGDS software and architecture. Our experience has provided a unique opportunity to work directly with the spacecraft and instrument operations teams and understand their requirements and how the MGDS can be adapted and customized to minimize their operations costs. As part of this work, we have developed workstation configurations, automation tools, and integrated user interfaces at minimal cost that have significantly improved productivity. We have also proved that these customized data systems are most successful if they are focused on the people and the tasks they perform and if they are based upon user confidence in the development team resulting from daily interactions. This paper will describe lessons learned in adapting JPL's MGDS to fly the Voyager, Galileo, and Mars Observer missions. We will explain how powerful, existing ground data systems can be adapted and packaged in a cost effective way for operations of small and large planetary missions. We will also describe how the MGDS was adapted to support operations within the Galileo Spacecraft Testbed. The Galileo testbed provided a unique opportunity to adapt MGDS to support command and control operations for a small autonomous operations team of a handful of engineers flying the Galileo Spacecraft flight system model.

Spacecraft Software Maintenance: An Effective Approach to Reducing Costs and Increasing Science Return

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shell, Elaine M.; Lue, Yvonne; Chu, Martha I.

1999-01-01

Flight software is a mission critical element of spacecraft functionality and performance. When ground operations personnel interface to a spacecraft, they are typically dealing almost entirely with the capabilities of onboard software. This software, even more than critical ground/flight communications systems, is expected to perform perfectly during all phases of spacecraft life. Due to the fact that it can be reprogrammed on-orbit to accommodate degradations or failures in flight hardware, new insights into spacecraft characteristics, new control options which permit enhanced science options, etc., the on- orbit flight software maintenance team is usually significantly responsible for the long term success of a science mission. Failure of flight software to perform as needed can result in very expensive operations work-around costs and lost science opportunities. There are three basic approaches to maintaining spacecraft software--namely using the original developers, using the mission operations personnel, or assembling a center of excellence for multi-spacecraft software maintenance. Not planning properly for flight software maintenance can lead to unnecessarily high on-orbit costs and/or unacceptably long delays, or errors, in patch installations. A common approach for flight software maintenance is to access the original development staff. The argument for utilizing the development staff is that the people who developed the software will be the best people to modify the software on-orbit. However, it can quickly becomes a challenge to obtain the services of these key people. They may no longer be available to the organization. They may have a more urgent job to perform, quite likely on another project under different project management. If they havn't worked on the software for a long time, they may need precious time for refamiliarization to the software, testbeds and tools. Further, a lack of insight into issues related to flight software in its on-orbit environment, may find the developer unprepared for the challenges. The second approach is to train a member of the flight operations team to maintain the spacecraft software. This can prove to be a costly and inflexible solution. The person assigned to this duty may not have enough work to do during a problem free period and may have too much to do when a problem arises. If the person is a talented software engineer, he/she may not enjoy the limited software opportunities available in this position; and may eventually leave for newer technology computer science opportunities. Training replacement flight software personnel can be a difficult and lengthy process. The third approach is to assemble a center of excellence for on-orbit spacecraft software maintenance. Personnel in this specialty center can be managed to support flight software of multiple missions at once. The variety of challenges among a set of on-orbit missions, can result in a dedicated, talented staff which is fully trained and available to support each mission's needs. Such staff are not software developers but are rather spacecraft software systems engineers. The cost to any one mission is extremely low because the software staff works and charges, minimally on missions with no current operations issues; and their professional insight into on-orbit software troubleshooting and maintenance methods ensures low risk, effective and minimal-cost solutions to on-orbit issues.

How differential deflection of the inboard and outboard leading-edge flaps affected the handling qua

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

How differential deflection of the inboard and outboard leading-edge flaps affected the handling qualities of this modified F/A-18A was evaluated during the first check flight in the Active Aeroelastic Wing program at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The Active Aeroelastic Wing program at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center seeks to determine the advantages of twisting flexible wings for primary maneuvering roll control at transonic and supersonic speeds, with traditional control surfaces such as ailerons and leading-edge flaps used to aerodynamically induce the twist. From flight test and simulation data, the program intends to develop structural modeling techniques and tools to help design lighter, more flexible high aspect-ratio wings for future high-performance aircraft, which could translate to more economical operation or greater payload capability. AAW flight tests began in November, 2002 with checkout and parameter-identification flights. Based on data obtained during the first flight series, new flight control software will be developed and a second series of research flights will then evaluate the AAW concept in a real-world environment. The program uses wings that were modified to the flexibility of the original pre-production F-18 wing. Other modifications include a new actuator to operate the outboard leading edge flap over a greater range and rate, and a research flight control system to host the aeroelastic wing control laws. The Active Aeroelastic Wing Program is jointly funded and managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, with Boeing's Phantom Works as prime contractor for wing modifications and flight control software development. The F/A-18A aircraft was provided by the Naval Aviation Systems Test Team and modified for its research role by NASA Dryden technicians.

ASK Magazine. No. 9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Post, Todd (Editor)

2002-01-01

Most of this issue is about ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer). We've collected stories by four members of the ACE management team: Don Margolies, the mission manager from Goddard Space Flight Center; Frandsen, science payloads manager from the Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Mary Chin, project manager in charge of spacecraft development at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; and Frank Snow, operations and ground systems manager at Goddard.

Airspace Technology Demonstration 3 (ATD-3): Multi-Flight Common Route (MFCR) Technology Transfer Document Summary Version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheth, Kapil; Bilimoria, Karl; Amer, Maryam M.; Wang, Easter M.

2017-01-01

This summary document and accompanying technology artifacts satisfy the second of three Research Transition Products (RTPs) defined in the ATD-3 Applied Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) Research Transition Team (RTT) Plan. This transfer consists of NASA's Multi-Flight Common Route (MFCR) research for efficient route corrections for en-route weather avoidance. The MFCR concept builds on the experience of the legacy Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR) and focuses on a better balance of potential savings with ATC acceptability, common route corrections options for multiple flights on similar routings, and better use of existing and/or modern automation for communication and coordination of route change options. All of these capabilities are expected to improve system performance significantly in terms of actual delay-reducing clearances issued to flights compared to that of the DWR tool and operating concept.

Autonomous formation flight of helicopters: Model predictive control approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Hoam

Formation flight is the primary movement technique for teams of helicopters. However, the potential for accidents is greatly increased when helicopter teams are required to fly in tight formations and under harsh conditions. This dissertation proposes that the automation of helicopter formations is a realistic solution capable of alleviating risks. Helicopter formation flight operations in battlefield situations are highly dynamic and dangerous, and, therefore, we maintain that both a high-level formation management system and a distributed coordinated control algorithm should be implemented to help ensure safe formations. The starting point for safe autonomous formation flights is to design a distributed control law attenuating external disturbances coming into a formation, so that each vehicle can safely maintain sufficient clearance between it and all other vehicles. While conventional methods are limited to homogeneous formations, our decentralized model predictive control (MPC) approach allows for heterogeneity in a formation. In order to avoid the conservative nature inherent in distributed MPC algorithms, we begin by designing a stable MPC for individual vehicles, and then introducing carefully designed inter-agent coupling terms in a performance index. Thus the proposed algorithm works in a decentralized manner, and can be applied to the problem of helicopter formations comprised of heterogenous vehicles. Individual vehicles in a team may be confronted by various emerging situations that will require the capability for in-flight reconfiguration. We propose the concept of a formation manager to manage separation, join, and synchronization of flight course changes. The formation manager accepts an operator's commands, information from neighboring vehicles, and its own vehicle states. Inside the formation manager, there are multiple modes and complex mode switchings represented as a finite state machine (FSM). Based on the current mode and collected information, the FSM generates discrete reference points in state space. Then, the reference trajectory generator makes smooth trajectories from discrete reference points using interpolation and/or an online optimization scheme. By modifying the reference trajectory and triggering mode changes, the formation manager can override behaviors of the MPC controller. When a vehicle outside of the formation approaches a vehicle at the edge of the formation, the motion of the vehicle at the formation edge acts like a disturbance with respect to the vehicle attempting to join the formation. The vehicle at the edge of the formation cannot cooperate with any vehicle outside of the formation due to constraints on maintaining the existing formation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

KSC-2014-4227

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4233

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4232

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4231

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4221

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helicopter pilots walk to their helicopter prior to practicing use of a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4229

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4223

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4228

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4222

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4234

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-person helicopter crew recently practiced using a Bambi Bucket to pick up water from a nearby waterway and dropping it on simulated targets at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Boeing CST-100 Starliner Landing Simulation

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-05

Boeing, NASA and U.S. Army teams rehearse safely bringing the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft home to Earth on Wed., June 6, 2018, at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. During the detailed landing simulation, engineers, technicians and spaceflight specialists worked through tight timelines and intense heat running through simulations of the spacecraft's landing and recovery, an operation that will cap each Starliner mission. For flight controllers at Mission Control in Houston, the simulation offered the chance to evaluate their own processes and rehearse everything from undocking the Starliner from the space station to communicating with the recovery teams in the field.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission: Systems Engineering Challenges on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Havens, Glen G.

2007-01-01

MRO project is a system of systems requiring system engineering team to architect, design, integrate, test, and operate these systems at each level of the project. The challenge of system engineering mission objectives into a single mission architecture that can be integrated tested, launched, and operated. Systems engineering must translate high-level requirements into integrated mission design. Systems engineering challenges were overcome utilizing a combination by creative designs built into MRO's flight and ground systems: a) Design of sophisticated spacecraft targeting and data management capabilities b) Establishment of a strong operations team organization; c) Implementation of robust operational processes; and d) Development of strategic ground tools. The MRO system has met the challenge of its driving requirements: a) MRO began its two-year primary science phase on November 7, 2006, and by July 2007, met it minimum requirement to collect 15 Tbits of data after only eight months of operations. Currently we have collected 22 Tbits. b) Based on current performance, mission data return could return 70 Tbits of data by the end of the primary science phase in 2008.

Lunar launch and landing facilities and operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The Florida Institute of Technology established an Interdisciplinary Design Team to design a lunar based facility whose primary function involves launch and landing operations for future moon missions. Both manned and unmanned flight operations were considered in the study with particular design emphasis on the utilization (or reutilization) of all materials available on the moon. This resource availability includes man-made materials which might arrive in the form of expendable landing vehicles as well as in situ lunar minerals. From an engineering standpoint, all such materials are considered as to their suitability for constructing new lunar facilities and/or repairing or expanding existing structures. Also considered in this design study was a determination of the feasibility of using naturally occurring lunar materials to provide fuel components to support lunar launch operations. Conventional launch and landing operations similar to those used during the Apollo Program were investigated as well as less conventional techniques such as rail guns and electromagnetic mass drivers. The Advanced Space Design team consisted of students majoring in Physics and Space Science as well as Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical and Ocean Engineering.

KSC-2011-7245

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida show off the Florida Project of the Year trophies that the crawlerway system evaluation team received from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). From left are Michael Benik, director of Center Operations; Pepper Phillips, manager of the 21st Century Ground Systems Program Office; and Russell Romanella, associate director for Engineering and Technical Operations. The Cape Canaveral branch of the ASCE nominated the team for its project, the Crawlerway Evaluation to Support a Heavy-Lift Program. The crawlerway is a 130-foot-wide, specialty-built roadway between Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), where rockets and spacecraft are prepared for flight, and Launch Pad 39A and 39B. The team's more than two-year evaluation confirmed the crawlerway system would be able to support the weight of moving the agency's future heavy-lift rockets and potential commercial vehicles from the VAB to the launch pads. The award honors the team's outstanding engineering efforts in research, design, construction and management, recognizing the complexity of multi-agency coordination and cost-effective engineering advances. For more information on the American Society of Civil Engineers, visit: http://www.asce.org. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Space 2100: A Shared Visioning Exercise for the Future Space Economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, C. K.; Nall, M. E.; Scott, D. W.; Tinker, M. L.; Oneil, D.; Sivak, A. D.; Wright, G. M.; Eberly, E. A.; Ramdall, C.

In 2013, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center chartered a diverse team for a six-week "sprint" to envision how Earth, space, and public/private entities might be operating in the year 2100. This sprint intended to inspire innovation, creativity and improved teamwork between all levels of employees, in addition to pulling diverse ideas about exploration from organizations that are not traditionally included in technology development at NASA. The team was named Space 2100. In 2014, the team ran a sprint based on the previous outcomes to a) develop detailed estimates of operations and challenges of space activities in the vicinity of the Earth and Moon in the year 2050, b) identify evolutionary steps to make this vision a reality, and c) recommend actions to enable those steps. In 2015, the team continued building on previous years by identifying technologies and approaches to reduce and ultimately eliminate the need for resupply from Earth, enabling self-sufficient exploration throughout the solar system. This exercise identified 30 technologies as potential critical paths to Earth independency. Space 2100's conclusions and recommendations are not part of NASA's strategic planning or policy. This paper explores the three Space 2100 sprints and their implications for the future of space exploration.

Development of Sub-optimal Airway Protocols for the International Space Station (ISS) by the Medical Operation Support Team (MOST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polk, James D.; Parazynski, Scott; Kelly, Scott; Hurst, Victor, IV; Doerr, Harold K.

2007-01-01

Airway management techniques are necessary to establish and maintain a patent airway while treating a patient undergoing respiratory distress. There are situations where such settings are suboptimal, thus causing the caregiver to adapt to these suboptimal conditions. Such occurrences are no exception aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As a result, the NASA flight surgeon (FS) and NASA astronaut cohorts must be ready to adapt their optimal airway management techniques for suboptimal situations. Based on previous work conducted by the Medical Operation Support Team (MOST) and other investigators, the MOST had members of both the FS and astronaut cohorts evaluate two oral airway insertion techniques for the Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway (ILMA) to determine whether either technique is sufficient to perform in suboptimal conditions within a microgravity environment. Methods All experiments were conducted in a simulated microgravity environment provided by parabolic flight aboard DC-9 aircraft. Each participant acted as a caregiver and was directed to attempt both suboptimal ILMA insertion techniques following a preflight instruction session on the day of the flight and a demonstration of the technique by an anesthesiologist physician in the simulated microgravity environment aboard the aircraft. Results Fourteen participants conducted 46 trials of the suboptimal ILMA insertion techniques. Overall, 43 of 46 trials (94%) conducted were properly performed based on criteria developed by the MOST and other investigators. Discussion The study demonstrated the use of airway management techniques in suboptimal conditions relating to space flight. Use of these techniques will provide a crew with options for using the ILMA to manage airway issues aboard the ISS. Although it is understood that the optimal method for patient care during space flight is to have both patient and caregiver restrained, these techniques provide a needed backup should conditions not present themselves in an ideal manner.

IceBridge team members

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-13

These IceBridge team members aboard a huge U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft are ready to step out into the cold Antarctic air. The C-17 aircraft that fly to Antarctica are operated by the U.S. Air Force's 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, Wash. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Michael Studinger NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Space environment's effect on MODIS calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodd, J. L.; Wenny, B. N.; Chiang, K.; Xiong, X.

2010-09-01

The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer flies on board the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites Terra and Aqua in a sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM, respectively, at a low earth orbit (LEO) altitude of 705 km. Terra was launched on December 18,1999 and Aqua was launched on May 4, 2002. As the MODIS instruments on board these satellites continue to operate beyond the design lifetime of six years, the cumulative effect of the space environment on MODIS and its calibration is of increasing importance. There are several aspects of the space environment that impact both the top of atmosphere (TOA) calibration and, therefore, the final science products of MODIS. The south Atlantic anomaly (SAA), spacecraft drag, extreme radiative and thermal environment, and the presence of orbital debris have the potential to significantly impact both MODIS and the spacecraft, either directly or indirectly, possibly resulting in data loss. Efforts from the Terra and Aqua Flight Operations Teams (FOT), the MODIS Instrument Operations Team (IOT), and the MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST) prevent or minimize external impact on the TOA calibrated data. This paper discusses specific effects of the space environment on MODIS and how they are minimized.

Software Engineering for Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fredrickson, Steven E.

2014-01-01

The Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch of NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) provides world-class products, leadership, and technical expertise in software engineering, processes, technology, and systems management for human spaceflight. The branch contributes to major NASA programs (e.g. ISS, MPCV/Orion) with in-house software development and prime contractor oversight, and maintains the JSC Engineering Directorate CMMI rating for flight software development. Software engineering teams work with hardware developers, mission planners, and system operators to integrate flight vehicles, habitats, robotics, and other spacecraft elements. They seek to infuse automation and autonomy into missions, and apply new technologies to flight processor and computational architectures. This presentation will provide an overview of key software-related projects, software methodologies and tools, and technology pursuits of interest to the JSC Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch.

Foam formation in low gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessling, Francis C.; Mcmanus, Samuel P.; Matthews, John; Patel, Darayas

1990-01-01

An apparatus that produced the first polyurethane foam in low gravity has been described. The chemicals were mixed together in an apparatus designed for operation in low gravity. Mixing was by means of stirring the chemicals with an electric motor and propeller in a mixing chamber. The apparatus was flown on Consort 1, the first low-gravity materials payload launched by a commercial rocket launch team. The sounding rocket flight produced over 7 min of low gravity during which a polyurethane spheroidal foam of approximately 2300 cu cm was formed. Photographs of the formation of the foam during the flight show the development of the spheroidal form. This begins as a small sphere and grows to approximately a 17-cm-diam spheroid. The apparatus will be flown again on subsequent low-gravity flights.

Transforming Our SMEX Organization by Way of Innovation, Standardization, and Automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madden, Maureen; Crouse, Pat; Carry, Everett; Esposito, timothy; Parker, Jeffrey; Bradley, David

2006-01-01

NASA's Small Explorer (SMEX) Flight Operations Team (FOT) is currently tackling the challenge of supporting ground operations for several satellites that have surpassed their designed lifetime and have a dwindling budget. At Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), these missions are presently being reengineered into a fleet-oriented ground system. When complete, this ground system will provide command and control of four SMEX missions, and will demonstrate fleet automation and control concepts as a pathfinder for additional mission integrations. A goal of this reengineering effort is to demonstrate new ground-system technologies that show promise of supporting longer mission lifecycles and simplifying component integration. In pursuit of this goal, the SMEX organization has had to examine standardization, innovation, and automation. A core technology being demonstrated in this effort is the GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) architecture. The GMSEC architecture focuses on providing standard interfaces for ground system applications to promote application interoperability. Building around commercial Message Oriented Middleware and providing a common messaging standard allows GMSEC to provide the capabilities necessary to support integration of new software components into existing missions and increase the level of interaction within the system. For SMS, GMSEC has become the technology platform to transform flight operations with the innovation and automation necessary to reduce operational costs. The automation technologies supported in SMEX are built upon capabilities provided by the GMSEC architecture that allows the FOT to further reduce the involvement of the console, operator. Initially, SMEX is automating only routine operations, such as safety and health monitoring, basic commanding, and system recovery. The operational concepts being developed here will reduce the need for staffed passes and are a necessity for future fleet management. As this project continues to evolve, additional innovations beyond GMSEC and automation have, and will continue to be developed. The team developed techniques for migrating ground systems of existing on-orbit assets. The tools necessary to monitor and control software failures were integrated and tailored for operational environments. All this was done with a focus of extending fleet operations to mission beyond SMU. The result of this work is the foundation for a broader fleet-capable ground system that will include several missions supported by the Space Science Mission Operations Project.

A Modernized Approach to Meet Diversified Earth Observing System (EOS) AM-1 Mission Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Lauri Kraft; Hametz, Mark E.; Conway, Darrel J.

1998-01-01

From a flight dynamics perspective, the EOS AM-1 mission design and maneuver operations present a number of interesting challenges. The mission design itself is relatively complex for a low Earth mission, requiring a frozen, Sun-synchronous, polar orbit with a repeating ground track. Beyond the need to design an orbit that meets these requirements, the recent focus on low-cost, "lights out" operations has encouraged a shift to more automated ground support. Flight dynamics activities previously performed in special facilities created solely for that purpose and staffed by personnel with years of design experience are now being shifted to the mission operations centers (MOCs) staffed by flight operations team (FOT) operators. These operators' responsibilities include flight dynamics as a small subset of their work; therefore, FOT personnel often do not have the experience to make critical maneuver design decisions. Thus, streamlining the analysis and planning work required for such a complicated orbit design and preparing FOT personnel to take on the routine operation of such a spacecraft both necessitated increasing the automation level of the flight dynamics functionality. The FreeFlyer(trademark) software developed by AI Solutions provides a means to achieve both of these goals. The graphic interface enables users to interactively perform analyses that previously required many parametric studies and much data reduction to achieve the same result. In addition, the fuzzy logic engine .enables the simultaneous evaluation of multiple conflicting constraints, removing the analyst from the loop and allowing the FOT to perform more of the operations without much background in orbit design. Modernized techniques were implemented for EOS AM-1 flight dynamics support in several areas, including launch window determination, orbit maintenance maneuver control strategies, and maneuver design and calibration automation. The benefits of implementing these techniques include increased fuel available for on-orbit maneuvering, a simplified orbit maintenance process to minimize science data downtime, and an automated routine maneuver planning process. This paper provides an examination of the modernized techniques implemented for EOS AM-1 to achieve these benefits.

A modernized approach to meet diversified earth observing system (EOS) AM-1 mission requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Lauri Kraft; Hametz, Mark E.; Conway, Darrel J.

1998-01-01

From a flight dynamics perspective, the EOS AM-1 mission design and maneuver operations present a number of interesting challenges. The mission design itself is relatively complex for a low Earth mission, requiring a frozen, Sun-synchronous, polar orbit with a repeating ground track. Beyond the need to design an orbit that meets these requirements, the recent focus on low-cost, 'lights out' operations has encouraged a shift to more automated ground support. Flight dynamics activities previously performed in special facilities created solely for that purpose and staffed by personnel with years of design experience are now being shifted to the mission operations centers (MOCs) staffed by flight operations team (FOT) operators. These operators' responsibilities include flight dynamics as a small subset of their work; therefore, FOT personnel often do not have the experience to make critical maneuver design decisions. Thus, streamlining the analysis and planning work required for such a complicated orbit design and preparing FOT personnel to take on the routine operation of such a spacecraft both necessitated increasing the automation level of the flight dynamics functionality. The FreeFlyer(TM) software developed by AI Solutions provides a means to achieve both of these goals. The graphic interface enables users to interactively perform analyses that previously required many parametric studies and much data reduction to achieve the same result In addition, the fuzzy logic engine enables the simultaneous evaluation of multiple conflicting constraints, removing the analyst from the loop and allowing the FOT to perform more of the operations without much background in orbit design. Modernized techniques were implemented for EOS AM-1 flight dynamics support in several areas, including launch window determination, orbit maintenance maneuver control strategies, and maneuver design and calibration automation. The benefits of implementing these techniques include increased fuel available for on-orbit maneuvering, a simplified orbit maintenance process to minimize science data downtime, and an automated routine maneuver planning process. This paper provides an examination of the modernized techniques implemented for EOS AM-1 to achieve these benefits.

Fundamentals for Team Based Rehearsals and the Differences Between Low Earth and Deep Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gomez-Rosa, Carlos; Alfonzo, Agustin; Cifuentes, Juan; Wasiak, Francis

2015-01-01

Presentation to be presented at the 2015 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 7-14-2015.Rehearsals are mission level readiness tests that exercise personnel, operational process, and flight products, in a near flight like environment. The program is started 6-9 months prior to launch and is used to ensure the final as built system will meet mission goals (i.e. validation). On Deep Space missions you rehearse cruise activities post launch!Focus on critical activities to the mission, (i.e. propulsive maneuvers, instrument commissioning and any first time events or coordinating activities that involve major stakeholders).

KSC-2012-3596

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare a lifting ring to support the arrival of the Orion crew module. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3593

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Wrapped in a protective cover, the Orion crew module is removed from its transportation container inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3594

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians remove a protective cover from the Orion crew module after its arrival in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3597

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians use a crane to position the Orion crew module on a workstand in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3599

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians use a crane to position the Orion crew module on a workstand in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

EURECA mission control experience and messages for the future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huebner, H.; Ferri, P.; Wimmer, W.

1994-01-01

EURECA is a retrievable space platform which can perform multi-disciplinary scientific and technological experiments in a Low Earth Orbit for a typical mission duration of six to twelve months. It is deployed and retrieved by the NASA Space Shuttle and is designed to support up to five flights. The first mission started at the end of July 1992 and was successfully completed with the retrieval in June 1993. The operations concept and the ground segment for the first EURECA mission are briefly introduced. The experiences in the preparation and the conduction of the mission from the flight control team point of view are described.

KSC-2012-3572

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay detach a lifting device from the transportation canister holding the Orion crew module. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2012-3569

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay attach a lifting device to the transportation canister holding the Orion crew module. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2012-3566

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Secured inside a transportation container, the Orion crew module is moved through the open high-bay door to the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-3570

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The transportation canister holding the Orion crew module is lifted off the back of the truck that delivered it to the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2012-3571

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The transportation canister holding the Orion crew module is lowered onto the floor of the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2012-3568

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay prepare to lift the Orion crew module, secured inside the transportation container at left. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

KSC-2012-3592

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module, wrapped in a protective cover, has been removed from its transportation container inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

KSC-2012-3598

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module is lifted free of its protective cover and transportation canister. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

Human System Integration: Regulatory Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

This document was intended as an input to the Access 5 Policy Integrated Product team. Using a Human System Integration (HIS) perspective, a regulatory analyses of the FARS (specifically Part 91), the Airman s Information Manual (AIM) and the FAA Controllers Handbook (7110.65) was conducted as part of a front-end approach needed to derive HSI requirements for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations in the National Airspace System above FL430. The review of the above aviation reference materials yielded eighty-four functions determined to be necessary or highly desirable for flight within the Air Traffic Management System. They include categories for Flight, Communications, Navigation, Surveillance, and Hazard Avoidance.

Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP)

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-10-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education, and Defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle enroute to the International Space Station. For the SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second-generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado along with a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

SLI Artist's Concept-Vehicle Enroute to Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), NASA's priority developmental program focused on empowering America's leadership in space. SLI includes commercial, higher education, and Defense partnerships and contracts to offer widespread participation in both the risk and success of developing our nation's next-generation reusable launch vehicle. This photo depicts an artist's concept of a future second-generation launch vehicle enroute to the International Space Station. For the SLI, architecture definition includes all components of the next-generation reusable launch system: Earth-to-orbit vehicles (the Space Shuttle is the first generation earth-to-orbit vehicle), crew transfer vehicles, transfer stages, ground processing systems, flight operations systems, and development of business case strategies. Three contractor teams have each been funded to develop potential second-generation reusable launch system architectures: The Boeing Company of Seal Beach, California; Lockheed Martin Corporation of Denver, Colorado along with a team including Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California; and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia.

In-flight measurements of propeller blade deformation on a VUT100 cobra aeroplane using a co-rotating camera system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boden, F.; Stasicki, B.; Szypuła, M.; Ružička, P.; Tvrdik, Z.; Ludwikowski, K.

2016-07-01

Knowledge of propeller or rotor blade behaviour under real operating conditions is crucial for optimizing the performance of a propeller or rotor system. A team of researchers, technicians and engineers from Avia Propeller, DLR, EVEKTOR and HARDsoft developed a rotating stereo camera system dedicated to in-flight blade deformation measurements. The whole system, co-rotating with the propeller at its full speed and hence exposed to high centrifugal forces and strong vibration, had been successfully tested on an EVEKTOR VUT 100 COBRA aeroplane in Kunovice (CZ) within the project AIM2—advanced in-flight measurement techniques funded by the European Commission (contract no. 266107). This paper will describe the work, starting from drawing the first sketch of the system up to performing the successful flight test. Apart from a description of the measurement hardware and the applied IPCT method, the paper will give some impressions of the flight test activities and discuss the results obtained from the measurements.

Nickel cadmium battery operations on-orbit: Trials, tribulations, and success on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Gopalakrishna M.; Miller, Scott D.

1994-01-01

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), designed, built, integrated, tested, and operated by NASA and Martin Marietta is a low-Earth orbiting, Earth-observing spacecraft which was launched via Space Shuttle Discovery on September 12, 1991 and deployed three days later. The Modular Power Subsystem (MPS) onboard the satellite is equipped with three NASA Standard 50 Ampere-hour (Ah) nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries. McDonnell Douglas Electronics Systems Company fabricated the MPS, and batteries from Gates Aerospace Batteries cells. Nominal battery performance was achieved for the first four months of spacecraft operation. First evidence of anomalous battery performance was observed in January 1992, after the first maximum beta angle (low Depth of Discharge) period. Since then, the Flight Operations Team (FOT), under the direction of Goddard Space Flight Center's UARS Project and Space Power Application Branch, has monitored and managed battery performance by adjusting solar array offset angle, conducting periodic deep discharge, and controlling battery recharge ratio. This paper covers a brief overview of the UARS, the FOT's operational battery management, and the observed spacecraft battery performance.

Nickel cadmium battery operations and performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Gopalakrishna; Prettyman-Lukoschek, Jill; Calvin, Richard; Berry, Thomas; Bote, Robert; Toft, Mark

1994-01-01

The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO), Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), and Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) spacecraft are operated from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. On-board power subsystems for each satellite employ NASA Standard 50 Ampere-hour (Ah) nickel-cadmium batteries in a parallel configuration. To date, these batteries have exhibited degradation over periods from several months (anomalous behavior, UARS and CGRO (MPS-1); to little if any, EUVE) to several years (old age, normal behavior, ERBS). Since the onset of degraded performance, each mission's Flight Operations Team (FOT), under the direction of their cognizant GSFC Project Personnel and Space Power Application Branch's Engineers has closely monitored the battery performance and implemented several charge control schemes in an effort to extend battery life. Various software and hardware solutions have been developed to minimize battery overcharge. Each of the four sections of this paper covers a brief overview of each mission's operational battery management and its associated spacecraft battery performance. Also included are new operational procedures developed on-orbit that may be of special interest to future mission definition and development.

The changing nature of spacecraft operations: From the Vikings of the 1970's to the great observatories of the 1990's and beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ledbetter, Kenneth W.

1992-01-01

Four trends in spacecraft flight operations are discussed which will reduce overall program costs. These trends are the use of high-speed, highly reliable data communications systems for distributing operations functions to more convenient and cost-effective sites; the improved capability for remote operation of sensors; a continued rapid increase in memory and processing speed of flight qualified computer chips; and increasingly capable ground-based hardware and software systems, notably those augmented by artificial intelligence functions. Changes reflected by these trends are reviewed starting from the NASA Viking missions of the early 70s, when mission control was conducted at one location using expensive and cumbersome mainframe computers and communications equipment. In the 1980s, powerful desktop computers and modems enabled the Magellan project team to operate the spacecraft remotely. In the 1990s, the Hubble Space Telescope project uses multiple color screens and automated sequencing software on small computers. Given a projection of current capabilities, future control centers will be even more cost-effective.

Science in a Team Environment (AKA, How to Play Nicely with Others)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platts, S. H.; Primeaux, L.; Swarmer, T.; Yarbough, P. O

2017-01-01

So you want to do NASA funded research in a spaceflight analog? There are several things about participating in an HRP managed analog that may be different from the way you normally do work in your laboratory. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight those differences and explain some of the unique aspects of doing this research. Participation in an HRP funded analog study complement, even if initially selected for funding, is not automatic and involves numerous actions from ISSMP, HRP, and the PI. There are steps that have to be taken and processes to follow before approval and ISSMP-FA integration. After the proposal and acceptance process the Investigator works closely with the Flight Analog team to ensure full integration of their study requirements into a compliment. A complement is comprised of a group of studies requiring a common platform and/or scenario that are able to be integrated on a non-interference basis for implementation. Full integration into the analog platform can be broken down into three phases: integration, preparation, and implementation. These phases occur in order with some overlap in the integration and preparation phase. The ISSMP-FA team integrates, plans and implements analog study complements. Properly defining your research requirements and getting them documented is one of the most critical components to ensure successful integration and implementation of your study, but is also one of the most likely to be neglected by PIs. Requirements that are not documented, or that are documented poorly are unlikely to get done, no matter how much you push. The process to document requirements is two-fold, consisting of an initial individual requirements integration and then a compliment requirements integration. Understanding the requirements in detail and early ensures that the science is not compromised by outside influences. This step is vital to the integration, preparation, and implementation phases. The individual requirements integration is the first step in ensuring that the research fits into an available analog platform or allows for the Flight Analog team to provide information on structural study changes for participation in the analog. At this early point investigators need to understand exactly what their requirements are to produce relevant data and convey their must have needs to the Flight Analog team. The fluid nature of analog platforms allow for minor alterations to the operational structure. Participation in analog research requires flexibility from the investigator to ensure implementation of their research into a flight like analog platform. The compliment integration requires plasticity; investigators are asked to work closely with one another and the Flight Analog team to combine research studies into a single study plan. This study plan's ultimate goal is to facilitate multiple study participation with minimal scientific impact to each individual study. The Flight Analogs team works to find the best compromise for all parties while protecting the flight like atmosphere of a particular analog. Additional restrictions, limitations and constraints may be required by the analog in order to make all of the science work. Many studies need to be combined into each complement and there are a limited number of hours available for data collection. Through data/sample sharing, we can reduce the burden on the test subject, while usually avoiding significant science impacts. Restrictions on food, exercise, medications and sleep cycle are important to consider for your research.

The Transition from Spacecraft Development Ot Flight Operation: Human Factor Considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basilio, Ralph R.

2000-01-01

In the field of aeronautics and astronautics, a paradigm shift has been witnessed by those in academia, research and development, and private industry. Long development life cycles and the budgets to support such programs and projects has given way to aggressive task schedules and leaner resources to draw from all the while challenging assigned individuals to create and produce improved products of processes. however, this "faster, better, cheaper" concept cannot merely be applied to the design, development, and test of complex systems such as earth-orbiting of interplanetary robotic spacecraft. Full advantage is not possible without due consideration and application to mission operations planning and flight operations, Equally as important as the flight system, the mission operations system consisting of qualified personnel, ground hardware and software tools, and verified and validated operational processes, should also be regarded as a complex system requiring personnel to draw upon formal education, training, related experiences, and heuristic reasoning in engineering an effective and efficient system. Unquestionably, qualified personnel are the most important elements of a mission operations system. This paper examines the experiences of the Deep Space I Project, the first in a series of new technology in-flight validation missions sponsored by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), specifically, in developing a subsystems analysis and technology validation team comprised of former spacecraft development personnel. Human factor considerations are investigated from initial concept/vision formulation; through operational process development; personnel test and training; to initial uplink product development and test support. Emphasis has been placed on challenges and applied or recommended solutions, so as to provide opportunities for future programs and projects to address and disposition potential issues and concerns as early as possible to reap the benefits associated with learning from other's past experiences.

NASA Global Hawk: A Unique Capability for the Pursuit of Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naftel, J. Chris

2007-01-01

For more than 2 years, the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has been preparing for the receipt of two Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration Global Hawk air vehicles from the United States Air Force. NASA Dryden intends to establish a Global Hawk Project Office, which will be responsible for developing the infrastructure required to operate this unmanned aerial system and establishing a trained maintenance and operations team. The first flight of a NASA Global Hawk air vehicle is expected to occur in 2008. The NASA Global Hawk system can be used by a variety of customers, including U.S. Government agencies, civilian organizations, universities, and state governments. A combination of the vehicle s range, endurance, altitude, payload power, payload volume, and payload weight capabilities separates the Global Hawk unmanned aerial system from all other platforms available to the science community.

Real time data acquisition for expert systems in Unix workstations at Space Shuttle Mission Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muratore, John F.; Heindel, Troy A.; Murphy, Terri B.; Rasmussen, Arthur N.; Gnabasik, Mark; Mcfarland, Robert Z.; Bailey, Samuel A.

1990-01-01

A distributed system of proprietary engineering-class workstations is incorporated into NASA's Space Shuttle Mission-Control Center to increase the automation of mission control. The Real-Time Data System (RTDS) allows the operator to utilize expert knowledge in the display program for system modeling and evaluation. RTDS applications are reviewed including: (1) telemetry-animated communications schematics; (2) workstation displays of systems such as the Space Shuttle remote manipulator; and (3) a workstation emulation of shuttle flight instrumentation. The hard and soft real-time constraints are described including computer data acquisition, and the support techniques for the real-time expert systems include major frame buffers for logging and distribution as well as noise filtering. The incorporation of the workstations allows smaller programming teams to implement real-time telemetry systems that can improve operations and flight testing.

Astronaut Carl Meade mans pilots station during trajectory control exercise

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-09-12

STS064-22-024 (9-20 Sept. 1994) --- With a manual and lap top computer in front of him, astronaut Carl J. Meade, STS-64 mission specialist, supports operations with the Trajectory Control Sensor (TCS) aboard the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Discovery. For this exercise, Meade temporarily mans the pilot's station on the forward flight deck. The TCS is the work of a team of workers at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Data gathered during this flight was expected to prove valuable in designing and developing a sensor for use during the rendezvous and mating phases of orbiter missions to the space station. For this demonstration, the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy 201 (SPARTAN 201) was used as the target vehicle during release and retrieval operations. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-118 Ascent/Entry Flight Control Team in WFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-17

JSC2007-E-46429 (17 Sept. 2007) --- The members of the STS-118 Ascent/Entry flight control team and crewmembers pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Steve Stich holds the STS-118 mission logo. Astronauts Scott Kelly, commander, is at left foreground and astronaut Chris Ferguson, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), is at right foreground. Additional crewmembers pictured are Charlie Hobaugh, pilot; Barbara R. Morgan, Tracy Caldwell and Rick Mastracchio, all mission specialists.

Technologies developed by CNES balloon team

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sosa-Sesma, Sergio; Charbonnier, Jean-Marc; Deramecourt, Arnaud

CNES balloon team develops and operates all the components of this kind of vehicle: it means envelope and gondola. This abstract will point out only developments done for envelope. Nowadays CNES offers to scientists four types of envelops that cover a large range of mission demands. These envelops are: 1. Zero pressure balloons: Size going from 3,000m3 to 600,000m3, this kind of envelop is ideal for short duration flights (a few hours) but if we use an intelligent management of ballast consumption and if we chose the best launch site, it is possible to perform medium duration flights (10/20 days depending on the ballast on board). Flight train mass starts at 50kg for small balloons and reach 1000kg for larger ones. Zero pressure balloons are inflated with helium gas. 2. Super pressure balloons: Diameter going from 2.5m to 12m, this kind of envelop is ideal for long duration flights (1 to 6 months). Flight train is inside the envelop for small balloons, it means 2.5 diameter meters which is usually called BPCL (Super pressure balloon for Earth boundary layer) and it is about 3kg of mass. Larger ones could lift external flight trains about 50kg of mass. Super pressure balloons are inflated with helium gas. 3. MIR balloons: Size going from 36,000m3 to 46,000m3. Ceiling is reach with helium gas but after three days helium is no longer present inside and lift force is produced by difference of temperature between air inside and air of atmosphere. Flight trains must not be over 50kg. 4. Aero Clipper balloons: A concept to correlate measurements done in oceans and in nearest layers of atmosphere simultaneously. Flight train is made by a "fish" that drags inside water and an atmospheric gondola few meters above "fish", both pushed by a balloon which profits of the wind force. Materials used for construction and assembling depend on balloon type; they are usually made of polyester or polyethylene. Thickness varies from 12 micrometers to 120 micrometers. Balloon assembling is made at ZODIAC site (near Toulouse) by Zodiac teams although all mechanical machines belong to CNES. These machines had been developed by CNES to cut, to weld and to thermo-joint the different parts of the balloon.

Computational Models of Human Performance: Validation of Memory and Procedural Representation in Advanced Air/Ground Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corker, Kevin M.; Labacqz, J. Victor (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The Man-Machine Interaction Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) under joint U.S. Army and NASA cooperative is intended to assist designers of complex human/automation systems in successfully incorporating human performance capabilities and limitations into decision and action support systems. MIDAS is a computational representation of multiple human operators, selected perceptual, cognitive, and physical functions of those operators, and the physical/functional representation of the equipment with which they operate. MIDAS has been used as an integrated predictive framework for the investigation of human/machine systems, particularly in situations with high demands on the operators. We have extended the human performance models to include representation of both human operators and intelligent aiding systems in flight management, and air traffic service. The focus of this development is to predict human performance in response to aiding system developed to identify aircraft conflict and to assist in the shared authority for resolution. The demands of this application requires representation of many intelligent agents sharing world-models, coordinating action/intention, and cooperative scheduling of goals and action in an somewhat unpredictable world of operations. In recent applications to airborne systems development, MIDAS has demonstrated an ability to predict flight crew decision-making and procedural behavior when interacting with automated flight management systems and Air Traffic Control. In this paper, we describe two enhancements to MIDAS. The first involves the addition of working memory in the form of an articulatory buffer for verbal communication protocols and a visuo-spatial buffer for communications via digital datalink. The second enhancement is a representation of multiple operators working as a team. This enhanced model was used to predict the performance of human flight crews and their level of compliance with commercial aviation communication procedures. We show how the data produced by MIDAS compares with flight crew performance data from full mission simulations. Finally, we discuss the use of these features to study communication issues connected with aircraft-based separation assurance.

Avoiding Human Error in Mission Operations: Cassini Flight Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burk, Thomas A.

2012-01-01

Operating spacecraft is a never-ending challenge and the risk of human error is ever- present. Many missions have been significantly affected by human error on the part of ground controllers. The Cassini mission at Saturn has not been immune to human error, but Cassini operations engineers use tools and follow processes that find and correct most human errors before they reach the spacecraft. What is needed are skilled engineers with good technical knowledge, good interpersonal communications, quality ground software, regular peer reviews, up-to-date procedures, as well as careful attention to detail and the discipline to test and verify all commands that will be sent to the spacecraft. Two areas of special concern are changes to flight software and response to in-flight anomalies. The Cassini team has a lot of practical experience in all these areas and they have found that well-trained engineers with good tools who follow clear procedures can catch most errors before they get into command sequences to be sent to the spacecraft. Finally, having a robust and fault-tolerant spacecraft that allows ground controllers excellent visibility of its condition is the most important way to ensure human error does not compromise the mission.

STS-105 Flight Control Team Photo

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-16

JSC2001-02228 (16 August 2001) --- The members of the STS-105/ISS 7A.1 Planning team pose for a group portrait in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), stands behind the STS-105 mission logo. Flight director Bryan Austin is visible in the front row on the far right.

Teamwork in the Terminal Area: Organizational Issues and Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parke, Bonny K.; Kanki, Barbara G.; Rosekind, Mark (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Dynamic growth and technology advances in commercial aviation have turned the terminal area into a complex, multi-organization workplace which requires the smooth coordination of many operational teams. In addition to pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers, and dispatch (who nominally work together throughout a flight), surface operations additionally involve local, ground and ramp controllers, ramp agents, maintenance, dozens of service contractors, and any number of teams who are responsible for airport operations. Under abnormal or emergency conditions, even more teams become actively involved. In order to accommodate growth and to meet productivity and safety challenges, numerous changes are being made in surface operations. Unfortunately, it is often the case that changes in technologies, organizational roles, procedures, and training are developed and implemented in isolated and piecemeal fashion without regard to cross organizational impact. Thus, there is a need for evaluation methodologies which assure integrated system safety for all organizations. Such methodologies should aid the understanding of how organizations work together and how changes in one domain affects the next. In this study, we develop one approach toward addressing these organizational issues. Examples of surface operations in abnormal situations are examined in regard to their impact on personnel in the terminal area. Timelines are given for the responses to incidents, along with the necessary communication links, the specific roles that members of terminal teams have, and any overlapping responsibilities. Suggestions to improve cross-operational teamwork are given. Methods of graphic representation are explored, both in regards to human links and access to information. The outcome of such an approach should enhance the understanding which is critical for resolving organizational conflicts and maximizing system effectiveness.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instrument Modelling Approach to Streamline Science Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munoz Fernandez, Michela; Frew, David; Ashman, Michael; Cardesin Moinelo, Alejandro; Garcia Beteta, Juan Jose; Geiger, Bernhard; Metcalfe, Leo; Nespoli, Federico; Muniz Solaz, Carlos

2018-05-01

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) science operations activities are centralised at ESAC's Science Operations Centre (SOC). The SOC receives the inputs from the principal investigators (PIs) in order to implement and deliver the spacecraft pointing requests and instrument timelines to the Mission Operations Centre (MOC). The high number of orbits per planning cycle has made it necessary to abstract the planning interactions between the SOC and the PI teams at the observation level. This paper describes the modelling approach we have conducted for TGOís instruments to streamline science operations. We have created dynamic observation types that scale to adapt to the conditions specified by the PI teams including observation timing, and pointing block parameters calculated from observation geometry. This approach is considered and improvement with respect to previous missions where the generation of the observation pointing and commanding requests was performed manually by the instrument teams. Automation software assists us to effectively handle the high density of planned orbits with increasing volume of scientific data and to successfully meet opportunistic scientific goals and objectives. Our planning tool combines the instrument observation definition files provided by the PIs together with the flight dynamics products to generate the Pointing Requests and the instrument timeline (ITL). The ITL contains all the validated commands at the TC sequence level and computes the resource envelopes (data rate, power, data volume) within the constraints. At the SOC, our main goal is to maximise the science output while minimising the number of iterations among the teams, ensuring that the timeline does not violate the state transitions allowed in the Mission Operations Rules and Constraints Document.

Capabilities of the Materials Contamination Team at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, H. D.; Finckenor, M. M.; Boothe, R. E.; Albyn, K. C.; Finchum, C. A.

2003-01-01

The Materials Contamination Team of the Environmental Effects Group, Materials, Processes, and Manufacturing Department, has been recognized for its contribution to space flight, including space transportation, space science and flight projects, such as the reusable solid rocket motor, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the International Space Station. The Materials Contamination Team s realm of responsibility encompasses all phases of hardware development including design, manufacturing, assembly, test, transportation, launch-site processing, on-orbit exposure, return, and refurbishment if required. Contamination is a concern in the Space Shuttle with sensitivity bondlines and reactive fluid (liquid oxygen) compatibility as well as for sensitive optics, particularly spacecraft such as Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The Materials Contamination Team has a variety of facilities and instrumentation capable of contaminant detection identification, and monitoring. The team addresses material applications dealing with environments, including production facilities, clean rooms, and on-orbit exposure. The team of engineers and technicians also develop and evaluates new surface cleanliness inspection technologies. Databases are maintained by the team for proces! materials as well as outgassing and optical compatibility test results for specific environments.

Thermal Performance of LANDSAT-7 ETM+ Instruments During First Year in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Michael K.

2000-01-01

Landsat-7 was successfully launched into orbit on April 15, 1999. After devoting three months to the t bakeout and cool-down of the radiative cooler, and on- t orbit checkout, the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) began the normal imaging phase of the mission in mid-July 1999. This paper presents the thermal performance of the ETM+ from mid-July 1999 to mid-May 2000. The flight temperatures are compared to the yellow temperature limits, and worst cold case and worst hot case flight temperature predictions in the 15-orbit mission design profile. The flight temperature predictions were generated by a thermal model, which was correlated to the observatory thermal balance test data. The yellow temperature limits were derived from the flight temperature predictions, plus some margins. The yellow limits work well in flight, so that only several minor changes to them were needed. Overall, the flight temperatures and flight temperature predictions have good agreement. Based on the ETM+ thermal vacuum qualification test, new limits on the imaging time are proposed to increase the average duty cycle, and to resolve the problems experienced by the Mission Operation Team.

STS-132 ascent flight control team photo with Flight Director Richard Jones and the STS-132 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-06-08

JSC2010-E-090665 (8 June 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Ascent flight control team and crew members pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Richard Jones (right) and NASA astronaut Ken Ham, STS-132 commander, hold the STS-132 mission logo. Additional crew members pictured are NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli, pilot; along with Garrett Reisman, Piers Sellers, Michael Good and Steve Bowen, all mission specialists. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

ISS 7A.1 Flight Control Team Photo in BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-16

JSC2001-02227 (16 August 2001) --- The members of the STS-105/ISS 7A.1 Planning team pose for a group portrait in the International Space Station (ISS) flight control room (BFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC).

Multi-User Space Link Extension (SLE) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Toby

2013-01-01

The Multi-User Space (MUS) Link Extension system, a software and data system, provides Space Link Extension (SLE) users with three space data transfer services in timely, complete, and offline modes as applicable according to standards defined by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). MUS radically reduces the schedule, cost, and risk of implementing a new SLE user system, minimizes operating costs with a lights-out approach to SLE, and is designed to require no sustaining engineering expense during its lifetime unless changes in the CCSDS SLE standards, combined with new provider implementations, force changes. No software modification to MUS needs to be made to support a new mission. Any systems engineer with Linux experience can begin testing SLE user service instances with MUS starting from a personal computer (PC) within five days. For flight operators, MUS provides a familiar-looking Web page for entering SLE configuration data received from SLE. Operators can also use the Web page to back up a space mission's entire set of up to approximately 500 SLE service instances in less than five seconds, or to restore or transfer from another system the same amount of data from a MUS backup file in about the same amount of time. Missions operate each MUS SLE service instance independently by sending it MUS directives, which are legible, plain ASCII strings. MUS directives are usually (but not necessarily) sent through a TCP-IP (Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol) socket from a MOC (Mission Operations Center) or POCC (Payload Operations Control Center) system, under scripted control, during "lights-out" spacecraft operation. MUS permits the flight operations team to configure independently each of its data interfaces; not only commands and telemetry, but also MUS status messages to the MOC. Interfaces can use single- or multiple-client TCP/IP server sockets, TCP/IP client sockets, temporary disk files, the system log, or standard in, standard out, or standard error as applicable. By defining MUS templates in ASCII, the flight operations team can include any MUS system variable in telemetry or command headers or footers, and/or in status messages. Data fields can be arranged within messages in different sequences, according to the mission s needs. The only constraints imposed are on the format of MUS directive strings, and some bare minimum logical requirements that must be met in order for MUS to read the mission control center's spacecraft command inputs. The MUS system imposes no limits or constraints on the numbers and combinations of missions and SLE service instances that it will support simultaneously. At any time, flight operators may add, change, delete, bind, connect, or disconnect.

Recent Flight Test Results of the Joint CIAM-NASA Mach 6.5 Scramjet Flight Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roudakov, Alexander S.; Semenov, Vyacheslav L.; Hicks, John W.

1998-01-01

Under a contract with NASA, a joint Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) and NASA team recently conducted the fourth flight test of a dual-mode scramjet aboard the CIAM Hypersonic Flying Laboratory, 'Kholod'. With an aim test Mach 6.5 objective, the successful launch was conducted at the Sary Shagan test range in central Kazakstan on February 12, 1998. Ground-launch, rocket boosted by a modified Russian SA5 missile, the redesigned scramjet was accelerated to a new maximum velocity greater than Mach 6.4. This launch allowed for the measurement of the fully supersonic combustion mode under actual flight conditions. The primary program objective was the flight-to-ground correlation of measured data with preflight analysis and wind-tunnel tests in Russia and potentially in the United States. This paper describes the development and objectives of the program as well as the technical details of the scramjet and SA5 redesign to achieve the Mach 6.5 aim test condition. An overview of the launch operation is also given. Finally, preliminary flight test results are presented and discussed.

Developing Navy Capability to Recover Forces in Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazard Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

damage control; LHD flight deck and well deck operations; fleet surgical team; Afloat Training Group; Assault Craft Unit; Naval Surface Warfare Center ...Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School, and U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center , Guidelines for Mass Casualty Decontamination During a HAZMAT...Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by OSD, the Joint Staff

KSC-04PD-1055

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-114 Mission Specialist Charles Camarda and Boeing Tech Operations Team Manager Matthew McClelland look at an engine on a visit to the Space Shuttle Main Engine Shop at KSC. He and other crew members touring several areas on the Center. The STS-114 mission is Logistics Flight 1, which is scheduled to deliver supplies and equipment plus the external stowage platform to the International Space Station.

Stephanie Shelton, a payload communications manager at NASA's Ma

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-19

Stephanie Shelton, a payload communications manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, joins NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei for a call to the onboard crew of the International Space Station. Vande Hei and Acaba visited Marshall April 11 for their honorary Expedition 54 plaque hanging ceremony and to provide valuable feedback of their on-orbit science investigations with the Payload Operations and Integration Center team..

Transition to Operations Plans for GPM Datasets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zavodsky, Bradley; Jedlovec, Gary; Case, Jonathan; Leroy, Anita; Molthan, Andrew; Bell, Jordan; Fuell, Kevin; Stano, Geoffrey

2013-01-01

Founded in 2002 at the National Space Science Technology Center at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. Focused on transitioning unique NASA and NOAA observations and research capabilities to the operational weather community to improve short-term weather forecasts on a regional and local scale. NASA directed funding; NOAA funding from Proving Grounds (PG). Demonstrate capabilities experimental products to weather applications and societal benefit to prepare forecasters for the use of data from next generation of operational satellites. Objective of this poster is to highlight SPoRT's research to operations (R2O) paradigm and provide examples of work done by the team with legacy instruments relevant to GPM in order to promote collaborations with groups developing GPM products.

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (sofia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becklin, E. E.

1997-08-01

The joint US and German SOFIA project to develop and operate a 2.5 meter infrared airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP began earlier this year. Universities Space Research Association (USRA), teamed with Raytheon E systems and United Airlines, was selected by NASA to develop and operate SOFIA. The 2.5 meter telescope will be designed and built by a consortium of German companies lead by MAN-GHH. Work on the aircraft and the primary mirror has started. First science flights will begin in 2001, and the observatory is expected to operate for over 20 years. The specifications, instruments and science potential of SOFIA are discussed.

An on-orbit viewpoint of life sciences research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lichtenberg, Byron K.

1992-01-01

As a Payload Specialist and a life science researcher, I want to present several issues that impact life science research in space. During early space station operations, life science and other experiments will be conducted in a time-critical manner and there will be the added duties of both space shuttle and space station systems operation (and the concomittent training overhead). Life sciences research is different from other science research done in space because the crew is involved both as an operator and as a subject. There is a need for pre- and post-flight data collection as well as in flight data collection. It is imperative that the life science researcher incorporate the crew members into their team early enough in the training cycle to fully explain the science and to make the crew aware of the importance and sensitivities of the experiment. During the pre-flight phase, the crew is incredibly busy with a myriad of duties. Therefore, it is difficult to get 'pristine' subjects for the baseline data collection. There are also circadian shifts, travel, and late nights to confound the data. During this time it is imperative that the researcher develop, along with the crew, a realistic estimate of crew-time required for their experiment. In flight issues that affect the researcher are the additional activities of the crew, the stresses inherent in space flight, and the difficulty of getting early in-flight data. During SSF activities, the first day or two will be taken up with rendezvous and docking. Other issues are the small number of subjects on any given flight, the importance of complete and concise procedures, and the vagaries of on-board data collection. Post flight, the crew is tired and experiences a 'relaxation.' This along with circadian shifts and rapid re-adaptation to 1-g make immediate post-flight data collection difficult. Finally, the blending of operational medicine and research can result in either competition for resources (crew time, etc.) or influence on the physiological state of the crew. However, the unique opportunity to conduct research in an environment that cannot be duplicated on Earth outweighs the 'challenges' that exist for space life researchers.

URT-3 At Sea Recovery Operation with Bolden

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-15

The Orion boilerplate test vehicle floats in the Pacific Ocean near the USS Anchorage during Underway Recovery Test 3. U.S. Navy divers and other recovery team members in two Zodiac boats attach tether lines to Orion. Other recovery team members are nearby in two rigid hull inflatable boats. NASA, Lockheed Martin and U.S. Navy personnel are conducting the recovery test to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. The test allows the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is conducting the underway recovery tests. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Germinating the 2050 Cis-Lunar Econosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, David W.; Curreri, Peter A.; Ferguson, Cynthia K.; Nall, Mark E.; Tinker, Michael L.; Wright, Gregory M.

2015-01-01

In early 2013, Marshall Space Flight Center's upper management chartered a diverse team for a six-week 'sprint' to speculate (in a disciplined manner) and paint (with broad brush strokes) a picture of how earth, space, and public/private entities might be operating and relating to each other... in the year 2100. Two 12-person groups of civil servants, one with members having 15 years or less of NASA experience and the other with more senior members, worked independently and then compared and integrated their conclusions. In 2014, the 'Space 2100' team, with some new team members and different group boundaries, ran a longer sprint to a) develop more detailed estimates of the operations and economics of space activities in the vicinity of the Earth and Moon in the 2050 time frame, b) identify evolutionary paths, barriers, and opportunities, and c) suggest actions and philosophies to enable and invigorate progress towards the vision. This paper explores Space 2100's first two sprints and their projections of NASA's role in what will likely be a highly networked, international space industry and cis-lunar infrastructure.

ISS 7A.1 Flight Control Team Photo in BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-16

JSC2001-02229 (16 August 2001) --- The members of the STS-105/ISS 7A.1 Orbit 1 team pose for a group portrait in the International Space Station (ISS) flight control room (BFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Mark Ferring is kneeling as he holds the Expedition Three mission logo. Astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson, ISS spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), is standing behind Ferring.

C-17 boarding

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-13

Operation IceBridge team members board a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft for a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, to the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station in Antarctica on Nov. 12, 2013. The C-17s that ferry people, equipment and supplies to Antarctica are operated by the U.S. Air Force's 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, Wash. NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. In 2013, IceBridge is conducting its first field campaign directly from Antarctica. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge Credit: NASA/Goddard/Jefferson Beck NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

SLS Flight Software Testing: Using a Modified Agile Software Testing Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolton, Albanie T.

2016-01-01

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is an advanced launch vehicle for a new era of exploration beyond earth's orbit (BEO). The world's most powerful rocket, SLS, will launch crews of up to four astronauts in the agency's Orion spacecraft on missions to explore multiple deep-space destinations. Boeing is developing the SLS core stage, including the avionics that will control vehicle during flight. The core stage will be built at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, LA using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. At the same time, the rocket's avionics computer software is being developed here at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. At Marshall, the Flight and Ground Software division provides comprehensive engineering expertise for development of flight and ground software. Within that division, the Software Systems Engineering Branch's test and verification (T&V) team uses an agile test approach in testing and verification of software. The agile software test method opens the door for regular short sprint release cycles. The idea or basic premise behind the concept of agile software development and testing is that it is iterative and developed incrementally. Agile testing has an iterative development methodology where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between cross-functional teams. With testing and development done incrementally, this allows for increased features and enhanced value for releases. This value can be seen throughout the T&V team processes that are documented in various work instructions within the branch. The T&V team produces procedural test results at a higher rate, resolves issues found in software with designers at an earlier stage versus at a later release, and team members gain increased knowledge of the system architecture by interfacing with designers. SLS Flight Software teams want to continue uncovering better ways of developing software in an efficient and project beneficial manner. Through agile testing, there has been increased value through individuals and interactions over processes and tools, improved customer collaboration, and improved responsiveness to changes through controlled planning. The presentation will describe agile testing methodology as taken with the SLS FSW Test and Verification team at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Autonomous onboard crew operations: A review and developmental approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, J. G.

1982-01-01

A review of the literature generated by an intercenter mission approach and consolidation team and their contractors was performed to obtain background information on the development of autonomous operations concepts for future space shuttle and space platform missions. The Boeing 757/767 flight management system was examined to determine the relevance for transfer of the developmental approach and technology to the performance of the crew operations function. In specific, the engine indications and crew alerting system was studied to determine the relevance of this display for the performance of crew operations onboard the vehicle. It was concluded that the developmental approach and technology utilized in the aeronautics industry would be appropriate for development of an autonomous operations concept for the space platform.

Cassini End of Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-14

A jar of peanuts is seen sitting on a console in mission control of the Space Flight Operations Center as the Cassini mission team await the final downlink of the spacecraft's data recorder, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Since its arrival in 2004, the Cassini-Huygens mission has been a discovery machine, revolutionizing our knowledge of the Saturn system and captivating us with data and images never before obtained with such detail and clarity. On Sept. 15, 2017, operators will deliberately plunge the spacecraft into Saturn, as Cassini gathered science until the end. The “plunge” ensures Saturn’s moons will remain pristine for future exploration. During Cassini’s final days, mission team members from all around the world gathered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to celebrate the achievements of this historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Cassini End of Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-14

Cassini program manager at JPL, Earl Maize, is seen in mission control of the Space Flight Operations Center as the Cassini team wait for the spacecraft to establish a connection with NASA's Deep Space Network to begin the final playback of its data recorder, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Since its arrival in 2004, the Cassini-Huygens mission has been a discovery machine, revolutionizing our knowledge of the Saturn system and captivating us with data and images never before obtained with such detail and clarity. On Sept. 15, 2017, operators will deliberately plunge the spacecraft into Saturn, as Cassini gathered science until the end. The “plunge” ensures Saturn’s moons will remain pristine for future exploration. During Cassini’s final days, mission team members from all around the world gathered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to celebrate the achievements of this historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Experience Using Formal Methods for Specifying a Multi-Agent System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouff, Christopher; Rash, James; Hinchey, Michael; Szczur, Martha R. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The process and results of using formal methods to specify the Lights Out Ground Operations System (LOGOS) is presented in this paper. LOGOS is a prototype multi-agent system developed to show the feasibility of providing autonomy to satellite ground operations functions at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). After the initial implementation of LOGOS the development team decided to use formal methods to check for race conditions, deadlocks and omissions. The specification exercise revealed several omissions as well as race conditions. After completing the specification, the team concluded that certain tools would have made the specification process easier. This paper gives a sample specification of two of the agents in the LOGOS system and examples of omissions and race conditions found. It concludes with describing an architecture of tools that would better support the future specification of agents and other concurrent systems.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1982-01-27

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Critical Point Facility (CPF) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-28

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Crystal Growth team in the SL POCC during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-27

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured activities are of the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-28

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Vapor Crystal Growth System (VCGS) team in SL POCC), during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-28

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC) during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Creating a Scenario Suitable for Multiple Caregivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doerr, Harold; Bacal, Kira; Hurst, Victor

2004-01-01

The HPS can be utilized for the training of a wide variety of caregivers, ranging from physicians to laypeople. Methods: A single scenario was developed and adapted for a number of clinical scenarios and operational environments, ranging from in-flight to the immediate postflight timeline. In this way, different caregivers, from astronauts to search and rescue forces to specialty-boarded physicians, could make use of a single clinical situation. Five crew medical officer analogs and sixty anesthesia residents, serving as flight surgeon analogs, and, were briefed on space medicine and physiology, then were exposed to the scenario and asked to manage the patient as if they were part of the in-flight or recovery team. Results: Basic themes, such as crisis resource management, were standard across the student audiences. Discussion: A single clinical script can easily be adapted for multiple uses.

KSC-2014-4230

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crew chief Mark Smith of URS looks out the side door down at the Bambi Bucket. Securely strapped to the helicopter floor, his position allows him to tell the pilot precisely when to release the water over the target. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Surgical aspects of Operation Bali Assist: initial wound surgery on the tarmac and in flight.

PubMed

Read, David; Ashford, Bruce

2004-11-01

The explosion of three bombs on 12 October 2002 in Kuta, Bali resulted in mass casualties akin to those seen in war. The aim of the present report is to describe the sequence of events of Operation Bali Assist including triage, resuscitation and initial wound surgery in Bali at Sanglah Hospital in the aeromedical staging facility (ASF), Denpasar airport and the evacuation to Darwin. A descriptive report is provided of the event and includes; resuscitation, anaesthesia, initial burns surgery management including escharotomy and fasciotomy, head injury management and importance of supplies and medical records with a description of the evacuation to Darwin. Operation Bali Assist involved five C130 Hercules aircraft and aeromedical evacuation medical and nursing teams managing 66 casualties in the Denpasar area and their evacuation to Royal Darwin Hospital with ketamine the most useful anaesthetic agent and cling film the most useful burns dressing. Twelve procedures were performed at the ASF including seven escharotomies, three fasciotomies and two closed reductions. One escharotomy was performed in flight. The important lessons learnt from the exercise is the inclusion of a surgeon in the aeromedical evacuation team, the importance of debridement and delayed primary closure, the usefulness of cling film as a burns dressing and the importance of continuous assessment. Future disaster planning exercises need to consider a patient age mix that might be expected in a shopping mall, rather than the young adult encountered in Bali, a more familiar age mix for Australian Defence Force medical staff.

Autonomy for SOHO Ground Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walt; Netreba, Nick; Ginn, Don; Mandutianu, Sanda; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The SOLAR and HELIOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY (SOHO) project [SOHO Web Page] is being carried out by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a cooperative effort between the two agencies in the framework of the Solar Terrestrial Science Program (STSP) comprising SOHO and other missions. SOHO was launched on December 2, 1995. The SOHO spacecraft was built in Europe by an industry team led by Matra, and instruments were provided by European and American scientists. There are nine European Principal Investigators (PI's) and three American ones. Large engineering teams and more than 200 co-investigators from many institutions support the PI's in the development of the instruments and in the preparation of their operations and data analysis. NASA is responsible for the launch and mission operations. Large radio dishes around the world, which form NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), are used to track the spacecraft beyond the Earths orbit. Mission control is based at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The agent group at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in collaboration with JPL, is currently involved with the design and development of an agent-based system to provide intelligent interactions with the control center personnel for SOHO. The basic approach that is being taken is to develop a sub-community of agents for each major subsystem of SOHO and to integrate these sub-communities into an overall SOHO community. Agents in all sub-communities will be capable of advanced understanding (deep reasoning) of the associated spacecraft subsystem.

Mars In-Situ Propellant Production Precursor (MIP) Flight Demonstration Project: Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, D. I.; Ratliff, J. E.; Baird, R. S.; Sanders, G. B.; Johnson, K. R.; Karlmann, P. B.; Juanero, K. J.; Baraona, C. R.; Landis, G. A.; Jenkins, P. P.;

Mars In-Situ Propellant Production Precursor (MIP) Flight Demonstration Project: Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, D. I.; Ratliff, J. E.; Sanders, G. B.; Johnson, K. R.; Karlmann, P. B.; Juanero, K. J.; Barona, C. R.; Landis, G. A.; Jenkins, P. P.; Scheiman, D. A.

1999-01-01

Strategic planning for human missions of exploration to Mars has conclusively identified in-situ propellant production (ISPP) as an enabling technology. A team of scientists and engineers from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Lewis Research Center is preparing the MARS ISPP Precursors (MIP) Flight Demonstration. The objectives of MIP are to characterize the performance of processes and hardware which are important to ISPP concepts and to demonstrate how these processes and hardware interact with the Mars environment. Operating this hardware in the actual Mars environment is extremely important due to both uncertainties in our knowledge of the Mars environment as well as because of conditions that cannot be adequately simulated on Earth. The MIP Flight Demonstration is a payload onboard the MARS SURVEYOR Lander and will be launched in April 2001. MIP will be the first hardware to utilize the indigenous resources of a planet or moon. Its successful operation will pave the way for future robotic and human missions to rely on propellants produced using Martian resources as feedstock.

First Post-Flight Status Report for the Microgravity Science Glovebox

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baugher, Charles R., III

2003-01-01

The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) this year on the second Utilization Flight (UF2). After successful on-orbit activation, the facility began supporting an active microgravity research program. The inaugural NASA experiments operated in the unit were the Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA, A. Ostrogorski, PI), and the Pore Formation and Mobility (PFMI, R. Grugel, PI) experiments. Both of these materials science investigations demonstrated the versatility of the facility through extensive use of telescience. The facility afforded the investigators with the capability of monitoring and operating the experiments in real-time and provided several instances in which the unique combination of scientists and flight crew were able to salvage situations which would have otherwise led to the loss of a science experiment in an unmanned, or automated, environment. The European Space Agency (ESA) also made use of the facility to perform a series of four experiments that were carried to the ISS via a Russian Soyuz and subsequently operated by a Belgium astronaut during a ten day Station visit. This imaginative approach demonstrated the ability of the MSG integration team to handle a rapid integration schedule (approximately seven months) and an intensive operations interval. Interestingly, and thanks to aggressive attention from the crew, the primary limitation to experiment thru-put in these early operational phases is proving to be the restrictions on the up-mass to the Station, rather than the availability of science operations.

HIFIRE Flight 2 Overview and Status Update 2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Kevin R.; Gruber, Mark R.; Buccellato, Salvatore

2011-01-01

A collaborative international effort, the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) Program aims to study basic hypersonic phenomena through flight experimentation. HIFiRE Flight 2 teams the United States Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), NASA, and the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). Flight 2 will develop an alternative test technique for acquiring high enthalpy scramjet flight test data, allowing exploration of accelerating hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet performance and dual-to-scram mode transition up to and beyond Mach 8 flight. The generic scramjet flowpath is research quality and the test fuel is a simple surrogate for an endothermically cracked liquid hydrocarbon fuel. HIFiRE Flight 2 will be a first of its kind in contribution to scramjets. The HIFiRE program builds upon the HyShot and HYCAUSE programs and aims to leverage the low-cost flight test technique developed in those programs. It will explore suppressed trajectories of a sounding rocket propelled test article and their utility in studying ramjet-scramjet mode transition and flame extinction limits research. This paper describes the overall scramjet flight test experiment mission goals and objectives, flight test approach and strategy, ground test and analysis summary, development status and project schedule. A successful launch and operation will present to the scramjet community valuable flight test data in addition to a new tool, and vehicle, with which to explore high enthalpy scramjet technologies.

Carina Nebula Detail

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Carina Nebula Details: Great Clouds Credit for Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Credit for CTIO Image: N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley) and NOAO/AURA/NSF The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Software Innovation in a Mission Critical Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fredrickson, Steven

2015-01-01

Operating in mission-critical environments requires trusted solutions, and the preference for "tried and true" approaches presents a potential barrier to infusing innovation into mission-critical systems. This presentation explores opportunities to overcome this barrier in the software domain. It outlines specific areas of innovation in software development achieved by the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Engineering Directorate in support of NASA's major human spaceflight programs, including International Space Station, Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion), and Commercial Crew Programs. Software engineering teams at JSC work with hardware developers, mission planners, and system operators to integrate flight vehicles, habitats, robotics, and other spacecraft elements for genuinely mission critical applications. The innovations described, including the use of NASA Core Flight Software and its associated software tool chain, can lead to software that is more affordable, more reliable, better modelled, more flexible, more easily maintained, better tested, and enabling of automation.

Von Braun Rocket Team at Fort Bliss, Texas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1940-01-01

The German Rocket Team, also known as the Von Braun Rocket Team, poses for a group photograph at Fort Bliss, Texas. After World War II ended in 1945, Dr. Wernher von Braun led some 120 of his Peenemuende Colleagues, who developed the V-2 rocket for the German military during the War, to the United Sttes under a contract to the U.S. Army Corps as part of Operation Paperclip. During the following five years the team worked on high altitude firings of the captured V-2 rockets at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and a guided missile development unit at Fort Bliss, Texas. In April 1950, the group was transferred to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and continued to work on the development of the guided missiles for the U.S. Army until transferring to a newly established field center of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

SIMULATED COUNTDOWN TRAINING ACTIVITIES - STS-3 - KSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1982-03-17

S82-28457 (19 Feb. 1982) --- Member of the JSC astronaut corps., STS-3 vehicle integration test (VIT) team and other personnel pose for a photograph at the completion of a countdown demonstration test (CDDT) and safety briefings at Launch Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Participants are, from the left, Wilbur J. Etbauer, engineer with the VIT team; George W. S. Abbey, director of flight operations at JSC; astronaut John W. Young, chief of the astronaut office at JSC; Jack Fleming of Rockwell International; mission specialist-astronaut John M. Lounge; astronaut Daniel C. Brandenstein; mission specialist-astronaut James D. Van Hoften; astronauts C. Gordon Fullerton and Jack Lousma, prime crew for STS-3; Olan J. Bertrand, VIT team member; mission specialist-astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan; Richard W. Nygren, head of the VIT team; and astronaut Donald E. Williams. The space shuttle Columbia is obscured by its service structure on Launch Pad 39A in the background. Part of slide-wire type emergency escape system is visible in the picture. Photo credit: NASA

Instrumentation for Non-Invasive Assessment of Cardiovascular Regulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Richard J.

1999-01-01

It is critically important to be able to assess alterations in cardiovascular regulation during and after space flight. We propose to develop an instrument for the non-invasive assessment of such alterations that can be used on the ground and potentially during space flight. This instrumentation would be used by the Cardiovascular Alterations Team at multiple sites for the study of the effects of space flight on the cardiovascular system and the evaluation of countermeasures. In particular, the Cardiovascular Alterations Team will use this instrumentation in conjunction with ground-based human bed-rest studies and during application of acute stresses e.g., tilt, lower body negative pressure, and exercise. In future studies, the Cardiovascular Alterations Team anticipates using this instrumentation to study astronauts before and after space flight and ultimately, during space flight. The instrumentation may also be used by the Bone Demineralization/Calcium Metabolism Team, the Neurovestibular Team and the Human Performance Factors, Sleep and Chronobiology Team to measure changes in autonomic nervous function. The instrumentation will be based on a powerful new technology - cardiovascular system identification (CSI) - which has been developed in our laboratory. CSI provides a non-invasive approach for the study of alterations in cardiovascular regulation. This approach involves the analysis of second-to-second fluctuations in physiologic signals such as heart rate and non-invasively measured arterial blood pressure in order to characterize quantitatively the physiologic mechanisms responsible for the couplings between these signals. Through the characterization of multiple physiologic mechanisms, CSI provides a closed-loop model of the cardiovascular regulatory state in an individual subject.

Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV): Developing Flight Rationale for the Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kezirian, Michael T.

2010-01-01

Introducing composite vessels into the Space Shuttle Program represented a significant technical achievement. Each Orbiter vehicle contains 24 (nominally) Kevlar tanks for storage of pressurized helium (for propulsion) and nitrogen (for life support). The use of composite cylinders saved 752 pounds per Orbiter vehicle compared with all-metal tanks. The weight savings is significant considering each Shuttle flight can deliver 54,000 pounds of payload to the International Space Station. In the wake of the Columbia accident and the ensuing Return to Flight activities, the Space Shuttle Program, in 2005, re-examined COPV hardware certification. Incorporating COPV data that had been generated over the last 30 years and recognizing differences between initial Shuttle Program requirements and current operation, a new failure mode was identified, as composite stress rupture was deemed credible. The Orbiter Project undertook a comprehensive investigation to quantify and mitigate this risk. First, the engineering team considered and later deemed as unfeasible the option to replace existing all flight tanks. Second, operational improvements to flight procedures were instituted to reduce the flight risk and the danger to personnel. Third, an Orbiter reliability model was developed to quantify flight risk. Laser profilometry inspection of several flight COPVs identified deep (up to 20 mil) depressions on the tank interior. A comprehensive analysis was performed and it confirmed that these observed depressions were far less than the criterion which was established as necessary to lead to liner buckling. Existing fleet vessels were exonerated from this failure mechanism. Because full validation of the Orbiter Reliability Model was not possible given limited hardware resources, an Accelerated Stress Rupture Test of a flown flight vessel was performed to provide increased confidence. A Bayesian statistical approach was developed to evaluate possible test results with respect to the model credibility and thus flight rationale for continued operation of the Space Shuttle with existing flight hardware. A non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique utilizing Raman Spectroscopy was developed to directly measure the overwrap residual stress state. Preliminary results provide optimistic results that patterns of fluctuation in fiber elastic strains over the outside vessel surface could be directly correlated with increased fiber stress ratios and thus reduced reliability.

Shared leadership in multiteam systems: how cockpit and cabin crews lead each other to safety.

PubMed

Bienefeld, Nadine; Grote, Gudela

2014-03-01

In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of shared leadership within and across teams in multiteam systems (MTS) on team goal attainment and MTS success. Due to different and sometimes competing goals in MTS, leadership is required within and across teams. Shared leadership, the effectiveness of which has been proven in single teams, may be an effective strategy to cope with these challenges. We observed leadership in 84 cockpit and cabin crews that collaborated in the form of six-member MTS aircrews (N = 504) during standardized simulations of an in-flight emergency. Leadership was coded by three trained observers using a structured observation system. Team goal attainment was assessed by two subject matter experts using a checklist-based rating tool. MTS goal attainment was measured objectively on the basis of the outcome of the simulated flights. In successful MTS aircrews, formal leaders and team members displayed significantly more leadership behaviors, shared leadership by pursers and flight attendants predicted team goal attainment, and pursers' shared leadership across team boundaries predicted cross-team goal attainment. In cockpit crews, leadership was not shared and captains' vertical leadership predicted team goal attainment regardless of MTS success. The results indicate that in general, shared leadership positively relates to team goal attainment and MTS success,whereby boundary spanners' dual leadership role is key. Leadership training in MTS should address shared rather than merely vertical forms of leadership, and component teams in MTS should be trained together with emphasis on boundary spanners' dual leadership role. Furthermore, team members should be empowered to engage in leadership processes when required.

Underway Recovery Test 6 (URT-6) - Day 6 Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-22

During Underway Recovery Test 6, NASA Recovery Director Melissa Jones and astronaut Stephen Bowen discuss how the recovery operations of Orion might impact astronauts onboard after spending weeks in microgravity. The testing with Kennedy Space Center's NASA Recovery Team and the U.S. Navy will provide important data that is being used to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion's next flight, Exploration Mission-1, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

Human Flight to Lunar and Beyond - Re-Learning Operations Paradigms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Ted; Statman, Joseph

2016-01-01

For the first time since the Apollo era, NASA is planning on sending astronauts on flights beyond Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). The Human Space Flight (HSF) program started with a successful initial flight in Earth orbit, in December 2014. The program will continue with two Exploration Missions (EM) to Lunar orbit: EM-1 will be unmanned and EM-2, carrying astronauts, will follow. NASA established a multi-center team to address the communications, and related navigation, needs. This paper will focus on the lessons learned in the team, planning for the missions' parts that are beyond Earth orbit. Many of these lessons had to be re-learned, as the HSF program after operated for many years in Earth orbit. Fortunately, the experience base from tracking robotic missions in deep space by the Deep Space Network (DSN) and close interaction with the HSF community to understand the unique needs (e.g. 2-way voice) resulted in a ConOps that leverages of both the deep space robotic and the Human LEO experiences. Several examples will be used to highlight the unique operational needs for HSF missions beyond Earth Orbit, including: - Navigation. At LEO, HSF missions can rely on Global Positioning System (GPS) devices for orbit determination. For Lunar-and-beyond HSF missions, techniques such as precision 2-way and 3-way Doppler and ranging, Delta-Difference-of-range, and eventually on-board navigation will be used. - Impact of latency - the delay associated with Round-Trip-Light-Time (RTLT). Imagine trying to have a 2-way discussion (audio or video) with an astronaut, with a 2-3 sec delay inserted (for Lunar distances) or 20 minutes delay (for Mars distances). - Balanced communications link. For robotic missions, there has been a heavy emphasis on the downlink data rates, bringing back science data from the instruments on-board the spacecraft. Uplink data rates were of secondary importance, used to send commands to the spacecraft. The ratio of downlink-to-uplink data rates was often 10:1 or more. For HSF, rates for uplink and downlink, at least for high-quality video, need to be similar.

Space shuttle operations at the NASA Kennedy Space Center: the role of emergency medicine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodenberg, H.; Myers, K. J.

1995-01-01

The Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida coordinates a unique program with the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to provide emergency medical support (EMS) for the United States Space Transportation System. This report outlines the organization of the KSC EMS system, training received by physicians providing medical support, logistic and operational aspects of the mission, and experiences of team members. The participation of emergency physicians in support of manned space flight represents another way that emergency physicians provide leadership in prehospital care and disaster management.

Space shuttle operations at the NASA Kennedy Space Center: the role of emergency medicine.

PubMed

Rodenberg, H; Myers, K J

1995-01-01

The Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida coordinates a unique program with the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to provide emergency medical support (EMS) for the United States Space Transportation System. This report outlines the organization of the KSC EMS system, training received by physicians providing medical support, logistic and operational aspects of the mission, and experiences of team members. The participation of emergency physicians in support of manned space flight represents another way that emergency physicians provide leadership in prehospital care and disaster management.

Revamping Spacecraft Operational Intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwang, Victor

2012-01-01

The EPOXI flight mission has been testing a new commercial system, Splunk, which employs data mining techniques to organize and present spacecraft telemetry data in a high-level manner. By abstracting away data-source specific details, Splunk unifies arbitrary data formats into one uniform system. This not only reduces the time and effort for retrieving relevant data, but it also increases operational visibility by allowing a spacecraft team to correlate data across many different sources. Splunk's scalable architecture coupled with its graphing modules also provide a solid toolset for generating data visualizations and building real-time applications such as browser-based telemetry displays.

Flight Testing an Integrated Synthetic Vision System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kramer, Lynda J.; Arthur, Jarvis J., III; Bailey, Randall E.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III

2005-01-01

NASA's Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) project is developing technologies with practical applications to eliminate low visibility conditions as a causal factor to civil aircraft accidents while replicating the operational benefits of clear day flight operations, regardless of the actual outside visibility condition. A major thrust of the SVS project involves the development/demonstration of affordable, certifiable display configurations that provide intuitive out-the-window terrain and obstacle information with advanced pathway guidance for transport aircraft. The SVS concept being developed at NASA encompasses the integration of tactical and strategic Synthetic Vision Display Concepts (SVDC) with Runway Incursion Prevention System (RIPS) alerting and display concepts, real-time terrain database integrity monitoring equipment (DIME), and Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) and/or improved Weather Radar for real-time object detection and database integrity monitoring. A flight test evaluation was jointly conducted (in July and August 2004) by NASA Langley Research Center and an industry partner team under NASA's Aviation Safety and Security, Synthetic Vision System project. A Gulfstream GV aircraft was flown over a 3-week period in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport (NV) local area and an additional 3-week period in the Wallops Flight Facility (VA) local area to evaluate integrated Synthetic Vision System concepts. The enabling technologies (RIPS, EVS and DIME) were integrated into the larger SVS concept design. This paper presents experimental methods and the high level results of this flight test.

Marshall Team Fires Recreated Goddard Rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

In honor of the Centernial of Flight Celebration and commissioned by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a team of engineers from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) built a replica of the first liquid-fueled rocket. The original rocket, designed and built by rocket engineering pioneer Robert H. Goddard in 1926, opened the door to modern rocketry. Goddard's rocket reached an altitude of 41 feet while its flight lasted only 2.5 seconds. The Marshall design team's plan was to stay as close as possible to an authentic reconstruction of Goddard's rocket. The same propellants were used - liquid oxygen and gasoline - as available during Goddard's initial testing and firing. The team also tried to construct the replica using the original materials and design to the greatest extent possible. By purposely using less advanced techniques and materials than many that are available today, the team encountered numerous technical challenges in testing the functional hardware. There were no original blueprints or drawings, only photographs and notes. However, this faithful adherence to historical accuracy has allowed the team to experience many of the same challenges Goddard faced 77 years ago, and more fully appreciate the genius of this extraordinary man. In this photo, the replica is shown firing in the A-frame launch stand in near-flight configuration at MSFC's Test Area 116 during the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 39th Joint Propulsion Conference on July 23, 2003.

A Vehicle Management End-to-End Testing and Analysis Platform for Validation of Mission and Fault Management Algorithms to Reduce Risk for NASAs Space Launch System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trevino, Luis; Johnson, Stephen B.; Patterson, Jonathan; Teare, David

2015-01-01

The engineering development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) new Space Launch System (SLS) requires cross discipline teams with extensive knowledge of launch vehicle subsystems, information theory, and autonomous algorithms dealing with all operations from pre-launch through on orbit operations. The nominal and off-nominal characteristics of SLS's elements and subsystems must be understood and matched with the autonomous algorithm monitoring and mitigation capabilities for accurate control and response to abnormal conditions throughout all vehicle mission flight phases, including precipitating safing actions and crew aborts. This presents a large and complex systems engineering challenge, which is being addressed in part by focusing on the specific subsystems involved in the handling of off-nominal mission and fault tolerance with response management. Using traditional model-based system and software engineering design principles from the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Systems Modeling Language (SysML), the Mission and Fault Management (M&FM) algorithms for the vehicle are crafted and vetted in Integrated Development Teams (IDTs) composed of multiple development disciplines such as Systems Engineering (SE), Flight Software (FSW), Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) and the major subsystems and vehicle elements such as Main Propulsion Systems (MPS), boosters, avionics, Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), Thrust Vector Control (TVC), and liquid engines. These model-based algorithms and their development lifecycle from inception through FSW certification are an important focus of SLS's development effort to further ensure reliable detection and response to off-nominal vehicle states during all phases of vehicle operation from pre-launch through end of flight. To test and validate these M&FM algorithms a dedicated test-bed was developed for full Vehicle Management End-to-End Testing (VMET). For addressing fault management (FM) early in the development lifecycle for the SLS program, NASA formed the M&FM team as part of the Integrated Systems Health Management and Automation Branch under the Spacecraft Vehicle Systems Department at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). To support the development of the FM algorithms, the VMET developed by the M&FM team provides the ability to integrate the algorithms, perform test cases, and integrate vendor-supplied physics-based launch vehicle (LV) subsystem models. Additionally, the team has developed processes for implementing and validating the M&FM algorithms for concept validation and risk reduction. The flexibility of the VMET capabilities enables thorough testing of the M&FM algorithms by providing configurable suites of both nominal and off-nominal test cases to validate the developed algorithms utilizing actual subsystem models such as MPS, GNC, and others. One of the principal functions of VMET is to validate the M&FM algorithms and substantiate them with performance baselines for each of the target vehicle subsystems in an independent platform exterior to the flight software test and validation processes. In any software development process there is inherent risk in the interpretation and implementation of concepts from requirements and test cases into flight software compounded with potential human errors throughout the development and regression testing lifecycle. Risk reduction is addressed by the M&FM group but in particular by the Analysis Team working with other organizations such as S&MA, Structures and Environments, GNC, Orion, Crew Office, Flight Operations, and Ground Operations by assessing performance of the M&FM algorithms in terms of their ability to reduce Loss of Mission (LOM) and Loss of Crew (LOC) probabilities. In addition, through state machine and diagnostic modeling, analysis efforts investigate a broader suite of failure effects and associated detection and responses to be tested in VMET to ensure reliable failure detection, and confirm responses do not create additional risks or cause undesired states through interactive dynamic effects with other algorithms and systems. VMET further contributes to risk reduction by prototyping and exercising the M&FM algorithms early in their implementation and without any inherent hindrances such as meeting FSW processor scheduling constraints due to their target platform - the ARINC 6535-partitioned Operating System, resource limitations, and other factors related to integration with other subsystems not directly involved with M&FM such as telemetry packing and processing. The baseline plan for use of VMET encompasses testing the original M&FM algorithms coded in the same C++ language and state machine architectural concepts as that used by FSW. This enables the development of performance standards and test cases to characterize the M&FM algorithms and sets a benchmark from which to measure their effectiveness and performance in the exterior FSW development and test processes. This paper is outlined in a systematic fashion analogous to a lifecycle process flow for engineering development of algorithms into software and testing. Section I describes the NASA SLS M&FM context, presenting the current infrastructure, leading principles, methods, and participants. Section II defines the testing philosophy of the M&FM algorithms as related to VMET followed by section III, which presents the modeling methods of the algorithms to be tested and validated in VMET. Its details are then further presented in section IV followed by Section V presenting integration, test status, and state analysis. Finally, section VI addresses the summary and forward directions followed by the appendices presenting relevant information on terminology and documentation.

ISS 7A.1 Flight Control Team Photo in BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-17

JSC2001-02225 (17 August 2001) --- The members of the STS-105/ISS 7A.1 Orbit 2 team pose for a group portrait in the International Space Station (ISS) flight control room (BFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). Orbit 2 flight director Rick LaBrode (front right) holds the STS-105 mission logo, and Astronaut Joan E. Higginbotham, ISS spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), holds the ISS 7A.1 mission logo.

System model development for nuclear thermal propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walton, James T.; Hannan, Nelson A.; Perkins, Ken R.; Buksa, John H.; Worley, Brian A.; Dobranich, Dean

1992-01-01

A critical enabling technology in the evolutionary development of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) is the ability to predict the system performance under a variety of operating conditions. This is crucial for mission analysis and for control subsystem testing as well as for the modeling of various failure modes. Performance must be accurately predicted during steady-state and transient operation, including startup, shutdown, and post operation cooling. The development and application of verified and validated system models has the potential to reduce the design, testing, and cost and time required for the technology to reach flight-ready status. Since Oct. 1991, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DOD), and NASA have initiated critical technology development efforts for NTP systems to be used on Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) missions to the Moon and Mars. This paper presents the strategy and progress of an interagency NASA/DOE/DOD team for NTP system modeling. It is the intent of the interagency team to develop several levels of computer programs to simulate various NTP systems. The first level will provide rapid, parameterized calculations of overall system performance. Succeeding computer programs will provide analysis of each component in sufficient detail to guide the design teams and experimental efforts. The computer programs will allow simulation of the entire system to allow prediction of the integrated performance. An interagency team was formed for this task to use the best capabilities available and to assure appropriate peer review.

The Legacy of Space Shuttle Flight Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickey, Christopher J.; Loveall, James B.; Orr, James K.; Klausman, Andrew L.

2011-01-01

The initial goals of the Space Shuttle Program required that the avionics and software systems blaze new trails in advancing avionics system technology. Many of the requirements placed on avionics and software were accomplished for the first time on this program. Examples include comprehensive digital fly-by-wire technology, use of a digital databus for flight critical functions, fail operational/fail safe requirements, complex automated redundancy management, and the use of a high-order software language for flight software development. In order to meet the operational and safety goals of the program, the Space Shuttle software had to be extremely high quality, reliable, robust, reconfigurable and maintainable. To achieve this, the software development team evolved a software process focused on continuous process improvement and defect elimination that consistently produced highly predictable and top quality results, providing software managers the confidence needed to sign each Certificate of Flight Readiness (COFR). This process, which has been appraised at Capability Maturity Model (CMM)/Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 5, has resulted in one of the lowest software defect rates in the industry. This paper will present an overview of the evolution of the Primary Avionics Software System (PASS) project and processes over thirty years, an argument for strong statistical control of software processes with examples, an overview of the success story for identifying and driving out errors before flight, a case study of the few significant software issues and how they were either identified before flight or slipped through the process onto a flight vehicle, and identification of the valuable lessons learned over the life of the project.

Region Three Aerial Measurement System Flight Planning Tool - 12006

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Messick, Chuck; Pham, Minh; Smith, Ron

The Region 3 Aerial Measurement System Flight Planning Tool is used by the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA), United States Department of Energy, Radiological Assistance Program, Region 3, to respond to emergency radiological situations. The tool automates the flight planning package process while decreasing Aerial Measuring System response times and decreases the potential for human error. Deployment of the Region Three Aerial Measurement System Flight Planning Tool has resulted in an immediate improvement to the flight planning process in that time required for mission planning has been reduced from 1.5 hours to 15 minutes. Anecdotally, the RAP team reports thatmore » the rate of usable data acquired during surveys has improved from 40-60 percent to over 90 percent since they began using the tool. Though the primary product of the flight planning tool is a pdf format document for use by the aircraft flight crew, the RAP team has begun carrying their laptop computer on the aircraft during missions. By connecting a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to the laptop and using ESRI ArcMap's GPS tool bar to overlay the aircraft position directly on the flight plan in real time, the RAP team can evaluate and correct the aircraft position as the mission is executed. (authors)« less

SOFIA: Flying the Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asher, Troy; Cumming, Steve

2012-01-01

The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is an international cooperative development and operations program between the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Space Agency, DLR (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt). SOFIA is a 2.5 meter, optical/infrared/sub-millimeter telescope mounted in a Boeing model 747SP-21 aircraft and will be used for many basic astronomical observations performed at stratospheric altitudes. It will accommodate installation of different focal plane instruments with in-flight accessibility provided by investigators selected from the international science community. The Facility operational lifetime is planned to be greater than 20 years. This presentation will present the results of developmental testing of SOFIA, including analysis, envelope expansion and the first operational mission. It will describe a brief history of open cavities in flight, how NASA designed and tested SOFIAs cavity, as well as flight test results. It will focus on how the test team achieved key milestones by systematically and efficiently reducing the number of test points to only those absolutely necessary to achieve mission requirements, thereby meeting all requirements and saving the potential loss of program funding. Finally, it will showcase examples of the observatory in action and the first operational mission of the observatory, illustrating the usefulness of the system to the international scientific community. Lessons learned on how to whittle a mountain of test points into a manageable sum will be presented at the conclusion.

CPAS Preflight Drop Test Analysis Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Englert, Megan E.; Bledsoe, Kristin J.; Romero, Leah M.

2015-01-01

Throughout the Capsule Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) drop test program, the CPAS Analysis Team has developed a simulation and analysis process to support drop test planning and execution. This process includes multiple phases focused on developing test simulations and communicating results to all groups involved in the drop test. CPAS Engineering Development Unit (EDU) series drop test planning begins with the development of a basic operational concept for each test. Trajectory simulation tools include the Flight Analysis and Simulation Tool (FAST) for single bodies, and the Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems (ADAMS) simulation for the mated vehicle. Results are communicated to the team at the Test Configuration Review (TCR) and Test Readiness Review (TRR), as well as at Analysis Integrated Product Team (IPT) meetings in earlier and intermediate phases of the pre-test planning. The ability to plan and communicate efficiently with rapidly changing objectives and tight schedule constraints is a necessity for safe and successful drop tests.

Low-Cost SIRTF Flight Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deutsch, M.-J.; Ebersole, M.; Nichols, J.

1997-12-01

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) , the fourth of the Great Observatories, will be placed in a unique solar orbit trailing the Earth, in 2001. SIRTF will acquire both imaging and spectral data using large infrared detector arrays from 3.5mm to 160mm. The primary science objectives are (1) search for and study of brown dwarfs and super planets, (2) discovery and study of protoplanetary debris disks, (3) study of ultraluminous galaxies and active galactic nuclei, and (4) study of the early Universe. Driven by the limited cryogenic lifetime of 2.5 years, with a goal of 5 years, and the severely cost-capped development, a Mission Planning and Operations system is being designed that will result in high on-board efficiency (>90%) and low-cost operation, yet will accommodate rapid response science requirements . SIRTF is designing an architecture for an operations system that will be shared between science and flight operations. Crucial to this effort is the philosophy of an integrated science and engineering plan, co-location, cross-training of teams and common planning tools. The common tool set will enable the automatic generation of an integrated and conflict free planned schedule accommodating 20 000 observations and engineering activities a year. The shared tool set will help generate standard observations , (sometimes non-standard) engineering activities and manage the ground and flight resources and constraints appropriately. The ground software will allow the development from the ground of robust event driven sequences. Flexibility will be provided to incorporate newly discovered science opportunities or health issues late in the process and via quick links. This shared science and flight operations process if used from observation selection through sequence and command generation, will provide a low-cost operations system. Though SIRTF is a 'Great Observatory', its annual mission operations costs will more closely resemble those of an Explorer class mission.

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becklin, Eric E.; Casey, Sean C.; Davidson, Jacqueline A.; Savage, Maureen L.

1998-08-01

The joint US and German SOFIA project to develop and operate a 2.5 meter IR airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP is now in its second year. The Universities Space Research Association , teamed with Raytheon E-Systems and United Airlines, is developing and will operate SOFIA. The 2.5 meter telescope will be designed and built by a consortium of German companies led by MAN. Work on the aircraft and the preliminary mirror has started. First science flights will begin in 2001 with 20 percent of the observing time assigned to German investigators. The observatory is expected to operate for over 20 years. The sensitivity, characteristics, US science instrument complement, and operations concept for the SOFIA observatory, with an emphasis on the science community's participation are discussed.

F-15B ACTIVE - First supersonic yaw vectoring flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

On Wednesday, April 24, 1996, the F-15 Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE) aircraft achieved its first supersonic yaw vectoring flight at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. ACTIVE is a joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) and Pratt & Whitney (P&W) program. The team will assess performance and technology benefits during flight test operations. Current plans call for approximately 60 flights totaling 100 hours. 'Reaching this milestone is very rewarding. We hope to set some more records before we're through,' stated Roger W. Bursey, P&W's pitch-yaw balance beam nozzle (PYBBN) program manager. A pair of P&W PYBBNs vectored (horizontally side-to-side, pitch is up and down) the thrust for the MDA manufactured F-15 research aircraft. Power to reach supersonic speeds was provided by two high-performance F100-PW-229 engines that were modified with the multi-directional thrust vectoring nozzles. The new concept should lead to significant increases in performance of both civil and military aircraft flying at subsonic and supersonic speeds.

Putting the "we" into teamwork: effects of priming personal or social identity on flight attendants' perceptions of teamwork and communication.

PubMed

Ford, Jane; O'Hare, David; Henderson, Robert

2013-06-01

The study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of a manipulation derived from social categorization and social identity theory to promote greater cabin crew willingness to engage in intergroup communication and teamwork in airline operations. Failures of communication and teamwork between airline crew have been implicated in a number of airline crashes. Flight attendants based domestically (n = 254) or overseas (n = 230) received a manipulation designed to prime either their social identity or personal identity and then read a brief outline of an in-flight event before completing a teamwork questionnaire. Flight attendants who received a social identity prime indicated increased willingness to engage in coordinated team action compared with those who received a personal identity prime. Priming social identity can enhance attitudes toward teamwork and communication, potentially leading to increased willingness to engage in intergroup cooperation. Social categorization and social identity theories can be used to inform joint training program development for flight attendants and pilots to create increased willingness for group members to participate in effective communication and teamwork behaviors.

Communication Research in Aviation and Space Operations: Symptoms and Strategies of Crew Coordination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kanki, Barbara G.; Hart, Sandra G. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The day-to-day operators of today's aerospace systems work under increasing pressures to accomplish more with less. They work in operational systems which are complex, technology-based, and high-risk; in which incidents and accidents have far-reaching and costly consequences. For these and other reasons, there is concern that the safety net formerly built upon redundant systems and abundant resources may become overburdened. Although we know that human ingenuity can overcome incredible odds, human nature can also fail in unpredictable ways. Over the last 20 years, a large percentage of aviation accidents and incidents have been attributed to human errors rather than hardware or environmental factors alone. A class of errors have been identified which are not due to a lack of individual, technical competencies. Rather, they are due to the failure of teams to utilize readily available resources or information in a timely fashion. These insights began a training revolution in the aviation industry called Cockpit Resource Management, which later became known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) as its concepts and applications extended to teams beyond the flightdeck. Then, as now, communication has been a cornerstone in CRM training since crew coordination and resource management largely resides within information transfer processes--both within flightcrews, and between flightcrews and the ground operations teams that support them. The research I will describe takes its roots in CRM history as we began to study communication processes in order to discover symptoms of crew coordination problems, as well as strategies of effective crew management. On the one hand, communication is often the means or the tool by which team members manage their resources, solve problems, maintain situational awareness and procedural discipline. Conversely, it is the lack of planning and resource management, loss of vigilance and situational awareness, and non-standard communications that are implicated in accidents and incidents. NASA/Ames Crew Factors researchers have been developing a model of effective crew coordination in order to understand the sources of performance breakdowns, and to develop effective solutions and interventions. Because communication is a primary mechanism by which information is received and transmitted, and because it is observable behavior, we focus on these group processes in order to identify patterns of communication that distinguish effective from less effective crew performance. Since a prime objective is to develop training recommendations for enhancing communication skills, we interpret our findings in the context of relevant task and environmental conditions, role and procedural constraints, and the normal real-time parameters of flight operations. Another research objective is to consider how communication and coordination can be enhanced through design. For example, flight deck and hardware design as well as procedural and software design may greatly influence the efficiency with which crews communicate and coordinate their work. In addition, teams and tasks may be designed, organized, and trained so that team interactions with each other are based upon appropriately shared knowledge, procedures and situation awareness. In short, we are interested in enhancing communication practices through (1) the training of specific communication skills, and (2) the design of equipment, tasks, procedures, and teams that optimize smooth, unambiguous communication processes. Two examples of communication research will be described; one in aviation and one in space operations. The first example is a high-fidelity full mission simulation study which investigates the affect of flightdeck automation on crew coordination and communication (contrasting crew performance in the DC-9 vs. MD88). Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.