Automation for Operations

Abstract

*The Automation for Operations (A4O) project, funded by NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP), develops advanced mission operations technology for Constellation, NASA’s plan to return to the Moon in response to the President’s Vision for Space Exploration (VSE). In order to meet the challenges, A4O has developed an evolvable mission operations architecture to automate the operations of manned space vehicles, unoccupied space vehicles, surface assets, and robotic systems. The architecture consists of a small number of modular, interoperable and reconfigurable components, clear component definitions, and interfaces for information exchange. The architecture is designed for the flexibility needed to respond to changing mission needs and improved components. The architecture is designed to offer a variety of configurable automation services, from decision support for human operators and crew, to complete automation of un-crewed or remote systems. The architecture also offers integrated verification and validation (V&V) services to reduce operational costs of revising operations procedures.