# Presentation: 927677

## Alternative Approaches to Automation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

**Alternative Approaches to Automation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center**

**Presented by:**

**Technology Education & Assessment (TEA) **
**Seminar Presentation**

**Notes:**
Explain how this differs from Lori’s paper.

## Mission Control AutomationOutline

**Questions Addressed**
**Approaches to Automation**
**Mission Interviews**
**Conclusions**
**Recommendations**

## Mission Control Automation Questions Addressed

**What are the barriers to “round-trip” automation of Spacecraft Mission Operations?**
**What automation methods have and have not been successful and why?**
**What roles have Flight Operation’s Teams taken in automating systems?**

**Notes:**
Explain “Round-Trip”.  State that automation has improved over the last 5 years.  

## Mission Control AutomationApproaches

**Three categories **
**Rule-based Expert Systems**
**Procedural or Script Based Systems**
**Finite State Machines**

**Notes:**
Briefly describe GenIE/GenSAA. (If questions go beyond knowledge – refer asker to Code 588 web pages)  
GenIE = Generic Inferential Executor 
GenSAA—Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant
CLIPS = C Language Integrated Production Shell
RXTE – Rossi X-ray Timing Experiment
TPOCC = Transportable Operations Control Center

## Approaches Rule-based Expert Systems

**Expert System duplicates activities of Operators**
**Captures Knowledge in the form of Rules**
**Actions taken according to Pattern Matching **
**GenSAA/GenIE combined with TPOC used at GSFC**
**Uses CLIPS as its base**
**GenSAA**
**Workbench for developing Rules**
**Includes interface to Real-time system**
**GenIE**
**Controls contact activities **
**Used operationally for CGRO and RXTE**
**Prototype developed for EUVE**
**Now being developed for ACE**

## Approaches  Procedural or Scripting Systems

**Many Automated missions studied use STOL**
**Does not contain a knowledge base **
**Highly mission specific**
**Well understood by FOT**
**All Ground systems at GSFC include STOL**
**ASIST, ITOS, TPOCC**
**SCL another alternative**
**Some on-board capabilities**
**Used for FUSE at JHU/APL**

## ApproachesFinite State Machines

**Finite State Modeling**
**Requires modeling spacecraft components**
**Models must match physical system**
**Must be able to use telemetry to determine component state**
**Automation results from precisely predicting the new state and sending the appropriate commands**
**Deterministic once models are available**
**Can represent system performance exactly once models are verified**
**Physical models are extremely difficult to build and verify**
**Has never been used with an operational satellite**
**Example: Altairis**
**Not currently used operationally**

## Mission Control Automation Mission Interviews

**Nine missions interviewed**
**4 are significantly automated **
**CGRO, RXTE, MAP, IMAGE**
**2 have off-shift monitoring**
**SMEX, LANDSAT**
**3 have primarily manual operations**
**FUSE, HST, TERRA**

**Notes:**
Control center appears empty to the casual observer. During the interview, I watched a pass execute using GenIE during which a stored command load was uplinked.  Midnight shift is the only shift not staffed.  FOT sometimes monitor automated system, but only intervene if there is a problem.  System automatically pages operator if something happens that it doesn’t understand.

## Mission Interviews

**Two Missions Use Rule-Based Expert Systems**
**RXTE and CGRO**
**Both systems took ~ 2years to design and implement**
**Reduced FOT staff by more than 50%**
**Improved operational efficiency**
**RXTE Spacecraft requires the presence of operators 16 hrs/day 7 days/week**
**Cracked Solar array imposes strict response requirement**
**Automation increased efficiency of remaining crew **
**Command and Control automated**
**Operators conduct Mission Planning**

## Four Missions Use STOL
Two are significantly automated
MAP, IMAGE (ASIST ground system)
IMAGE fastest to automate after launch (3 months)
Mission Operations Automation designed in parallel with spacecraft
FOT participated in I&T
Most major automation systems tested during I&T
MAP will automate routine maneuver planning and execution through MOPSS
Two automate off-shift monitor tasks
SMEX (ITOS ground system)
One SMEX mission (FAST) automated commanding
LandSat-7 (TPOCC ground system)

**Two are significantly automated**
**MAP, IMAGE (ASIST ground system)**
**IMAGE fastest to automate after launch (3 months)**
**Mission Operations Automation designed in parallel with spacecraft**
**FOT participated in I&T**
**Most major automation systems tested during I&T**
**MAP will automate routine maneuver planning and execution through MOPSS**
**Two automate off-shift monitor tasks**
**SMEX (ITOS ground system)**
**One SMEX mission (FAST) automated commanding**
**LandSat-7 (TPOCC ground system)**

**Mission Interviews ****(cont’d)**

**Notes:**
MAP has not yet launched.  The IMAGE/MAP version of ASIST can run two procedures simultaneously in parallel.  For IMAGE, command loads sent once per week manually.  MAP will extend automation to include command loads.  Mission planning is also more automated for IMAGE/MAP than for other missions.  

STOL = System Test and Operations Language
MAP = Microwave Anisotropy Probe
IMAGE = IMAGE -- Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration
TPOCC = Transportable Operations Control Center
ASIST = Advanced Spacecraft Integration and System Test 
LOOFA = Landsat On-Orbit Flight Automation

## Mission Interviews (cont’d)

**Missions without automation **
**FUSE**
**S/C Bus and Instrument developed separately**
**During S/C development, ASIST was ground system software**
**During Instrument development, SCL and SAMMI were used**
**Part of SCL resides on-board in instrument memory**
**SCL and SAMMI were chosen for operations**
**FOT translated ASIST STOL procedures into SCL prior to launch**
**No time to develop automated processes**
**Puerto Rican Ground Station Automated**
**All scheduling and antenna operations are automatic**
**WebCam is available for troubleshooting**

**Notes:**
FUSE =  Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
SCL = Spacecraft Control Language 

## Missions without automation (cont’d)
HST
Every two to three years becomes a manned mission
Must maintain staff of trained controllers
Automation not considered in mission design
High Profile
Terra
Mission Ops Systems replaced one year prior to launch
Some automation in trending process
Currently looking at new ways to automate
High Profile

**HST**
**Every two to three years becomes a manned mission**
**Must maintain staff of trained controllers**
**Automation not considered in mission design**
**High Profile**
**Terra**
**Mission Ops Systems replaced one year prior to launch**
**Some automation in trending process**
**Currently looking at new ways to automate**
**High Profile**

**Mission Interviews**** ****(cont’d)**

**Notes:**
Three missions (MAP, Landsat-7 and SOHO) have looked at Altair as a ground system approach.  None worked due to the difficulties in building the Finite-State model.  However, ALTAIR is being tested as an on-board state engine on WIRE.   So far it’s successful.

## Mission Control Automation Conclusions

**Fifty percent reduction in FOT staff can result from automation**
**Improved efficiency for remaining staff**
**Ex: RXTE, CGRO**
**Solutions must include FOT participation**
**Ex: MAP, IMAGE are most completely automated Control Centers**
**Scripting methods work well with smaller, less complex missions**
**Ex: SMEX, IMAGE, MAP**

## Larger, more complex missions need Expert Systems (Ex. CGRO, RXTE)
Requires modeling the behavior of the system
Existing approaches are CLIPS rules (GenSAA/GenIE) and State Models (ALTAIR)
Models take a long time to develop

Must consider mission goals and parameters
Cost of data loss
Response time for anomalies

Mission Planning, trending and data analysis and commanding remain primarily manual tasks

**Requires modeling the behavior of the system**
**Existing approaches are CLIPS rules (GenSAA/GenIE) and State Models (ALTAIR)**
**Models take a long time to develop**
**Must consider mission goals and parameters**
**Cost of data loss**
**Response time for anomalies**
**Mission Planning, trending and data analysis and commanding remain primarily manual tasks**

** ****Conclusions ****(cont’d)**

## Mission Control Automation Recommendations

**Suggested areas for further research & development:**
**Automate Mission Planning to include direct commanding of spacecraft**
**Develop Expert and Finite State systems to the degree where automated commanding in response to anomalies can occur**
**Automate trending and data analysis**

## Alternative Approaches to Automation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

**Backup Slides**

## Automation Study – Results Summary Table

## Automation Study – Handout Only

**Acronym list**
**ACE – Advanced Composition Explorer**
**APL – Applied Physics Laboratory**
**APOCC – Automated Payload Operations Control Center**
**ASIST -- Advanced Spacecraft Integration and System Test**
**CGRO – Compton Gamma Ray Observatory**
**CLIPS – C Language Integrated Production Shell**
**DSN -- Deep Space Network**
**EUVE – Extreme Ultra-Violet Explorer**
**FOT – Flight Operations Team**
**FUSE -- Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer**
**GenIE – Generic Inferential Executor**
**GenSAA—Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant**
**GSFC – Goddard Space Flight Center**
**GUI – Graphical User Interface**
**HST – Hubble Space Telescope**

## Automation Study – Handout Only

**Acronym List (cont’d)**
**IMAGE -- Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration**
**ITOS -- Integrated Test and Operations System**
**JHU – Johns Hopkins University**
**LOOFA Landsat-7 On-Orbit Flight Automation**
**MAP -- Microwave Anisotropy Probe**
**MOCC – Mission Operations Control Center**
**MOPS -- Mission Operations Planning System**
**NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration**
**NCC – Network Control Center**
**RXTE – Rossi X-ray Timing Experiment**
**SCL – Spacecraft Control Language**
**SERS -- Satellite Emergency Response System**
**SMEX – Small Explorer Missions**
**STOL – Systems Test and Operations Language**
**TPOCC – Transportable Payload Operations Control Center**
**TDRSS – Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System**