Embedding Procedure Assistance into Mission Control Tools

Procedures are the accepted means of commanding spacecraft. Procedures encode the operational knowledge of a system as derived from system experts, testing, training and experience. NASA has tens of thousands of procedures for Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, which are used daily by both flight controllers and crew. It is expected that the new Constellation vehicles, including Orion, Altair and Lunar habitats, will have thousands of procedures to ensure safe operation. Currently procedures are executed manually using standard command and control displays. We are proposing a new paradigm whereby procedures interact closely with the next generation telemetry and command displays being developed for NASA and with a procedure assistant that can automatically dispatch commands and evaluate telemetry under tight supervision of the operator. The procedure assistant will consist of an interactive procedure display, a procedure assistant executive, a set of procedure support services and an editor for modifying existing procedures or building simple new procedures. In our paradigm rocedures will be just like any other component of an integrated suite of mission control tools. This will greatly enhance the efficiency of flight controllers and reduce training costs associated with having a separate set of tools for procedures.