EXPERT SYSTEM FOR DIRECTING PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY

EXPERT SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY HAS GROWN OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS INTO A VIABLE TECHNICAL CAPABILITY. ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO ALLOW PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN A TECHNICAL DISCIPLINE TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THAT EXISTS WITHIN THIS DISCIPLINE. THE EXPERT SYSTEM PROVIDES NOT ONLY A LARGE AMOUNT OF DATA AND KNOWLEDGE, BUT ALSO AN INTELLIGENT INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION OF THIS INFORMATION. PHASE I HAS AS ITS PRIMARY GOAL AN EVALUATION OF EXISTING CAPABILITIES WITHIN THE FIELD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)AND THEIR POSSIBLE ROLES IN ASSISTING FUTURE PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY. WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS STUDY WILL BE THE GENERATION OF EXAMPLE KNOWLEDGE AND DATA BASES FROM COMPONENT EXPERTS AND OPERATIONS PERSONNEL, RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING MOST PROMISING AVAILABLE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXAMPLE SYSTEM AND DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF A FULL-SCALE EXPERT SYSTEM IN PHASE II.