An Automated Tool to Enable the Distributed Operations of Air Force Satellites

Air Force satellite program officers are being driven to explore greater levels of computerization due to budgetary reductions, evolving ground system and range architectures, and the increased number and complexity of missions. mobileFOUNDATIONS willdemonstrate that advanced automation can meet these challenges. Today, mobileFOUNDATIONS's innovative Spacecraft Emergency Response System (SERS) enables autonomous and distributed operations at NASA, saving millions of dollars/year. Upon detectinganomalies, SERS dynamically builds response teams based on the problem's type and severity and on the crew's skills, availability, and communications devices. SERS then enables distributed team collaboration via wireless devices. However, the Air Forceneeds an even more capable system, so mobileFOUNDATIONS proposes a user-centered Phase I program to: (1) understand Air Force user (human effectiveness) and architectural requirements; (2) study the impacts of current high-risk technology issues, likesecurity; (3) demonstrate a proof-of-concept functional prototype; and (4) identify essential capabilities needed for Phase II operational prototyping.The successful conclusion of this SBIR program will result in more efficient and effective Air Forcesatellite program ready to better handle future challenges. mobileFOUNDATIONS will utilize this SBIR's technology in the development of a generic automated response system that will improve the efficiency of enterprises that depend on team-baseddistributed activities.