Virtual Explanation Reasoning Agent (VERA)

On-board autonomy will be critical to the success of manned deep-space missions. Deep space missions will not have the same level of contact with ground-based mission control, and so the astronauts themselves will have to deal with novel situations that were impossible to anticipate and prepare for prior to launch. This fact requires a successful autonomy solution to be able to improvise and synthesize novel solutions to novel problems from pre-existing procedures and available resources in absence of ground-based support. SoarTech, teamed with Tietronix, are developing the Virtual Explanation Reasoning Agent (VERA), an AI-based software system that provides automated procedure identification and generation to address novel situations for which no procedures have been written ahead of time. VERA captures expert knowledge of spacecraft systems and diagnostic procedures from detailed SysML spacecraft models to identify situation-specific diagnostic requirements and identify or author appropriate and viable diagnostic procedures. To improve procedure generation, VERA can learn from interactions with astronauts.