NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review. Executive summary

Research and Development projects in automation technology for the Space Station are described. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

From Visualization to Visually Enabled Reasoning

Interactive Visualization has been used to study scientific phenomena, analyze data, visualize information, and to explore large amounts of multi-variate data. It enables the human mind to gain novel insights by empowering the human visual system, encompassing the brain and the eyes, to discover properties that were previously unknown. While it is believed that the process of creating interactive visualizations is reasonably well understood, the process of stimulating and enabling human reasoning with the aid of interactive visualization tools is still a highly unexplored field. We hypothesize that visualizations make an impact if they successfully influence a thought process or a decision. Interacting with visualizations is part of this process. We present exemplary cases where visualization was successful in enabling human reasoning, and instances where the interaction with data helped in understanding the data and making a better informed decision. We suggest metrics that help in understanding the evolution of a decision making process. Such a metric would measure the efficiency of the reasoning process, rather than the performance of the visualization system or the user. We claim that the methodology of interactive visualization, which has been studied to a great extent, is now sufficiently mature, and we would like to provide some guidance regarding the evaluation of knowledge gain through visually enabled reasoning. It is our ambition to encourage the reader to take on the next step and move from information visualization to visually enabled reasoning

Advanced manned space flight simulation and training: An investigation of simulation host computer system concepts

The findings of a preliminary investigation by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in simulation host computer concepts is presented. It is designed to aid NASA in evaluating simulation technologies for use in spaceflight training. The focus of the investigation is on the next generation of space simulation systems that will be utilized in training personnel for Space Station Freedom operations. SwRI concludes that NASA should pursue a distributed simulation host computer system architecture for the Space Station Training Facility (SSTF) rather than a centralized mainframe based arrangement. A distributed system offers many advantages and is seen by SwRI as the only architecture that will allow NASA to achieve established functional goals and operational objectives over the life of the Space Station Freedom program. Several distributed, parallel computing systems are available today that offer real-time capabilities for time critical, man-in-the-loop simulation. These systems are flexible in terms of connectivity and configurability, and are easily scaled to meet increasing demands for more computing power

Advancing automation and robotics technology for the space station and for the US economy: Submitted to the United States Congress October 1, 1987

In April 1985, as required by Public Law 98-371, the NASA Advanced Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) reported to Congress the results of its studies on advanced automation and robotics technology for use on the space station. This material was documented in the initial report (NASA Technical Memorandum 87566). A further requirement of the Law was that ATAC follow NASA's progress in this area and report to Congress semiannually. This report is the fifth in a series of progress updates and covers the period between 16 May 1987 and 30 September 1987. NASA has accepted the basic recommendations of ATAC for its space station efforts. ATAC and NASA agree that the mandate of Congress is that an advanced automation and robotics technology be built to support an evolutionary space station program and serve as a highly visible stimulator affecting the long-term U.S. economy