Paper Session II-B - Space Shuttle Processing: A Case Study in Artificial Intelligence

Scheduling the ground processing functions of the Space Shuttle is an inherently difficult task. Most automated scheduling tools are oriented towards manufacturing problems which are very different from shuttle processing. The distinguishing factors between shuttle processing and manufacturing are: 1. Shuttle processing requires much unplanned to be added to the schedule while manufacturing process plans are typically determined well in advance. 2. Manufacturing activities are significantly more predictable than shuttle repair activities in terms of resource needs and durations. 3. Shuttle processing is fundamentally more complex than typical manufacturing concerns. 4. Shuttle processing requires reasoning about orbiter configuration as well as tasks and resources. To address these discrepancies, we have developed a new scheduling system that adopts Artificial Intelligence techniques. This paper describes the unique capabilities of this scheduling system as well as some preliminary results of the system using the shuttle data

Multi-Scale Models for Transportation Systems Under Emergency Conditions

In recent years natural disasters have caused significant disruptions to transportation systems, which had to cascade negative impacts on humanitarian operations, related infrastructure, and associated industries in the affected areas. How to prepare for and respond to transportation system disruptions is a complex decision incorporating a variety of factors, from system use to system preparation. To address these challenges, the project team has developed optimization models for flight rescheduling and road restoration after a natural disaster and integrated the models as a decisionmaking tool. The data of North Carolina emergency response activities, air flights, and road closures during Hurricane Matthew were used to test the models and tool. The testing results show that the integrated tool can quickly find optimal sets and sequences for road restoration and flight schedules recovery at an affected airport and 50 counties. The tool can also visualize the damaged connections between counties, airports and resource centers, and the road restoration schedule and flight schedules recovery plan. The optimization models and decision-making tool developed in this project can support deploying effective restoration and recovery of transportation systems during an emergency event, which can improve the mobility of people and disaster relief under emergency

Evaluation of Approval Request/Call for Release Coordination Procedures for Charlotte Douglas International Airport

NASA is collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation industry partners to develop and demonstrate new concepts and technologies for Integrated Arrival, Departure, and Surface (IADS) traffic management capabilities under the Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2) project. One of the goals of the IADS capabilities in the ATD-2 project is to increase predictability and throughput of airspace operations by improving Traffic Management Initiative (TMI) compliance. This paper focuses on the Approval Request (APREQ) procedures developed for the ATD-2 project between the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Washington Center. In March 2017, NASA conducted a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) simulation to evaluate the operational procedures and information requirements for the APREQ procedures in the ATD-2 IADS system between ATC Tower and Center. The findings from the HITL are used to compare ATD-2 APREQ procedures with information about current day APREQ procedures

Space Network Control Conference on Resource Allocation Concepts and Approaches

The results are presented of the Space Network Control (SNC) Conference. In the late 1990s, when the Advanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System is operational, Space Network communication services will be supported and controlled by the SNC. The goals of the conference were to survey existing resource allocation concepts and approaches, to identify solutions applicable to the Space Network, and to identify avenues of study in support of the SNC development. The conference was divided into three sessions: (1) Concepts for Space Network Allocation; (2) SNC and User Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) Human-Computer Interface Concepts; and (3) Resource Allocation Tools, Technology, and Algorithms. Key recommendations addressed approaches to achieving higher levels of automation in the scheduling process

FAA Designated Pilot Examiner System Insights

As part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018 the FAA was required by Congress to review Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) policies and procedures. This task was delegated to the Designated Pilot Examiner Reforms Working Group (DPERWG). This Group delivered its recommendations to the FAA in June 2021, and this research study was conducted in late January of 2022 to attempt to provide additional insights to the agency prior to its required response to the DPERWG in June of 2022. This research project aimed to provide perceptions of the current DPE system from both DPEs and flight schools nationwide, as well as feedback on selected DPERWG recommendations. Surveys of these two populations were conducted seeking stakeholder perceptions on the current DPE system including: 1) wait times for scheduling check rides, 2) the level of activity of DPE’s, and 3) the prevalence of applicants and/or examiners traveling to check ride sites other than their home airport. Feedback on specific recommendations made by the DPERWG were also solicited including: 1) the implementation of a confidential survey applicant feedback system, 2) the possibility of moving to a national oversight model for the DPE system, 3) the perceptions of and improvements seen as necessary for the current FAA DPE locator website, 4) the possibility of treating oral and flight exams as separate events, and 5) changing medical certificate requirements for DPEs. There were significant differences in perceptions of DPEs and flight training providers regarding the wait times incurred when scheduling check rides, but there was general consensus regarding the travel of both applicants and DPEs for the conduct of those rides. There was also consensus between the two surveyed groups regarding most of the DPERWG recommendations which were examined by the surveys

Air freight : the problems of airport restrictions : final report on the Conference of Air Cargo Industry Considerations of Airport Curfews

April 1979Conference held in Jupiter, Fla. in January 1979Includes bibliographical references (p. 36)Noise due to aircraft was considered to be a potential problem as far back as 1952, when the Doolittle Commission established by President Truman urged that a major effort be made to reduce aircraft noise. With the 'advent of the jet age in the late 1950's and the concomitant spread of suburbs towards airports in major cities such as New York, Denver, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, many more people became exposed to noise, and concern and anger intensified. Although only a small percentage (estimated at about 2-3%) of the total population of the U.S. is affected by high noise levels, these people and their representatives have been quite vocal about their dissatisfaction with noise abatement progress, even though technological advances have reduced the noise emanating from aircraft engines. As a result, the airports, the communities, and the federal government are seeking additional measures that will further diminish the noise impact of aircraft and airport operations. The dilemma is to decrease noise with the minimum economic disruptions to commerce, the community, and the aviation industry. Since very few people like to travel during the night hours (approximately 10 p.m. - 7 a.m.), and indeed very few aircraft operations take place (less than 5% of total operations at most airports), an environmentally and politically appealing option to diminish the effect of aircraft noise is to ban airplane operations during nighttime hours. However, a disproportionate number of operations at night are dedicated to cargo (about 50% of scheduled domestic all-cargo flights), and it is upon the air cargo industry and those users dependent upon nighttime flights that the major burden of a curfew would fall. The benefits of curfews are apparent; the economic penalties associated with them are not. To address this issue, the Flight Transportation Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hosted a week-long conference at Jupiter, Florida, in January, 1979, on the impact of airport use restrictions on air freight. This conference was sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. More than 70 participants, including some 50 panelists and speakers, represented various viewpoints of the air cargo industry: the users, the airlines, the airports, the communities, and various governmental agencies

Disruption Management in Passenger Railway Transportation

This paper deals with disruption management in passenger railway transportation. In the disruption management process, many actors belonging to different organizations play a role. In this paper we therefore describe the process itself and the roles of the different actors. Furthermore, we discuss the three main subproblems in railway disruption management: timetable adjustment, and rolling stock and crew re-scheduling. Next to a general description of these problems, we give an overview of the existing literature and we present some details of the specific situations at DSB S-tog and NS. These are the railway operators in the suburban area of Copenhagen, Denmark, and on the main railway lines in the Netherlands, respectively. Since not much research has been carried out yet on Operations Research models for disruption management in the railway context, models and techniques that have been developed for related problems in the airline world are discussed as well. Finally, we address the integration of the re-scheduling processes of the timetable, and the resources rolling stock and crew