Planning for the Future, A Look from Apollo to the Present
- Paper number
IAC-08.D1.5.11
- Author
Mr. David Segrera, United Space Alliance, LLC, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond will be some of the most complicated endeavors attempted by mankind, requiring the wealth and collaboration of nations. These missions will necessitate new approaches to optimize our limited resources and time in space. Daily planning currently performed in MCCs around the world will need to adapt to the challenges faced far from Earth. By studying the processes, methodologies, and tools employed from Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, ISS, and other programs such as NEEMO, we can learn from the past to plan for the future. This paper will explore the planning processes used and will discuss their relevancy in future applications. NASA’s human space flight programs can be divided into short and long duration missions. In general, Apollo and Shuttle were short duration missions in which limited time necessitated detailed planning. Limited tools and the focused nature of the early Apollo missions restricted the majority of the detailed time-lined activities to critical periods. Shuttle flights accommodated multiple payloads, increasing demands upon the crew. These activity intensive flights required a new level of planning and extensive real-time support. New tools such as IPS made the necessary coordination and communication of constraints possible. Long duration programs such as Skylab and ISS needed a different approach. Although the missions remained busy, time critical activities became less frequent. A long term increment-objective methodology was developed in which the crew workday was shortened, the amount of off-duty time was adjusted, and lists of possible tasks were added to the daily plan. New tools such as ISS OSTPV allowed the crew and MCC to track activities and procedures easily. Although these changes provided a new level autonomy, the majority of the daily activities were still dictated by MCC. The NEEMO program attempted to change this ideology by giving crews flexibility to adjust to changing conditions. This example of center program planning and crew real-time planning will be essential in future operations, when delayed communications and changing environmental factors will require MCC to be a distant observer. Additional tools will also be needed to empower the crew to easily create their own schedules within the constraints and objectives of the mission. Applying these lessons will enable us to plan for the future. We should utilize the ISS and future moon base as a test bed for future planning and should continue to develop tools that will allow greater crew autonomy. Copyright © 2008 by United Space Alliance, LLC. These materials are sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Contract NNJ06VA01C. The U.S. Government retains a paid-up, nonexclusive, irrevocable worldwide license in such materials to reproduce, prepare, derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the U.S. Government. All other rights are reserved by the copyright owner.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.D1.5.11.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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