Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Bob Kanefsky

Publications and source records attributed to Bob Kanefsky.

6 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Towards a Characterization of Scheduling Task Complexity

Future long-duration missions will require astronauts to act more autonomously, manage their schedules, and replan timelines as anomalies and discoveries occur. Astronauts are not professional planners, however, and the complexity of schedules that novice planners can complete successfully is not fully understood. To identify the primary factors which contribute to scheduling task complexity, we conducted a human-in-the-loop study and developed planning algorithms to investigate how the type and amount of constraints affect the difficulty of scheduling and rescheduling. We created rankings of difficulty using a combination of human performance metrics from experimental planning tasks and metrics describing the final plans that participants scheduled. Using the results of our scheduling and rescheduling algorithm algorithms, we created a similar ranking with which to compare. We created rankings which compared well between the experimental and algorithm results for the scheduling task, but the rescheduling task proved more difficult to estimate.

scheduling↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Towards a Characterization of Scheduling Task Complexity

Future long-duration missions will require astronauts to act more autonomously, manage their schedules, and replan timelines as anomalies and discoveries occur. Astronauts are not professional planners, however, and the complexity of schedules that novice planners can complete successfully is not fully understood. To identify the primary factors which contribute to scheduling task complexity, we conducted a human-in-the-loop study and developed planning algorithms to investigate how the type and amount of constraints affect the difficulty of scheduling and rescheduling. We created rankings of difficulty using a combination of human performance metrics from experimental planning tasks and metrics describing the final plans that participants scheduled. Using the results of our scheduling and rescheduling algorithm algorithms, we created a similar ranking with which to compare. We created rankings which compared well between the experimental and algorithm results for the scheduling task, but the rescheduling task proved more difficult to estimate.

scheduling↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

COCPIT: Collaborative Activity Planning Software for Mars Perseverance Rover

Since landing on the Martian surface, the Perseverance rover has relied on a distributed team to generate commands for exploring its new environment each sol(Martian day). The team uses a complex suite of software tools to accomplish this challenging task in time for the next window of opportunity to send commands to the rover. A key piece of this software ecosystem is COCPIT (Component-based Campaign Planning, Implementation, and Tactical). COCPIT is part of the next generation of planning and scheduling software tools developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in partnership with NASA's Ames Research Center. COCPIT is a web-based application that allows users to collaboratively view and update the Perseverance rover's activity plans, continuously verify that the plan satisfies constraints, assign targets for directing scientific instruments, document science intent, and model power and data resources. Mars Surface Operations requires diverse expertise from team members within the Engineering, Science, Robotic, and Instrument Operations groups, distributed across North America and Europe. In order to improve efficiency and reduce risk, all teams are able to review and edit their activities simultaneously and see the effects on the plan in its entirety. As part of the Ground Data System (GDS) tool suite, COCPIT is responsible for the activity plan. It provides specialized views that allow operators to understand where there may be room for additional observations, see whether any planning constraints are being violated, and confirm that energy usage and data generation are within the defined limits. It contains details such as which filters a camera will use for a given observation, what the resolution of the images should be, where to store the data onboard, and how long the observation is expected to take. It predicts when specific data will be downlinked from the rover to a passing orbiter, so that the team knows when to expect that data on Earth for evaluation in future planning. Ultimately the information from the COCPIT plan is translated to sequences that will be bundled and radiated to Perseverance for execution. The COCPIT tool is used throughout all planning phases.

activity planning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

COCPIT: Collaborative Activity Planning Software for Mars Perseverance Rover

Since landing on the Martian surface, the Perseverance rover has relied on a distributed team to generate commands for exploring its new environment each sol(Martian day). The team uses a complex suite of software tools to accomplish this challenging task in time for the next window of opportunity to send commands to the rover. A key piece of this software ecosystem is COCPIT (Component-based Campaign Planning, Implementation, and Tactical). COCPIT is part of the next generation of planning and scheduling software tools developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in partnership with NASA's Ames Research Center. COCPIT is a web-based application that allows users to collaboratively view and update the Perseverance rover's activity plans, continuously verify that the plan satisfies constraints, assign targets for directing scientific instruments, document science intent, and model power and data resources. Mars Surface Operations requires diverse expertise from team members within the Engineering, Science, Robotic, and Instrument Operations groups, distributed across North America and Europe. In order to improve efficiency and reduce risk, all teams are able to review and edit their activities simultaneously and see the effects on the plan in its entirety. As part of the Ground Data System (GDS) tool suite, COCPIT is responsible for the activity plan. It provides specialized views that allow operators to understand where there may be room for additional observations, see whether any planning constraints are being violated, and confirm that energy usage and data generation are within the defined limits. It contains details such as which filters a camera will use for a given observation, what the resolution of the images should be, where to store the data onboard, and how long the observation is expected to take. It predicts when specific data will be downlinked from the rover to a passing orbiter, so that the team knows when to expect that data on Earth for evaluation in future planning. Ultimately the information from the COCPIT plan is translated to sequences that will be bundled and radiated to Perseverance for execution. The COCPIT tool is used throughout all planning phases.

activity planning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling Communication Between Astronauts and Ground Teams for Space Exploration Missions

Over the last four years, Playbook’s Mission Log has evolved to become an enabling capability for analog missions that simulate deep space, exploration missions with communication transmission latency. Playbook is a planning and execution web-application for mission operations, aggregating multiple sources of information for astronauts to execute the mission in one place: timeline, procedures, chat interface. Playbook’s Mission Log provides a multimedia chat software interface with unique features and functionalities that support asynchronous communication between analog astronauts and ground support teams. This paper describes the iterative design the Mission Log has undergone based on user observations and solicited feedback. Key features include indicators that help users cope with asynchronous communication as well as aids that assist teams coordinate work. Future work and capabilities are outlined, which build upon the increased use of the Mission Log as a communication and coordination tool for space exploration.

communication↗