ISSN:
1572-9621
Keywords:
Autonomous momentum management
;
autonomous optical navigation
;
ground vs. on-board functional allocation
;
NEAR
;
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous
;
on-board software reducing mission operations cost
;
spacecraft autonomy.
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
Notes:
Abstract With a maximum time of 12 days out of ground contact and a round-trip light time as high as 56 minutes, The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft requires a moderate degree of onboard autonomy to react to faults and safe the spacecraft. Beyond the basic safing requirements, additional functions are carried out onboard. For example, on-board calculation of the Sun, Earth, asteroid, and spacecraft positions allow the spacecraft to autonomously orient itself for science and downlink operations. On-board autonomous momentum management during cruise relieves Mission Operations from planning, scheduling, and carrying out many manual momentum dumps. During development, additional operations, such as center-of-mass management during propulsive maneuvers and optical navigation were also considered for onboard autonomy on the NEAR spacecraft, but were not selected. The allocation of functions to onboard software or to ground operations involved tradeoffs such as development time for onboard software versus ground software, resource management, life cycle costs, and spacecraft safety. After two years of cruise operations, considerable experience with the NEAR autonomy system has accrued. The utility of some autonomous capabilities is greater than expected, others less so. Software uploads increased spacecraft autonomy in some cases, and the impact on Mission Operations can be assessed. Allocation of functions between spacecraft autonomy and ground operation during development of future missions can be improved by applying the lessons learned from the NEAR experience.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1009956714468
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