Space Ops 2002

1
Space Ops 2002
Lori Maks, NASA GSFC Jason Coleman, Aquilent,
Inc.
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Agenda

• Overview
• Technical Description
• Installations
• Current Challenges
• Future Directions
• Acknowledgements

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Overview (1)

• REACH is a visualization tool that allows an ops
  team to monitor real-time telemetry for multiple
  spacecraft on one screen
• Originally designed to support constellation
  missions of up to 100 spacecraft
• Project scope has shifted to focus on any
  multi-spacecraft mission, not just large
  constellations

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Overview (2)

• Provides simple health modeling
• High-level indicators spur further investigation
  of low-level anomalies
• Supports as much functionality as possible out
  of the box
• Not an expert system
• Uses red/yellow limits from existing telemetry
  database
• Developing the model takes days or weeks, not
  months or years
• Includes utilities to generate a default mission
  model based on thresholds defined in the mission
  database

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Overview (3)

• Installed in the Small Explorers (SMEX) mission
  operations center
• 4 s/c pseudo-mission SWAS, TRACE, WIRE, SAMPEX
• Flight Ops team participating in usability study
• NASA MIDEX and Air Force TechSat-21 collaboration
• REACH v1.0 available for download
• http//invision.gsfc.nasa.gov/avatar/
• Browse to Projects page and select REACH

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ITOS Console for 1 S/C
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REACH Console for 100 S/C
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The Mission Model

• Hierarchical model of the mission
• Subsystem health expressed as an index from 0 to
  100
• Methods for calculating health are defined for
  each node
• Propagates low-level anomalies at configurable
  intervals up the model hierarchy
• Equation dependencies not bound by model
  structure
• Designed to be simple compared to an expert
  system
• Built-in rules (average, least, threshold lookup)
• Threshold lookup is SMEX-specific in v1.0 alpha
• Script entry for more sophisticated behavior
• Model API for integration with third-party tool

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The Mission Model Generator

• Creates default model based on mission database
• Model has same subsystem hierarchy
• Node for each TLM mnemonic which has defined
  limits
• Health is based on limit lookup
• Subsystem node averages health of its TLM nodes
• Additional tools
• Generate VisAGE 2000 XML from existing telemetry
  database (ITOS-specific)
• One file per spacecraft
• Combine these files into one file with unique
  mnemonic names

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The Client Console

• Provides UI to explore the Mission Model and view
  underlying telemetry
• Main Console features
• Represents health red (lt34) yellow (34-67)
  green (gt67)
• Executive Summary, Mission Browser, Mission Grid
• Visualizations support color palettes to show
  contact status
• However, visibility framework is incomplete in
  v1.0 alpha
• Direct drill-down to Details Window
• View sorted TLM contributors, dependent nodes,
  equation
• Also features Abacus, Bullseye, Carousel,
  Fisheye, and ScatterVis

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The REACH Client Console
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The Mission Model Editor

• Create, Edit, and Save model hierarchy and
  equations
• Lists telemetry mnemonics for selection in
  equations
• Supports both tree and list views
• Supports the built-in REACH rules and JavaScript
  entry
• Validates JavaScript and checks for circular
  dependencies
• Not implemented in alpha release

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Model Editor
Node editor
Tree and List View of Model
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Third-Party Example
The ACS of a particular spacecraft is extremely
complicated to model, so we defer to a
third-party tool. This is expressed below in
pseudocode and JavaScript
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The REACH Server

• Interfaces with all other REACH components
• Manages connections to multiple data sources and
  provides unified API to access the consolidated
  data
• Infrastructure to receive orbit/scheduling data
  for propagation to the Client
• Sends snapshots of telemetry data to Mission
  Model
• Receives health data in return
• Distributes telemetry and health data to Client
  Console
• Telemetry sent in near real-time or in intervals
• Can serve multiple client views into the model
• Such as to divide mission up amongst team members

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Putting It Together

• Telemetry Sources provide raw data to be used in
  Mission Model Health calculations
• REACH Server provides access to consolidated
  telemetry and model data
• Mission Model Engine performs interval-based
  calculations to derive Health indices from
  spacecraft telemetry
• Third Party Health Data Source represents
  components such as GenSAA/GenIE or Altairis
• REACH Client provides UI to explore the Mission
  Model and underlying telemetry

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High Level System Architecture
WinNT
REACH Server
Abstract Interface
REACH Client
HP/UX
Solaris
LAN
LAN
Ground System Client and REACH Client
Ground System Servers
Server Tier
Data Tier
Client Tier
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Expertise

• Visualization of information
• 2D/3D visualizations
• Zoomable user interfaces (ZUI)
• Technology
• Pure Java for last three years
• Worked with Human/Computer Interaction Lab at
  UMCP
• Recurring report on state-of-the-art
  visualization technology in industry

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Current Installations

• Small Explorer (SMEX) Missions
• REACH is installed in the SMEX MOC. SMEX FOT are
  evaluating the health modeling concept. FOT also
  participating in usability testing of
  visualizations.
• Medium Explorer (MIDEX) Missions
• Installation scheduled for Summer/Fall 2002
• Air Force TechSat-21 Mission
• REACH selected as visualization component of
  open-architecture, message-based ground system

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Future Directions

• Add tools and support for other ground systems
• Eclipse
• ASIST
• Excel-style equation entry
• Historical health/TLM in equations
• REACH Server GUI
• Contact status support (s/c visibility)
• Implement client-side view selection

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Acknowledgements

• Direction
• Julie Breed, GSFC Code 588
• Lori Maks, GSFC Code 588
• Collaboration/Support
• Maureen Madden and the SMEX FOT
• Prof. Ben Bederson, UMCP Human-Computer
  Interaction Lab
• Developers
• GSFC Love-Leigh Beasley, Cameron Jerry, John
  Jung, Lori Maks
• Aquilent Jeff Burch, Xuewu Cai, Jason Coleman,
  Darren Gemoets , Kevin Hughes, Halil Kilicoglu,
  Peter Matas, Vasili Rezapkin