Ensuring Readiness for Europes First Mars Mission

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Ensuring Readiness for Europes First Mars Mission

• Team Building Through Simulations

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NASA DSN
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Goals of Simulations Campaigns

• Maximize Mission Success
• Create a coherent team
• Contribute to the Ground Segment Operational
  Validation
• Create a learning environment
• Additional contingency and recovery cases are
  identified
• Mistakes are made and learnt from

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Team Training

• Mission success is maximized by efficient
  interaction and coordination, accurate analysis
  and troubleshooting, leadership, decision-making,
  and precision in carrying out operational tasks
• This can only be established within a coherent
  team structure
• Emphasis is on Team training rather than
  individuals

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The Mars Express Simulations Campaigns

• Emphasis on critical operations
• Hence two simulations campaigns in preparation
  for the two mission critical phases
• Pre-Launch simulations campaign in preparation
  for LEOP
• Post-Launch simulations campaign in preparation
  for Mars Orbit Insertion phase (MOI)

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Planning of Simulations Campaign

• Two simulations per week during a total of 7
  months
• 30 LEOP simulations and 24 MOI simulations
• Nominal timeline exercised first
• Increasingly difficult failure scenarios follow
• Operational exercise rather than engineering
  exercise unlikely scenarios may be chosen
• Cross training to eliminate single point failures
  and ensure flexibility

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Closing the Loop

• Each simulation starts with a briefing
• Team goes on console not knowing what anomaly
  they will be facing
• Anomaly briefings are held during a simulation
• Problems are tracked through forms and actions
• Debriefing is held for assessment and conclusion
• All summarized in debriefing message
• Scenario, Procedures, Participants, Observation
  Reports and Actions, Configuration
• Dress Rehearsal concludes simulations campaign

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Operations Exercised

• LEOP operations included
• first AOS, separation sequence (incl. SA
  deployment), establishing TC link, switch-on of
  star tracker, checkout of reaction wheels, FDIR
  and thermal updates, mode transitions, first
  trajectory correction manoeuvre, first RW
  off-loading, switch from LGA to HGA and from
  S-band to X-band, Beagle2 launch clamp release.
• MOI operations included
• Fine targeting manoeuvre for Beagle2 release,
  Beagle2 timer setting and checkout, Beagle2
  release, Retargeting manoeuvre, Spacecraft and
  FDIR configuration for capture manoeuvre, capture
  manoeuvre

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Types of Scenarios

• Scenarios Anomalies
• Nominal Scenario
• Easily detectable failures
• Subtle failures
• Multiple minor failures
• One major failure
• Distraction during critical activity
• Replacing key players

• Goals
• Familiarisation
• Efficiency
• Monitoring skills and support
• Coordination and concentration
• Multiple input and accuracy
• Focus and prioritisation
• Flexibility and cross training

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• Critical Mission Phases
• Targeting for Lander Entry 15 19 December
• Re-targeting for Insertion 20 December
• Mars Orbit Insertion 25 December 2003

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TCM 4 Beagle 2 Fine Targeting
Ranging
Beagle 2 Ejection
TCM-5 (MEX Retargeting)
TCM-6 Contingency (Clean-up Manoeuvre)
Final MOI Configuration Commands
Start of Main Engine Burn 024432 z
Dec 16
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Recovery
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Mars Orbit Insertion Training

• MOI operations very different from LEOP
  operations
• Two way round trip for signal up to 17 minutes
• Activities are sequential and strongly
  interrelated contingency in one activity impacts
  next activity
• Activities have earliest start date and latest
  end date
• Fixed date for capture manoeuvre
• MOI training needs different from LEOP
• Team already trained to work together and have
  operated S/C
• Focus on decision-making, prioritizing and
  rescheduling rather than anomaly recovery
  techniques

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MOI Campaign Characteristics

• Nature of simulations campaign affected by
• System (S/C and ground segment) mature, stable
  and well known
• Campaign carried out while S/C is being operated
• Timelines and procedures being defined and
  contingency recovery being identified during
  campaign
• Simulations were often mini-workshops
• New simulation scenarios were created
• Long duration of anomaly observation and
  recovery strategy layout during simulation, not
  execution of steps

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Conclusions

• Simulations provide learning environment where
  mistakes can be afforded and learnt from
• Simulations campaigns play a key role in ensuring
  readiness for critical spacecraft operations and
  maximizing mission success
• Operations Training Engineering Psychology
• Benefits of training are reaped daily during
  nominal operations and in future careers where
  team work is involved

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Conclusions continued

• Faster and Cheaper missions require Better
  simulations campaigns

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