Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Science
Planning
Science Plan
Mission
Planning
Science Products
Mission Plan
Sequence
Planning
Command Sequence Plan
Vehicle
Telemetry
Science
Data
Processing
Command
Sequencer
S/C
Commands
Science Data
Command
Verification
Telemetry
Fig. 7.8.
Spacecraft mission management
in the order of their importance or priority. There is little automation assisting
the generation of the science plan. The product of this group is typically a
text document that is provided to the science team.
7.3.2 Mission Planning
The Mission Planning group is a team of mission and instrument engineers
that converts the science plan into the mission plan. The mission plan is de-
signed to achieve the science goals while ensuring the health and safety of the
spacecraft. The nonscience activities include maneuvering and housekeeping,
as well as scheduling time on a communications link. Mission planning usually
requires one or more domain experts for each spacecraft activity. After plan-
ning the mission, these experts monitor the spacecraft for safety and health
violations and adapt the mission plan as necessary. This group meets more
frequently than the science planning group, because their collaborations are
focused on producing a very detailed, usually short-term, mission timeline.
The product of this group is either a text document or an electronic schedule
of mission activities.
