Page:Advanced Automation for Space Missions.djvu/5



Since the late 1950s NASA has devoted itself to the acquisition and communication of information about the Earth, the planets, the stars, and the Universe. It has launched an impressive series of spectacularly successful exploration missions and numerous Earth-orbiting satellites that have added to an immense, growing pool of useful knowledge about terrestrial resources, weather and climatic patterns, global cartography, and the oceans. Each mission has made use of some level of automation or machine (artificial) intelligence (AI).

Mission complexity has increased enormously as instrumentation and scientific objectives have become more sophisticated. In the next two decades there is little doubt that NASA will shift its major focus from exploration to an increased emphasis on utilization of the space environment, including public service and industrial activities. The present study was sponsored by NASA because of an increasing realization that advanced automatic and robotic devices, using machine intelligence, will play a major role in all future space missions. Such systems will complement human activity in space, accomplishing tasks that people cannot do or that are too dangerous, too laborious, or too expensive. The opportunity to develop the powerful new merger of human intellect and machine intelligence is a result of the growing capacity of machines to accomplish significant tasks. Indeed, the growth in capability of onboard machine intelligence will make many missions technically or economically feasible. This study has investigated some of the ways this capacity may be used as well as a number of research and development efforts necessary in the years ahead if the promise of AI is to be fully realized.

There is a great deal of theoretical research (and in some cases practical development) in progress at several institutions in the United States and throughout the world. These research and development programs are necessary for the eventual success of the applications described elsewhere in this report. They are also a part of the rationale which has led to NASA's current strong interest in the potential of machine intelligence in space. However, even a vigorous research effort does not necessarily imply an applications development process adaptable to future NASA needs. Furthermore, the technology-transfer problem is aggravated by the relative scarcity of qualified workers in the AI field. NASA may begin to alleviate this manpower crisis by directly supporting artificial intelligence and robotics research in colleges and universities throughout the United States.

During the first 2 weeks of the study the group was introduced to the status of work in artificial intelligence by a series of lectures given by scientists from SRI International. A number of NASA program engineers participating in the study reviewed agency interests in relevant mission areas. To reduce the problem of automation-technology assessment to manageable proportions, the summer study group divided into four mission teams that could select single missions for concentrated attention in order to illustrate fully the potential for advanced automation. The task divisions among the teams guaranteed that all major classes of possible future NASA missions were considered, including public service, space utilization, and interplanetary exploration.

The teams spent the major part of the summer elaborating their missions with particular emphasis on the special role of machine intelligence and robotics technology. In addition to mission scenarios, the study produced two other significant outputs: Advanced Automation Technology Assessment to identify technology needs for mission capabilities representative of NASA programs in the 2000-2010 time frame; and an Epilogue which assures that an evolutionary NASA space program scenario with coordinated developmental initiatives is undertaken in the next 20 years to help establish an aggressive, multidisciplinary program of space exploration and utilization early in the 21st century. The Epilogue provides project/mission recommendations in each of the task team areas, an integrated project/mission scenario, and a series of recommended NASA planning options that include a consistent space program strategy, technological development priorities, and updates to the OAST Space Systems Technology Model.