Autonomous Operations System: Development and Application

Abstract

Autonomous control systems provide the ability of self-governance beyond the conventional control system. As the complexity of systems increases, there is a natural drive for developing robust control systems to manage complicated and emergency operations. By closing the bridge between conventional automated systems and knowledge based self-aware systems, nominal control of operations can evolve into relying on safety critical mitigation processes to support any off-nominal behavior. Current research and development efforts lead by the Autonomous Propellant Loading (APL) project at NASA Kennedy Space Center aims to improve cryogenic propellant transfer operations by developing an automated control and health monitoring system. As an integrated system, the center aims to produce an Autonomous Operations System (AOS) capable of integrating health management operations with automated control to produce a fully autonomous system.