Automating planning and scheduling of shuttle payload operations

This paper describes the DATA-CHASER Automated Planner/Scheduler (DCAPS) sy stem for automated generation and repair of command sequences for the DATA- CHASER shuttle payload. DCAPS uses general Artificial Intelligence (AI) heu ristic search techniques, including an iterative repair framework in which the system iteratively resolves conflicts with the state, resource, and tem poral constraints of the payload activities. DCAPS was used in the operatio ns of the shuttle payload for the STS-85 shuttle flight in August 1997 and enabled a 80% reduction in mission operations effort and a 40% increase in science return, (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.