Artificial intelligence planning applications for space exploration and space robotics

Abstract

Mission sequencing involves the plan for actuation of the experiments to be conducted aboard a spacecraft; automation is under study by NASA as a means to reduce time and manpower costs in mission planning and in robotic implementation. The development of a mission sequence is conditioned by the limited duration of advantageous spacecraft encounters with objects of study, more research requests than can be satisfied, and requested changes in objectives. Autonomous robot development is hampered by the absence of task-level programming languages, the existence of anomalies in real-world interactions, and a lack of required capabilities in current sensor technology.