2 The Transition from Spacecraft Development to Flight Operations: Human Factor Considerations

Abstract

Abstract In the field of aeronautics and astronautics, a paradigm shift has been witnessed by those in academia, research and development, and private industry. Long development life cycles and the budgets to support such programs and projects has given way to aggressive task schedules and leaner resources to draw from – all the while challenging assigned individuals to create and produce improved products or processes. However, this “faster, better, cheaper” concept cannot merely be applied to the design, development, and test of complex systems such as earth‐orbiting or interplanetary robotic spacecraft. Full advantage is not possible without due consideration and application to mission operations planning and flight operations. Equally as important as the flight system, the mission operations system consisting of qualified personnel, ground hardware and software tools, and verified and validated operational processes, should also be regarded as a complex system requiring personnel to draw upon formal education, training, related experiences, and heuristic reasoning in engineering an effective and efficient system.