Real-time monitoring of ECLSS flight rules

Abstract

Flight rules are the overarching constraints that govern the operation of equipment on the International Space Station (ISS) and the Space Shuttle. There are thousands of flight rules for ISS, all documented in Microsoft Word. Monitoring of flight rules is currently done manually by flight controllers who are highly trained in understanding and interpreting flight rules. In this paper we describe a system that allows flight rules to be expressed in a computer-understandable language and that then generates an automated monitoring system that connects to the ISS telemetry stream. For testing purposes we represented and monitored Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) flight rules for ISS smoke detectors. We describe how this flight rule is represented in an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format that captures relationships between different pieces of raw telemetry. We describe a drag-and-drop editing environment that allows for easy authoring and debugging of the XML. We then describe how this XML file is translated into a monitoring capability that automatically executes the appropriate functions to validate or invalidate the flight rule. Finally, we show examples from actual ISS telemetry of the real-time monitoring of this specific flight rule. A flight controller interface has been designed using the next generation of mission control tools to allow easy configuration, manipulation and supervision of flight rule monitoring. This flight controller interface will work in concert with the editor and execution engine to enhance the safety of space missions by automatically detecting flight rule violations.