Knowledge based representation and operations assessment of space transportation system architectures

Achieving the goals of safe and cost effective space transportation systems requires the development of new methods and tools that allow leap-frog improvements in the conceptualization, design, development, production, and operation of these systems. This paper reports on a modeling methodology aimed at the knowledge based representation and operational assessment of space transportation systems to be used during early stages of design with the objective of improved design via estimation of their ground operations and performance. The model uses knowledge based logic and equations combined with a process database to determine the appropriate ground processes and their duration, allowing the estimation of operational measures of performance such as labor, cycle time, and flight rate.