Autonomous Simulators: Taking Distance Learning to New Heights
Elaine Greenberg, E. Tabarah, Viqar Abbasi · SpaceOps 2006 Conference · 2006
There is no training medium more effective than a live instructor. However, as fut ure space flight takes us to the moon, Mars and beyond, real -time communication with an earth bound instructor following launch will be difficult, if not impossible, due to the time lag associated with such extreme distances. Astronauts who are living and working on Mars, where communication latencies could exceed thirty minutes in each direction, will have to rely on innovative, cost -efficient training solutions to maintain their knowledge and skills in systems operations, especially given the long duratio n and complexity of these space missions. One proposed solution for conducting effective training remotely is the development of an autonomous simulator, which would combine computer -based training (CBT) and software simulation to meet training and profici ency requirements. Using expert system software, the simulator would mimic the role of the instructor by providing cues to guide learners through a simulation scenario, evaluate and diagnose learner performance, and provide remediation as required through the use of hyperlinks to tutorial -based information. This paper describes the conceptual design and implementation of an autonomous training simulator to meet distance -learning requirements for long -duration space missions.