Methods and systems for advanced spaceport information management

• US 7,302,364 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co., United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Fussell, Ronald M., Meier, Gary M., Meade, Phillip T., Halpin, Paul C., Blackwell-Thompson, Charlie, Ely, Donald W., Jacobson, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau; Tung S.
• Application Number:
  US11/083,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20060038084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 702/188, 702/33, 702/35, 702/36, 701/3, 701/2, 701/29, 701/30, 701/31
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/52 Protection, safety or emergency devices; Survival aids
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 5/00 Ground equipment for vehicles, e.g. starting towers, fuelling arrangements B64G3/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/008 on air- or spacecraft, railway rolling stock or sea-going vessels

Abstract

Advanced spaceport information management methods and systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes coupling a test system to the payload and transmitting one or more test signals that emulate an anticipated condition from the test system to the payload. One or more responsive signals are received from the payload into the test system and are analyzed to determine whether one or more of the responsive signals comprises an anomalous signal. At least one of the steps of transmitting, receiving, analyzing and determining includes transmitting at least one of the test signals and the responsive signals via a communications link from a payload processing facility to a remotely located facility. In one particular embodiment, the communications link is an Internet link from a payload processing facility to a remotely located facility (e.g. a launch facility, university, etc.).

Claims

1. A payload life cycle apparatus, comprising:

a preflight operations portion that includes a payload test procedure, the payload test procedure including;

transmitting one or more test signals that emulate an anticipated condition from a test system to the payload;

receiving one or more responsive signals from the payload into the test system;

analyzing one or more responsive signals; and

determining whether one or more of the responsive signals comprises an anomalous signal,

wherein at least one of the transmitting, receiving, analyzing, and determining comprises communicating via a communications link from a payload processing facility to a remotely located facility;

a flight system integration portion that includes integration of the payload within a launch vehicle; and

a desired mission portion.

2. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the payload test procedure is further adapted to communicate via an Internet link from a payload processing facility to a remotely located facility.

3. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the payload test procedure is further adapted to communicate via a communications link from a payload processing facility to a launch facility.

4. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the payload test procedure is further adapted to communicate via a communications link from at least one of a first city to a second city, a first state to a second state, and a first country to a second country.

5. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the payload test procedure is further adapted to at least one of identify an occurrence of an anomalous condition to a system operator via a display, query a system operator whether to generate a nonconformance report, transmit a nonconformance report to a remotely located data storage facility, query a system operator whether to retest a nonconforming condition, and troubleshoot a nonconforming condition via the communication link between the payload processing facility to the remotely located facility.

6. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the preflight operations portion further includes a preparation procedure associated with a launch vehicle.

7. The payload life cycle of claim 1, further comprising a servicing and departure portion.

8. The payload life cycle of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a landing and recovery portion, a turnaround preparations portion, and a providing deliverables to a payload customer portion.

9. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the preflight operations portion includes a spaceport application having a plurality of preflight subportions, each preflight subportion supporting at least one of a plurality of spacecraft configurations and a plurality of payload configurations.

10. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the payload test procedure includes testing of at least one payload element autonomously by a payload developer at the remotely located facility via the communications link.

11. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the payload test procedure includes transitioning of an individual payload test procedure to a payload developer at the remotely located facility via an autonomous communications link controlled by the payload developer.

12. The payload life cycle of claim 1, wherein the desired mission portion includes autonomously providing at least one mission operation from the payload integrated with the launch vehicle by the payload developer via at least one of a mission communications link, a software portion, and an artificially derived knowledge.