Ground Operations in Human Space Flight

摘要

International space missions involving humans are complex. This can be for several reasons: firstly, and most importantly, crew safety is the utmost concern as any mission involving humans is inherently dangerous; and secondly, the mission itself relies on a well-coordinated and intricate ground infrastructure in which all the activities performed onboard the orbiting spacecraft - in this case the International Space Station (ISS) - can be fully operated, monitored, and managed between the various participating mission control centers. A third reason for its complexity can be attributed to the structural organization, communication requirements, and the delivery of ground services amongst the international partners and continental counterparts alike, and how these services are maintained. These services, managed by dedicated console positions with the call sign GC, or Ground Controller, utilize a combination of ground subsystems which function to control the ground segment in its full capacity. Moreover, there are numerous console positions within mission control that use these services during continuous, real-time operations, which is discussed in greater detail with reference to current operational requirements. This paper aims to provide a study of how the work of the ground segment at the Columbus Control Center for the ISS project is connected between the European counterparts and international partners that assist in the day-to-day operations. This connection is found to be a vital element to the ongoing successful operation of the European Space Agency's single largest contribution to the ISS, the Columbus module. Furthermore, an overview of the current ground subsystems will be addressed, whilst incorporating an understanding of the importance of the ground segment in the context of human space flight operations. In addition, the paper will present the operational capacity of the entire ground segment architecture from the perspective of the GC at the Columbus Control Center and how this position interacts with the NASA side and its dedicated mission control centers at Houston and Huntsville, the Russian Segment near Moscow, and the user support centers located at discrete locations throughout continental Europe.