Evaluating the effectiveness of the International Space Station guidance, navigation and control verification system.

摘要

The International Space Station (ISS) Guidance, Navigation and Control system (GN&C) is a highly complex system built with components supplied by multiple contractors and countries. The intricate design and construction sequence of the ISS prevented the use of a single integration facility with all components of the GN&C system. As a result, the system was tested and verified through the use of several facilities and verification regimes each concentrating on a different set of interfaces. Using the Multi-factor Analysis of Variance technique, it was possible to evaluate these facilities to compare their effectiveness in discovering errors in the system. These facilities demonstrated a statistically significant variance in their effectiveness and in the types of problems they were likely to find. Based on the results of this analysis, recommended improvements are suggested which would increase effectiveness of the system.