Mission Activity Planning for Humans and Robots on the Moon

A series of studies is conducted to develop a systematic approach to optimizing—both in terms of the distribution and scheduling of tasks—scenarios in which astronauts and robots accomplish a group of activities on the Moon, given an objective function (OF) and specific resources and constraints. An automated planning tool is developed as a key element of this optimization system. For the first two studies, astronaut safety is given foremost priority, and the automated planner's primary OF is minimizing the amount of time spent in extravehicular activity (EVA), with minimization of intravehicular activity (IVA) as a secondary OF. This is accomplished through the use of a robot, teleoperated from Earth, which relieves the astronauts of some of the work. For the third study, currently in progress, the OF is revised to maximize scientific productivity, achieved by having astronaut geologists work the most EVA hours that are deemed consistent with safety. Minimizing the robot's idle time, when it wastes power waiting for the astronauts to enable its next activity, becomes an additional element of the OF. A much more complex scenario is developed for a better demonstration of the value of an automated planner.