Automating operations for NASA's deep space network (DSN)

The DSN is the communication gateway to NASA's Earth Orbiting and planetary spacecraft. The DSN is unique among space communication systems in that it is link configurable. For each pass of a spacecraft, there is a set of antennas, receivers, transmitters, and other signal processing subsystems which can be combined to complete a tracking cycle. In the past, when the number of orbiting satellites and planetary spacecraft were fairly small, manual control of this complex tracking system was manageable. However, with the growth in planned missions for Mars, Venus, the sun, outer planets, comet flybys, and asteroid encounters, it is becoming increasingly clear that the complex tasks associated with antenna control/coordination and telemetry capture will eventually overwhelm existing tracking crews. Mistakes in data entry/retrieval can result in loss of valuable science data as well as spacecraft control blackout. This paper describes the DSN automation system design, functions, test results, and actual field implementation experience.