Transforming the operations paradigm of space exploration

The international space community has become comfortable over the years with a model of operations based on verbal delegation of operations control from a mission control center based on Earth. This model requires near-constant telemetry regarding the status of the vehicle, as well as tasks on-board. The future long-duration exploration missions being considered will require significant changes in this operational paradigm, adjusting to situational realities, capitalizing on the evolution that has occurred in vehicle autonomous health management, and maximizing the time crew members can devote to exploration.