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SpaceOps Meetings and News
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SpaceOps 2008 NTPC Meeting
A Technical Program Committee Chairmen (TPC) meeting
took place on the 13th and 14th of November at DLR/GSOC.
The results of general interest are summarized in the
following:
Abstract Evaluation Process: Each abstract submitted
for the SpaceOps 2008 conference will be evaluated
and marked (1-worst, 10-best) by two members of the
TPC.
A reviewer may want to change an abstract from the
original topic to another topic. The change shall be
made by the reviewer after consultation with the other
reviewer, and the co-chairs of the TPC shall be informed
via email.
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After independent evaluation the two reviewers may consult
each other, and in the case of major discrepancies on the evaluation
results (i.e. overall mark differing by more than 3 points),
may discuss the abstract and revise their original marks. In
the case of no convergence between the two reviewers, the issue
will be brought to the attention of the co-chairs, who will
nominate a third reviewer for solving the issue. A total of
399 papers will be accepted for the conference program. The
paper selection process will be finalized during the next TPC
meeting in Washington in January 2008.
The Space Operations Communicator Augmentations (SpaceOps-Wiki):
Session Chairs will collect interesting “key words” (plus
a maximum of 3 sentences of explanations, including a reference
to the papers) during the presentations of the SpaceOps 2008
conference. The key words will be selected according to their
actuality bearing on new concepts or future trends. The edited
key words will be published in the Communicator (SpaceOps-Wiki – tab
to be implemented on the front page). By linking them directly
to the SpaceOps2008 paper archive, maintained by AIAA, interested
readers can pursue the matter by reading the original paper.
As an additional feature, interactive commenting / expansion
of the SpaceOps-Wiki will be facilitated.
Publication of SpaceOps2008 “Best Papers”: The
TCP decided to publish the selected three best papers as
additional promotion of the SpaceOps Conference within the “Technical
Papers” section of the Communicator.
It shall be pointed out that high quality papers can
always be published within the Communicator – also in between
of the bi-annual SpaceOps Conferences. For further instructions
please refer to Downlink > Author Help on the front page
of the Communicator.
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SpaceOps 2008 Implementation Plan
In order to more efficiently organize future SpaceOps
Conferences, in particular those which take place
in cooperation with the AIAA, it has been decided
to formalize and streamline the organizational process.
The current SpaceOps 2008 Implementation Plan refers
to the upcoming conference, co-hosted by ESA/ESOC
and EUMETSAT in Heidelberg, Germany, and provides transparency
on all SpaceOps organizational elements, in particular
as they concern all technical, logistical and budgetary
aspects.
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The Implementation Plan covers:
- SpaceOps 2008 conference elements such as size, location,
floor plan of the venue and allocation of the various
facilities for the running of the conference
- Allocation of responsibilities with respect to the preparation
of the conference
- Conference topics/sessions
- Organization of the technical committee responsible for
the evaluation of the abstracts/drafts and final papers;
evaluation criteria and preparation of the final technical
program
- Overall planning
- Overall budget of the Conference including
all expenses, sponsorships, contributions from the different
participating agencies, conference
fees etc.
The prime purpose of the formal Implementation Plan is to
provide a management tool for the preparation and execution
of the SpaceOps 2008 conference; however, it will be updated
periodically (ca. every 6-8 months) and re-distributed to the
SpaceOps Committee Members.
It shall be noted that the distribution of the detailed conference
budget (contained in Appendix C of the Plan) will be restricted
to the current host until the completion of the conference.
After the SpaceOps 2008 conference, this document will undergo
a final update and will be handed over, together with the detailed
budget information (Appendix C), to the representative of the
Agency in charge of the next SpaceOps conference (SpaceOps
2010). As agreed at the SpaceOps ExCom and CaL meetings held
in Tokyo in April 2007, the SpaceOps 2010 conference will be
organized by NASA and held at the Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Alabama. It is expected that the same procedure
as outlined above will be followed for the 2012 conference.
The maintained SpaceOps Implementation Plan (without Appendices)
will be available online on the SpaceOps Organization web site
(http://www.space-ops.org) for authorized members (requires
member log-in information).
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RCSGSO 2007 Conference Summary
(Co-organized
by IKI and ESA – hosted by IKI in
Moscow 11th-15th June 2007)
General
A discussion forum addressing specific conference-related
subjects has been well appreciated by the audience and
suggestions have been made to include more of such ‘discussion
forums’ in future conferences.
The conference received 142 registrations from 16 countries
and all major space agencies. Space industry from around
the world (Europe, USA, and Asia) actively participated
in the conference with a representation of approximately
30% to 40% of the overall attendance.
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Highlights
The technical content of the conference has been quite substantial
and well appreciated by those in attendance. Several papers
did show that similar developments in the space operations
field are independently carried out in different countries
by different organizations using different methodologies. The
conference gave the chance to exchange ideas and experience
on such developments with the aim of increased efficiency in
the implementation of such developments.
Key words collected during the conference for cost/efficiency
optimization of ongoing and future missions were: “Virtualization” (virtual
reality); Remote Control and Automated Operations; Enhancement
of the Concept of “Infrastructure” with respect
to mission specific development; close adherence to existing
International Standards and Enhancement of Standardization
in some areas (e.g. in the middleware of space or ground M&C
systems); Commonality of Functionalities and Re-use; Optimization
of organization and Distribution of manpower/expertise in the
different phases of a mission from development/preparation
for launch to routine operations.
In conclusion, the conference has been quite rich in flow
of technically information and on presentation of methodologies
for increased efficiency in the operations of on-going and
future space missions.
The conference has also provided a forum in which to consolidate
relationships between various partners and to establish the
basis for new activities in the space operations arena.
In particular, we offer a warm “Thank You” and “Congratulations” to
IKI for the accurate organization of the various events of
the conference.
Highlights of the Social Program were the visit to the ENERGIA
museum displaying the flown capsules of the first Cosmonauts
(and in particular of Yuri Gagarin) and a complete flight model
of the MIR.
In conclusion, the conference has fully met its goals in all
aspects.
Paolo Maldari
ESA Directorate of Operations and Infrastructure, Robert-Bosch
Strasse 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
Excerpt from the Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium
on Reducing Costs of Spacecraft Ground
Systems and Operations (RCSGSO), 11-15 June 2007, Moscow,
Russian Federation
(ESA SP-648, July 2007)
The CD of the proceedings can be obtained by ESA (http://www.esa.int),
search for Publication SP-648)
Notabene: The paper “Cost efficient Evolution of the
ESA Network int the Space Era” (P. Maldary, N. Bobrinsky)
is published in this issue of the “Communicator”
Additional Conference Announcements
Ground System Architectures Workshop 2008 (GSAW)
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Redondo Beach, CA
31 March-3 April 2008
Call for participation Reminder (http://sunset.usc.edu/gsaw)
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