Operations Training in the Simulator for the Japanese Experiment Module, "Kibo", February 2006

On February 28, 2006, we conducted operations training for the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), also known as "Kibo", using the Kibo simulator.

Simulation summary

We used the Kibo Operations Control System at the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) to simulate Kibo training operations. The purpose of this training was to enhance the capabilities of Kibo's flight controllers and payload-operations controllers, who will participate in operations at Kibo's experiment facility.

For actual Kibo operations, the Kibo Mission Control Room at the TKSC and the Space-Station Control Center (SSCC) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) will be linked together.For this simulation however, we linked the Kibo Mission Control Room with another room at the TKSC. In that room, participants played the roles of the NASA Flight Controllers and astronauts, while the controllers who operated the Kibo Simulator and the staff who controlled the simulation were located in a different room, separate from the Kibo Mission Control Room. In addition, the operations staff of Japan's newly developed, experimental Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) and Image-Processing Unit (IPU) participated in the experiment to simulate the activation procedures for their equipment in addition to regular Kibo operations. Since the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) will also be linked with the control centers when the equipment is operated on orbit, members simulating the POIC roles also participated in the simulation.

We simulated anomalies in Kibo during its normally scheduled operations, and the flight controllers in the Kibo Mission Control Room reviewed possible measures to resolve the anomalies, and rescheduled the operations. From another room, the Kibo engineering team reviewed the measures to take in solving technical problems that required resolution by experts.

Future Schedule

The flight controllers' preparation for Kibo operations is progressing satisfactorily. In the future, there will be more simulated operations linking JAXA and NASA together.