Mission operations for Mars Observer–A case study

Abstract Mission operations for the Mars Observer project were patterned after the low-cost approach proposed under the Planetary Observer program of the early 1980s. That approach was based on: a mission with focused science objectives; a repetitive mapping operation; a high-heritage spacecraft design; a science payload with low demands on the spacecraft for resources and control; utilization of data standards throughout the information flow — from instrument to receipt of data by the planetary science community; a distributed ground system with multimission support for spacecraft monitor and control; remote science operations with non-interactive commanding; and data transfer and data loss criteria consistent with mission goals. This paper examines the operation architecture, ground system technology, and the management, engineering and information flow processes. The successes, drawbacks, and lessons learned of the mission operations low-cost approach are described and evaluated.