Tradeoff of EVA and FTS for Space Station servicing

The authors describe a function allocation decision aid consisting of requirements and criteria for conducting tradeoffs between EVA (extravehicular activity) and FTS (flight telerobotic systems) for Space Station servicing. The function allocation decision aid has four major components: data bases of capability data on current EVA and FTS systems, and Space Station components; a time-line simulation to compare time to perform and workloads associated with servicing missions; an expert system for integration of task requirements and servicing capabilities, identification of incompatibilities of a mode for a mission, determination of the optimal mode for a mission, determination of design requirements for a mode, identification of the implications of selecting a mode for a mission, and identification of R&D requirements for a mode: the user-interface. Requirements for the decision aid are described, and the results of the application of a prototype of the aid are discussed