Abstract

NASA increasingly relies on autonomous systems concepts, not only in the mission control centers on the ground, but also on spacecraft, on rovers and other assets on extraterrestrial bodies. Space missions lacking autonomy will be unable to achieve the full range of advanced mission objectives, given that human control under dynamic environmental conditions will not be feasible, due in part, to the unavoidably high signal propagation latency and constrained data rates of mission communications links. While autonomy cost-effectively supports mission goals, autonomicity supports survivability of remote missions, especially when human tending is not feasible. As such, not only are Autonomous concepts but also Autonomicity concepts required to be brought to bear on future space missions - self-governance and self-management