A comparative study of the evolution of manned and unmanned spaceflight operations
- Paper ID
IAF-83-294
- author
- company
- year
1983
- abstract
The paper compares some aspects of the evolution of spaceflight operations and ground control in the United States' manned and unmanned space programs. The history is characterized by a shared beginning, a divergence in organizational management and operations techniques, followed by increased capability of ground and spacecraft systems leading to staffing reductions and standardization of operations. Athough m^ny differences are inherent in the nature of supporting manned flights compared to unmanned Earth-orbiting or deep space missions, a distinct trend of convergence seems to be occurring between the two operational disciplines.