This paper discusses an environment being developed to model a mission of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) being launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to the International Space Station (ISS). Several models representing different phases of the mission such as the ground operations processes, engineered systems, and range components such as failure tree, blast, gas dispersion, and debris modeling are explained. These models are built using different simulation paradigms such as continuous, system dynamics, discrete-event, and agent-based simulation modeling. The High Level Architecture (HLA) is the backbone of this distributed simulation. The different design decisions and the information fusion scheme of this unique environment are explained in detail for decision-making. This can also help in the development of exploration missions beyond the International Space Station. 1. Introduction Distributed simulation plays an important role in modeling complex systems. Space vehicle ground operations processing as well as ascent and decent phases are complex processes whose interactions give rise to the appearance of emergent properties [1–3]. For these cases, a Virtual Test Bed (VTB) was designed as the architecture to facilitate the integrated execution of different simulation models with other supporting nonsimulation applications [4–9]. Our completed initial VTB development efforts (see Section 2) for modeling space shuttle missions and operations at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are based on the High Level Architecture (HLA) and the run-time infrastructure (RTI). The RTI, a software implementation of the HLA Interface Specification, defines the common interfaces for distributed simulation systems during the execution of the HLA simulation [10–13]. It is the architectural foundation that promotes portability and interoperability. All shared information exchanged during a federation (i.e., a set of simulation models) execution must be passed through the RTI. The objective of the VTB developments is to provide a collaborative computing environment that supports the creation, execution, and reuse of simulations that are capable of integrating multidisciplinary models representing the elements of launch, ranges, and spaceport operations in order to assist with the cost analysis, flow optimization, and other important decision-making factors. The High Level Architecture (HLA) is used as a distributed simulation framework in the VTB. In general, simulation languages/packages may have special areas of use, distinct
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