Assessing Potential Benefits for Service/Repair and Retrieval of Satellites: A Pilot Decision Analysis

Abstract

The Air Force is considering adopting an on-orbit service/repair strategy for some of its satellites. The decision must be made on a program-by- program basis. A pilot decision analysis was conducted to demonstrate the application of the decision analysis methodology to the decision. A pilot model, using influence diagrams, was developed for a general satellite program. Several spreadsheet programs were constructed for use with the pilot model. A scenario was presented involving a hypothetical communications satellite program. The pilot model was applied to the program and an initial decision analysis was performed. The salient aspects of the analysis were presented to exhibit the advantages of decision analysis as a methodology for structuring and analyzing the decision. The example analysis revealed the strongpoints of the methodology when applied to the case of a decision maker faced with a decision involving uncertainty, complexity, and value preferences. The pilot model and analysis serve as a foundation upon which further application of the decision analysis technique to the on-orbit service/repair decision can build. Theses.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA203830

Entities

People

  • Michael A. Del Pinto

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Availability
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Launch Vehicles
  • Low Earth Orbits
  • Probability Distributions
  • Random Variables
  • Satellite Orbits
  • Space Objects
  • Space Stations
  • Space Systems
  • Space Transportation
  • Spacecraft
  • Spreadsheet Software
  • Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Computer Science.
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites