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FUTUREFLIGHT CENTRAL PROJECTS
Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility Training Demonstration (SLF II)

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Image of a simulation at sunset showing the shuttle orbiter landing at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility.
A simulation at sunset showing the shuttle orbiter landing at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility.


Study Objective:

In September 2003, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) used FutureFlight Central to demonstrate a virtual training environment for Shuttle landing operations.

Orbiter landings at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) occur, on average, six to eight times per year. With landings of this frequency, it can be difficult to train and maintain crews in standard operational procedures and to augment and develop new operational and emergency procedures.

KSC’s purpose in conducting the SLF II simulation was to demonstrate the feasibility of using a high-fidelity virtual environment for personnel training and skills maintenance. Four different scenarios were selected to demonstrate the potential breadth of capability that virtual reality can provide.

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Demonstration Design:

The four scenarios created are:
  • Day-to-day SLF operations
  • Convoy vehicle deployment upon orbiter landing
  • Medical emergency upon an orbiter landing
  • Airspace security breach with a shuttle on the launch pad
FutureFlight Central staff extended its air and ground vehicle library to 36 models, including the Shuttle itself, to realistically simulate the landing and safing operation.

Some key aspects of the demonstration are the following:
  • The virtual SLF tower cab was staffed with three air traffic controllers.
  • Forty-two ground vehicles were deployed in the Convoy Scenario including the Crew Transport Vehicle (CTV), White Room, Cool 1 and 2, Purge 1 and 2, and NASA Convoy Commander (NCC) Van.
  • The NASA Convoy Commander, Chief Medical Officer and representatives from United Space Alliance attended and participated in some of the training exercises.
  • A supplemental tower station was provided for the NASA Convoy Commander and medical officer to experiment with an alternative vantage point. Presently, these personnel coordinate operations from within ground vehicles.
  • NASA demonstrated the ability to integrate a Shuttle flight simulator with the tower simulator and perform landings into the tower’s virtual environment.
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Customer Benefits:

Virtual reality provided a completely safe environment to test and refine operational and emergency procedures. The scenarios were repeated a multitude of times and even stopped in mid-stream, the actions and/or events evaluated and refined, and the run was then repeated.

Image of a daytime simulation showing the vehicle deployment for the Convoy Scenario.
A daytime simulation showing the vehicle deployment for the Convoy Scenario.


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Customer Comments:

“In this phase, we explored an alternate way of training. Since there are limited opportunities for actual training, virtual training can provide training whenever it’s needed.”
— Dr. Dawn Elliott, KSC Principal Investigator

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Summary:

FutureFlight Central successfully simulated the four scenarios, thus demonstrating the feasibility of using a high-fidelity virtual environment for personnel training and skills maintenance.

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Last Updated: September 13, 2017

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