Protocols for Asynchronous Communication in Space Operations: Communication Analysis

Effective and efficient communication between Mission Control and space crews is essential for successful task performance and mission safety. The importance of team communication is heightened when unforeseen problems arise, such as system failures that are time-critical and require extensive coordination and collaboration between space and ground crews. During long duration missions and missions beyond Low Earth Orbit, space-ground communications will involve delays up to 20 minutes one-way, a reality that poses a formidable challenge to team communication and task performance. The overall aim of this research project was to develop and validate medium-specific communication protocols that enable flight controllers and space crews to establish and maintain common ground (i.e., mutual task and situation awareness) and coordinate problem solutions in response to different operational tasks during periods of communication delays. Specific project goals were: (1) Determine the impact of communication delays on communication, teamwork, and task performance in relation to varying task demands, i.e., procedural tasks vs. tasks requiring analysis and decision making, and different communication media (voice vs. text). (2) Develop and validate communication protocols to support joint problem solving and decision making by mission controllers and space crews during periods of asynchronous communication. To achieve these objectives several ground-based studies (space analog and laboratory) were conducted.

The first set of studies had the goal to determine how transmission delays of various lengths impact team communication and performance under different media conditions. Findings then informed the design of medium-specific communication protocols. Their feasibility for space missions was assessed in two analog environments s [Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) and NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations NEEMO)]. A complimentary laboratory study was conducted to examine further whether the availability of protocols enhanced remote team members’ communication and task performance during periods of communication delay.

Our research resulted in the design of communication protocols and a training module that support collaborative problem solving and decision making by teams that are distributed across Earth and space and communicate asynchronously. Communication protocols could also be used to support collaborative work within on-ground distributed synchronous teams, for instance, during military operations or in telemedicine. Moreover, the communication protocols also point to technological solutions. One example is the text tool that was adopted in one space simulation and assisted the crew with the temporal aspects of communication. Further improvements might be a less chat- and more email-like text tool that includes a subject header and links between related messages to make it easier for conversational partners to follow a conversational thread. A text tool could also provide a template that gives structure to a message and highlights its components. Likewise, voice communication could be facilitated if recordings of messages were available to both sender and receiver. Moreover, the recording could indicate when a message was transmitted, and it is conceivable that the recording tool would include prompts for specific message components.

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