VMCC : a virtual reality framework for augmenting mission control operations

Abstract

Mission control has played an integral part of NASA missions since the early space exploration days. As NASA aims to return back to the Moon and prepare for sending astronauts to Mars, the mission architectures are increasing in complexity. Our ground based mission control operators will be working with more data and tighter constraints, creating an evident need for new and improved tools. With the advent of Virtual Reality (VR), we can leverage this immersive medium to create better tools and software to do exactly that. In this thesis I present vMCC - Virtual Mission Control, which is a multi-user Virtual Reality mission control tool for data visualization. I present the system design, tools, and user interface built for vMCC. I discuss how vMCC can be a foundational platform for prototype concepts to be built and tested. Finally, I present what a vision for future operations can look like and provide directions for future work.