Study and development of malfunction scenarios for EDR payload of ISS Columbus module for ESA training simulations

The ground support personnel (GSP) is in charge of the ISS operations and the training for it consists of classroom training, hands-on training and simulations. During the operative sessions the instructors provide real-like scenarios of ISS, enhanced by the injection of malfunction scenarios to which the operators should opportunely respond. The objective of this paper is the development of such malfunction scenarios, with particular focus to those affecting a specific ESA Payload on board the ISS, namely the European Drawer Rack (EDR), located in the European Laboratory Columbus. Specific failure scripts were written and once inserted and processes by the simulator, could generate modifications of some telemetry values and result in an off-nominal condition. The Flight Controllers participating in the simulation are supposed to recognize the off-nominal telemetry and properly react, handling such malfunctions and acting as the procedures recommend. The important role of this work lye in the fact that can fasten the hole preparation and performance process of simulations, letting the examiner free to concentrate better on evaluating the student’s reactions. In the end since some of these malfunctions are completely “new”, they can serve as a basis to troubleshoot a real problem that could happen on orbit.