A prototype fault diagnosis system for NASA Space Station Power Management and Control.

The Power Management and Distribution System (PMAD) Prototype utilizes a computer graphics interface with a computer expert system running transparent to the user and a computer communications interface that links the two together, all enabling the diagnosis of PMAD system faults. The prototype design is based on the concept that an astronaut on a space station will instruct an expert system through a graphics interface to run a system or component check on the PMAD system. The graphics interface determines which type of evaluations was requested and sends that information through the communications interface to the expert system. The expert system receives the information and, based on the type of evaluation requested, executes the appropriate rules in the knowledge base and sends the resulting status back to the graphics interface and the astronaut. The PMAD System Prototype serves as a proposed training tool for NASA to use in the training of new personnel who will be designing and developing the NASA Space Station expert systems.