STAR v0.3 Release
The Scheduling, Training, Administration, and Records (STAR) team achieved a major milestone last week with the release of STAR v0.3. This release represents the third iterative release of the STAR application with substantial functionality developed in a spirally developed software project. STAR 0.3 was classified as an “Internal release,” which by definition will not go through a formal testing and bug-fixing cycle as with a formal rollout release. Instead, the STAR team will roll out various application/database deployments (known as snapshots), possibly several different ones if there is a need for somewhat a relatively stable snapshot for demonstration purposes.
The STAR Development Leads and Integrators will help to inventory the snapshot to catalog what functionalities have been implemented, partially implemented, and not yet implemented. The intent of this exercise is two-fold:
- To provide the project team an assessment of where we are and how well we have been proceeding, to better plan for the other half of the implementation phase.
- To have a mid-development snapshot that can be used for selective demonstration needs. Since these snapshots are still in “development,” without vigorous testing and bug fixing, significant “disclosures” and “hand holding” will be required during the demos.
This internal/non-production release ultimately will help the team gain insight prior to two major production releases (0.4 and 0.5) in June and July. Multiple introductory meetings were held with identified users. Comments from this user group are expected over the next week and their suggestions for improvement will be prioritized by the STAR module teams for incorporation in the production releases.
STAR v0.3 contains exciting functional capabilities such as being able to create and open existing training plans, managing students and their time allocations through Student Manager, seamlessly adding curriculum flows through Flow Manager, viewing lesson details through the Lessons window pane, modifying the lessons by changing the duration/characterization/grouping lessons/etc., and providing a Timeline View (where capabilities of viewing loading, drag and drop, and grouping lessons are now available). This release also enables Integrated Simulation Scheduling, allowing the Integrated Simulation Scheduler to create, open, publish, and print an integrated simulation schedule, with capabilities as schedule filtering, multiple calendar views (timeline, month, week, day), choosing from various Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) facilities, and dragging and dropping events in a web-based interface. Finally, STAR 0.3 also provides a functional implementation of the integrated simulation event feedback capabilities to enable Flight Controller and Instructor Performance Criteria for scheduled integrated simulation events for both flight controllers and instructors who participated in these simulations.
With the release of version 0.3, and two major production releases in the next two months, STAR provides a very tangible platform for eventually retiring the JSC Mission Operation Directorate’s disparate curriculum, planning, scheduling, records, and certification tools.
BACKGROUND: STAR is NASA’s next-generation training management system for crew, instructors, and flight controllers. It will replace the existing Training Administration Management System (TAMS), Flight Operations Curriculum Administration System (FOCAS), and a host of approximately 100 disparate tools with an enterprise system that provides integrated curriculum development and documentation, customized training plans, scheduling of personnel and facilities, training event feedback, and other training resources. All modules are being designed for maximum efficiency and interoperability. In an iterative process, event feedback will be used to help optimize the training plans.
DEVELOPMENT TEAM: Karen Au, Ilya Avrekh, Lionel Delmo, Michael Lam, Tristan Le, Tong Li, Shu-Chun (Jenessa) Lin, Wen (Betty) Liu, Rommel del Mundo, Quit Nguyen, Samuel Santiago, Mabel Sio, Eric Titolo, Phuong Vuong, Mei Wei, May Windrem, and Wei Zhang (Ames); William (Bill) Reiter (JSC)
INTEGRATION TEAM: Theresa Fuesting, Valerie Gordon, Paula Mosis (JSC)
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jeffrey (Jeff) Lee, Richard Papasin (Ames); Victoria (Tori) Palmer, Kathy Roger (JSC)
NASA PROGRAM FUNDING: The STAR project is an MOD-funded effort to develop the next-generation training management system for MOD for training of Astronauts, Flight Controllers, and Instructors. It is funded for FY09 entirely by the Space Shuttle Program (SSP).
Contact: Richard Papasin
Media
- NASA Official: Dave Korsmeyer
- Curator: ASANI Solutions