Science Operations Pre-Planning & Optimization using AI constraint-resolution - the APSI Case Study 1

This paper gives a preliminary overview on activities within an ongoing project aimed at building a planning and scheduling software framework to support mission planners in ∞exibly support operations in ESA missions. These recent developments are in the scope of the Advanced Planning and Scheduling Initiative (APSI) an activity funded by ESA/ESOC and started in late 2006. In particular we describe here the test of the software framework in developing a support tool for Long and Medium Term Planning for Mars Express. The goal of this study, also know as Case Study 1 for APSI, is to generate a pre-optimized skeleton plan for science, communication and spacecraft maintenance slots, to be used as a support in the dialogue between the science and operation team in early pre-planning of activities. This problem has been identifled as an example of time consuming process that can potentially beneflt from the use of a support tool that performs a plan optimization phase.