With the successful soft landing of
Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander ("Odysseus") on the Moon, NASA's
Playbook, the next-generation mission planning and execution software tool developed by the
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Group at
NASA Ames Research Center, marks its debut in lunar surface operations. For the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission, prior to landing, Playbook was being used for nominal operations planning of all NASA payloads onboard the lander. Following Odysseus' unexpected landing in a tilted position, the tool is now playing a critical role in payload operations re-planning as mission objectives evolve. Playbook proved instrumental in creating contingency plans for the lander's payloads in response to the new challenges faced by the mission. As the NASA project scientist for IM-1 put it, "...Playbook for us has been a godsend...I don’t know how we’d do this without Playbook."
Odysseus is currently "sleeping" through the lunar night. Intuitive Machines will attempt to wake the lander when the sun shines on its solar panels again in early April 2024. If successful, mission planning for NASA payloads on IM-1 will resume in Playbook.
Looking forward, NASA's Playbook team will continue to support the IM-1 project scientists and payload teams by ensuring Playbook availability, advising on use of the tool, providing technical and user support, and documenting lessons learned in preparation for the remainder of the
2024 CLPS missions.
