Controlling a Black-Box Simulation of a Spacecraft

This article reports on experiments performed using a black-box simulation of a spacecraft. The goal of this research is to learn to control the attitude of an orbiting satellite. The space-craft must be able to operate with minimal human supervision. To this end, we are investigating the possibility of using adaptive controllers for such tasks. Laboratory tests have suggested that rule-based methods can be more robust than systems developed using traditional control theory. The BOXES learning system, which has already met with success in simulated laboratory tasks, is an effective design framework for this new exercise.