■ The principal investigator (PI)-IN-A-BO X knowl- edge-based system helps astronauts perform sci- ence experiments in space. These experiments are typically costly to devise and build and often are difficult to perform. Further, the space laboratory environment is unique; ever changing; hectic; and, therefore, stressful. The environment requires quick, correct reactions to events over a wide range of experiments and disciplines, including ones distant from an astronaut’s main science specialty. This environment suggests the use of advanced techniques for data collection, analysis, and decision making to maximize the value of the research performed. PI-IN-A-BO X aids astronauts with quick-look data collection, reduc- tion, and analysis as well as equipment diagnosis and troubleshooting, procedural reminders, and suggestions for high-value departures from the preplanned experiment protocol. The astronauts have direct access to the system, which is hosted on a portable computer in the Space Lab module. The system is in use on the ground for mission training and was used in flight during the Octo- ber 1993 space life sciences 2 (SLS-2) shuttle mis- sion. T he critical resource in astronaut-tended flight experiments is time. The lack of time affects both preflight training for, and in-flight operation of, the experiment. This difficulty with time is currently true with the Space Shuttle Program and will persist with the advent of Space Station Freedom operations. Another key factor in space exper- imentation is the use of fixed experiment pro- tocols. This major constraint severely limits the ability of an earth-bound scientist to change the course of an experiment even when the data and current situation clearly indicate that it would be scientifically more valuable to do so. The principal investigator ( PI )- IN - A- BO X knowledge-based system helps scientist-astro- nauts do better science in space given fairly severe time constraints and the need for them to work in areas outside their specialty. The goal is to help the astronaut become a scien- tific collaborator with the ground-based prin- cipal investigator who designed the experi- ment. The system facilitates increasing both (1) the level of astronaut-investigator collabo- ration and (2) the quality of the science per- formed in space by sharing observations with the astronaut about the quality and the importance of the data as they are being col- lected in flight. This system has the potential to fundamentally change the way crew mem- bers interact with ground-based investigators in the space station era. In this article, we present a logical overview of the system; continue with a description of our first area of application; explain the tech- nical details of the current implementation; and, finally, share some development philoso- phy used to manage this multiyear project. This system continues previous work described in Young et al. (1989), Haymann- Haber et al. (1989), and Frainier et al. (1990). Functional Overview Th e PI -IN -A-BO X system has several modules (figure 1). Together, they allow diagnosis of data-collection problems, hypothesis moni- toring and formulation (limited to an analysis of interestingness in the initial system), deter- mination and scheduling of the experiment’s steps, and general-purpose help for the astro- naut-user. Th e data-acquisition module (DAM) and the data-quality monitor (DQM) acquire data from the experiment (displayed in real time), Articles SPRING 1994 39 P I -IN -A -B OX A Knowledge-Based System for Space Science Experimentation Richard Frainier, Nicolas Groleau, Lyman Hazelton, Silvano Colombano, Michael Compton, Irving Statler, Peter Szolovits, and Laurence Young Copyright © 1994, AAAI. All rights reserved. 0738-4602-1994 / $2.00 AI Magazine Volume 15 N umber 1 (1994) (© AAAI)