Fearless steps APOLLO: Operational disconnect detection in mission control

Teams engaged in complex real-time tasks such as air traffic control [1], emergency medicine [5], or military operations [6] rely on task coordination between specialized experts, in part using voice communication. Bearman, et al. studied incidents of operational, evaluative, and informational disconnects in radio communication between the Mission Control Center (MCC) and the spacecraft during the Apollo 13 mission, with the ultimate goal of studying the resolution of those disconnects and their effect on decision making [1]. In that study, they identified a total of 204 such disconnects. In our new work, we focus on operational disconnects observed on three recorded Apollo 13 MCC channels: the Flight Director loop, Flight Dynamics Officer (FIDO) headset audio, and Network Controller headset audio. Operational disconnects are defined as (1) a difference between the actions of one party and actions expected by the other party, or (2) a mismatch in the plans each party had about some operation. Plans are action-oriented cognitive structures that encapsulate intentions about future behavior.