John Samson

High Performance Dependable Multiprocessor II

With the ever-increasing demand for higher bandwidth and processing capacity of todays space exploration, space science, and defense missions, the ability to efficiently apply commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) processors for on-board computing has become a critical need. In response to this need, NASAs new millennium program (NMP) office commissioned the development of dependable multiprocessor (DM) technology for use in science and autonomy missions, but the technology is also applicable to a wide variety of DoD missions. The goal of the DM project is to provide spacecraft/payload processing capability 10x -100x what is available today, enabling heretofore unrealizable levels of science and autonomy. DM technology is being developed as part of the NMP ST8 (space technology 8) project. The objective of this NMP ST8 effort is to combine high-performance, fault tolerant, COTS-based cluster processing and fault tolerant middleware in an architecture and software framework capable of supporting a wide variety of mission applications. Dependable multiprocessor development is continuing as one of the four selected ST8 flight experiments planned to be flown in 2009.

Technology Validation: NMP ST8 Dependable Multiprocessor Project II

With the ever-increasing demand for higher bandwidth and processing capacity of todays space exploration, space science, and defense missions, the ability to efficiently apply Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) processors for on-board computing has become a critical need. In response to this need, NASAs New Millennium Program (NMP) commissioned the development of Dependable Multiprocessor (DM) technology for use in science and autonomy missions, but the technology is also applicable to a wide variety of DoD missions. The goal of the DM project is to provide spacecraft/payload processing capability lOx -lOOx what is available today, enabling heretofore unrealizable levels of science and autonomy. DM technology is being developed as part of the NMP ST8 (Space Technology 8) project. The objective of this NMP ST8 effort is to combine high-performance, fault tolerant, COTS-based cluster processing and fault tolerant middleware in an architecture and software framework capable of supporting a wide variety of mission applications. Dependable Multiprocessor development is continuing as one of the four selected ST8 flight experiments planned to be flown in 2009.

The cots conundrum

corn Abstract - The use of COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) in signal and data processing technologies for use in space and airborne applications has been a topic of much review and discussion. Clearly, there are many benefits to using COTS however, there are also many potential pitfalls for the unwary user. This paper identifies some of the pitfalls that one must understand and potentially overcome in order to use COTS successfully. Issues considered are performance in radiation environments, cost, and rapid pace of COTS compared to long development cycles for space-based systems, etc. Some of these COTS issues are particularly acute in space applications. The understanding and handling of COTS vulnerabilities can lead to successful use of COTS in space and airborne applications if proper consideration is addressed early in the development cycle.

NMP ST8 dependable multiprocessor: TRL6 validation — preliminary results

Space exploration, science, and autonomy missions are requiring ever-increasing bandwidth and processing capacity to the extent that the ability to apply high-performance COTS processors for onboard computing in space is becoming a critical need. To date, Dependable Multiprocessor (DM) technology has been developed as part of NASAs New Millennium Program (NMP) ST8 (Space Technology 8) project. DM was one of four technologies selected for the ST8 flight experiment. The objective of the NMP ST8 effort is to combine high-performance, SEU-tolerant, COTS-based cluster processing and SEU-tolerant middleware in an architecture and software framework capable of supporting a wide variety of mission applications. The goal of the Dependable Multiprocessor project is to provide spacecraft/payload processing capability at speeds 10x — 100x of what is available today, enabling heretofore unrealizable levels of science and autonomy.

The Space Technology 8 mission

The Space Technology 8 (ST8) mission is the latest in NASAs New Millennium Program technology demonstration missions. ST8 includes a spacecraft bus built by industry, flying four new technology payloads in low-Earth orbit. This paper describes each payload, along with a brief description of the mission and spacecraft. The payloads include a miniature loop heat pipe intended to save mass and power on future small satellites, designed and built by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center; a lightweight, 35g/m linear mass, 40-m deployable boom intended as a future solar sail mast built by ATK Space Systems; a deployable, lightweight ultraflex solar array producing 175W/kg, also built by ATK Space Systems; and a high-speed, parallel-processing computer system built of state-of-the-art COTS processors, demonstrating SEU tolerance without the need for radiation-hardened electronics, and 100M operations per second per Watt processing throughput density

Adaptive resource management (ARM) middleware-the path for using COTS in space

Most COTS hardware and software are designed to be used in benign environments, not the harsh environment of space in which radiation effects, such as total dose and the predominance of SEU phenomena, have a major impact on the design and operation of spacecraft and payloads. One solution is to modify the COTS hardware and/or software to make it space compatible. This is a less desirable solution because once it is modified, for all intents and purposes, it is no longer COTS. An alternative solution is to develop an architecture which allows the use of COTS hardware and software as is, while providing the necessary fault tolerance and power management features not found in the commercial hardware and software. This paper describes such an architecture based on the ARM concept including identification of the hooks, features, and interfaces needed to fly COTS in space.

Increasing the capability of CubeSat-based software-defined radio applications

CubeSats are highly accessible as Earth orbiting platforms due to their low costs of development and launch when compared to traditional small satellites. This accessibility, combined with a commensurately short development timeline, can be attributed to the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. However, COTS components typically have limited inherent resilience to the space environment. As such, CubeSat usage has largely been limited to experiments or applications where high availability is not required. Several technologies are enablers for increased CubeSat performance in the environment of space. Dependable Multiprocessor (DM) technology has demonstrated the capability for high system availability and reliability with COTS processors in a space environment. DM opens many possibilities for high performance, low cost processing in space, supporting technologies such as advanced software defined radios (SDR). SDR technology allows for on-orbit reconfigurability of data management, protocols, multiple access methods, waveforms, and data protection. This paper explores how these enabling technologies hold promise for increasing the availability and capability of CubeSats, allowing CubeSats to be used in advanced applications often associated with military and commercial operations.