Space shuttle software development

Nasa space shuttle flight control software statistical. As the 120ton space shuttle sits surrounded by almost 4 million. Integration efforts during fy 1995 also included analyses of structural loads. With the sts5 landing, the space shuttle primary avionics software system pass has completed over thirty years of operational service as the brains of the flybywire space shuttle vehicle. Due to the unstable aerodynamic nature of the orbiter, constant computer aid would be needed to assist with rudimentary flight tasks and the safe operation of the space shuttle. The shuttle program office has the final authority for all flight software requirements. The space shuttle program alone has generated more than 100 technology spinoffs. Skytale studios or skytale software gmbh is a small independent software developer company located in the heart of europe, in vienna, austria. An assessment of space shuttle flight software development. The space shuttle was a partially reusable low earth orbital spacecraft system that was operated from 1981 to 2011 by the national aeronautics and space administration nasa as part of the space shuttle program. Space shuttle fuel cell command and control technologies.

Enterprise during test rollout when external tanks were still painted white. The ksc team has developed systems on a range of technology platforms using software. There could be absolutely no exceptions in any of the processing and quality steps or the as. The starliner was designed to accommodate seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, for missions to lowearth orbit. Stsorbit plus, usually known as stsplus, will track the space shuttle or any satellite for which orbital data tles are available. Abstract ibms federal systems division is responsible for supplying errorfree software for nasas space shuttle program. To support the international space station mission requirements, nasa began to identify, develop, and schedule shuttle performance enhancements. It was obvious from the very beginning that developing the shuttles software would be a complicated job. The division participates in both programatic functions as well as targeted research and development in support of. Architecture of the space shuttle primary avionics software system. Space flight and space technologyspace shuttle technology. Communications of the acm september 1984 volume 27 number 9 pp.

Boeing s crew space transportation cst100 starliner spacecraft is being developed in collaboration with nasas commercial crew program. Mar 14, 2014 the article describes the software development process used by onboard shuttle group that writes software for nasa to be run on control computers inside the space shuttle. This is lecture 2 of the systems engineering curriculum from mit and edx, engineering the space shuttle. Hals is a realtime aerospace programming language compiler and cross compiler for avionics applications used by nasa and associated agencies jpl, etc.

Jun 18, 2019 this is lecture 2 of the systems engineering curriculum from mit and edx, engineering the space shuttle. Approximately 275 people support the space shuttle software development effort. Hals is a realtime aerospace programming language compiler and crosscompiler for avionics applications used by nasa and associated agencies jpl, etc. But when you look at how they did this is was not so much skill as that management completely sacrificed productivity for quality. Read an assessment of space shuttle flight software development. Software engineering institute sei a measure of the sophistication and. Was nasas software development team for the space shuttle.

What was the nature of the known bugs in the space shuttle. Nasas space shuttle program officially began in 1972, but its roots go all the way back to a nazi concept vehicle from the 1930s. Space shuttle spinoffs every day, in a variety of ways, american lives are touched by space technology. A central part of this effort is the history of the space shuttle, which has. Hardware network security cloud software development.

Jan 14, 2012 enterprise during test rollout when external tanks were still painted white. In 1969, shortly after the first moon landing of the apollo program, the presidents space task group recommended that the united states initiate a program to develop a new space transportation system. The software used to control assent was about perfectly bugfree. Programmers have learned how software breaks, according to robert hinson, chief of the shuttle data systems branch at nasas johnson space center in houston. Login register cart help an assessment of space shuttle flight software development processes 1993. We could write nearly perfect software but we choose not. I cant imagine how bad this was for the guys who wrote the actual core software described here. Special section paul schneck guest editor design, development. Cct develops space shuttle fuel cell telemetry processing system kennedy space center, fl. Nobody knows the real number of bugs in any software at any time, but jim orr literally wrote the book on space shuttle software issues and errors. Even if the claim of only one bug is an urban legend, the number of bugs was far less than what occurs in commercial software, and thats a testament to the care taken by the shuttle software developers. The shuttle program will end when atlantis touches down next.

To ensure that the bfs was as independent as possible, nasa contracted with rockwell to write it, and even different development environments. The first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights beginning in 1982. In this paper, the authors cite the space shuttle lioh lab as a real life example of how agile was used to effectively accomplish software development, and shortened the timeframe for successful completion of the lioh lab cartridge automated resource tracking project. The software engineering team at kennedy space center ksc can support a full lifecycle of software development services, ranging from requirements gathering, to design and development, testing, deployment and maintenance. Come and hear an actual account of agile techniques used in the production of the life support system for the space shuttle and international space station. A case study is then presented of the analysis of failure data from a space shuttle software project to predict the number of failures. It was obvious from the very beginning that developing the shuttle s software would be a complicated job. This program mainly consisted of construction of a space station, along with the development of a space shuttle. And yet during a mission as recent as 1992, a space shuttle computer became stymied while executing a program it had run millions of times before.

Developing software for the space shuttle nasa history division. Its official program name was space transportation system, taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development. Fsim space shuttle have you ever wondered what its like to land the space shuttle. The space shuttle avionics and pass legacy includes. After the space shuttle columbia disaster, the canadarm was always paired with the orbiter boom sensor system obss, which was used to inspect the exterior of the shuttle for damage. Even so there was an interesting phenomena that everybody on my team reported at some point having a nightmare where the shuttle blows up and its your fault. An assessment of space shuttle flight software development processes. The shuttle remote manipulator system srms, also known as canadarm or retroactively canadarm 1, is a series of robotic arms that were used on the space shuttle orbiters to deploy, maneuver and capture payloads. Funding restrictions precluded pursuing the development of both programs simultaneously, however. Page 4 gaolmtegsl20 space shuttle software development. The article describes the software development process used by onboard shuttle group that writes software for nasa to be run on control computers inside the space shuttle. The space shuttle flight software development process.

It was based on some ai principles and was a good idea, but was never put into active use. Nasa shuttle computers navigate record of reliability. The space shuttle engineering integration office by assignment to the space shuttle avionics office has primary responsibility for the entire process of software verification and validation. The space shuttle primary avionics system software pass was developed with multiple redundancies to permit the routine safe operation of the space transportation system 4. A brief description of the program and several screen capture examples follow the links for downloading the program files. Space shuttle flight software period themes initial pass oft development through sts5 1978 1982 prechallengeraccidentoperations1983challenger accident operations 1983 1985. Space shuttle ec 61 the space shuttle program plays a vital role in nasa s goal to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system by providing critical support for the assembly and operation of the international space station.

The product is designed to provide the experience and excitement of historic and current nasa space shuttle missions. Something like a desktop might not even survive all the vibration. It simulates the space shuttle approach and landing in incredible detail and accuracy. Nasa chose to develop the space shuttle program first, and then planned to use the shuttle in order to construct and service a space station. The software gives the orders to gimbal the main engines, executing the dramatic belly roll the shuttle does soon after it clears the tower. Developing software for the space shuttle 108 during 1973 and 1974 the first requirements began to be specified for what has become one of the most interesting software systems ever designed. Hardware network security cloud software development artificial intelligence. Space shuttle program primaryyy avionics software system. Space shuttle mission 2007 is the culmination of six years of research and development by a team of talented developers and dedicated space and simulation fans. Space shuttle ec 61 the space shuttle program plays a vital role in nasas goal to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system by providing critical support for the assembly and operation of the international space station. Established in 1990, the software, robotics, and simulation division er is responsible for the design, development, testing, and operations of intelligent systems, robotic systems, and realtime simulation systems that facilitate the human exploration and development of space. Software errors could have destroyed boeing starliner. Objective this paper is based on a recent experience implementing and testing a large new software capability in a.

Nasa was able to achieve zero defects for the space shuttle software, but at a cost of thousands of dollars per line of code. Rone the design, development, and integration of the shuttle. The space shuttle flight software development process an. In flight, all shuttle control activitiesincluding main engine throttling, directing control jets to turn the vehicle in a different orientation, firing the engines, or providing guidance commands for landingare performed manually or automatically with this. On top of the features included in the original space shuttle deluxe, it simulates some of the displays in the shuttle and simulates some of the systems in the real shuttle, including the apuhyd system. This blog post was inspired by an article they write the right stuff by charles fishman published in the dec 1996jan 1997 issue of fast company magazine. An assessment of space shuttle flight software development processes free pdf downloadable after registration. The space shuttle is a partially reusable low earth orbital spacecraft system that was operated from 1981 to 2011 by the u. The development of space shuttle software posed unique requirements above and beyond raw size 30 times larger than saturn v software, complexity, and criticality. Guest editor architecture of the space shuttle primary avionics software system pass, perhaps the most complex flight computer program ever developed, epitomizes the benefits to be gained by establishing a wellstructured system architecture at the front end of the development process gene d. It is possible to achieve zero defects but it is also costly. Redundancy management technique space shuttle computers. As the 120ton space shuttle sits surrounded by almost 4 million pounds of rocket fuel, exhaling noxious fumes, visibly impatient to defy gravity.

Space shuttle mission 2007 is the newest, most exciting and affordable space shuttle simulator available today. Jun 28, 2011 nasas space shuttle program officially began in 1972, but its roots go all the way back to a nazi concept vehicle from the 1930s. National aeronautics and space administration as part of the space shuttle program. Pursuant to a congressional request, gao obtained information on the national aeronautics and space administrations nasa efforts to improve shuttle software oversight activities and identified. In addition, the shuttle software required 30 times more coding than that of the apollo moon missions, and the instructions tested the memory limits of the orbiteras computers 5. When the software is satisfied with the shuttle s position in space, it orders the main engines to shut down weightlessness begins and everything starts to float. The primary avionics software system pass is the missioncritical onboard data processing system for nasas space shuttle fleet. The software throttles the engines to make sure the craft doesnt accelerate too fast. Every software engineering project could boast similar numbers. Guest editor architecture of the space shuttle primary avionics software system pass, perhaps the most complex flight computer program ever developed, epitomizes the benefits to be gained by establishing a wellstructured system architecture at the front end of the development. It simulates the space shuttle approach and landing in incredible.

The environment of space is very harsh and unfriendly and not just space, but getting into space, said roscoe ferguson, a space shuttle flight software operating system engineer for the united space alliance. This document lists 31 operational increment oi releases i. Although nasa believed its procedures to be sound, it expanded an existing contract with intermetrics, inc. All told, pass has been in control for over 0 days of orbital. How often, if ever, was software updated in the shuttle. Since 1976, over 1,500 documented nasa technologies have benefited u. Then once you get into space you have the radiation. Agile software development and the space shuttle lioh lab. Process development started at beginning of project d t il d t i pass lit d li bilit i t i d idetailed metrics on pass process, quality, and reliability is contained in a separate companion presentation space shuttle program primary avionics software system pass slsuccess. In september 1969, the space task group, under leadership of vice president spiro agnew, issued a report calling for the development of a space shuttle to bring people and cargo to low earth orbit leo, as well as a space tug for transfers between orbits and the moon, and a reusable nuclear stage for deep space travel 163166. Guest editor shuttle primary avionics software system. Ibm and rockwell international had worked together during the. The shuttle was the most complex flying machine ever built and required sophisticated software to ensure a successful operation. An assessment of space shuttle flight software development processes national research council, division on engineering and physical sciences.

The design, development, and integration of the shuttle onboard primary avionics software system pass have posed unique requirements associated with. Space shuttle primary flight software system the development of space shuttle software posed unique requirements above and beyond raw size 30 times larger than saturn v software, complexity, and criticality. Its official program name was space transportation system sts, taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development. Nasa awarded ibm corporation the first independent shuttle software contract on march 10, 1973. Nasa chose to develop the space shuttle program first, and then planned to use the shuttle in order to construct and service a space. Most projects simply cannot afford the same level of testing as. Two software errors detected after the launch of a boeing starliner crew ship during an unpiloted test flight last december, one of which prevented a planned docking with the international space. Space shuttle mission sts83 was scheduled for a 16 day spacelab mission in april 1997 to conduct microgravity research.