Denise Lanza1

1
Responsive Space Through Adaptive Avionics21
Apr 04
Denise Lanza1 Jim Lyke2 Paul Zetocha2 Don
Fronterhouse3 Dave Melanson4 Space Vehicles
Directorate Air Force Research Laboratory
1 SAIC 2 AFRL/VS 3 Strategic Simulation Inc 4
ATK/MRC
AIAA 2nd Responsive Space Conference
2
Outline

• Responsive space
• Reconfigurable space systems
• Adaptive Avionics Experiment (AAE)
• Acceleration of thought-to-hardware
• Drag-and-drop approach

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Ready-to-Use Approach

• Pre-integrated payload
• No flexibility
• Off-the-shelf payload
• Limited flexibility
• Complex functional verification
• Software and interface risks
• Months used for integration

What happens if a new/modified payload is needed?
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Responsive Space Goal

• Office of Space Transformation Goal
• Fielding a new payload in weeks and months and
  not decades

"Transformation Trends", presentation by OSD
Office of Force Transformation, 17 October 2003,
available at the Office of Force website
(http//www.oft.osd.mil).
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Reconfigurable Space Systems

• The ability to demonstrate different non-trivial
  behaviors or physical states through
  software-only commands.

Within reconfigurability lies a solution to
responsive space payloads
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Reconfigurable Systems Taxonomy
Digital Systems
Computers/ Routers
Field Programmable Gate Arrays
Electrical
Analog Systems
Instrumentation
Sensors
RF
Power
Connective
Pathways
Reconfigurable Components
Wiring
Optical
Fluidic
Thermal
Mechanisms
Actuators
Connectors/ Fasteners
Mechanical
Materials
Surfaces
Bulk properties
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The Adaptive Hierarchy
highest
Cognitive systems Manage themselves
Evolvable systems Iterative compiling
Self-configurable systems Fly the compiler
Context-switchable systems Jukebox flexibility
Programmable systems Knobs turned with software
Fixed systems No reconfigurability
lowest
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Adaptive Avionics Experiment
Optical Sensor Suite
SRAM
Memory FPGA
Input/ Output FPGA
Adaptive Wiring Manifold
MSP
RAW
RAW
SpaceWire
CMP
RAW
RAW
MSP
Software- Defined Radio
SpaceWire
SpaceWire Switch
CMP
Telemetry
MSP
RF Comm
SpaceWire
CDH
CMP
Appliqué Sensors Network
Command Uplink
MSP
SpaceWire
SpaceWire
RS-422 Host Command Port
CMP
IBM PPC Management Processor
Self-Aware Cognitive Software
MSP
Appliqué Emergency Transmitter
SpaceWire
CMP
C-RAM
CMP
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Adaptive Avionics Experiment
Optical Sensor Suite
SRAM
Memory FPGA
Input/ Output FPGA
Adaptive Wiring Manifold
MSP
RAW
RAW
SpaceWire
CMP
RAW
RAW
MSP
Software- Defined Radio
SpaceWire
SpaceWire Switch
CMP
Telemetry
MSP
RF Comm
SpaceWire
CDH
CMP
Appliqué Sensors Network
Command Uplink
MSP
SpaceWire
SpaceWire
RS-422 Host Command Port
CMP
IBM PPC Management Processor
Self-Aware Cognitive Software
MSP
Appliqué Emergency Transmitter
SpaceWire
CMP
C-RAM
CMP
10
Adaptive Avionics Experiment
Optical Sensor Suite
SRAM
Memory FPGA
Input/ Output FPGA
Adaptive Wiring Manifold
MSP
RAW
RAW
SpaceWire
CMP
RAW
RAW
MSP
Software- Defined Radio
SpaceWire
SpaceWire Switch
CMP
Telemetry
MSP
RF Comm
SpaceWire
CDH
CMP
Appliqué Sensors Network
Command Uplink
MSP
SpaceWire
SpaceWire
RS-422 Host Command Port
CMP
IBM PPC Management Processor
Self-Aware Cognitive Software
MSP
Appliqué Emergency Transmitter
SpaceWire
CMP
C-RAM
CMP
Command and Data Handling
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Appliqué Sensors Network
Applique Sensors
AWM
SpaceWire Switch
MSPs

• Candidate sensors
• Temperature
• Voltage
• Atomic oxygen
• Vibration
• Many others

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Acceleration of Thought to Hardware

• Four limiting factors
• Thought-limited Time to conceptualize, plan,
  organize, decompose, code, design, layout, etc.
• Process-limited Manufacturing time
• Coordination-limited Communications, approvals,
  referrals, delegations
• Geography/physics limited Distribution of
  assembly facilities
• How do we speed up the process?

Convert these all to thought-limited and
automate.
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Example IC vs FPGA
Integrated Circuit (IC)
TEST/INT
DESIGN
FABRICATE



3 Months
6 Months
2 Months
11 months
Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)
TEST/INT
DESIGN
FABRICATE



3 Months
0 Months
2 Months
5 months
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Drag-and-Drop Satellite Design

• VLSI design flow
• Satellite design flow
• Issues/challenges
• What AAE is doing

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VLSI Automated Design Flow
High-level Design Capture
Design Verification
Synthesis Tools
Verification of Back-Annotated Design
Synthesized Design
Standard Cell Library
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Rapid Design and Synthesis
Requirements Capture
Initial Design (Using Cell Library)
Method 1
One or both design methods may be used
Manual Drag-and-Drop
Method 2
High-level mission modeling
Rapid capture of requirements
Automatically Generated Strawman Design
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Back Annotation
original
with virtual design
ACCEPTABLE?
NO
YES
Repeat previous steps
Go on to detailed build
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Issues/Challenges

• Development of computer-aided design tools
• Development of third-party library infrastructure
• Minimizing custom components
• Achieving affordability without economy of scale
• Gaining cultural acceptance

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What AAE is Doing

• Intelligent modular components with
  reconfigurable hooks
• Minimization of custom wiring
• Reducing or eliminating custom software
• Open systems methodologies

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Summary

• Responsive space requires fundamentally new
  approaches to spacecraft development
• Reconfigurable technologies provide speed through
  software-only customization of functionality
• Reconfigurability also increases mission
  footprint
• Adaptive Avionics Experiment explores use of
  reconfigurable technology to reduce development
  time
• Harnessing modern approaches to design automation
  will further enhance benefits of
  reconfigurability