Integrating ISHM with Flight Avionics Architectures for Cyber-Physical Space Systems

Substantial progress has been made by NASA in integrating flight avionics and ISHM with well-defined caution and warning system, however, the scope of ACAW alerting and response systems is still limited to a single failure response mapping. While the approach of single Caution And Warning (CW) message mapped to a single response procedure may be sufficient for simple cases, for a well-connected system with inter-dependencies among the components a single component failure will likely negatively impact other components functions downstream that are dependent on the failed component. This may lead to the generation of multiple CW messages and hence the potential invocation of multiple conflicting malfunction and response and recovery procedures. QSI is proposing, with significant feedback from the NASA COR and other NASA stakeholders, on a more proactive approach that improves the CW message generation itself and produces a more appropriate, prioritized and actionable set of CW messages through the identification of the root cause failures, impact or consequence analysis of those failures and the associated risk assessment all of which are critical to the choice for the appropriate response/recovery procedure(s). The proposed solution will provide real-time capability to assess the health and its impact on the capability of a spacecraft, and utilize it to identify suitable recovery options to ensure crew safety and mission success. It will enable smarter crew displays that tie together System Health, Advanced Caution Advisory and Warning System (ACAWS) messages and recommended recovery procedures, thereby improving the decision-making ability of the crew for deep space missions.

The product resulting from this effort will be ready for transition to current and planned NASA crewed as well as robotic missions, both near Earth as well as deep space missions. At the end of Phase II, we expect to demonstrate the solution on NASA systems relevant for the EM-1 and EM-2 missions such as the AMPS (Advanced Modular Power System) or the CDS (Cascade Distillation System) for water purification and reuse and for possible Phase III user evaluation and field trials. Hence one such immediate application is the Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Program, managed by Johnson Space Center. The product resulting from this effort will be ready for transition to current and planned NASA crewed as well as robotic missions, both near Earth as well as deep space missions. At the end of Phase II, we expect to demonstrate the developed solution on target NASA systems that are relevant for the EM-1 and EM-2 missions such as the AMPS (Advanced Modular Power System) or the CDS (Cascade Distillation System) for water purification and reuse and for possible Phase III user evaluation and field trials. Hence one such immediate application is the Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Program, managed by Johnson Space Center. The NASA COR, Gordon Aaseng of ARC is stationed at JSC and works closely with the operations groups at JSC. In addition, the Space Launch System (SLS), managed by Marshall Space Flight Center is another immediate viable NASA application.

Among non-NASA agencies, DoD, US Air Force, US Navy, and commercial aviation (e.g., SpaceX) are the most potential customers for the resulting technologies. Large scale military systems (systems of systems) such as NORAD, Space Command ground segments, the Joint Strike Fighter fleet, the Navy shipboard platforms, Submarine Commands and ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems can be potential areas to field the proposed technology. One such strong candidate for potential non-NASA application is the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. Both variants of LCS (Freedom-class and Independence-class) are extremely hi-tech, complex and have highly interconnected systems and subsystems. However, with a lightly manned ship as planned, the burden on the crew for ship maintenance is enormous. Currently, the shipboard crew and the shore-site experts all face enormous challenges especially during unscheduled failures. A failure identification and impact assessment system as being developed through this effort will be of immediate value to the LCS program and its system integrators, namely Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. Both these corporations as well as NAVSEA are strong candidates for a near-term non-NASA application of this technology.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.