ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR A COMMAND AND DATA HANDLING SUBSYSTEM IN A 'BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER' ENVIRONMENT

摘要

NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative (SSTI) is developing two lightweight, "pathfinder" spacecraft, Lewis and Clark, to demonstrate a better, faster, cheaper approach to spacecraft development and to gain valuable space science and technology data. SSTI is a two-year-to-flight program. The goals of the program are: (1) increase the capabilities of small spacecraft, (2) reduce the cost and development time of space missions, (3) demonstrate new designs and qualification methods, (4) integrate small instrumentation technology, and (5) proactively promote commercial technology applications.rnThe Clark SSTI program used an integrated product development team (IPDT) with government and industry members. CTA Space Systems is team leader, with NASA, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, and USAF membership. The Clark spacecraft will demonstrate 36 advanced technologies across all its subsystems. Lockheed Martin Astronautics provides electrical power, command and data handling, and structures and mechanisms subsystems. CTA Space Systems provides attitude determination and control, integration and test, ground systems, mission planning and operations, and commercialization of the advanced technologies. Nearly two dozen government and industry members contribute to the program.rnIn the command and data handling subsystem, SSTI Clark will demonstrate the implementation of seven advanced technologies in a "better, cheaper, faster" environment. The seven advanced technologies are: (1) 3-D Cube packaging, (2) 16 Mbit DRAM, (3) integrated avionics, (4) multifunctional serial I/O bus, (5) 32-bit processor, (6) composite housing, and (7) radiation hardened field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The C&DH IPDT is led by Lockheed Martin Astronautics. Key team members include Harris,rnSEAKR, and numerous suppliers. This paper will discuss each technology (including the achieved performance metrics) and how these technologies were implemented using the "better, cheaper, faster" methods employed for the SSTI mission.