Wind River Linux is Selected for NASA Space Mission

Wind River Systems announced that the company has been selected to contribute in the development of NASA's New Millennium Program Space Technology 8 (ST8) Dependable Multiprocessor. This is the first time, a Linux platform has been selected by Honeywell for a space mission. Honeywell Aerospace is the prime contractor for NASA's ST8 Dependable Multiprocessor project. Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition, will be the underlying operating system to support the processing of science and experiment data onboard the ST8 spacecraft.

Dr. John R. Samson, Jr., Principal Engineering Fellow at Honeywell Defense and Space:

Honeywell is pleased to work with Wind River in the development of our Dependable Multiprocessor…

As space missions continue to become more complex and demanding, it is critical that the onboard computing equipment be built to handle the intense data processing and analysis that is required. As a result of the demonstration of COTS in the ST8 flight experiment, the application of Dependable Multiprocessor technology is expected to yield unparalleled benefits for years to come, particularly in the reduction of development time, cost, and risk of future space systems…

The Dependable Multiprocessor is a game-changing technology that will create a new generation of "smart" spacecraft and robotics for future exploration missions conducted by NASA. Composed of a state-of-the-art commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based supercomputer architecture capable of incorporating both on-chip and FPGA-based algorithmic co-processors, Dependable Multiprocessor technology can autonomously and adaptively configure the level of fault tolerance applied to the COTS-based computer system in response to constantly changing mission environments and the criticality of the mission application. The Dependable Multiprocessor will allow the spacecraft to process and analyze its own data to make instant decisions about what is observed without having to send the information to Earth and wait for a reply.

Any material put into space is subject to variable accelerations, mechanical shock and vibration, harsh vacuum conditions, extreme temperatures, and often, intense particle and electromagnetic radiation. Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition, running in conjunction with GoAhead SelfReliant Software, which provides high availability middleware, and Honeywell's Dependable Multiprocessing Middleware on Extreme Engineering Solutions' XPedite6031 boards, will support the demonstration of high availability and high reliability operation for the ST8 Dependable Multiprocessor experiment.

The ST8 mission is scheduled for launch in November 2009, with an expected duration of at least seven months consisting of two phases, including a one-month commissioning phase and a six-month experiment phase. The mission consists of four independent experiments, including the Dependable Multiprocessor on a common spacecraft bus being provided by Orbital Sciences Corporation. The Dependable Multiprocessor experiment will validate a computer system architectural approach that allows application flexibility by applying robust control of the high performance COTS cluster, enhanced software-based SEU (Single Event Upset) tolerance, and user-selectable redundancy only to the level required by the environment and the criticality of the task or computation.

About Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition
Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition, is a commercial-grade Linux solution for device development and deployment. The platform contains a fully tested and validated Linux distribution based on Linux 2.6 kernel technology. It is an open, cross-build system, leveraging "pristine source" packages and managing individual patches to transparently build the Linux run-time distribution for a specific device.

The platform combines a high performance kernel environment with powerful networking applications, file systems, management and security features. Wind River Platform for Network Equipment also includes the Eclipse-based Wind River(R) Workbench development suite, customer education to help jump-start your projects, a specialized professional services team and 24/7 global technical support.

More info: Wind River Linux for Space Mission