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ESDMD #0202: High-Performance Onboard Computing

Radiation-tolerant onboard computers, in space and on surfaces, with more processing, input/output bandwidth and storage to support autonomy, prognostics and onboard data reduction, on open avionics architectures that mix vendors (bin 3, rating 26 of 57). Today's workaround, redundant commercial processors, costs size, weight, power and complexity (Tech gaps spreadsheet, ESDMD #0202).

Quotations below are from row ESDMD #0202 of the tech gaps spreadsheet. ADD Rev C's Appendix D prints the same table for this gap, and it matches the row field for field (ADD Rev C, p. 209).

Description

"Advanced onboard computing systems are needed both in space and on surfaces to offer increased processing performance, input/output (I/O) bandwidth, and data storage, and radiation-tolerant operation to support autonomy and prognostics. Flexibility is also needed to adapt power, fault tolerance, processing bandwidth, I/O bandwidth, and on-premise edge computing performance to execute specified critical functions to meet mission needs, such as fault management algorithms and telemetry, tracking, and commands. Future computing systems should support open system avionics architectures that provide interoperability between modules sourced from different vendors."

Impacts and benefits: "With gap closure, these systems will enable increased autonomy for crewed and robotic science missions, as well as onboard data reduction where sensor bandwidth exceeds downlink bandwidth."

Current state of the art

"Redundant commercial off-the-shelf processors are used but incur the cost of increased size, weight, power, and complexity."

Performance target

  • Moon/Mars: "Enable high-performance onboard computing operations to support autonomy, navigation, and other use cases in relevant environments."
  • Mars: "In addition, increased autonomy and reliability compared to the lunar performance target."

Child gaps

  • 0202-01: High-performance processors for deep space missions
  • 0202-02*: Radiation-hardened data storage to enable autonomous operations
  • 0201-03*: Radiation-tolerant exploration computing systems

Both starred child gaps also appear under #0201; the asterisk marks "a child gap with multiple parents" (ADD Rev C, p. 199). The title of 0202-01 is repeated under other IDs: 0805-02, 1002-02 and 1004-01 (see the source page). 0202-01 is unstarred in the ADD's table too (p. 209), and so are 0805-02, 1002-02 and 1004-01 in theirs (pp. 240, 248, 250, PDF checked). By D.1's definition, each is a child gap with one parent (open question 14).

Traceability

  • Use cases and functions: UC-D-201 L -- All FN; UC-A-403 M -- FN-A-402 M; UC-A-404 M -- FN-A-402 M
  • Against the Mars decomposition: the Mars spreadsheet puts FN-A-402 M ("Execute higher-level commands and make in-situ decisions autonomously for assets in deep space and/or Mars vicinity (demonstration)") under UC-A-404 M only. UC-A-403 M, autonomous operation "on Mars surface", has FN-G-401 M, FN-G-407 M and FN-A-401 M, the surface twin of FN-A-402 M. So the decomposition doesn't make the first Mars pair. The pair is kept as the gap prints it (Mars use cases; open question 60).
  • Definition tasks: Mars: Priorities for Crew vs. Robotic Tasks Strategy

Segments and sub-architectures

Priority

Priority bin 3, overall prioritization rating 26 of 57. The rating is "the gap's location in the prioritized list of gaps", so 1 is the highest priority, and bins group gaps of similar priority, bin 1 highest. Criticality, urgency, breadth and depth set the order; cost is not considered (ADD Rev C, pp. 78, 199; method on the gaps index).

Moon Base relevance

Not established by the sources so far. The Users Guide does not name #0202 among its near-term Moon Base challenges (Technology and knowledge challenges).

Sources

Tech gaps spreadsheet, ESDMD #0202 · ADD Rev C, pp. 78, 199, 209, 240, 248, 250