High-Confidence Software and Systems (HCSS)

1. High-Confidence Software and Systems (HCSS) Overview Image Description: Develop innovative, enabling software and systems technologies for the engineering, verification, validation, safety assurance, and certification of next-generation exploration systems. Focus on seamless integration of computational intelligence, communication, control, sensing, actuation, and adaptation with robotic, vehicle, and life-support systems to ensure high-confidence, optimally performing systems that are essential for effectively operating life-, safety-, security-, and mission-critical applications. Goals & Objectives: The HCSS Initiative will address the motivation, needs, and requirements of software health management as a new discipline. Team: NASA ARC, others TBD Tasks/Transition Rationale Unanticipated environmental events and changes lead to software anomalies that may have mission-critical impacts. Because software is ubiquitous, it is not sufficient that errors are detected and mitigated after they occur. Software must be instrumented and monitored to predict and respond to potential failures before they happen. This prognostic capability will yield safer and more dependable systems, especially for long-duration exploration missions. Applicability: This initiative will investigate the state-of-the-art and gaps in HCSS technologies applicable to future human and robotic space missions. Expected Outcomes and Benefits: Efficient, automated flight-software generation capabilities; Innovative and agile tools for ground data systems design and implementation; Rapid prototyping of communication and control systems; Reduced mission costs and risks related to software; Increased capability to verify that software systems meet relevant V&V requirements. Study Elements & Tasks This initiative will investigate the state-of-the-art and gaps in HCSS technologies applicable to future human and robotic space missions. Transition/Insertion Plan To be defined in briefings and final reports