PROGRAMMABLE TECHNOLOGIES WEB SITE

A scientific study of the problems of digital engineering for space flight systems,
with a view to their practical solution.

September 27, 2000

Topic:

"PLD Hardware and Software in the High-Reliability, High-Safety, and High Security Mission-Critical Environment"

• Can we ever trust run-time-reconfiguration of PLDs?

• We trust microprocessors, so why not PLDs?

• Are COTS technologies and 'Best Commercial Practices' good enough?

• What do we trust the least, the PLD hardware or software, the verification process, or the design engineer?

   More pictures from the Panel Session: Images_Panel.htm

The Panel will be presented with a series of prepared questions and real-time followup from the audience. 

The opening question will be:

Back in the 1960's, when asked about the confidence level of the guidance system for the Apollo spacecraft, Doc Draper of MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory expressed his confidence by saying that he would ride in the vehicle [Draper].  It's now the year 2000 and you have been selected for a mission on the Space Shuttle.  Since this vehicle was designed in the 1970's, there are problems with parts obsolescence and two systems must be redesigned with available technology.   These two systems control pyrotechnic initiators (controlled by the on-board computers) and the vehicle destruct mechanism (controlled by the Range Safety Officer).  

The designers have several technology options to choose from.  Please discuss the following choices of technology:

• Discrete Logic
• SRAM-Reprogrammable
• EEPROM-Reprogrammable
• Antifuse-Programmable
• ASIC (mask-Programmable)
• Microprocessor-based

Additionally, there are several design methodologies that can be used,  Please discuss the following choices of tools:

• Schematic Capture
• HDL Synthesis (VHDL, Verilog, C++, other)
• State Machine and Logic Generators
• Logic Optimizers and Translators

 

                Panel Makeup

Panel Member	Organization
John McCollum	Actel Corporation
Sandi Habinc	European Space Agency: Microelectronics: Space Applications and Design Methodology
Ray Salemi	Mentor Graphics
Eldon Hall	MIT Instrumentation Lab
Dr. Rod L. Barto	Spacecraft Digital Electronics
Henry Spencer	SP Systems
Peter Alfke	Xilinx

We invite your participation and please suggest other specific questions and topics.  These will be distributed at 1 pm on Wednesday, September 27, 2000.   Additionally, you may request to be on the panel.

Thanks,

Richard B. Katz
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
maplug@pop700.gsfc.nasa.gov

Doc Draper Quote:

I would like to volunteer for service as a crew member on the Apollo mission to the moon ... We at the Instrumentation Laboratory are going full throttle on the Apollo guidance work, and I am sure that our endeavors will lead to success ... let me know what application blanks I should fill out ...

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