REU Site: Research Experience in Developing Software for Mission Critical Space Systems

该网站由国防部与NSF REU计划合作支持。使命和安全关键系统的软件开发对美国经济、国家安全和增长至关重要。当一个系统必须维持人类生命或有能力通过误操作伤害人类时，使用适当的设计、开发和测试技术尤为重要。这种REU的经验使学生意识到，并开始让他们习惯于设计，编程，调试和测试的可靠性。即使学生最终没有从事使命关键系统的专业工作或研究，这些相同的技术也可以帮助防止可能导致误操作或使软件容易受到攻击和妥协的软件错误。本REU网站向学生介绍使命关键系统的设计标准。他们正在获得在真实的关键任务网络物理系统上工作的实践经验，并对设计过程的重要性有所了解。参加的学生将参观附近的斯坦利R。米克尔森保障设施，导弹发射区（美国的家，但现在停用，反弹道导弹防御系统）。与会者将参与设计一颗开源/开放硬件的CubeSat级卫星（开放轨道器），该卫星一直在北达科他州大学（UND）开发。开放式轨道器（OPEN）是一个学生领导的努力，正在建立所需的开发，发射和管理立方体卫星空间使命的系统的全谱。为了测试所需的各种系统，并向参与者提供执行真实的使命的实际经验，主要研究人员每年将在太阳气球上发射一次开放式轨道器原型。这包括原型的准备和测试、发射、回收操作和使命后的汇报。参与者在所有这些方面都发挥着关键作用。由于Open Orbiter使用Raspberry Pi和四台Gumstix计算机进行机载处理，因此需要多线程编程/并行编程来管理卫星。事实上，开放式轨道飞行器系统需要开发计算机科学、控制软件等各个领域的技术，（操作系统）、地面站软件和图形、有效载荷传感器接口和数据管理、使命和航天器规划软件（任务调度），软件测试（验证），为参与者提供了各种各样的主题来关注。在他们参加UND结束时，参加者将前往喷气推进实验室，在那里他们将接受使命和软件设计小组的科学家的指导，并对他们在联合国大学的工作和模拟使命进行审查。他们还将参观该设施，了解软件设计系统和流程对过去JPL任务的重要性。 最后，作为航空航天系统，软件开发将遵守DO-178 B/C（机载系统和设备认证中的软件考虑因素）。

The site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.Software development for mission and safety critical systems is critical to the United States economy, national security, and growth. The use of appropriate design, development and testing techniques is particularly important when a system must sustain human life or has the capability to injure humans through mal-operation. This REU experience makes students aware of and begins to get them used to designing, programming, debugging and testing for reliability. Even if students do not end up working professionally on or researching mission critical systems, these same techniques can help prevent software errors which may cause mal-operation or leave the software susceptible to attack and compromise.This REU Site introduces students to the design criteria of mission critical systems. They are gaining hands-on experience working on a real mission-critical cyber-physical system and gaining an appreciation of the importance of design processes. The participating students will visit the nearby Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Missile Launch Area (home to the United States but now deactivated, anti-ballistic missile defense system). The participants will be involved in the design of an Open-Source/Open-hardware CubeSat class satellite (Open Orbiter) that has been under development at University of North Dakota (UND). Open Orbiter (OPEN) is a student led effort that is building up the full spectrum of systems required to develop, launch, and manage a CubeSat space mission. In order to test the variety of systems required and provide the participants with hands-on experience of conducting a real mission, the PIs are conducting one launch per year of an Open Orbiter prototype on a solar balloon. This includes the preparation and testing of the prototype, the launch, the recovery operation, and the post mission debriefing. Participants play key roles in all of these aspects. As Open Orbiter uses a Raspberry Pi and four Gumstix computers for the on-board processing, multithreaded programming/parallel programming is required to manage the satellite. In fact, the Open Orbiter system requires development in all areas of computer science, control software (operating system), ground station software and graphics, payload sensor interfacing and data management, mission and spacecraft planning software (task scheduling), software testing (validation), providing the participants with a variety of topics to focus on. At the end of their participation at UND, participants will travel to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where they will be mentored by scientists in the mission and software design groups and conduct a review of their work at UND and a mock mission. They will also tour the facility and learn about the importance of software design systems and processes for past JPL missions. Finally, as an aerospace system, software development will abide by DO-178B/C (Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification).