Linux on a Saturn V?

[Phil Thayer]

When you are talking about control systems like this they normally will
have two processor board based imbedded systems per function being
monitored.  These are communicating back to a couple of redundant
systems that manage the data flow and then send data on to the
communications systems (redundant again) that deals only with the
communications to ground control.  All systems are configured to be
redundant to N+N, so if you have two system running in a redundant
fashion then there would be two additional system running in redundant
fashion.  With the number of systems this required it necessitates the
use of single board processors optimized to run with RAM disks and
minimal ancillary hardware.
 
Answer is that this is done all the time and NASA has this down to an
art form.


________________________________

	From: kclug-bounces at kclug.org [mailto:kclug-bounces at kclug.org]
On Behalf Of Brian Kelsay
	Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 8:13 AM
	To: kclug
	Subject: Re: Linux on a Saturn V?
	
	
	Quick answer, yes, it could.  Long answer, maybe, it's not as
easy as you think.  
	
	A lot of what's complicated about space-flight software is that
it must be automated and more importantly it must be timed just right.
Linux or any other SpaceFlight OS is going to need to monitor fuel burn
rate, thrust and altitude.  It will need to monitor and control gimbals
on the engines, various consumable stores and other instrument based
readings.  It will need to make decisions based on these readings and
not get locked up or confused.  It will need to be able to transmit all
these readings back home and send some radio signals or change frequency
at minimum when key decisions are made.  These are to let ground control
know what is going on when they are not in control or too far away to
make quick changes.  The further away the craft is, the longer it takes
to send a command. 
	
	Can it do it, definitely yes.   But each craft and mission is
different.  I'd bet that they want the hard real time Linux for this.
	
	
	
	On Dec 17, 2007 6:40 AM, Oren Beck <> wrote: 
	

		Ok- this a question of "could it ever ?"
		
		Several folks have proposed  American funding for Big
Dumb Boosters. 
		Think a cloned only slightly updated Saturn V. Problem
being that NASA has made "Lawn Ornaments" of all the unused ones they
had, then shredded or burned all the project docs. 
		Which included ***ALL** known copies of the software. So
even if that mythical "found one complete in a warehouse" scenario were
true...  We would have to recreate software not only to fly the bird,
but to support it. That is quite likely the same level of complexity as
writing code for ANY such giant rockets.  If we copy a Saturn V or make
the not yet hatched Saturn VI. 
		 Thus it becomes viable to consider Linux and it's
ancillary tool sets
		
		Then again - would you ever be able to find enough
coders in any other STABLE viable OS? 
		
		
		-- 
		Oren Beck
		816.729.3645 


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