Development, integration, and test architecture for a software-based hardware-agnostic fault tolerant flight computer

摘要

In this article, we describe the development, integration and test architecture of a Fault Tolerant Flight Computer System (FTCS) designed by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (CSDL) for a manned spacecraft and elaborate on how this architecture might be improved upon and used generically among similar fault-tolerant systems. As the sophistication and complexity of software-defined fault tolerance systems continue to grow, leveraging commercial hardware and flexible architectures to support and verify the performance of fault-tolerant systems becomes critical. It is hoped that the methods described in this article provide a foundation for future programs to save on costs and resources, as well as develop and validate future systems with the highest possible level of functionality and reliability.