Introduction to Space Programming Language: Conception of Spl

摘要

The Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) of the Air Force sponsored a study performed by System Development Corporation regarding spaceborne software systems. After extensive analysis of these systems, three primary problems in the software development were found to be: short lead time, communication, and quality assurance. To aid in the resolution of these production problems, a higher-order language which was common to all phases of the production cycle, was recommended as a programming tool. Since no existing language met the space requirements for numerical computation, real-time control, limited storage capacity, and a close integration of assembly language and higher-order language, a new language known as the Space Programming Language (SPL) was developed. The report summarizes the language investigation portion of the Spaceborne Software Systems Study explaining the need for SPL, and the language specification activity. (Author)