Title: An Airborne Onboard Parallel Processing Testbed
Presenting Author: Dan Mandl
Organization: NASA GSFC

Abstract:
Future NASA missions are evolving towards higher instrument data rates and at the same time towards more onboard data processing. Given various constraints for onboard processing, such as power limitations, especially for satellite onboard environments, parallel processing offers opportunities to meet those increased future performance requirements. In this ESTO research effort, a realistic mission airborne operational scenario is built that allows testing of various parallel processing strategies. In particular, a helicopter is rigged with an Intelligent Payload Module (IPM) and a hyperspectral ChaiV640 instrument box to simulate an Earth Science satellite mission. The IPM contains real flight software, Core Flight Software (CFS)/Core Flight Executive (cFE), used on many present missions, with uplink and downlink software. Also, a realistic data processing chain which normally is conducted mostly on the ground, is conducted onboard. This includes Level 0, Level 1 Radiometric Correction, Atmospheric Correction, Geometric Correction and Level 2 processing via Web Coverage Processing Service. Control of the IPM and the ChaiV640 instrument box are controlled and monitored via a real ground control system called ASIST, used on many present missions. The objective ito s discover how close to realtime higher level science data products can be created onboard using parallel processing on top of potential near term multicore space processors and in the future Field Programmalel Gate Arrays. This presentation outlines lessons learned thus far and some of the metrics achieved thus far. Also, a visions of future goals is outlined.