Current fault management trends in NASA's planetary spacecraft

Abstract

Fault management for today's space missions is a complex problem, going well beyond the typical safing requirements of simpler missions. Recent missions have experienced technical issues late in the project lifecycle, associated with the development and test of fault management capabilities, resulting in both project schedule delays and cost overruns. Symptoms seem to become exaggerated in the context of deep space and planetary missions, most likely due to the need for increased autonomy and the limited communications opportunities with Earth-bound operators. These issues are expected to cause increasing challenges as the spacecraft envisioned for future missions become more capable and complex. In recognition of the importance of addressing this problem, the Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office hosted a Fault Management Workshop on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Science Division, to bring together experts in fault management from across NASA, DoD, industry and academia. The scope of the workshop was focused on deep space and planetary robotic missions, with full recognition of the relevance of, and subsequent benefit to, Earth-orbiting missions. Three workshop breakout sessions focused the discussions to target three topics: 1) Fault Management Architectures, 2) Fault Management Verification and Validation, and 3) Fault Management Development Practices, Processes and Tools. The key product of this three-day workshop is a NASA White Paper that documents lessons learned from previous missions, recommended best practices, and future opportunities for investments in the fault management domain. This paper summarizes the findings and recommendations that are captured in the White Paper.