Automated Testing Experience of the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) Controller

Larson, Richard R. (1999) Automated Testing Experience of the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) Controller. Technical Report NASA/TM-1999-206588, Research Engineering, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

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Abstract

System controllers must be fail-safe, low cost, flexible to software changes, able to output health and status words, and permit rapid retest qualification. The system controller designed and tested for the aerospike engine program was an attempt to meet these requirements. This paper describes (1) the aerospike controller design, (2) the automated simulation testing techniques, and (3) the real time monitoring data visualization structure. Controller cost was minimized by design of a single-string system that used an off-the-shelf 486 central processing unit (CPU). A linked-list architecture, with states (nodes) defined in a user-friendly state table, accomplished software changes to the controller. Proven to be fail-safe, this system reported the abort cause and automatically reverted to a safe condition for any first failure. A real time simulation and test system automated the software checkout and retest requirements. A program requirement to decode all abort causes in real time during all ground and flight tests assured the safety of flight decisions and the proper execution of mission rules. The design also included health and status words, and provided a real time analysis interpretation for all health and status data.

EPrint Type:	NASA Technical Memorandum
Keywords:	Aerospike engine, Automated software testing, Controller architecture, LASRE, Real time analysis, SR-71 experiment
Subjects:	(01 - 09) Aeronautics: (05) Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance Aircraft/Project: LASRE (59 - 67) Mathematical and Computer Sciences: (61) Computer Programming and Software (59 - 67) Mathematical and Computer Sciences: (62) Computer Systems
ID Code:	103
Deposited On:	03 June 2004
Additional Information:	33 pages. Presented at the ITEA Test and Evaluation in the Information Age Symposium, September 21–24, 1999, Atlanta, Georgia, at a poster session.