Design and certification of a total computer-based hazard control system for a Space Shuttle payload

Abstract

This paper describes a new fail-safe hazard control approach for mitigating the risks of operating a dexterous robot in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. This approach relies totally on computer control, rather than human intervention to prevent the creation of a hazardous situation. A computer-based approach is necessary due to inadequate human reaction time for robotic operations, and a classic fault-tolerant approach was deemed to be infeasible to implement in this payload. A system design for a teleoperated robot experiment to be flown on the Space Shuttle will be presented. The fail-safe architecture will be described, the ongoing certification process will be discussed, and preliminary analysis of the safety of the system will be presented.