Automatic Fault Tree Generation from Radiation-Induced Fault Models

Abstract

The space environment raises several unique reliability issues for non-optical-based electronic systems for surviving radiation from cosmic rays, our Sun, or the trapped radiation belts. These radiation categories are total ionizing dose (TID), a cumulative degradation mechanism that may eventually lead to component failure, and single-event effects (SEE), random events in time that are either recoverable or permanent failures. Fault effects and degradation caused by these mechanisms can propagate through the system and cause system failure, even mission failure when not accounted for and mitigated.