Avionics upgrade strategies for the Space Shuttle and derivatives

Abstract

Some approaches aimed at providing a low-cost, low-risk strategy to upgrade the Shuttle onboard avionics are described. These approaches allow migration to a Shuttle-derived vehicle and provide commonality with Space Station Freedom avionics to the extent practical. IBM's Federal Sector Division is studying alternatives for upgrading the Shuttle's cockpit. Some goals of the upgrade include: offloading of the main computers by distributing avionics display functions, reducing crew workload, reducing maintenance cost, and providing display reconfigurability and context sensitivity. Software development using Ada is discussed. Advanced active matrix liquid crystal displays are used to meet the tight space, weight, and power consumption requirements. These displays are tied to commercially available 80386 microprocessors.<>