From the Sun to Pluto

A core piece of technology which is common amongst three missions described is the avionics system being developed under NASA's Advanced Deep Space Systems Development Program (ADSSDP). One of the first deliveries from ADSSDP is the X2000 avionics architecture which includes the main engineering computing system, the attitude control sensors, the power electronics and the core software used to operate the spacecraft in ground test and in flight. The avionics hardware technology utilizes integration of functions among a set of multichip modules with standard interfaces to achieve lower production costs, power and mass. Additionally, the packaging density improvements allow the reduction of the shielding mass required for the survival of the Europa Orbiter electronics within the intense Jupiter radiation belts.