Autonomy Requirements Engineering for Space Missions

verfasst von: Emil Vassev, Mike Hinchey

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : NASA Monographs in Systems and Software Engineering

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Advanced space exploration is performed by unmanned missions with integrated autonomy in both flight and ground systems. Risk and feasibility are major factors supporting the use of unmanned craft and the use of automation and robotic technologies where possible. Autonomy in space helps to increase the amount of science data returned from missions, perform new science, and reduce mission costs.

Elicitation and expression of autonomy requirements is one of the most significant challenges the autonomous spacecraft engineers need to overcome today. This book discusses the Autonomy Requirements Engineering (ARE) approach, intended to help software engineers properly elicit, express, verify, and validate autonomy requirements. Moreover, a comprehensive state-of-the-art of software engineering for aerospace is presented to outline the problems handled by ARE along with a proof-of-concept case study on the ESA's BepiColombo Mission demonstrating the ARE’s ability to handle autonomy requirements.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Software Engineering for Aerospace: State of the Art

Abstract

This chapter discusses the state-of-the-art of software engineering for aerospace. To be successful, software engineering for aerospace must take into account the fact that aerospace systems need to meet a variety of standards and high safety requirements, and therefore, the development of aerospace systems emphasizes verification, validation, certification, and testing. This chapter discusses the complexity of software development along with the software engineering process currently employed by leading aerospace organizations such as NASA, ESA, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. Their software development projects apply a spiral-based methodology where the emphasis is on verification. Methods, techniques, and architectural approaches for aerospace are also discussed. A new class of autonomous aerospace systems (such as UAV and robotic space-exploration systems) is currently emerging to incorporate features like integrated health management, self-monitoring and on-board decision making. The lack of proper, yet dedicated, software engineering for autonomous aerospace systems is the reason for many inherent problems related to requirements, modeling, and implementation. Requirements engineering for autonomous systems appears to be a wide open research area with only a limited number of approaches yet considered.

Emil Vassev, Mike Hinchey

Chapter 2. Handling Autonomy Requirements for ESA Systems

Abstract

Contemporary software-intensive systems, such as modern spacecraft and unmanned exploration platforms (e.g., ExoMars) generally exhibit a number of autonomic features resulting in complex behavior and complex interactions with the operational environment, often leading to a need for self-adaptation. To properly develop such systems, it is very important to properly handle the autonomy requirements. This chapter discusses the notion of autonomy in the context of ESA Missions, and outlines aspects of requirements engineering along with specification models and formal methods for aerospace. The chapter goes in-depth about special generic autonomy requirements for space missions along with controller architectures for robotic systems controlling such missions. In detail are discussed formal methods and approaches that cope with both generic autonomy requirements and controller architectures, and as such can lay the foundations of a new Autonomy Requirements Engineering Model dedicated to autonomic features of space missions.

Emil Vassev, Mike Hinchey

Chapter 3. Autonomy Requirements Engineering

Abstract

This chapter draws upon the discussion and results presented in the previous two chapters to define and outline an Autonomy Requirements Engineering (ARE) method. ARE targets the integration and promotion of autonomy in unmanned space missions by providing a mechanism and methodology for elicitation and expression of autonomy requirements. ARE relies on goal-oriented requirements engineering to elicit and define the system goals, and uses the generic autonomy requirements model to derive and define assistive and eventually alternative objectives. The system may pursue these “self-* objectives” in the presence of factors threatening the achievement of the initial system goals. Once identified, the autonomy requirements are specified with the KnowLang language. A proof-of-concept case study demonstrating the ARE’s ability to handle autonomy requirements is presented and discussed in detail. The presented case study is a requirements engineering case study on the discovery and expression of autonomy requirements for ESA’s BepiColombo Mission.

Emil Vassev, Mike Hinchey

Chapter 4. Verification and Validation of Autonomy Requirements

Abstract

Verification of autonomy requirements needs to show a proof of compliance with the requirements the system can meet, i.e., each self-* objective is proven through performance of a test, analysis, inspection, or demonstration. Validation of autonomy requirements needs to demonstrate that the system pursuing a space mission accomplishes the intended self-* objectives in the intended environment (e.g., outer space or Mercury’s orbit) and under specific constraints, i.e., the system’s behavior meets the expectations defined by the autonomy requirements. However, due to their large state space, non-determinism, and the changing nature, traditional verification and validation of unmanned space systems is not adequate. This chapter reasons on the subject and presents a possible approach to verification and validation of autonomy requirements. The approach called AdaptiV uses the combination of stabilization science, HPC simulations, compositional verification, and traditional verification techniques where a self-adaptive system is linearized into stable and unstable (or adaptive) components verified separately first and then as a whole using compositional verification techniques.

Emil Vassev, Mike Hinchey

Chapter 5. Summary and Future Work

Abstract

From the NASA roadmaps and Space Technology Grand Challenges, it is clear that the use of autonomous and self-adaptive systems will be important for future space systems and missions as well as other life critical systems.

Emil Vassev, Mike Hinchey

Backmatter

Titel: Autonomy Requirements Engineering for Space Missions
verfasst von: Emil Vassev
Mike Hinchey
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-09816-6
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09815-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09816-6