Engineers at ATA were contracted by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) to build control software for a proposed Mars Lander mission. The mission featured an innovative propulsion system that included multiple Gas Generators capable of regulating solid rocket thrust. The software designed by ATA controlled thrust by using proportional valves for each of the gas generators. The proposed propulsion system included several highly innovative technologies that, if successful, could outperform state-of-the-art-chemical systems by an estimated 50%. |
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At this stage of the project the test configuration was only to include a flight computer. However, it was anticipated that future tests may include the solid rocket motor itself. To that end, a highly adaptable test system was desirable; one that was not only suitable for developing controller code, but one that could also accommodate later hardware-in-the-loop development.
ATA’s approach stressed rapid prototyping of control software using high-fidelity simulation on the LabVIEW graphical development environment. Control code developed in C was called from the LabVIEW environment. The approach also stressed modular software code design for easy swapping of software models for real hardware and for ease of integration at later stages. The software development prototype and test system included four modules, the Gas Generator Control Code (system under development), the Vehicle Flight Code (guidance and navigation), a high-fidelity six degree of freedom simulator programmed in LabVIEW® built with the ATA Aerospace Toolkit™ and a proprietary, customer-owned Gas Generator Simulation toolkit.
By using an adaptable prototype and test system, which could be easily reconfigured to meet the demands of each phase of the project-life-cycle, ATA Engineers accomplished three goals. First, shorten the development cycle by reusing code and greatly simplifying hardware integration. Second, greatly reduce project risk by not altering test system components once they are verified. Third, it was never necessary to port code from one development environment to another.
We were able to complete this project much faster and cheaper, with less risk using this process, because of the capabilities of the ATA Aerospace Toolkit™ and LabVIEW®. The development of the mission simulation was greatly simplified by the use of the ATA Aerospace Toolkit™,” said Tim Kelly Senior Controls Engineer at ATA. “Further, the project, occurrences, and inherent data-flow language made the real-time operating system code much more manageable.”
Some development environments are reasonably good at algorithm generation, but they are not well suited for tests as complex as this. LabVIEW® and the ATA Aerospace Toolkit™ provided an excellent platform for what we were doing,” said Chip Grandits, Senior Software Architect with ATA. “The final processor-in-the-loop test utilized five real-time controllers (two Texas Instruments-DSP's and three National Instruments PXI's®) including two serial buses, two parallel buses, and 15 analog servo signals requiring six DAQ cards. The most complicated PXI controller code coordinated three parallel loops running at 2k Hz, 100 Hz, 10 Hz reference timed from a high speed DAQ clock, incoming serial data, and TCP/IP respectively. This task would have been significantly more difficult on another development platform and by creating an adaptable prototype and test system we saved considerable time during hardware integration. The final outcome was a processor that we could feel confident would operate to specification in a real hardware loop.”
View a presentation of an adaptable prototype and test system using LabVIEW and the ATA Aerospace Toolkit.
Readers can learn more about the ATA Aerospace Toolkit by visiting the website at www.atacolorado.com/aerospace_toolkit.htm Request a fully functioning evaluation version of the software at www.atacolorado.com/downloads.htm.
About Advanced Technology Associates, Inc. (ATA) is a leading-edge aerospace software and technology firm that provides both product and service solutions to the aerospace industry. From commercial of the shelf software, providing solutions for flight dynamics modeling, to custom software for flight, test, simulation or EGSE, ATA has a solution for aerospace. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Littleton Colorado. More information can be obtained by calling (303) 948-7980, or at www.atacolorado.com.
About National Instruments
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,500 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past eight years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company’s investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing nati@ni.com or visiting www.ni.com/nati.
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