Modular Computer Research

This paper discusses one area of research being carried out at the NASA/Electronics Research Center in strapdown guidance technology. In particular, the task of determining the characteristics of the onboard computer is examined. Strapdown calculations impose unique constraints on the computational requirements of the flight computer. In addition, this computer should be suitable for prolonged unmanned missions, which involves system reliability. The approach set forth in this paper appears to provide the requisite computational ability and long-term reliability. A description of this ideal system is followed by a description of the first implementation of this approach, the modular computer breadboard.