SHREC Meets the Challenges of Space Computing
From left: Alan George, Michael Cannizzaro
Many fundamentals of modern life rely on space satellites— GPS, communications, weather forecasting, tracking climate and geological changes, and defense. Each platform requires advanced computing onboard for remote sensing and data analysis, and that presents major challenges.
Computing in space is not like computing on Earth, according to Alan George, professor in and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering, and founder and director of NSF’s Center for Space, High- performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC), led by Pitt.
The challenge of computing in space has two sides: resource constraints and environmental hazards. Examples of resource constraints are size, weight, power, cooling, and cost. Environmental hazards include severe shock and vibration on launch, wide temperature swings in Earth orbit, cooling the computer in the airless vacuum of space where conventional heat sinks and fans are useless, and ionizing radiation emanating from our sun and the cosmos.
Meanwhile, the need for advanced computing on spacecraft is escalating. “New missions are deploying increasingly sophisticated sensors that generate massive amounts of data. With limited communications bandwidth back to Earth, this data must be processed and managed by computers on the spacecraft. Most spacecraft are unmanned, so these computers must also make key decisions from data analysis,” says George.
Hardware and software technology developed by students and faculty in SHREC has been used on many NASA and commercial space missions, including the International Space Station. With dozens of industry and government partners, SHREC operates like a space research consortium, where university research leads to breakthroughs shared with all partners.
“Work at SHREC is performed primarily by engineering graduate students. Alongside basic and applied research for new technology, the other key theme in SHREC is workforce development, where students are educated and trained to join and grow the U.S. space community,” says George. “We collaborate closely with our many partners and learn from each group’s different perspectives. It’s mutually beneficial and students get real-world experience while earning their advanced degrees.”
In the flourishing U.S. space community, Pitt has made its mark. More than 100 faculty members at Pitt are active or strongly interested in space research. Says George, “Pitt has the talent and core competency to play a major role in terms of education, research, and service in space engineering, medicine, and science.”
At the May 2023 Keystone Space Collaborative Conference, government, academia, and industry partners gathered in Pittsburgh to discuss the elements necessary to establish a space ecosystem in the region. This panel recommends funding opportunities to help small businesses de-risk new technology, make advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, and provide support for spin-off companies.
From left: Daniel Lockney, program executive, Technology Transfer, NASA; Theresa Mayer, vice president for research, Carnegie Mellon University; Brian Joseph, president and CEO, Touchstone Research Laboratory; Cheryl Turnbull, senior director, Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Ohio State University; and Rob Cunningham, vice chancellor for research infrastructure, University of Pittsburgh