NASA Monographs in Systems and Software Engineering – serie

In the early 1990s, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center started researching and developing autonomous and autonomic ground and spacecraft control systems for future NASA missions. This research started by experimenting with and developing expert systems to automate ground station software and reduce the number of people needed to control a spacecraft. This was followed by research into agent-based technology to develop autonomous ground c- trol and spacecraft. Research into this area has now evolved into using the concepts of autonomic systems to make future space missions self-managing and giving them a high degree of survivability in the harsh environments in which they operate. This book describes much of the results of this research. In addition, it aimstodiscusstheneededsoftwaretomakefutureNASAspacemissionsmore completelyautonomousandautonomic.Thecoreofthesoftwareforthesenew missions has been written for other applications or is being applied gradually in current missions, or is in current development. It is intended that this book should document how NASA missions are becoming more autonomous and autonomic and should point to the way of making future missions highly - tonomous and autonomic. What is not covered is the supporting hardware of these missions or the intricate software that implements orbit and at- tude determination, on-board resource allocation, or planning and scheduling (though we refer to these technologies and give references for the interested reader).

This book de-emphasizes the formal mathematical description of spacecraft on-board attitude and orbit applications in favor of a more qualitative, concept-oriented presentation of these topics. The information presented in this book was originally given as a set of lectures in 1999 and 2000 instigated by a NASA Flight Software Branch Chief at Goddard Space Flight Center.  The Branch Chief later suggested this book.  It provides  an approachable insight into the area and is not intended as an essential reference work.ACS Without an Attitude is intended for programmers and testers new to the field who are seeking a commonsense understanding of the subject matter they are coding and testing in the hope that they will reduce their risk of introducing or missing the key software bug that causes an abrupt termination in their spacecraft’s mission.  In addition, the book will provide managers and others working with spacecraft with a basic understanding of this subject.

This book de-emphasizes the formal mathematical description of spacecraft on-board attitude and orbit applications in favor of a more qualitative, concept-oriented presentation of these topics.

In the early 1990s, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center started researching and developing autonomous and autonomic ground and spacecraft control systems for future NASA missions. This research started by experimenting with and developing expert systems to automate ground station software and reduce the number of people needed to control a spacecraft. This was followed by research into agent-based technology to develop autonomous ground c- trol and spacecraft. Research into this area has now evolved into using the concepts of autonomic systems to make future space missions self-managing and giving them a high degree of survivability in the harsh environments in which they operate. This book describes much of the results of this research. In addition, it aimstodiscusstheneededsoftwaretomakefutureNASAspacemissionsmore completelyautonomousandautonomic.Thecoreofthesoftwareforthesenew missions has been written for other applications or is being applied gradually in current missions, or is in current development. It is intended that this book should document how NASA missions are becoming more autonomous and autonomic and should point to the way of making future missions highly - tonomous and autonomic. What is not covered is the supporting hardware of these missions or the intricate software that implements orbit and at- tude determination, on-board resource allocation, or planning and scheduling (though we refer to these technologies and give references for the interested reader).

Although the Web is growing at an astounding pace, surpassing the 8 billion page mark, most pages are still designed for human consumption and cannot be processed by machines. Computers are used to display the information, but human intervention is still required to interpret the results. The Semantic Web unleashes a revolution of new possibilities in which content is given formal, machine processable semantics.This book provides a well-paced introduction to the Semantic Web. It covers a wide range of topics, from new trends (ontologies, rules) to existing technologies (Web Services and software agents) to more formal aspects (logic and inference). It includes: real-world (and complete) examples of the application of Semantic Web concepts; how the technology presented and discussed throughout the book can be extended to other application areas, i.e. Geographic Information Sciences, Bioinformatics and Fine Arts.

Although the Web is growing at an astounding pace, surpassing the 8 billion page mark, most pages are still designed for human consumption and cannot be processed by machines. Computers are used to display the information, but human intervention is still required to interpret the results. The Semantic Web unleashes a revolution of new possibilities in which content is given formal, machine processable semantics.This book provides a well-paced introduction to the Semantic Web. It covers a wide range of topics, from new trends (ontologies, rules) to existing technologies (Web Services and software agents) to more formal aspects (logic and inference). It includes: real-world (and complete) examples of the application of Semantic Web concepts; how the technology presented and discussed throughout the book can be extended to other application areas, i.e. Geographic Information Sciences, Bioinformatics and Fine Arts.

The field of agent & multi-agent systems is experiencing tremendous growth whilst that of formal methods has also blossomed. The FAABS (Formal Approaches to Agent-Based Systems) workshops, merging the concerns of the two fields, were thus timely. This book has arisen from the overwhelming response to FAABS '00, '02 & '04 and all chapters are updated or represent new research, & are designed to provide a more in-depth treatment of the topic. Examples of how others have applied formal methods to agent-based systems are included, plus formal method tools & techniques that readers can apply to their own systems. Agent Technology from a Formal Perspective provides an in-depth view of the key issues related to agent technology from a formal perspective. As this is a relatively new interdisciplinary field, there is enormous room for further growth and this book not only creates an initial foundation, but points to the gaps; indicating open problems to be addressed by future researchers, students & practitioners.

The field of agent & multi-agent systems is experiencing tremendous growth whilst that of formal methods has also blossomed. The FAABS (Formal Approaches to Agent-Based Systems) workshops, merging the concerns of the two fields, were thus timely. This book has arisen from the overwhelming response to FAABS �00, �02 & �04 and all chapters are updated or represent new research, & are designed to provide a more in-depth treatment of the topic. Examples of how others have applied formal methods to agent-based systems are included, plus formal method tools & techniques that readers can apply to their own systems.Agent Technology from a Formal Perspective provides an in-depth view of the key issues related to agent technology from a formal perspective. As this is a relatively new interdisciplinary field, there is enormous room for further growth and this book not only creates an initial foundation, but points to the gaps; indicating open problems to be addressed by future researchers, students & practitioners.

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.

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.

As computers increasingly control the systems and services we depend upon within our daily lives like transport, communications, and the media, ensuring these systems function correctly is of utmost importance. This book consists of twelve chapters and one historical account that were presented at a workshop in London in 2015, marking the 25th anniversary of the European ESPRIT Basic Research project ‘ProCoS’ (Provably Correct Systems).  The ProCoS I and II projects pioneered and accelerated the automation of verification techniques, resulting in a wide range of applications within many trades and sectors such as aerospace, electronics, communications, and retail.The following topics are covered: An historical account of the ProCoS projectHybrid SystemsCorrectness of Concurrent AlgorithmsInterfaces and LinkingAutomatic VerificationRun-time Assertions CheckingFormal and Semi-Formal Methods Provably Correct Systems provides researchers, designers and engineers with a complete overview of the ProCoS initiative, past and present, and explores current developments and perspectives within the field.