Remote Exploration and Experimentation Project


The Remote Exploration and Experimentation (REE) Project is being led by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Grand Challenge in REE is to develop and demonstrate a space-qualified, spaceborne computing architecture that requires less than ten watts per billion operations per second. This computing architecture will be scalable from sub-watt systems to hundred-watt systems that support deep-space missions lasting ten years or more. Deep-space missions require real-time analysis of sensor data of up to tens of gigabits per second and autonomous control of complex robotic functions.

The Remote Exploration and Experimentation project will:

- Enable and enhance U.S. spaceborne remote sensing and manipulation systems by providing dramatic advances in the performance, reliability and affordability of on-board data processing and control systems;

- Extend U. S. technological leadership in high performance, spaceborne, real-time, fault-tolerant computing systems and their applications;

- Work cooperatively with the U.S. computer industry to assure that REE technology is commercially available to the U.S. civil, defense and commercial space programs and for terrestrial real-time applications.

Deep space applications were selected as the Grand Challenge focus because they have stringent environmental, long-life, and low-power constraints. Furthermore, long round-trip communications times and low communications bandwidths mandate on-board data processing and autonomy. Since near-Earth, airborne, and ground applications are not as mass and power limited, they can use high performance data processing and control systems earlier than deep space missions. Applications that require reliable, real-time responsiveness and that benefit from small size and low power will be addressed by as well as gain from the REE project. The REE project will select intermediate applications to drive early developments while addressing its Grand Challenge. Some examples of possible applications are: robots for hazardous waste clean-up, search-and-rescue, automated inspection and flexible manufacturing, smart portable atmospheric emission analyzers, remote Earth observing systems with very high resolution instruments, microgravity experiments, and automotive collision avoidance systems.

The REE project was not active from FY 1993 through FY 1995, but has resumed activities in FY 1996.

The NASA Research Center leading the REE Project:

Return to the NASA HPCC Office Web Page
Authorizing NASA Official: Paul Hunter, Program Manager, NASA HPCC Program

Authors: Lawrence Picha (lpicha@usra.edu) & Michele O'Connell (michele@usra.edu), Center of Excellence in Space Data and Information Sciences, Universities Space Research Association, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Last revised: 15 APRIL 96 (l.picha)

A service of the Space Data and Computing Division, Earth Sciences Directorate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.