QNX Gets On Board
NASA's Return to Flight Mission
(13 July 2005) QNX Software
Systems’ QNX Neutrino RTOS is powering the Neptec Laser Camera System
(LCS) for NASA's Return to Flight mission.
Designed and
built by Neptec, a developer of space vision systems, the LCS will play a key
role in ensuring the safety of this mission, the first since the Columbia
disaster in 2003.
The crew of the space shuttle Discovery will use
Neptec's LCS to inspect the exterior of the shuttle during the 12-day flight.
The LCS, which will be attached to a boom at the end of the shuttle's Canadarm,
uses a scanning mechanism to generate three-dimensional maps of the shuttle's
exterior surface in real time. During the mission, NASA will use the generated
images to identify even the smallest amount of damage to the outside of the
spacecraft.
Neptec has also used QNX RTOS technology in earlier
devices it developed for NASA, including the QNX-based Advanced Space Vision
System (ASVS), which helped guide the Canadarm in previous shuttle missions as
well as on the International Space Station." The LCS is a critical element of
NASA's Return to Flight mission and we have to be sure it is running on the
most reliable operating system available," said Iain Christie, vice president
of research and development at Neptec. "Selecting the QNX Neutrino RTOS was an
easy decision because we already know that the system can handle the extreme
conditions found in space and that it meets our demands for ultra-reliability.
We will continue to use QNX technology in all of our real time embedded
projects."
"Our unmatched dependability has made QNX Neutrino the
operating system of choice for applications where system failure is not an
option - from the space shuttle to the operating room," said Dan Dodge, CEO,
QNX Software Systems. "We have been working with Neptec for more than a decade,
developing fault-resilient OS technology for the company's camera systems, and
we are thrilled to play a role in improving the safety of space
exploration."
About Neptec
Neptec is a leader in the design,
development and integration of mission- critical real time software, harsh
environment electronics design, and digital signal processing for
mission-critical space, healthcare, aerospace, defence, and security
applications. It is engaged in system development, mission analysis, and
support for space programs as well as telehomecare systems.
About QNX
Software Systems
With millions of installations world-wide, QNX
Software Systems is the global leader in realtime, microkernel operating system
technology. Companies like Cisco, DaimlerChrysler, Lockheed Martin, Panasonic,
Siemens, and General Electric rely on QNX technology to build ultra-reliable
systems for the networking, automotive, medical, military, and industrial
automation markets. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems has offices
throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
(source: QNX Software
Systems)