NASA and Texas A&M Students to Collaborate on Spacecraft Instrumentation Development

The Modular Integrated Stackable Layer (MISL) system currently has four layers: Power, Microcontroller, Communication and Interface.

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NASA

Engineers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) will be collaborating with students in the Electronic Systems Engineering Technology (ESET) Program at Texas A&M to develop space-qualified hardware systems. NASA is looking to expand the capabilities of its Modular Integrated Stackable Layer (MISL) platform while Texas A&M students and faculty will gain valuable experience working with state-of-the-art technologies.

“This partnership is the most recent in a series of design and development projects that have been accomplished by ESET undergraduate students over the past two years for our group and others at JSC,” says NASA’s Chris Culbert, Chief of the Avionic Systems Division at JSC.

The MISL is a small, reconfigurable computer system that can be easily adapted to many different applications including spacecraft instrumentation and control systems. The system is divided into multiple layers which then have the option for customizable modules. This ability for easy and quick assembly to meet specific requirements reduces the cost and time to develop space-qualified hardware. 

NASA will maintain oversight and development of the MISL architecture and technical specifications. In addition, NASA will provide space qualification testing of some new layers developed by the open community that are chosen to be used by NASA on flight missions.

“Due to our ambitious short term goal of using this system in ESET classes this fall, NASA is providing hardware for the Fall 2013 embedded software class,” explains NASA’s Paul Delaune, MISL project manager. “By the spring semester, several of the basic module designs will be transferred to ESET and they can start producing their own systems.”

The ESET program will focus on three primary tasks under the partnership. They will be responsible for continued development of the layers available, integration of the MISL technology into their current undergraduate curriculum, and the development and maintenance of an open, on-line community to encourage continued development and integration of the MISL architecture and standards into both educational and research efforts.

“We are pleased that NASA has selected the ESET Program and our new Product Innovation Cellar (PIC) to expand the development, commercialization and support of their MISL architecture,” says Dr. Jay Porter, ESET Program Director.  “This new partnership will have direct impact on all aspects of our undergraduate educational program and will allow our students to work with state-of-the-art technologies as they pursue their degrees at Texas A&M.”

NASA and Texas A&M have collaborated on a number of projects giving students hands-on experience with space technology. These projects include the NASA Wireless Smart Plug, which has just completed final acceptance testing within the Deep Space Habitat, and the NESI Board development, which is an embedded intelligence, instrumentation, and communications device that will be used by high school students flying their eXtreme Science Experiments on the NanoRack platform onboard the International Space Station.

“We believe this collaboration will allow NASA to share the design and components of the MISL with the public and in return, be able to utilize public contributions to the designs in our missions,” says Delaune. “This will save us schedule and design costs which in the current budget environment is crucial.”