Overview

The Power Aware Computing in Space (PACS) research project seeks to significantly enhance the onboard situational response and the onboard processing operations of spacecraft. This is to be accomplished through semi-autonomous, smarter management of the available power resources. Systems that are aware of their power state can make better, or smarter, use of the available power. Currently, PACS is working in collaboration with AeroAstro, Inc. and the University of Colorado with support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. This collaboration is working to demonstrate sophisticated power management at the systems level involving multiple subsystems with multiple operational states.

In 2001, PACS was tasked to develop a smart, power-aware payload concept for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Power Aware Computing/Communications (PAC/C) program. The PACS team chose a space mission that is similar to the Fast On-Orbit Recording of Transient Events (FORTÉ) satellite project. In joint efforts with the Information Sciences Institute's Power Aware Multiprocessor Architecture (PAMA) team, a parallel-based signal processing payload concept was demonstrated. Conference papers related to this payload concept are listed in the publications.