Improving the system testing process in nasas software engine. Jacklin1 nasa ames research center, moffett field, ca, 94035 the rtca has recently released do178c and do278a as new certification guidance for the production of airborne and groundbased air traffic management software, respectively. The package of software programs performs a number of tasks related to testing flight software, with nos serving as the core technology. Includes development approaches, safety analyses, and testing methodologies that lead to improved safety in the software product. The software verification and testing activities discussed in this document include the following.
Static analysisevaluation of a program by a software tool that does not execute the program dynamic analysisevaluation of a program by monitoring its behavior during execution. The sections of the software test plan focused on systems integration testing addresses the following. Software assurance is defined as t he level of confidence that software is free from vulnerabilities, either intentionally designed into the software or accidentally inserted at any time during its life cycle, and that the software functions in an intended manner. The primary avionics software system pass is the missioncritical onboard data processing system for nasas space shuttle fleet. Do they have to show that they are cmmi compliant, for example. In the early stages of the software testing we simulate the inputs, he says. Nasa s software engineering laboratory sel, one of the earliest pioneers in the areas of software process improvement and measurement, has had a significant impact on the software business at. Nasas software engineering laboratory sel, one of the earliest pioneers in the areas of software process improvement and measurement, has had a significant impact on the software business at. It provides access to technical standards from specifically contracted standards developing organizations sdos at no direct cost to the user via electronic subscription delivery and on a pay. The software test plan includes an overview of the software integration testing process to be used for this project. Were in the process of doing the final procedure development to do the runs for.
The 20192020 nasa software catalog offers hundreds of new software programs you can download for free to use in a wide variety of technical applications. Software process improvement in the nasa software engineering. Pdf improving the software testing process in nasas. Im interested in avionics in particular, but basically everything that is going to space. The update, held on friday, 28 february, also provided information on the path forward for starliner, including the ongoing software audit, closing process escapes and software testing gaps, as. Whether youre looking to start a new company, enhance an existing product, or create a new product line, you can gain a competitive edge in the marketplace by putting nasa technology to work for you. Nasa software engineering requirements now in effect. Agile or waterfall, scrum or rup, traditional or exploratory, there is a fundamental process to software testing.
The software engineering laboratory sel was established in 1976 for the purpose of studying and measuring software processes with the intent of identifying improvements that could be applied to the production of ground support software within the flight dynamics division fdd at the national aeronautics and space administration nasa goddard space flight center gsfc. Swe104 software test plan nasa software engineering. An exceptionally good software development process can keep defects down to as low as 1 defect per 10,000 lines of code. Nov 14, 2018 once the agreement is signed by both nasa grc and the customer, and the work is funded, the test execution may begin per the agreement. Sls flight software and avionics in run for record testing. Nasa s development of ground and flight application software for the artemis program spaceref. The selection of existing modules and the new modules are then combined into a flight load that is subject to further testing. In this potentially multiday activity, students will use the engineering design process to design, build, test and improve a model satellite. What does the software quality process for nasa s sls look like. Open source software streamlines process for testing. The software development contributed to cybeletm, software for distributed computing and interagent communications. Nasa also will colocate personnel with the boeing software team, increase support to.
The nssc drug testing team administers the nasa drug testing program to meet all preemployment, random, voluntary, postaccident or unsafe practice, reasonable suspicion, and followup testing. The two on the right are being connected to do integrated avionics and software testing. What are the relevant standards that they have to comply to. Apr 21, 2020 take, for example, the software for the nasa space launch system sls, being developed to provide heavylift capability, says crumbley. Nasas development of ground and flight application. Changes include using modelbased systems engineering to improve. The purpose of longduration testing is to identify performance issues andor other defects which are sensitive to the amount of time the application is kept running. Nasa acquired considerable experience in managing a large, realtime software project that would directly influence the development of the shuttle onboard software. The primary goals of this initiative were to reduce the cost of testing and to shorten the project cycle time without degrading the quality of our delivered systems. Software assurance is defined as t he level of confidence that software is free from vulnerabilities, either intentionally designed into the software or accidentally inserted at any time during its life cycle, and that the software functions in an intended manner the objective of nasa software assurance and software safety is to ensure that the processes, procedures and. The software engineering laboratory sel was established in 1976 for the purpose of studying and measuring software processes with the intent of identifying improvements that could be applied to the production of. Software coding and unit test the actual creation of software is the magical part of the process. Software testing process basics of software testing life.
Intelligent automation developed a new software planning architecture that integrates planning, scheduling and execution. Certification of safetycritical software under do178c and do278a stephen a. What kind of tools and software are they employing to reach their. Jun 21, 2019 the package of software programs performs a number of tasks related to testing flight software, with nos serving as the core technology. Every project needs a test strategy and a test plan. Boeing acknowledges 49 gaps in testing in nasa starliner. Boeing acknowledges 49 gaps in testing in nasa starliner test flight failure.
First and foremost, you should figure out precisely what software testing is all about. Boeing provides update, path forward for starliner. Nasa systems engineering handbook viii preface s ince the initial writing of nasa sp6105 in 1995 and the following revision rev 1 in 2007, systems engineering as a discipline at the national aeronautics and space administration nasa has undergone rapid and continued evolution. Stp software test plan nasa software engineering handbook. Flight software complexity 352009 3 separability of its components and features and weigh the cost of testing unwanted features against the cost of implementing only the desired features. Nos is a framework that simplifies the often complicated process of setting up software development and test environments for missions. System testing process changes so, in 1992, the sel began its initiative to improve the system testing process. The best we can do is give sorware developers well understood requirements, a few important coding rules, the proper development tools, and best test environment to work through this phase.
The nasa technical standards system is a key element of the nasa technical standards program ntsp, sponsored by the office of the nasa chief engineer. Nasas development of ground and flight application software for the artemis program spaceref. Software testing is more difficult than you might believe. The software test plan includes an overview of the testing process used to test software integrated into the larger system.
Nasa achieved the goal of having such an efficient software production system through an 8year development process when the spf was still the laboratory. Cybele is a leading commercial product for the company and an open source version is available. Last test article for nasa s sls rocket departs michoud assembly facility. If you need further information about our facility capabilities or the general testing process, please complete theform below to have your inquiry answered or call 2164335731. These artefacts describe the scope for testing for a project.
Boeing performed its own audit of its software testing process, which identified 49 gaps in testing. For the sls software testing, we use a lot of simulations and models, says crumbley. Within this basic guide, youre going to find suggestions for ensuring your software is tested thoroughly before it is released. The software engineering team at kennedy space center ksc can support a full lifecycle of software development services, ranging from requirements gathering, to design and development, testing, deployment and maintenance. This lesson provides students with an understanding of satellites, their use and structure, and power systems. Software process improvement in the nasa software engineering laboratory abstract.
This policy applies to the complete software development life cycle, including software planning, development, testing, maintenance, retirement, operations, management, acquisition and assurance activities. Lets take a look at the components that make up the whole. Openended testing to discover defects, identify usability issues, and generate feature requests. What is software testing and ways of software testing. Nasa takes advantage of innovative 3d printing process for sls rocket.