Common Lisp application chosen as NASA's 1999 Software of the Year
Paolo Amoroso
Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft, which is written in Common Lisp, has been
chosen together with another system as NASA's 1999 Software of the Year.
Congratulations to Chuck Fry and Erann Gat, who are regular contributors to
comp.lang.lisp, and to the other members of the DS1 team.
By the way, the new owners of Harlequin, whose Lisp system was used to
develop the DS1 software, should have a look at the press release ;-)
Paolo
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Elvia H. Thompson
Headquarters, Washington, DC Aug. 5, 1999
(Phone: 202/358-1696)
Barbara L. Kakiris
Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, Cleveland, OH
(Phone: 216/433-2513)
John Bluck
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone: 650/604-5026 or 650/604-9000)
John G. Watson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
(Phone: 818/354-5011)
RELEASE: 99-87
NASA'S 1999 SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR
MAKES CARS SAFER AND SPACECRAFT CHEAPER
NASA has chosen as its 1999 NASA Software of the Year two
innovative programs developed at NASA centers. One program applies
technology developed for space to everyday life here on Earth by
helping to make our cars, airplanes, bridges and other structures
safer. The other program makes spacecraft cheaper and transforms
science fiction into science fact by allowing spacecraft to
operate themselves.
The award winners are: Genoa, a failure-analysis software
with unique predictive capabilities, and Remote Agent, which has
been used to control NASA's Deep Space 1 mission.
Genoa simulates and predicts aging and failure in all sorts
of structural materials, including high-tech alloys and ceramics
used in airplanes, cars, engines and bridges. Genoa was submitted
by the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland, OH.
The development of Genoa began at the center in the 1970s
and was commercialized only about a year ago. A minority-owned
small business is now marketing the software, which is used by
aircraft manufacturers and others. It is the only software that
can predict progressive aging and failure of materials as diverse
as metals, ceramics, concrete and all types of composites. The
ability to predict material and structural failure helps
manufacturers build stronger aircraft fuselages, engines, car
bodies, and bridges. This is especially important today as
commercial aircraft fleets age and many elements of road and
bridge infrastructure reach the end of their useful lives.
The second winner, Remote Agent, is a giant leap in the world
of artificial intelligence. It is the first software package ever
used to autonomously control a spacecraft: Deep Space 1. NASA
scientists gave the software package primary command of the
spacecraft for three days in May and it more than met
expectations. The software detected, diagnosed and fixed problems,
showing that it can make decisions to keep a mission on track.
This capability will reduce the cost of future spacecraft
operations as computers become "thinking" partners along with
humans. Remote Agent is a precursor to self-aware, self-controlled
robots, exploring rovers and intelligent machines that previously
have existed only in science fiction. Remote Agent was jointly
submitted by NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA, and
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.
The NASA award is the largest award for software excellence
in the United States. The winners were selected from 50 entries
representing more than 150 corporations, universities, and
government laboratories.
Last year, NASA awarded over $350,000 in cash prizes to the
winners. The event is sponsored by the NASA Inventions and
Contributions Board and the NASA Chief Information Officer. NASA
officials will officially present the awards at special ceremonies
later this year. Information about the winning teams and other
finalists is available from:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codei/swy99win.html
- end -
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--
Paolo Amoroso <amo...@mclink.it>
Rainer Joswig
> Paolo
...
> The award winners are: Genoa, a failure-analysis software
> with unique predictive capabilities,
In what is "Genoa" written? Sounds like a typical
application for Lisp. Any chances "we" got two winners?
David Bakhash
> I include below a press release announcing that the control software of the
> Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft, which is written in Common Lisp, has been
> chosen together with another system as NASA's 1999 Software of the Year.
What was the other system written in?
dave
Chuck Fry
Paolo Amoroso <amo...@mclink.it> wrote:
>I include below a press release announcing that the control software of the
>Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft, which is written in Common Lisp, has been
>chosen together with another system as NASA's 1999 Software of the Year.
>
>comp.lang.lisp, and to the other members of the DS1 team.
Thanks! BTW, this isn't just a paper award; there's money in it for us!
>By the way, the new owners of Harlequin, whose Lisp system was used to
>develop the DS1 software, should have a look at the press release ;-)
Indeed. In particular, Martin Simmons at Harlequin Ltd. deserves
special thanks for being the point man on the flight Lisp team.
And while we're spreading the credit around, I should point out that
prototyping and a substantial amount of module testing was done on
workstations in Allegro Common Lisp.
It is a tribute to both vendors, and to the strength of the ANSI Common
Lisp specification, that porting the Remote Agent code between the two
implementations (and a third, Macintosh Common Lisp), was so
straightforward.
I dare anyone else to try porting a large C++ application from one
compiler vendor to another! :-)
[m-X cya-mode]
Disclaimer: None of the above should be taken as an endorsement by NASA
or its contractors of any of the above companies' products.
-- Chuck, not claiming to speak for NASA or Caelum Research Corp.
--
Chuck Fry -- Jack of all trades, master of none
chu...@chucko.com (text only please) chuc...@home.com (MIME enabled)
Lisp bigot, mountain biker, car nut, sometime guitarist and photographer
The addresses above are real. All spammers will be reported to their ISPs.
Paolo Amoroso
> Thanks! BTW, this isn't just a paper award; there's money in it for us!
Will you fund a Lisp Propulsion Laboratory? :)
> I dare anyone else to try porting a large C++ application from one
> compiler vendor to another! :-)
Given this success, is JPL still intentioned to rewrite the Remote Agent in
C++?
Paolo
--
Paolo Amoroso <amo...@mclink.it>
Paolo Amoroso
> I include below a press release announcing that the control software of the
> Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft, which is written in Common Lisp, has been
> chosen together with another system as NASA's 1999 Software of the Year.
Here's another press release related to the award. Unfortunately, I don't
know in which language the other winner, Genoa, was written. Chuck? Erann?
Paolo
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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: John G. Watson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 6, 1999
FUTURISTIC SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATED ON DEEP SPACE 1 WINS NASA AWARD
Remote Agent, the first artificial intelligence software in
history to command a spacecraft, recently was named co-winner of
NASA's 1999 Software of the Year award. Remote Agent shared the
honor with Genoa, a software package that can predict aging and
failure of materials, including those used in airplanes, cars,
engines and bridges.
Award winners, judged on innovation, impact and usability,
were selected from a field of 50 entries representing more than
150 corporations, universities and government laboratories.
NASA scientists say the Remote Agent artificial intelligence
used on NASA's Deep Space 1 is the precursor for self-aware,
self-controlled and self-operated robots, exploring rovers and
intelligent machines.
Over three days last May, Remote Agent controlled Deep Space
1, a feat previously accomplished only in science fiction. The
software package took command of Deep Space 1 during a flight
experiment, and the artificial intelligence more than met
expectations. The software detected, diagnosed and fixed
problems, showing that it can make decisions to keep a mission on
track.
"This technology will allow us to pursue Solar System
exploration missions that only a few years ago would have been
considered too elaborate, too costly or too dependent on teams of
Earth-bound controllers," said Dr. Doug Bernard, Remote Agent
manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
"The Remote Agent approach to spacecraft autonomy signals
the dawn of a new era in space exploration," said Dr. Pandu
Nayak, deputy manager of Remote Agent development the NASA Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. "Remote Agent will enable
new classes of missions and more effective use of existing
resources, and it will enable today's ground operations teams to
operate significantly more missions." Remote Agent and its
components are already being considered for a variety of NASA
missions, he said.
Experts from JPL and Ames pooled their expertise to conduct
the Remote Agent experiment, designed to push the limits of
spacecraft autonomy. Their efforts proved that this sophisticated
artificial intelligence software is capable of commanding the
spacecraft with "high-level" goals, such as "communicate with the
Earth on the agreed-upon schedule" or "fire the main engine as
needed to stay on the desired trajectory."
To demonstrate Remote Agent's versatility, the tests threw
unique challenges in the software's path: scientists created four
simulated failures designed to test Remote Agent's abilities.
During one of the simulated failures, the spacecraft's camera
appeared to be stuck in the "on" position. In response, Remote
Agent formulated and executed a new plan that accounted for the
fact that the camera could not be turned off, thus impacting
total spacecraft power availability.
An Internet web page contains the log of events from Deep
Space 1 during the ambitious artificial intelligence test:
http://rax.arc.nasa.gov
Launched October 24, 1998, Deep Space 1 has validated 12 new
technologies, including Remote Agent, so scientists can
confidently use them during science missions of the 21st century.
The project has exceeded all of its technology validation success
criteria.
The other software co-winner, is Genoa, a Progressive
Failure Analysis Software System developed at the NASA Glenn
Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland, OH. Genoa is used
to model aging and failure in structural materials, including
high-tech alloys and ceramics.
The event is cosponsored by the NASA Inventions and
Contributions Board and the NASA Chief Information Officer. NASA
officials will officially present the awards at special
ceremonies later this year. Information about the winning team
and other finalists is available from:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codei/swy99win.html
Remote Agent was developed at JPL and at the NASA Ames
Research Center. Deep Space 1 is managed for NASA's Office of
Space Science, Washington, DC, by JPL, a division of the
California Institute of Technology. JPL is a division of the
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.
#####
Chuck Fry
Paolo Amoroso <amo...@mclink.it> wrote:
>On 6 Aug 1999 10:29:59 -0700, chu...@best.com (Chuck Fry) wrote:
>> Thanks! BTW, this isn't just a paper award; there's money in it for us!
>
>Will you fund a Lisp Propulsion Laboratory? :)
No, but I might buy a faster Power Mac...
>> I dare anyone else to try porting a large C++ application from one
>> compiler vendor to another! :-)
>
>Given this success, is JPL still intentioned to rewrite the Remote Agent in
>C++?
Actually most of the rewriting is happening at NASA's Ames Research
Center, where I work as a contractor employee. A few of us believe
porting to C++ is the wrong thing. I tend to think most of these
projects will take much longer than planned, and that much of the cause
for delay will be due to memory management issues.
But the planner substrate in C++ is already in pre-alpha testing, work
is proceeding on the executive port, and the diagnostic (Mode
Identification & Recovery) module is scheduled to be ported later this
year.
-- Chuck, again not speaking for NASA, JPL, or Caelum Research
Benjamin Kowarsch
> The second winner, Remote Agent, is a giant leap in the world
> of artificial intelligence. It is the first software package ever
> used to autonomously control a spacecraft: Deep Space 1. NASA
> scientists gave the software package primary command of the
> showing that it can make decisions to keep a mission on track.
>
> operations as computers become "thinking" partners along with
> humans.
In other words, they have eventually come up with a grandfather of the
HAL-9000 computer of Stan Kubrick's Space Odysee 2001. Very interesting.
And also, watch the timing. I have watched the movie again only a few
weeks ago on Japanese TV and they also had an interview with Arthur
C.Clarke. It was not expected, that a cognitive computer system that could
control a spacecraft on it's own would be implemented by or before 2001.
Hopefully Remote Agent won't kill a future crew ;-)
Anyway, great job !
Benjamin
--
As an anti-spam measure I have scrambled my email address here.
Remove "nospam-" and ROT13 to obtain my email address in clear text.
Chuck Fry
Benjamin Kowarsch <nospam-...@xntv.pbz> wrote:
>Hopefully Remote Agent won't kill a future crew ;-)
Not likely any time soon. The manned space flight people refuse to
trust anything which makes decisions for them, even on the ground. Or
at least that's been my limited experience. It was an uphill battle
getting RAX on an *unmanned* flight, and the folks at Johnson Space
Center seem even more paranoid of losing control.
>Anyway, great job !
Thanks again!
-- Chuck, as usual not speaking for NASA or Caelum Research
Jason Trenouth
> I include below a press release announcing that the control software of the
> Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft, which is written in Common Lisp, has been
> chosen together with another system as NASA's 1999 Software of the Year.
>
> Congratulations to Chuck Fry and Erann Gat, who are regular contributors to
> comp.lang.lisp, and to the other members of the DS1 team.
>
> By the way, the new owners of Harlequin, whose Lisp system was used to
> develop the DS1 software, should have a look at the press release ;-)
Its doing the rounds.
BTW There is also some mention of this project in the DDJ letters page this
month (September 1999). :-j
__Jason