Goal-Based Fault Tolerance for Spacecraft Systems

A report discusses the concept of goal-based fault tolerance as implemented in NASA’s Mission Data System (MDS), which is a developmental architecture for unified flight, test, and ground software that is intended to be adaptable to a variety of next-generation deep-space missions. In goal-based fault tolerance, unlike in prior approaches to fault tolerance, it is not assumed that faults that necessitate deviations from prescribed sequences of commands will occur infrequently; instead, it is assumed that unpredictable conditions, including faults, can arise at any time, and fault tolerance is incorporated as an intrinsic feature of every aspect of system design in a unified approach to ensuring robust system behavior.