Vehicle Integration and Instrumentation is part of the Research and Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The branch consists of two groups: Avionics Engineering and Systems Integration and Test. The branch performs a variety of development activities and supports the NASA mission directorates, including Aeronautics Research, Science, Exploration Systems Development, and Space Operations.
Employees in this group develop and engineer avionics and control systems for flight platforms, including specifying, designing, developing, verifying, validating, implementing, and supporting avionics systems (hardware and software) for flight. They have expertise in defining, classifying, and programming software for critical aircraft systems: selecting, designing, fabricating, qualifying, integrating, installing, and testing flight-worthy hardware. In addition, this group assists in defining systems requirements based on end-user needs and safety.
Development Activities and Support
Flight Systems Development (single and multi-channel)
- Small flight-rated embedded computers
- Flight control systems
- Small prototype hardware development (I/O)
- Cockpit display development
Flight Software Management/Development
- Manage the development of flight/mission-critical software
- Develop small to medium flight/mission-critical software
Design/Development/Test Review and Analysis
UAV systems design and development
- Systems integration and test
Intelligent Systems Verification and Validation
Technology/Capability
Development, integration, and test of mission-critical and flight-critical systems, including mission management, avionics, flight control, power, actuator, embedded and thermal management systems, as well as related software.
Approach
- Requirements development
- Architecture development
- System design, development, fabrication
- Software development and management
- Environmental testing
- System integration
- Failure modes and effects analysis (FMET)
- Verification and Validation testing
- Participation in flight planning
- Flight test and operational support
- Real-time and post-flight engineering data analysis
