Research and Development in Application of the Simulation Model Portability Standard
Scott Nemeth, Peter Demarest · SpaceOps 2010 Conference · 2010
The development of physics based spaceflight simulators is undertaken by many programs, and inevitably the opportunity for cost and schedule savings from the reuse of developed simulation models is a topic of much interest. While it is acknowledged numerous approaches for achieving model reuse exist; the second version of the European Space Agency (ESA) Simulation Model Portability (SMP2) standard has been investigated for potential use in modeling and simulation for NASA’s Constellation Program (CxP). The SMP2 standard is particularly well suited for use in the CxP as the standard's objectives and spaceflight operations domain are nearly identical for both NASA and ESA. The standard puts forth interface requirements to enable flexible and efficient reuse of simulation models thereby laying the foundation for direct reuse of developed simulation model assets. Using the SMP2 standard, ESA has demonstrated the reuse of engineering models across the engineering life-cycle from vehicle design, to hardware and software validation, and finally in flight operations. This reuse can substantially reduce the total cost of model development to the Constellation Program since the associated software development process and documentation need not be wholly recreated. Lessons learned include areas of the standard that fit well with current needs, along with areas of potential improvement. To provide hands-on application of the SMP2 standard, a Python and C++ based hybrid simulation prototype was developed using the SMP2 standard as a blueprint for defining interfaces between the simulation models and framework. The advantages of using a dynamic programming language are revealed along with challenges that were overcome. Details regarding the use of SMP2 to promote interoperability with an existing legacy simulation toolset and the newly developed prototype simulation framework are explained along with benefits of using the SMP2 standard. The dream of model and simulation reuse has continually been difficult to achieve in real applications. Based upon a practical approach and sound computer science techniques, the SMP2 standard is poised to deliver upon the dream of simulation model reuse by enabling efficient sharing of information, and achieving integration across diverse space programs.