"NASA FPGA Needs and Activities"
Ken LaBel
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Summary
This presentation focuses on the NASA-wide perspective on using FPGAs in space systems. The talk is divided into areas describing:
- The space environment and effects of concern;
- The dichotomy of NASA missions and the implication to radiation and reliability constraints;
- A detailed discussion of NASA and FPGAs.
This latter covers the trade space between ASICs and FPGAs, the types of applications where NASA utilizes FPGAs, the types of FPGAs used, future requirements, and technical challenges. We conclude with comments on NASA's recommendations for future FPGA developments.