The Times West Virginian

Local News

November 6, 2008

Software critical to NASA missions

By Jessica Legge

FAIRMONT — NASA was the focus of this month’s West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation Roundtable Luncheon.

Dr. Butch Caffall, director of the NASA Independent Verification & Validation Facility in Fairmont, was the guest speaker for the event, which took place at the I-79 Technology Park Research Center in Fairmont Wednesday afternoon. The WVHTC Foundation’s Affiliate Leadership Council sponsored the Roundtable Luncheon.

Caffall’s presentation revolved around the future of IV&V; and the contributions of local businesses. He discussed the work that NASA and the IV&V; Facility do.

NASA’s mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration and scientific discovery. The agency explores the earth, moon, solar system, galaxy and beyond.

“There’s people doing some wonderful things,” Caffall said.

He talked about ways that NASA explores space, such as Project Constellation and the Ares V cargo launch component, the Orion spacecraft, and the Mars Science Laboratory.

As its name implies, the facility in Fairmont does independent verification and validation of NASA system software that is critical to missions. It examines NASA projects and contracts as they’re being developed and assures the quality and safety of the software development.

Caffall spoke about undesired and deadly results from software problems. In December 2001, for example, three U.S. Special Forces airmen and five Afghan soldiers were killed by a 2000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition bomb. Nineteen other military personnel were also wounded.

“Software can kill,” he said. “There’s a ton of software in our world. Software — it’s not as soft sometimes as we think it is.”

Caffall touched on notable project failures and common issues of system failures. Sometimes systems are operationally extended in ways not imagined during development. Also, systems can be exposed to external stimuli and conditions not considered during development or exhibit unexpected behaviors under adverse conditions, he said.

According to Caffall, 47 to 56 percent of software problems are associated with requirements.

He said NASA faces similar challenges in trying to adequately describe a system. When it comes to the software development process, “Everybody along the way sees the problem a little different.”

“We talk a lot about capabilities and limitations,” Caffall said.

Three questions serve as the foundation for the NASA IV&V; Facility’s work. The employees must determine what the system software is supposed to do, what it’s not supposed to do, and what it’s supposed to do during adverse conditions. At the same time, NASA has to pay attention to the needs of customers and stakeholders.

At the end of the meeting, Deputy Mayor John Dahlia — representing the City of Fairmont — recognized and thanked NASA IV&V; for its important work. On behalf of Mayor Scott Sears, he read a proclamation that established Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008, as NASA IV&V; Facility Day.

E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.

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