Press Release

Green Hills Software to Power Spaceflight Crew Escape System Demonstrator

By SpaceRef Editor
December 22, 2003
Filed under , ,

Lockheed Martin Selects the INTEGRITY-178B Real-Time Operating System for the PAD Abort Demonstrator

Green Hills Software Inc. today announced that the Lockheed Martin
Corp. has selected the INTEGRITY-178B real-time operating system
(RTOS) for the vehicle management and control system of the Pad Abort
Demonstrator (PAD), an unmanned crew escape demonstration test bed
supporting the development of the next manned spacecraft.

The PAD is a full-scale reusable flying test bed that provides a
test platform to demonstrate and evaluate technologies associated with
launch pad and potentially ascent abort operations for the Orbital
Space Plane (OSP) program. PAD addresses the need to separate the crew
from a booster vehicle in the event of an on-pad emergency event.
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $53 million contract to develop, build
and fly the PAD system. Lockheed selected the Green Hills
INTEGRITY-178B RTOS and AdaMULTI software development tools for the
control of the critical tasks that will be needed to demonstrate safe
separation and recovery of a crew escape module in the event of a
launch emergency.

“We need complete confidence in the ARINC 653 compliant operating
system software that will control the Pad Abort Demonstrator,” said
Gary Shubert, PAD Avionics and Software lead, Lockheed Martin Corp.
“Because the Green Hills INTEGRITY-178B RTOS was developed for the
man-rated aviation industry, it provides the level of robust
safety-critical control that we require for the PAD.”

The PAD system builds upon the experience of the earlier manned
spaceflight missions of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. It
will provide for a rocket-powered separation of the crew vehicle from
the launch pad. Escape engines will fire for a few seconds, safely
separating the simulated crew up and away from danger. At an altitude
of between 4,000 and 6,000 feet above the ground, parachutes will be
deployed to slow the descent of the crew vehicle, while landing skids
will be deployed as the vehicle nears the ground. All of these complex
tasks will be under the fully autonomous control of Green Hills
Software’s INTEGRITY-178B RTOS.

“Our experience with all forms of manned aviation will certainly
benefit Lockheed Martin as they demonstrate a modern separation and
recovery system for future manned space flight,” said David
Kleidermacher, vice president of engineering at Green Hills Software.
“This is just the latest in a long line of safety-critical systems
that rely on the Green Hills INTEGRITY-178B RTOS for control of some
of the most complex forms of aviation.”

Design of the actual PAD test vehicle is nearly complete at
Lockheed Martin, with initial wind tunnel testing completed in October
2003. PAD is scheduled for three demonstration flights in 2005 and
four demonstration flights in 2006 at the White Sands Missile Range in
New Mexico.

About Green Hills Software

Founded in 1982, Green Hills Software Inc. is the technology
leader for real-time operating systems and software development tools
for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Our royalty-free INTEGRITY RTOS,
compilers, MULTI and AdaMULTI Integrated Development Environments and
Green Hills TimeMachine Debugger offer a complete development
solution that addresses both deeply embedded and high-reliability
applications. Green Hills Software is headquartered in Santa Barbara,
Calif., with European headquarters in the United Kingdom.

Green Hills Software, the Green Hills logo, MULTI and INTEGRITY
are registered trademarks. AdaMULTI and TimeMachine are trademarks of
Green Hills Software Inc. All other trademarks (registered or
otherwise) are the property of their respective companies. Brand or
product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their
respective holders.

North American Sales Contact: Green Hills Software Inc., 30 W.
Sola St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101, Tel: 805-965-6044, Fax:
805-965-6343, Web site: www.ghs.com, E-mail: sales@ghs.com.

International Sales Contact: Green Hills Software Ltd., Dolphin
House, St. Peter St., Winchester Hampshire SO23 8BW, United Kingdom,
Tel: +44 (0)1962 829820, Fax: +44 (0)1962 890300, E-mail:
mktg-europe@ghs.com.

SpaceRef staff editor.