Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer... The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.
- - HAL, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Far from being foolproof and incapable of error, the computing technology used in space today can be difficult and frustrating due to the limitations of current hardware performance (which can be affected by radiation) and the software demands of the highly complex technology upon which mission success-and space explorers' lives-may depend.
USRA conducts a wide range of computer science research focusing on intelligent systems, autonomy, information management, data analysis, and software verification to provide next-generation technologies for space science research and exploration.