2017-8-1_stip_final-508ed

NASA Strategic Technology Investment Plan
Figure 21: NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) Discovery Supercomputer.
Impact to NASA
NASA’s technologies for advanced information systems will enable the autonomous capabilities
required for long-duration, complex missions. Critical technologies support more capable
scientific instruments that gather and process more data about the universe and the solar
system. Flight systems will rely on high-performance computers for landing, hazard avoidance,
autonomous rendezvous and docking, and many other complicated functions. Advanced ground
computing and science modeling technologies will help to ensure NASA has the tools required
to process, analyze, and manage big data. Finally, cyber security technologies ensure all of
these information systems function reliably and without compromising NASA data.
Impact to Nation and Partners
NASA’s investments to advance information system technologies have many potential impacts
outside the Agency. Other Government agencies have identified mutual benefits for each of
NASA’s Critical technologies, including the ability to model the cost of complex missions.
NASA’s investments in these systems support other Government agency needs for information
system hardware and software suited to the design constraints of space operations. Satellites
and other systems used by government agencies benefit, for example, from better radiation
tolerance and low power operation for components. Each of these technologies aligns with
international space agency opportunities and priorities specified by international partners.
Finally, NASA’s advanced computing efforts support National Technology Priorities, and
commercial benefits have been identified for the advanced processors and memory.
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