Injection of new technology into space systems

It is often the case that small satellite missions benefit from technologies specifically targeted for their application, but benefits may also be realized by adopting or injecting technologies originally developed for human spaceflight systems, especially if these technologies were conceived using multi-use and multi-disciplinary development principles. In this paper, the authors discuss the precedent of injecting new technology developed for human spaceflight systems into small satellite missions. More importantly, the authors will present five new technologies recently proposed for making the NASA Space Shuttle safer to fly, all of which are directly applicable to small satellite mission design and operations. The technologies, when matured, will provide a means to create new generations of ultra-reliable flight hardware and software. The technologies are all currently at the developmental phase and require modest investment to achieve operational status.