A

Statement of Task

An ad hoc committee will evaluate the current capabilities and future needs in the United States to ensure electronic components planned for future U.S. space programs are able to withstand the radiation stresses they will be subjected to during their intended mission life. In conducting the study and preparing its report, the committee will:

• Assess the existing infrastructure for verifying the ability of existing and emerging microelectronic, optoelectronic, and photonic components to operate properly in the space radiation environment. A full definition of infrastructure shall include, but not necessarily be limited to the following five bulleted items:
  • Facilities and related resources necessary to characterize radiation stress induced failure modes of electronic components;
  • Simulation capabilities and related theory and modeling;
  • Facilities and related resources available for undertaking those simulations;
  • The workforce available to conduct such simulation and characterization; and
  • The training and research experience programs in place to prepare a workforce for these activities.
• Characterize the infrastructure that will be needed in FY 18 and beyond (nominally thru 2030 particularly in the case of particle accelerators) to adequately provide the required capabilities for new and emerging electronic technologies, and identify the principal gaps that exist between existing and needed infrastructure.
• Recommend steps needed to establish within the United States an effective infrastructure that eliminates, or reasonably minimizes, any identified gaps.
• Recommend steps required to provide effective stewardship of the necessary radiation test infrastructure for the foreseeable future.