The Genesis of a Formal Tool for Reasoning about Flight Software Cost Analysis

Knowledge Engineering (as defined by Edward Feigenbaum and Pamela McCorduck [1]) "... is that discipline that involves integrating knowledge into computer systems in order to solve complex problems normally requiring a high level of human expertise". Embedded in this definition is the acquisition and structuring of the information characterizing the knowledge domain of interest. This paper gives a paradigm for the acquisition, structuring and representation of the knowledge used for the computation and computerized explanation of Flight Software (FSW) estimates for space mission proposals at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). General principles for the estimation of FSW are presented by merging the above ideas with the SEER-SEM computer program. A computerized methodology used to map the SEER-SEM output into the JPL Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is illustrated. The ideas of this paper encompass a methodology for FSW cost analysis which serves as a foundation upon which others may gain insight into how to perform such analyses.