Resilency of Electronics
Alternative Approachs
In addition to space hardening techniques that alter the structure of the electronics of the spacecraft, shielding, redundancy, and logical corrections can also improve the robustness of the mission.
Shielding is the most intuitive of these approaches. Materials such as polyethylene have been shown to be effective in reducing the level of radiation. NASA's Radiation Shielding Program is currently researching and developing materials that can be used to protect electronics.
Redundancy is also an intuitive approach. The Space Buster probe may feature multiple instances of crucial components, such as oscillators, filters, and processors. An onboard computer could monitor the devices and detect when one fails. The redundant component can then be activated to replace the faulty one.
Logical corrections will also likely be needed, particularly for transient errors. Error correction schemes similar to those used in the transmission of images could detect and correct erroneous bit sequences. Transient errors, such as flipped bits, can be catastrophic if they trigger a chain reaction of errors resulting in overall system failure. Therefore, this will be an important consideration.