Space flight demands complete reliability failure is not an option in orbit. While acknowledging that risk cannot be entirely eliminated, by choosing the right people and technologies it can, however, be brought down to a manageable level. More than anything else, space flight and research today is also fully dependent on functioning information networks and reliable data systems. In this regard, space research faces the same risks from viruses, worms and intruders as any other areas in modern life and business.
In January 2005, the Institute of Astronautics at the Technical University of Munich, one of the European organizations conducting space research selected F-Secure as their sponsorship partner for antivirus protection. F-Secures state-of-the-art antivirus solutions will make sure the Institute can carry on its research work on their Linux- and Windows data systems undisturbed. Viruses and other destructive code will not longer be a threat for research scientists expanding the boundaries of human knowledge.
The Right Stuff in AV
The leader of the Institute, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Walter, is a former Shuttle astronaut himself. He has a very pragmatic approach to the technologies he uses at the institute. "We do science, and need to be able to concentrate on producing scientific results. Computer viruses are a distraction and a risk we cannot afford, so we need to use the most reliable solution in the market. We were especially impressed by F-Secure's strong track record in being able to respond very rapidly to new virus outbreaks," says Prof. Walter.
A Bavarian Satellite and Micro-Meteorites
The most important fields of research of the Institute of Astronautics are satellite technology, applied systems engineering, and high-velocity technology.
The objective of the new focus on satellite technology is to link teaching and basic research with R&D geared towards future uses, e.g. for the aerospace industry and associated facilities.
The most important tasks focus on the design and development of platforms, especially for small and micro-satellites. The Institute develops and constructs different subsystems of satellites by using new and also unconventional satellite technologies. These activities find a common home in the BayernSat project (http://www.bayernsat.com/), a microsatellite which has been designed to demonstrate telepresence.
Development plans for such hardware are closely linked to these projects systems engineering support. The working group "Systems Engineering" at the institute works on systems engineering modelling and the design of technical systems with one aim being the adaptation and advancement of a development tool for satellite design. Other areas include modelling of development processes, change management, and optimization of test procedures.
The third task field at the institute is high-velocity research. For approximately 30 years the Institute has been operating a high-velocity accelerator to simulate micrometeoroids and space debris. Impact analyses are carried out on different aerospace structures. These are conduct to quantify specific damage and risk analyses. Basic damage and scaling laws for high-velocity impacts and punctures on the basis of experiments are also being developed. Prof. Walter's team also serves to improve the efficiency of other particle accelerators based on the electromagnetic, electro thermal, and plasma dynamic principle. The last two facilitate the generation of fast plasma pulses. They can be applied to treat and modify the surface of materials, and for particle synthesis in short-range plasma.
F-Secure is proud to be able to provide "The Right Stuff" for protecting these projects and the Institute of Astronautics against viruses.
Author: Pär Andler, Marketing Director, Global Marketing
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